For a living you work with newspaper while sometimes you have to click stars, party and social event pictures. How do you reconcile serious photography with stars and ribbon cutting photography?
It is not about reconciling, there are two aspects to it. One is to make a living and the second is to support serious photography, my personal interest. I keep a balance between the two. Making a living shooting stars doesn’t over power me, as I know this relationship is temporary and there is a lot of gap. But with serious photography, visiting again and again, I create relationships, so my emotions and empathy are always there.
If you were to describe yourself, how what would that be?
One friend said to me that I was humble, dedicated and passionate about my craft.
What have been milestones in your life? What could be your next milestone?
Doing photography for last 27 years itself is a big milestone. Along the way I have received lot of encouragement and support as well as acknowledgments, like being awarded the National Media Fellowship and the All Roads Photographers award by National Geographic. My future milestone is to keep shooting photo stories.
Who has influenced you most in your life? Why?
The list is endless. Every photograph I take enriches my life. I am always learning from people and situations.
Are you ambitious? If yes, have you chalked out your life? Does planning help?
Oh yes! I am always planning about my photography. I live my life planning my next steps in photography. It is in my thoughts 24 hours a day. Photography itself is my life.
Sudharak Olwe is an ace photographer. His images transcend technique and illuminate the humanity of his subjects.
How have you tackled setback in life? What keeps you going? Have you ever wanted to give it all up and do something else?
For the kind of photography I do, it is difficult to get support or published. But I keep doing it continuously, taking it upward all the time. And if it is quality work, then I believe it is bound to get the light. It is my determination and photography that gives me the power to move forward by engaging with various social issues and bringing them recognition. I never want to give up photography, it is my meditation.
India has a multitude of talent. And yet we are unable to make strides like China. How do we harness talent in India and channelise it?
Forget China, just look at our Bangladeshi counterparts. They are really doing excellent work, nationally and internationally in photography. There is a movement, there is trust. In our country, we don’t trust, we don’t trust our seniors, we don’t share. Unless and until we don’t share how will it be visible to the rest of the world? We should all come together, make a platform and share our knowledge. Believe me, we have lots of talent in our country, just there are not enough helping hands.
