I Shoot Therefore I Am

I am a long-time photography enthusiast and full-time connoisseur of melancholy lighting. Known for shooting brooding landscapes, sullen seascapes, and insects that clearly need therapy, I’ve long been the sort of image-maker who insists on “waiting for the light” like some kind of windswept prophet in hiking boots. My work, naturally, lives on at www.framedforlife.in — a website updated with alarming irregularity.

My photos have earned a few awards over the years — some with certificates, some with trophies, and one with a handshake and a cup of lukewarm tea. Over the years I’ve also written numerous articles on photography, several of which have been published in actual newspapers. You know, the crinkly, inky ones that people used to read on trains before phones became more interesting than the world.

Recently, in a shocking betrayal of everything I once held dear, I have begun experimenting with mobile photography — that dark art previously reserved for influencers, food bloggers, and people who think “portrait mode” means turning the phone sideways. But instead of recoiling in horror, I’ve embraced it with the same passion I once reserved for Nikon vs Canon debates and Dynamic Range.

When I’m not photographing something that can’t run away, I rearrange gear I’ll never use again, make obscure jokes about f-stops, enjoy long aimless walks in bad weather, staring at insects, muttering about histogram accuracy, chasing light and pretending not to care about social media. Until then, I remain a firm believer that gear matters — just not as much as a decent cup of tea and an eye for the absurd.