From Pixels to Paint: Manojit Mitra's Journey from Painting Dreams to Capturing Moments
Showcase is an effort by 58Miles to bring beautiful journeys of some of the amazing photographers of India & aboard . You will read about their journey , techniques , style and can see the outcome of their art in stunning frames. We asked them some questions to deep dive in to space and here we are....
Introducing 58Miles showcase photographer Manojit Mitra from Kolkata
Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you got started in photography?
I'm a software engineer by profession but my heart lies in photography since childhood. Initially I was fond of painting, I started my diploma but due to some unavoidable circumstances I could not finish it. Since then I started capturing photographs by using my mother's cellphone and once I started earning, I bought my first DSLR.
What inspires your photography, and how do you choose your subjects or themes?
Colours moments and emotions. I always try to find colourful subjects, decisive moments and raw emotions whenever I hit the street with my camera. I started as a street photographer but because of my professional commitments and to maintain a proper balance between profession and passion, nowadays I'm more into festival, travel & event photography so these genres actually provide an ample amount of opportunity to document vibrant colours, decisive moments and raw emotions around us.
What has been your most memorable photography project or shoot, or any inspiring story around it, and why?
Actually there are so many memorable projects I have been part of since 2019 so it's actually tough for me to pick the best one. But if I have to pick then I have to pick a couple of them. First one is during the Ganapati festival 2023, I was actually stuck into a huge crowd at Lalbaug parel as the surreal procession of Lalbaugcha Raja was about to start. I was not at all in a position to capture the procession in between so many devotees so I went out from there but then the magic happened. One local person and his family allowed me to enter their premises and capture the procession from there and trust me it was a vantage point altogether (that special photograph is attached) and when I was done with shooting, they even provided some refreshments as well. I'm thankful to the entire family and will be thankful to them till my last breath.
Secondly I had an opportunity to work for Durand cup in the year of 2023, that was one of the dream come true projects for me. We got the assignment to document an unique skydive jump from the tallest building of Kolkata as a part of flag-off ceremony of Durand cup 2023.
What is your photography kit ? or we would say, what is in your camera bag?
I always carry a couple of lenses, one is ultrawide zoom and the second one is prime along with my Sony A7RV. Then comes the most important thing, which is the cleaning kit. I always carry three cleaning cloths along with a blower especially during the festival documentation. During the assignments, I carry my micro drone and a set of batteries and memory cards.
What advice would you give to photographers who are just starting out and looking to make a name for themselves?
The only advice I want to give to beginners is 'Keep Hustling'. There is no alternative of hardwork in this particular field. Because of some serious competition right now, you always have to be on your toes and most importantly start working more and more in live projects and assignments. Unless you work on live projects or assignments, you won't be able to understand your strengths and weaknesses.
You can find Manojit Mitra on:
Instagram: jeet_the_go_getter
