Hyderabad: Photographer R. Burman, who feels his first name (Riddhibrata) is too long and complicated, is like no other photographer.
“I believe in breaking the conventional rules of photography that we are conditioned to follow. I never aim for capturing the perfect composition in my photographs. In fact, I try to make sure that it’s an imperfect composition and still beautiful in its own way,” he says.
Burman feels that the content of what he shoots is what defines his work, and not necessarily his style. “My work is inspired from the urban elements, locks, windows, roads, concrete, etc. While most photographers like to capture typically beautiful scenes and elements, I like to photograph the ugly and still find beauty there,” he adds.
An A-league photographer who does commissioned work for many magazines as well as Bollywood stars, Burman studied photography from the prestigious Brooks Institute in USA.
“I learned the process and the technicalities of photography and the science of light, but that also created more rules. That enabled me to be a fantastic technical assistant but not the guy visualising the ideas. That no school can teach you,” says Burman. So he decided to assist photographers he admired, including Mark Seliger and Steven Klein.
Burman will be showcasing some of his personal works at Art Alive at St. Moritz Art Masters in New Delhi. He says, “I have done a lot of commercial work, but there you implement the vision of someone else. But my personal work is very different. There are many series that I endlessly work on, like the Boatman series where I sail with fishermen and click photos in the middle of the ocean. Or Interpretation of Common where I capture the stuff you see everyday and make it abstract.”
Burman’s upcoming project includes Four Seasons where he intends to capture the same place during different times of the year. He explains, “I intend to go to the same spot on different days of the year and create a series of photographs of same compositions and yet different pictures.”
