KOCHI:Beautiful locations, candid moments, wildlife... All these are part of a photographer’s wish list. But what if someone wants to click a photo to draw the people’s attention to the ongoing social issues along with a write-up. This is exactly the interest of self-trained photographer Rahul Ravi.“I have a blog and I used to jot down my thoughts in it,” he told Express. “I write something related to any contemporary issue and then try to create a photograph for it,” he said.
Like the brutal rape and murder of Asifa, mob lynching of Madhu, both of which became popular on social media or the need to protect the environment, Rahul has created these pictures with the help of models.
“Usually my sister and brother model for my pictures. The photos will be accompanied by a caption, which together will look like an eye-opener to the topic on discussion,” he added. Rahul said one of his photos was about menstruation, which showed a bleeding woman in pain and along with a note. His sister had modelled for it.
“I prefer created photographs more than candid or natural ones because you have a more creative space to work rather than capture the obvious ones. I upload all such photos on my Instagram account,” he said.
He mentioned his photos receive an overwhelming response from his followers and many have also shown interest to model for it. He noted that he receives nearly 100 messages on Instagram and people also enquire about his next photo. “I started an Instagram account two years ago to upload my pics when I started taking photography seriously. But within a short period, I could increase my followers. Many online portals used to share my photos, which I believe is one of the reasons behind the rise in followers,” he added.
“I have never approached photography with a commercial aspect. Even when I send my photos to other through social media, I never felt like taking money,” he said. He mentioned he does freelance photography for his friends at times. He highlighted people’s trust has given him a responsibility towards photography and hence he wishes to come out with the best ones.
Rahul is also into festival photography and portraits, and one of his pictures was also selected for the Indian Insta of Portrait Club. “ As I am preparing for the National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health (NEBOSH), I can’t fully focus on photography. But I take it along with me. Even if I go abroad any time soon, I will work on photography,” he said.