Janaki Subramaniam: What happens when two passions come together!

Janaki Subramaniam is an aspiring film photographer. Her passion for photography and flying took her to even greater heights. It is interesting to see how she combined her two passions and continued pursuing what she loves.

Could you please introduce yourself to the community?
While most people see the glass half full or empty, I, Janaki Subramaniam see the free spirit of a bird through the window, behind the table the glass was kept on. Apart from being an avid film photographer, I am also an economics graduate and a commercial pilot license holder and am very passionate for flying.

You are training to be a pilot at a very young age which is breaking the prejudices related to women and their career paths. How do you fit photography in your profession next to your intensive training?
I’m always asked this question because these are two contrasting professions. In fact, one of the reasons I thought of getting into commercial flying was so that I can further pursue my passion for photography as well. My forte is travel and nature photography, and this allows me to do the same and much more. Besides, one can always make time for something they are passionate about.

When did you first start shooting?
I started shooting about 3-4 years ago but seriously started paying attention to details only about 2 years ago. And ever since I started shooting on film, it all began to make more sense. I then started to explore more places and feel the real essence of photography.

In the world of digital cameras and Photoshop what motivates you to shoot with film?
I feel like I belong to a world where instead of capturing a moment on burst mode and choosing one good picture out of multiple ones, I’d rather take my time to compose one perfect picture. Moreover, shooting on film taught me the true meaning of ‘creating and making’ a picture, rather than ‘taking’ one.

What does photography mean to you?
Like people write, talk or sketch when they wish to express their feelings, I photograph. Since I can fall short of words at times, I ensure that my pictures speak well enough for me.

What are your favorite objects to shoot with/ what do you like shooting the most?
I love nature and travel photography. I shoot without any extra lights as I love playing with whatever natural light is available. I feel like it is a lot more challenging than the former. Mostly I shoot with the Pentax MZ 50, 35mm lens. But I recently was gifted the GoPro hero 5 Black and am trying to make some offbeat videos with the same. I explored the camera for the first time during my recent travel to Varanasi. The video will be up on my Instagram page real soon.

Do you plan on pursuing the film photography?
I certainly do. I have plans of starting a community of film photographers which will involve us going on photo walks and exploring more about film.

What advice would you give to someone who has just started shooting analogue?
Patience is the key. (Especially since it's the day and age of shooting digital and you hear about the highest quality of pictures and different modes of shooting). What I find amusing about film photography is that every picture is a journey in itself. From the time you find a subject to shoot, compose the picture in your head and click the shutter button, till the time you wait for them to get developed (which takes minimum 7 days) and finally get to see the results. The rush and the excitement to see the how the pictures would've turned out is something I can never put into words.

See more of Janaki's work on her Instagram

written by shivanisohal on 2017-11-18 #people