1. About you: Tell us about the place, where you were born; your education, and
profession.
I was born in Varanasi, India and grew up in Jaipur. Did my graduation in commerce from
Sri Venkateswara College, Delhi University. After sometime in the business sector I
ventured into the photography professionally. I studied photography at the New York Film
Academy, New York City. Post completing the course in 2015 I worked as a photography
intern with Sotheby's Auction House, New York for a year.
As a travel photographer my work revolves around my travels: I have been to 15 countries
and explored 26 states in the US. I have conducted international photography workshops
and given artist / photo talks in NewYork (US), Karachi and Lahore (Pakistan). I’ve had a
group show in New York in 2015 and a solo exhibition of my travel imagery at India Habitat
Centre, New Delhi in January 2017. In 2018 I have 2 more solo exhibitions coming up in
Mumbai and New Delhi, India in January and February 2018 respectively.
Currently I am based in India, but planning to move to Tasmania, Australia.
My imagery can be seen on:
Website: nipunnayyar.com
Blog: nipunnayyar.com/blog
Instagram: @nipunnayyar
2. Your photography experience: Tell us since when you've been taking pictures.
When did you start taking photography seriously?
I would always play with my cameras as a kid but started taking photograph
seriously over the years when I started traveling. My passion to travel really got me
to New York to pursue photography well.
3. What are your key areas of photography - travel/street/landscape/
wildlife/wedding/portraits/commercial? What makes you click? What have been your
biggest achievements so far? What camera/lenses do you use and why?
My major areas of photography are landscapes, portraiture and street.
I am a traveler. Photography is my medium of expression of the soul-enriching miles I
explore. It is a way of story-telling. It is an art of visuals that keeps me traveling deeper.
Photography makes me learn. Learn about the world. Learn about myself. Every travel I do
and every person I meet on my journeys, keeps me pushing for better visual content. It
makes me a better person.
Some achievements if you can say for me would definitely be my exhibitions mentioned
above and also the international photo/artist talks I did in Karachi and Lahore, Pakistan.
My camera kit has a Canon 5D Mark iii and a Nikon F3 film camera along with a few
lenses, out of which I’m almost always found shooting with my Canon 28mm F1.8. I know
it’s funny that I do my portraits with this wide angle too, but that’s because I love doing
portraits up close so I can interact with people. I also love visual minimalism and subtle
colours in my images.
4. What is so special about your city/country and its life/culture? Has photography
changed your outlook/vision about your surroundings?
I’ve lived in numerous cities and countries now. I think I consider Varanasi and New York
as my most loved cities where I’ve shot imagery. To me, they are two of the most unique
cities in the world. Shooting here let me understand these cities in a deeper way and
connect with it’s people in a much better way.
5. What are your sources of inspirations? Do you have some favorite
photographers? How do you keep yourself motivated? How do you approach
people for their pictures?
I am particularly inspired by Ansel Adams and Henri Cartier Bresson. Don’t know if I can
ever pick my favourite per say. Such legends and more inspire me and give me visual
motivation. Other than that, I keep myself motivated in consistently creating images by the
motto “JUST GO SHOOT”. Sometimes when I’m traveling, and I don’t feel like shooting, I
remind myself to just go shoot. And I do it!
I also find inspirations for my photography through paintings and other forms of art.
6. What piece of advice do you wish to give to aspiring/budding photographers,
fans, and readers of the post?
My strong advice to aspiring photographers would be to primarily figure out their interest in
certain area of photography. They should find some driving force that would make them
create imagery always; like for me it is travel. Then, another important thing one must do is
have a good photo mentor(s) who could guide them in the best possible way for them to
learn the art and always improve their photography.
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