With unkempt hair, a T-shirt and a three-fourths, 22-year-old Steevez Rodriguez looks like the stereotype of a Chennai teen, who can be spotted hanging out at Elliot’s beach or at any cafe in the city. But when you hear his story — you realise he is no ordinary youngster.
He has walked the Cannes Red Carpet, set up an art gallery in Paris, and has just returned from Afghanistan after shooting a documentary!
Steevez, a professional freelance photographer, developed a love for the art when he was in Class 10. What started as a weekend course back then, has now become his life. After finishing his graduation in Loyola, he set off to France to pursue another course in photojournalism.
When asked about his Paris days, Steevez starts with Ernest Hemingway’s quote, “If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.” He goes on to say, “It was like living a dream — it is a different world altogether. Every glorification about the city we hear, is indeed true!”
When asked about his best moments there, he replies with élan — “I set up my photo series on street graffiti in a gallery called Lavo Matik, where I worked with the most incredible of graffiti artists. I never thought I would ever get a chance to display my work in a place like that... it seems like a dream even now!”
Steevez also states that he also has a firsthand experience of the Charlie Hebdo terror attack. “I was able to photograph several incidents that occurred during the outrage. In fact, I was actually inside a supermarket during the hostage situation,” he adds.
His story about how he walked the 2015 Cannes red carpet sounds like something out of a film. “Only after reaching Cannes, I knew that the entry was by invitation. I was heartbroken, but then I started clicking pictures. Later, I saw people standing with boards asking for tickets. I quickly made one for myself and stood with the crowd. I should call it serendipity — a girl out of nowhere, in a stunning outfit, came and offered me the ticket, and left!” he reminisces, gleefully.
But the story took an amusing turn when he realised that he had a red carpet ticket — which meant he needed a tux to tread the prestigious path. “I thought of buying a tux right away, but it would have cost me three months’ allowance! Then I found a rental a mile away; I ran and finally made it,” he laughs.
He then pursued a course at the Pathshala South Asian Media Institute in Dhaka, which is recognised as the second best college for photography in the world. “Pathshala was an amazing experience. The way I look at photography has changed and so has my thought process. Its an organic institution with no proper schedule. Even though I hated the city for its chaos, the school was great,” he quips.
Speaking about his latest trip to Afghanistan to shoot a film, he says — “I went to shoot a documentary for an organisation called Tabish, who are doing noble work in the area, helping war victims and opium addicts. One thing I found is that Afghanistan is always shown in a bad light by the media. But I was awed by the landscapes there, and the scenery was out of the world! Since I didn’t know the language too well, I couldn’t explore the place or do much though.”
However, he too had some alarming moments on location — “All of a sudden, we planned to visit Jalalabad from Kabul. The road is considered the second-most dangerous road in the world. The fatality rate is 9.5 out of 10. But there was something more sinister in the air the night before we set out our journey. I could feel my crew becoming more anxious. Later, I found out the reason — the place is more prone to terrorist attacks. But, thankfully nothing happened to us. I guess we belong to the remaining 0.5 percent; the lucky lot,” he grins.
Steevez, who does only freelancing, has also turned down many full-time jobs. “I think it would restrict my options. The trip to Afghanistan happened in a matter of two days — I can’t do something like that if I have a full-time job. Also, I don’t want to become stereotypical; that’s why I don’t even have an FB page saying ‘Steevez Photography’,” he laughs and signs off.
