[KELP JOURNAL] Let’s dive right in, Srishty! You and I chose these photographs because they share a theme: journey. Each photo takes the viewer on a journey, specifically on the path or road that is highlighted, but also in the place that you have photographed. What is it that you like about that theme? How does it resonate with you?
[SRISHTY SHARMA] I'm glad we could pick out that theme! I think photography is a journey in itself for me. I do have a rough picture of what I want to capture, but I seldom approach it with a particular theme in mind. The road to this destination of a “set theme” materializes over time.
Photography is a hugely cathartic hobby for me rather than a professional pursuit. So, many of my photographs hold a deep personal significance. But I like the image to have the quality to invite others in as well simultaneously. I want it to feel like an open road - leading the viewer somewhere familiar, yet new. We could live half a globe away, speak completely different languages, and have varying perspectives - yet nature knows no such demarcations and forms; our roots that keep us connected. It makes you contemplate - how much of nature's music goes unheard in the noise we live in? I think the selected set of photos emanate just that - they seem special, even in their stark simplicity.
(please excuse the pun!) to achieve these shots?
[SS] Haha, yes, to some extent. Again, I did not travel for the photos necessarily, but I keep my phone camera close whenever I'm on a trip. Every few hours, if not minutes,I'll notice something that excites me and I'll already feel a line of thought beginning to form. It’s like the place revealing itself to me with the perfect combination of vivid hues and textures.
Since I'm an amateur and photography is still a newfound passion, technicality isn't my forte yet. My images result from intuition and how naturally a place speaks to me. I do plan on further improving my skills professionally and owning an actual camera - but until then, I reckon I enjoy the creative freedom!
That said, there are times my photos have intention and a tad detailed thought behind them. It's a different type of connection, but my method and the excitement aren't any less. For instance, The Kanoh Arch Gallery photo. It is the highest arch gallery bridge in India and is more than a century old. I was aware of the advancing bridge beforehand, and as soon as I saw the painted '541' indicating the 541st bridge we encountered on our journey from Kalka to Shimla, I was ready to capture both in a single frame. It's a surreal moment. The tracks were dug out in a difficult mountainous terrain at the time when India was a colony being leached of all its resources. Today, damp moss grows freely from the stone cracks of the viaduct that overlooks a 75-feet-deep gorge.
All of my photographs were taken in Himachal Pradesh, India, and are a blatant representation of how much I love travelling in the mountains!
[KJ] Another element these photos share is a lushness. All the colors are so vivid, but the forest in your pictures feels otherworldly. What is your connection to place and how do you think that seeps into your art?
[SS] When after half a hundred curves, the altitude finally begins to significantly increase in Himachal, and one can notice an increase in the number of the Deodar Cedars and blue pines on the roadside. A lush green landscape that stretches on as far as the eye can see has always made my heart swell. It emanates from all my childhood memories, of road trips in the dead of the night and local customs and traditions.
I have been molded by this environment, and it is a part of me and everything I represent. Of course, it seeps into the art I happen to create of my own. My perspective certainly shapes the way I capture these photos. I love the idea of moss-laden trees and quiet unseen trails living through these photographs, through my poetry and through me.
[KJ] As a multi-form creator, I always love to ask if the form of a project chooses them or if they choose the form of the project. For instance, do you know that something is better as a poem, photo, or short story ?
[SS] That's an interesting question! I'd say it's a little of both things. Some inspiration is instantaneous and justice can only be done to it when it's captured exactly the way it is - in all its essence. Other ideas are just a spark, but that causes them to stay longer and silently brew at the back of my brain at all times. At that point, I know the thoughts would be better represented as poetry. If it's a more vivid and specific idea, then it'll be translated into a short story.
I think I connect photography often with spontaneity. Writing/painting for me stems from ideas that need to be furnished before reaching finality. Sometimes the idea itself speaks to me, and I cannot imagine it in any other media. Sometimes I realize it's not working out and have to switch forms. It depends hugely on the context, really, and is quite a flexible decision.
[KJ] Do you think that working in one form influences how you work in another?
[SS] Absolutely! In fact, in all the years I've been into art, this is one fact I’ve noticed over and over again. A little ink from my poetry usually bleeds into my photographs, and as I progress further in this field, I find the opposite happening quite often, too!
Photography also directly inspires painting. I'm more of a realism artist, but often the particular angle and lighting in my photos brings in a mostly dormant abstract side. You get to feel the moment again through the brush strokes rather than just looking at it. Working in one form not only affects the other but also stems new interests for me while I'm growing and trying to establish a more concrete identity.
Srishty Sharma was born in the mountains of the Dhauladhar Range in Himachal Pradesh, India. She has grown up to be a self-taught artist and is currently managing her studies with her interests as a senior in high school. She has always had a passion for photography, poetry, writing short stories, and painting for as long as she can remember. When she's not creating, you can find her gazing up at the night sky. Her photography and poetry have previously appeared in Paper Lanterns Literary Journal and Levitate Magazine amongst others.
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