The beauty of ordinariness

Sreesailam Pasupula believes photography chose him much before he could choose a vocation for himself. It was while watching the works of NatGeo photographer David Alan Harvey on television back in 1999 that he decided to make photography his full-time occupation. Today, life has come a full circle for the Mumbai-based photographer. Earlier this month, Sreesailam got a chance to attend workshops by his idol, David Alan as part of the First Exposure International Photography Festival in Sharjah, UAE. Sreesailam is the only photographer to have been selected from India to be a part of the International Photography Festival.

He says, “The workshop was the chance of a lifetime. We not only discussed photography, but also how superficial forces influence our work. I spent five days with the photographer who inspired me to take this up. It was like a dream come true.”

It is his candid shot of a little boy, dressed as Lord Krishna, devouring candyfloss that earned him the prestigious Timothy Allen Travel Scholarship. Sreesailam tells us that it took him about 30 minutes to wait for the perfect shot. He elaborates, “I just stood in front of this boy and observed him for a good 15 minutes, without clicking on the shutter button. It was when he bit into the candyfloss and stopped caring about my presence that I decided to click him. I took just three frames, and I knew I had a good photo in hand.” This photo is among the many daily life images that have been mounted across walls for his exhibitions.

His first encouragement to pursue daily life photography came in the form of Lonely Planet Grand Awards in 2010. Having pocketed 10,000 US dollars as prize money, Sreesailam travelled extensively across Northeast and Central India for six years.

While he tours across the country throughout the year, come Holi, the photographer is almost always found scouting the streets of Mathura. Sreesailam visits the sacred city annually to capture the essence of the festival in mundane surroundings. He says, “Mathura will almost always surprise you for its diversity. There are people playing Holi with flowers; some prefer smearing each other with traditional colours. Then there is Lath Mar Holi, where women beat up men with sticks. This place has too many stories to tell. Plus, I feel strangely connected to this place. Every year, I block my dates during Holi to proceed towards this pilgrimage of sorts.”

Having dabbled in wedding, portrait and event photography, Sreesailam is happy to have found his calling in capturing the daily life. He says, “I prefer capturing the everyday life since there is so much that one can earn by simply observing its people. Aren’t people, after all, a window to the place ”