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Kunal Tewari
@kt_perspective
Landscape photographer based in Scotland
“Everything fades away at some point in life, but memories live an eternity. So capture them when you can.” I guess it was this quote that sparked my interest in photography. I always had an eagerness to explore new places, especially landscapes, and when I was younger, I always looked for opportunities to take field trips to new places whenever I could. As my interest in photography grew, I began to search for more unique perspectives to capture and started looking at the landscapes differently. “A picture speaks a thousand words”, the more I went deeper into new facets of photography, the more I felt connected with this phrase, and the better I truly understood it.
My name is Kunal Tewari, a research scientist by profession and a photographer as an active enthusiast. I was born and raised in Mumbai but did my initial years of schooling in different states in India due to the nature of my father’s job. It was fun and interesting, as I got to explore new places and learn about their cultures and traditions – all very different from each other. Later, I moved to the UK to carry out my PhD studies, getting my first job here in Glasgow, where I am currently based. When I first arrived in Scotland, I was blown away by its beauty. It has been that one big canvas that I have been searching for to capture my artistic imaginations.
"Scotland has definitely put a heart shaped mark on my photography and boosted my passion for this craft."
If I had to choose one place of significance to me (from both a photographic and spiritual point of view) then it is, without any doubts, Glencoe, Scotland. It is probably where most of my photographs have been taken. It all started with a photo of Buachaille Etive Mòr, one of the best known, and loved, mountains of all the Munro peaks in Glencoe, which instantly made me fall in love with this place, and Scotland in its entirety. Later, I returned to capture the exact same location in winter.
Besides Scotland, I have recently been exploring Europe, and last Christmas I visited a town called Hallstatt in Austria. One particular photo from this trip is very special to me. I have wanted to visit Hallstatt for 4 or 5 years because of its dreamy look, and luckily during the Christmas break of 2019 I had the opportunity to make this trip a reality. I had only about 7 hours to get there and back, but I was going to make it happen. At 5am I waited for the bus that would bring me from Salzburg to Hallstatt, to make sure I would reach the town before the touristic chaos starts – this time alone would enable me to take some unique photos.
Hallstatt is a small town in Austria with a population of around 800 people but hosts around 10k to 30k tourists each day during peak seasons. The town can actually be seen in only a couple of hours. Originally it wasn’t a tourist location, but thanks to Disney and being declared by UNESCO as a world heritage site, the town is now a well-rounded favourite on people’s Instagram feed. The vibe of the town is truly amazing, and you can capture some great shots if you manage to be there before the town wakes up. The response I have been getting to this photo is unreal. The demand for prints for this one picture has skyrocketed since I posted this picture on Instagram. You are more than welcome to check it out on my website. It’s printed on a slightly rough texture of paper to give this 3D effect because of those wooden houses, with the added feel of falling mountains in the background.
"These kinds of shots give a major boost to my creativity. Editing takes on a very different meaning in everyone’s photography."
I shoot everything in RAW, allowing me later to replicate the colours and moments that I felt when I visited a place. My basic ‘rule’ is to keep it simple, consistent and most importantly, impactful. Photography has been a learning process and the one thing I make sure to do is not to stick to one genre. I began with landscapes and cityscapes but quickly moved into street photography and most recently to portrait photography. Although it gets me out of my comfort zone, trying new things helps me to learn and develop new skills. You push yourself to further refine your skill-set and apply those to frame new compositions. In the end, you should have a photograph that is able to tell a story to its viewer without written words. I also make sure to follow other people’s work and actively engage with them, which not only inspires me but also helps me to become a better photographer.
"Photography occupies a big part of my life nowadays. It serves as a meditation to me and takes me away from the chaos of day to day life."
Most of the time the places I am visiting or hiking, especially when capturing landscapes, are remote, and thus it gives me a feeling of total isolation. This allows me to feel close to nature and be there in the moment. Photography has helped slow things down and to focus more on the story, over the rush of posting an image. It also helps me to appreciate different forms of art created by others. Art can create a magical moment out of an ordinary picture or any other material. Every single human on this planet has an artist inside them, which may come out through a camera, a brush, a pen, a musical note, a dance routine or baking the most delicious and yummy cake… Art, for me, is the freedom of self-expression.
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