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Savad Monk
@savad.monk
Photographer and Filmmaker based in India
Ten principles to live your passion with a smile and evolve as a landscape photographer!
1. Inspiration comes from within yourself but can be nurtured and sparked everywhere. When shooting, people, locations, and diversity in nature inspire me, as well as music and movies – they all help me complete my vision and get to the final results.
2. Landscape photography is the supreme test of the photographer as the weather influences everything and is constantly evolving – it can change how you photograph and feel. So I always try to make the most out of each situation. As a result, I realized that mist and fog are my favorite conditions because they help the landscape feel unfamiliar, and so do the photos you take.
3. I also learned that it is beautiful to revisit places, get to know them better, and shoot them in different seasons and lights.
4. My project with DJI taught me a lot, although the most challenging project has been for the 2020 Dubai EXPO. My team and I were stuck editing for long periods. In the end, it worked out. But when planned and prepared better, the whole process becomes smoother.
5. My philosophy is always to get the best shot possible and then push it in my post-processing workflow to squeeze every last drop of drama.
6. I see my photography style as dark and moody. Other people might not respond to that vision, but it is mine and ultimately the only thing that will bring me joy and peace.
7. I believe that finding that unique style and story is paramount in distinguishing my work from others.
8. It is hard to pick one quality that makes a photo stand out. It can be a mixture of great light, movement, or a wonderful expression. But I think, in the end, it comes down to a feeling. The best images for me are the ones that make me feel something, a sense of a place, or an emotion.
9. This applies to videos as well. One of the biggest reasons stories resonate with us is because they convey emotions. To achieve this, focus on other critical elements of storytelling. The colors, composition, plot, story development, and background music come together to communicate an emotion effectively. Into the Wild is one of my favorite movies that have it all.
10. However, shooting a perfect video is hard. Perfection is difficult to achieve because our world is not absolute. There is no one reality or truth. So our work would not be perfect either.
Knowing how to deal with perfectionism and reflecting on the origin of your thoughts and (re)actions is very important. I have seen so many creative people quit out of frustration. But we can enjoy our work and feel proud of it. Allow ourselves to live our passion with a smile!
The world's largest bird statue and essential tips to deal with perfectionism as a photographer!
After I was diagnosed with anxiety disorder in 2018, I decided to slow down and focus on things that I am really passionate about. I bought a camera and I kept pushing, leading me to 2022, where I focus all my efforts on photographing/filming travel projects and the outdoors.
One memorable trip was to North India; It had everything I’d ever wanted. Jatayu Earth Center, located in Kerala, is the world’s largest bird sculpture and I wanted to shoot this monument for a very long time. I got the opportunity to talk to the sculptor Rajiv Anchal and I conveyed my deep interest in photographing Jatayu with a drone and he agreed. I was excited and ran around the place like a small child during the shoot day. I took one of my favorite photos here.
While my philosophy is always to try to get the best shot out in the field, it’s hard to pick a quality that makes a photo stand out. But I think in the end, it comes down to a feeling. However, capturing that perfect picture is hard:
“There is a difference between striving for excellence and striving for perfection. The first is attainable, gratifying, and healthy. The second is unattainable, frustrating, and neurotic. It is also a terrible waste of time.” – Edwin Bliss.
With my work, I want to showcase the world as it is, with raw and unfiltered moments without getting stuck on the idea of creating the perfect work of art. I believe my job as a photographer is to create with consistency and self-discipline. Yes, a lot of your work won’t get acknowledged, but that is only because you are still learning how to create high-quality work.
Knowing how to deal with perfectionism and reflecting on the origin of your thoughts and (re)actions is very important for our generation. I have seen many creative people quit out of frustration or fiddling with the creation continuously.
We can enjoy our work. Feel proud of it. Allow ourselves to live our passion with a smile!
Full article with Savad Monk
I joined Instagram in 2014 and never had the intention of using it as a platform to turn my photography into my career. After finishing my studies and obtaining an IT job in Ireland, I saved up some money to travel. It was my escape from stress and my way of getting outside. I loved taking photos but at the same time I didn’t really know what to do with them, so I dumped them all on Instagram.
"It wasn’t until after I was diagnosed with anxiety disorder in 2018, that I decided to slow down and focus on things that I am really passionate about."
I chose travel photography because I love to travel. I enjoy landing in a new destination and capturing the culture and scenery of a place. It is constantly witnessing different landscapes and encountering different situations that keep my passion alive.
One memorable trip was to North India; it had everything I’d ever wanted. Incredible landscapes and adventure, being completely out of my comfort zone, danger, a culture I knew little about, and most importantly, extremely heartbreaking but important stories to tell.
My favorite locations in India are Kerala, Varanasi, and Rajasthan. Jatayu Earth Center, located in Kerala, is the world’s largest bird statue or sculpture and I wanted to shoot Jatayu for a very long time. The main issue was drone restriction and it wasn’t easy to get approval to shoot. I got the opportunity to talk to the sculptor Rajiv Anchal and I conveyed my deep interest in photographing Jatayu and he agreed. I was excited and ran around the place like a small child during the shoot day. I took one of my favorite photos here. Every person who visits Kerala should visit Jatayu Earth Center. It is a treat to the eyes as well as a sense of adventure for everyone.
