I was excited to sit down with Rajul and learn more about his photography as he’s no stranger to Her Campus Utah. You might be familiar with his perfect portraits of our campus cutie Clarence Smith IV. His photos range from more abstract to the just plain cool! Don’t just take my word for it, see what he has to say about his work. Get inspired or just admire his work at Freeze Photography.
(Photo Credit: Sumanth Krishna)
Name: Rajul Ramchandani
Graduation Year: 2017
Major: Entertainment Arts & Engineering
Hometown: Bangalore, India
Her Campus (HC): When did you first discover you loved photography?
Rajul Ramchandani (RR): It was 11th grade when my friend took a picture of me. The picture was really good and I couldn’t take my eyes off it! I thought ‘Why was this so good?’ I wanted to make the same effect.
HC: What is something most people don’t know about photographers?
RR: People undermine photographers. It’s not as simple as clicking a button and a photographer is not as good as his camera. I don’t know if I should call myself a photographer, but I see what’s happening and when to click to tell the full story. That’s why I named my Facebook page Freeze Photography. Freeze time in one moment to tell a larger story.
HC: Who inspires you?
RR: I follow a bunch of people. There’s Audi Photography which started back home, and that’s what I push myself to be. Historically, Ansel Adams. I took a picture and I didn’t do it on purpose, but it turned out really similar to an Adams photo. I have the poster in my room, so it must be unconscious.
Top: Ansel Adams / Bottom: Lights
HC: What is your favorite thing to photograph?
RR: Anything that doesn’t have people in it (laughs). They keep moving! I prefer plants, animals, or landscapes. I love the outside, there’s so much you can do with the sun.
HC: If you could travel anywhere to photograph, where would you go?
RR: Bangalore, India, where I’m from. Metropolitan India is a lot like a big city here, but still feels distinctly like India. I’d just walk down the streets.
Boxes
HC: Is this something you wish to pursue professionally?
RR: Who doesn’t love to get paid for what they love? I have done some paid work before. I photographed MLK week at the U, Women’s Week, Crimson Nights, and some portrait shoots. Now I’m the director of marketing and photography for the Union Programming Council (UPC). When I photograph I’m in a creative mindset, but it can feel like work and I don’t want it to get to that.
HC: Black and white or color?
RR: Depends on what I’m shooting. If it’s something that tells a story, a building with cracks, a girl crying, then black and white. Color distracts you. Normal portraits I like in color.
The Choice
HC: Digital or film?
RR: When I was small my dad had a film camera that I couldn’t use. I haven’t worked with a lot, but they’re exhilarating. With digital I like that I can keep my shutter pressed and choose from the best.
Hungry for More
HC: What camera do you recommend for beginners?
RR: I started with my dad’s smartphone when I was younger. Then a point-and-shoot. There are a lot of settings on those that people don’t know about. It’s better to start there so you know how to work with limited resources.
HC: Any new projects we should look out for?
RR: I just got into long exposure photography where you leave the lens open. I have all the stuff to do a steel wool combo photo. If you burn it and spin it, it creates a really cool effect and then sparks fly everywhere.
The Mission. Marina Johnson