KOCHI: “Hailing from Thrissur, the city of pooram festivals, I loved going to these melas, and dancing to the beats of the chenda. Then, one day, I felt like capturing the beautiful images I saw,” said Vibin Balakrishnan, a photographer-cum-percussionist.Though Vibin works as a freelance web designer, he finds time to live his passion and is an inevitable presence in all the poorams happening across the state. “It was in 2011 that I developed an interest for photography. Initially, I used a film camera but later bought a semi-professional one,” he said. He mentioned that he received rave responses after uploading his frames in Facebook and won various prizes too. “This encouraged me to concentrate more and I became a part of the Photomuse (a museum for photography), which was a learning experience and connected me to professional photographers,” he added.
Talking about his love for the chenda, Vibin said that in 2013, he started learning it professionally and completed his arangetram. “But due to a back pain, I am taking a break from chenda practice. But I have studied the major chenda melams and just like photography, it is a passion,” he said. Vipin said that he plays the chenda in temples or other festivals on the weekends so as to not clash with his job.
Vibin said that his designing job usually begins at noon, so he does photography in the morning hours. “My clients know that I am a photographer, so I can balance it smoothly. I don’t travel much for photography outside the state, but I will be there for any small or big festival anywhere in Kerala,” he said. He mentioned that nowadays people have started recognising him because of the popularity he has earned through his Facebook page.
In photography, apart from festivals, Vibin is also interested in portraits. “While I prefer colour photos for festivals, in portraits a black and white looks good. A black and white picture can have more impact when showing an expression,” he said. “Though I had captured numerous pictures of the recent floods that hit the state, I did not feel like uploading it on Facebook. Usually, I upload the happy moments of people,” he added.Regarding his future plans, Vibin said that street photography is one area, he wishes to explore in depth. “ Currently, I am preparing to document every nook and corner of Thrissur,” he said.