The mini faces of life
Praveen Kamath uses tiny figurines that seem doll-sized to capture pictures with exciting themes.
Like most creative people, photography started out as a passion for Praveen Kamath. Despite his love for photography, he continued to stick with his corporate job in the startup capital, Bengaluru. What started with requests for shoots from close family and friends, helped the young Bengaluru-based guy realise that he indeed had a knack for photography. His miniature photography has been acclaimed and acknowledged by photographers overseas, from countries like Indonesia, Germany and even the United States.
From wedding shoots and candid pictures to nature photography, Praveen has mastered it all. But his true calling seems to be miniature photography. He uses tiny figurines that seem doll-sized to capture photographs with different themes. “I started to mess around with my camera and photograph things around my house like hot wheels cars and G.I. Joe figurines from different angles, which made the photos seem realistic,” the 31-year-old says about how his journey with miniature photography began.
The figurines that Praveen uses in his photographs might seem doll-sized, but he reveals that they are much smaller. “The figurines are actually as small as the thumbnail and are manufactured only in Germany and mainly used by architectural companies to create model buildings,” says Praveen, who uses forceps to arrange the figurines “as it’s tougher with hands and something smaller is required for precision”.
In order to get the perfect image, Praveen has used the most random items — from cotton to water and watch straps to depict a hole bring drilled in the ground! “It takes a lot of time to come up with ways to depict a particular idea I have. I need to figure out ways to make the images seem as real as possible,” he says about what is the most challenging part about what he does.
The idea, which is still very new to the market, is catching up and getting a lot of attention, but started out with a slow pace, which is where the problem lies, according to Praveen. “Once things set in, people get into it quickly and it becomes mainstream which again becomes boring. So right now, while miniature photography is still new and buzzing, I am trying to keep my focus on telling stories through the pictures — be it a crime, lazing in the pool, or a day in a construction worker’s life,” he concludes.