Humans are naturally community-based, and at our core, we all yearn for the same things: love, family, experiences, and respect. The more you travel, the more you see this. In a world that at times seems polarized, traveling helps make the world feel smaller and more connected.
When shooting, people, locations, and diversity in nature inspire me, as well as music and movies. I have a few close friends and my brother who traveled with me on many trips and hikes and they introduced me to some music and movies that have helped me complete my vision and get to the final results.
As well, the weather influences me dramatically. It changes how I feel and changes how I photograph. The mist and fog are my favorites because it helps the landscape feel unfamiliar. I like to feel like I’m in an unfamiliar place as it helps to create new work. No matter how much time I spend planning, once I reach a location I always find something different or something I didn’t expect.
"I also learned that it is beautiful to go back to the same places and get to know them better and shoot them in different seasons and lights."
For all this, I am thankful. Thankful for the people I have around me, my family, friends, and the beautiful nature I’m surrounded by. Thankful for all of the people I meet on my travels. Thankful for all of the opportunities I got to explore, be curious, and learn.
My project with DJI specifically taught me a lot. I had never worked with a big brand like DJI before, so I am learning the whole process of documentation, contracts, negotiations, and the content that brands will really look for. This experience has helped me in communicating with other brands much easier.
The most challenging project I have to say though has been Dubai EXPO 2020. The event was one of the largest global gatherings. It was a one-time life experience, I am so glad that I got to be a part of it. This project helped me in getting many other big projects in the UAE. The challenges we faced were during shootings due to Covid restrictions. My team and I were stuck editing for long periods on footage that weren’t properly thought through in the first place. In the end, it worked out but when planned and prepared better, the whole process is easier and the result shows as well.
My philosophy is always to try to get the best shot possible out in the field and then push it as far as I can in my post-processing workflow to squeeze every last drop of drama from each shot. I see my photography style as a bit of dark and moody storytelling. Other people might not respond to that vision, but it is mine and ultimately the only thing that will bring both joy and peace. I believe that finding that unique style, and story, is paramount in distinguishing my work from others.
It’s hard to pick a particular quality that makes a photo one that stands out. It can be a mixture of great light, interesting movement, or a wonderful expression. But I think in the end it comes down to a feeling. The best images for me are the ones that make me feel something, whether that be a sense of a place or an emotion. I love images that take my breath away, a set of images that tell a strong story, evoke emotion in me, and make me feel like this art is something unique.
This applies to videos as well. One of the biggest reasons stories are so effective and resonate with us is because they convey emotions. To achieve this, you need to focus on other critical elements of storytelling. The colors, composition, plot, story development, and background music come together to communicate an emotion effectively. Into the Wild is one of my favorite movies that have it all. Also, I am a big fan of Roger Deakins – Fargo and A Beautiful Mind are great movies.
However, shooting a perfect video is hard. Painting that perfect picture or writing that perfect book too. Perfection is so difficult to achieve because our world isn’t perfect. There’s no one reality or truth. No one subjective version of perfect. So our work won’t be perfect either.
"There is a difference between striving for excellence and striving for perfection. The first is attainable, gratifying, and healthy. The second is unattainable, frustrating, and neurotic. It is also a terrible waste of time." – Edwin Bliss
A perfectly imagined work of art is useless until it exists outside of your head. And outside of your head, it won’t be perfect. That’s the price we pay for bringing things into reality.
With my work, I want to showcase the world as it is, with raw and unfiltered moments. My trip to Tamil Nadu was a good example to showcase that reality.
A few months ago, a random road trip from Kochi, Kerala to the capital city of Tamil Nadu took me all the way to the land’s end at Arichal Point (Dhanushkodi) in Rameshwaram. Known as the ‘Land of Temples’, I have met the most innocent and expressive people, deeply driven by faith.
I wanted to share the story of the people I met along the way and the raw beauty of 800-2000 years old temples, and I wanted to do this by staying as close to the natural appearance and experience as possible. This is why I used the ColorPro film contest as an opportunity to put a short video together with the theme What is perfection?
Perfectionism is a chronic disease to modern creators. Perfectionism stops creators from having faith in themselves and causes suffering as a result. The vast majority of creators get stuck on the idea of creating the perfect content, or work of art. This is not your job as a creator. Your job, as a creator, is to create with consistency and self-discipline. Yes, a lot of your work won’t get acknowledged, but that is only because you are still learning about the process of creating high-quality work.
Knowing how to deal with perfectionism and reflecting on the origin of your thoughts and (re)actions is very important for our generation. I have seen so many creative people quit out of frustration or fiddling with the creation continuously. This can be so different.
"We can enjoy our work. Feel proud of it. Allow ourselves to live our passion with a smile."
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