The stories they see: Four Chennai photographers on how the camera changed the way they look at the world

CHENNAI: There is something about the way Tamil cinema has imagined photographers that has always stayed with us. In 96, Ram moves through places with a camera, collecting landscapes and people along the way. He has travelled far, but somehow, the camera keeps bringing him back to the things he has carried with him. In Mayakkam Enna, Karthik is different. Photography isn't simply what he does — it is what he knows, what he wants and, eventually, what keeps him going. For World Photography Day (August 19), four photographers take us through very different worlds with their cameras, from streets and cities to forests, wildlife, portraits and fashion.

Camera makes me look longer: Srivatsan Sankaran

For Srivatsan Sankaran, photography began simply with a mobile phone and a curiosity about people, places, culture and the little stories unfolding around him. But over time, “Photography became a language for me — a way to communicate and connect beyond spoken words,” he says.

Being deaf since childhood has shaped how Srivatsan sees the world. Without relying on sound, he has become more aware of what he sees around him, from light and movement to expressions, gestures and small details. “My deafness taught me to slow down and observe. While I may not hear a moment approaching, I can see it developing.” Photography, he says, gave that visual awareness a purpose. What could have been seen as a limitation became part of his photographic language.

What began as a personal interest eventually became a profession. Srivatsan left his corporate job to pursue photography full-time, despite the financial uncertainty and the additional challenges of navigating a hearing world. He has travelled to hundreds of destinations, photographing festivals, heritage, people, and everyday life, and has found himself repeatedly drawn to the stories within them. “The camera doesn’t make me see more — it makes me look longer,” he says.

That approach has also shaped how he photographs places beyond Chennai. He believes the most memorable photographs often come from unexpected moments that reveal something about everyday life. Through Madras Photo Bloggers, he wanted to create a space where people could learn, explore, and express themselves through photography, while making the community more inclusive for those who may not always feel welcome.

For Srivatsan, one photograph that comes closest to explaining why he photographs is a portrait of Choothumani, from a tribal community. Beyond her appearance, the photograph carries a sense of identity, tradition and quiet strength.

It was like I was seeing the world in 4K: Samuel Soundararaj

For Samuel Soundararaj, photography began with a change in the way he saw the world — quite literally. In Class 6 or 7, he realised he could not see things clearly from a distance. By Class 8, he was diagnosed with -4.5 eyesight and given his first pair of glasses. What happened next stayed with him. “It was like I was seeing the world in 4K,” he recalls.

Suddenly, sunsets had colours he had never noticed. Flowers appeared sharper. He found himself wondering why people were not looking at the things he had suddenly begun to notice. That curiosity led him to his father's old film camera. Samuel began photographing sunrises, sunsets, dogs, birds, insects and people. His fascination with wildlife documentaries and programmes featuring people such as Steve Irwin and David Attenborough gradually drew him towards nature and wildlife photography.

In those early years, he also learned that printing his photographs made him look at them differently. His father's school friend introduced him to the works of Impressionist painters such as Monet, Degas and Renoir, as well as photography books featuring Kodak and Ansel Adams. Slowly, he began understanding composition and the difference between merely taking a picture and making one.

On Samuel's 21st birthday, his father told him: “If you aren't thankful and content with what you have, you will never be content or grateful with what you get.” For Samuel, that became a lesson in focusing on the photograph rather than constantly chasing better equipment.

From 2008 to 2016, Samuel searched for a tiger. He travelled to forests and went on safaris in places including Bandipur and Kabini, returning without the photograph — or even the sighting — he had hoped for. Then, in 2016, on an unplanned trip to Nagarhole, he saw his first tiger in the wild. After years of searching, the moment arrived almost when he had stopped expecting it. Another such moment came when Samuel spotted a peacock among the branches of a flame-of-the-forest tree. He noticed the bird moving towards a cluster of flowers and waited for the right moment to capture the frame.

I did it all by myself: Saravanan

“Observation is key!” Saravanan says. Even when he is not consciously photographing, he finds himself watching people and the world around him. When he does have a camera in hand, he often stands back first, observes the person in front of him and thinks about how he can present them through his vision before making the frame. His interests lie in street and fashion photography, along with portraits and conceptual portraits. But he isn't particularly interested in photographing someone simply because they look good. “Raw looks and emotions are underrated,” he adds.

Even when he sees someone interesting, his instinct is not always to immediately take out the camera. He looks for something happening around them — a story that makes the photograph worth making. And even now, he sees photography as something he is still exploring and learning through.

That willingness to experiment has taken him from street photography to portraits, models, clients and celebrities. He has also photographed friends who are Bharatanatyam dancers, using those opportunities to experiment with different kinds of frames and movements.

But photographing people comes with its own challenge: not everyone is comfortable in front of a camera. Saravanan doesn't immediately start giving them poses. Instead, he lets them move naturally and asks them to simply go with the flow. He shoots candid frames while they get comfortable, until eventually the camera becomes less intimidating.

He says he considers every photograph he takes his best in its own way. Before pressing the shutter, he observes and thinks about how he wants to make the image. Afterwards, he shows it to the person he has photographed.

If they really like it, he sometimes goes to a nearby studio, gets two physical copies printed and hands them over to them. “That is my happy core,” he says.

Many of those people, from different cities and different walks of life, have remained in his contacts. He began learning on his own, starting with street photography before gradually moving towards clients, models and celebrities. “I did it all by myself, whatever I've accomplished so far,” he concludes.

Photography chose me: Harish

For Harish, photography seems to have been around long before he consciously chose it. His mother worked as an accountant at a photo studio when he was a child. Even after she left the job, his memories of playing with film rolls and old cameras as though they were toys stayed with him. She was strict about him not taking up photography as a livelihood, but eventually, life took him back to the camera anyway. “I believe photography chose me,” he says. “That is why I always return to it, and what more could you ask for than something that continuously chooses you?”

For Harish, a portrait is not simply about making someone look beautiful. There is a relationship that develops during a shoot — between the photographer and the person being photographed, between the first frame and the hundredth, and between what is planned and what unexpectedly happens.

He believes a shoot should feel natural rather than overly created. That becomes especially important when he photographs actors and models.

One such photograph came early in his journey, when he was photographing a friend at a bookstore. The manager asked them to clear the area so the floor could be cleaned. His friend, an avid reader, picked up a stack of books and moved into another room to read. She was surrounded by scattered books when a beam of light from the window fell directly on her. Harish captured the moment without fully understanding why he was drawn to it. The resulting image looked like a painting.

“I have many photographs that came to me unexpectedly. I don't create these moments. I am simply a tool witnessing them and helping my camera capture them. Photography is an art form, and art brings out kindness and deeper perception. It makes me feel truly alive,” he concludes.