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Manoj Gurjar
@manojjgurjar
Best of the week 18 at #nomadict 2020
I started my photography when I was about 17 years old, two years ago now. Some friends of my brother told me about Instagram and so I got to know about many great photographers, accounts and places. I started to take some shots myself and since then I was very passionate about it and hungry to shoot pictures everyday. With time this passion for photography just got stronger. A great boost came when I participated in a photography contest from @honorglobal and I won a phone. Meanwhile I got featured on different Indian photography pages – being @streetsofindia my favorite – and the next year I won the same contest.
"All this gave me the feeling that I was doing things in the right way; I was truly enjoying it and at the same time others were enjoying what I was creating too."
Though I started mainly with street photography, one travel photograph was enough to be sure that landscape and travel photography was more my thing. I live in Jaipur and I began exploring all the places in and around here until I felt the desire to explore something else. India is huge and there are so many places to discover, each having its own enchanting character, culture, people, food… It’s a world in one country. I wanted to witness and capture the adventurous and beautiful side of my country through photography myself.
"Last year I went on one-month solo trip to Rajasthan and Varanasi. It was the first time going on a trip for so long all alone; it was amazing."
I met so many different people and moved from place to place every few days. I managed to find various partnerships in order to promote my photography and keep the expenses low. Some travel companies and hostels got me my tickets or gave me a place to stay in exchange for visual content, stories, blogs, etc. Besides, I challenged myself a lot. I really wanted to travel as far and as much as I could, so I would be eating a proper meal only once a day and walk tens of kilometers to safe up on the train tickets. I’d rather buy a coke and have a nice long walk then hopping on the train without a coke and missing out on the places I’m rushing by.
"I’m happy my country is so rich in diversity and has countless places to discover."
Traveling abroad would be a dream, and I am sure in the future I will be able to, but there are very few countries that are cheaper than India so moneywise this can be a challenge. I love ‘traveling abroad’ as well just by meeting others from everywhere in the world showing them my country.
"From what I got to see myself from India so far, my favorite spots for photography are Jaisalmer and Varanasi."
Both have very different vibes – Jaisalmer is a city located in desert and known as golden city. Varanasi on the other hand is very religious place – it is the holiest of the seven sacred cities in Hinduism and played an important role of the development of Buddhism, but it has so much more to offer. It is located along the river Ganges and the city and its surroundings have something that attracts me. It always provide something unique to photograph.
Generally I shoot (and edit) with my phone, but it regularly happens that I get to shoot with cameras of friends or even with cameras or drones from people I meet along the way. The winning shot was taken with a drone that I borrowed from @driftersandlovers. It happens sometimes that people or travel couples contact me on Instagram and ask me to meet, show them around and take photos. I was very surprised when that first happened; I only had like 2000 followers. The travel couple @driftersandlovers contacted me too and we spent the whole day together. I took photos for them and they would give me credits for it, but that aside – the greatest thing was honestly to show them my city, learn from them about photography, Instagram and particularly about how to manage a drone.
"The whole day was so inspiring; that is why this shot is very special to me."
"It also tells a lot about me, as the angle is unique and I am always searching for this uniqueness."
I never settle with a normal picture; I want to shoot something different from others. It want that is shows adventure, a ‘wow’ moment. I am an active person, always searching for adventure, doing crazy things and not caring about the rules of what is the safest or the best to compose a photo… I like my photos to have this identity as well. Travel photography is the way to express myself freely, because I can do what I love and show who I am through my photos.
For now photography is just a hobby; I finished school last year and I am trying to enter the Indian Army. That is what I truly want, because I can fulfill my continuous desire for adventure. I can’t imagine myself in a mainstream job and in the Army no day is the same. I need action and in addition, travel is part of the job, so it is exactly the challenge I am looking for. Sometimes I get some gigs, but I don’t always have time, especially when I was still in school. If a brand or person contacts me, it regularly happens that I give these opportunities to friends.
"It also happens the other way around, which is how I got to shoot some weddings - it’s nice that we all help each other out and stimulate mutual growth that way."
At the end, we all have to do our best in order to survive in this world, we have to adapt ourselves according to time and place, to opportunities and losses. And it’s amazing we can all help each other with this, whether it is in photography or anything else. The most important thing for me is to be happy and live every moment to the fullest; photography helps me to do that.
"My philosophy is to “stay maluk and do what makes you feel alive.”
Maluk is a local Indian word that we use to express happiness, beauty or a great vibe; you can feel it when you spend time with friends, eat some delicious food, do sports or in my case, when I took a fantastic photo.
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