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Life, camera and still in action
Renowned Lucknow photographers Anil Risal Singh and Rakesh Sinha have been pursuing their passion for photography for over 50 years. Singh began his journey inspired by his father's love for photography, while Sinha started at a young age capturing cultural events. Both photographers have received numerous awards and continue to follow their passion with the latest technology.
The path of these two celebrated city photographers is amazing because they followed their passion to the utmost despite the challenges life threw at them. On World Photography Day, Team HT City explores the lives, careers, and anecdotes of renowned Lucknow photographers Anil Risal Singh and Rakesh Sinha, who have been pursuing their passion for photography for more than 50 years.
‘Photographer in me refuses to slow down’
It was his father’s inclination towards photography that inspired the little boy in Anil Risal Singh back in the 1960s to take up this niche art.
“I was in awe of his work and his camera collection in the past. To have such a passion back then was admirable for anyone. The times when I joined him in the green room were exhilarating experiences, I am grateful to him for that. I recall when he was leaving for America for his project, he asked me what I wanted from there. The child in me immediately asked for a camera, and that’s how I received my first personal camera from Agfa, the Isoly model. It gave me a sense of freedom and possibility...,” says Singh former president of the Federation of Indian Photography.
Talking about his journey further, Singh adds, “The photographer in me refused to slow down, be it because of studies, life or responsibilities. Along with a few boys, in 1972, I was able to form the first photography club in my college while pursuing my graduation from Christian College Lucknow. Not only with the help of our then chemistry teacher were we able to get a place that could be utilised as a green room on the premises. This move was the first of its kind and imagine how happy the young photographer in me must have been. I never ceased to think as a photographer.”
Singh believed in taking his craft a notch and that made him constantly explore and experiment. “For over 35 years I was focussing on Black and White landscapes, cities like Lucknow along with many others were captured by and large. It was then that it struck me that I always click landscapes that are already eye pleasing, and I was just capturing them via my cameras. It was then I decided to dabble with the theme form, colour and texture, which is a mix of three different forms of photography. Many dissuaded me from the shift, but I decided to go ahead, and this art won me a lot of appreciation as well as awards. And to date I am following it passionately,” shares the winner of 250 national and international awards.
Along with numerous awards, way back in 1999 - The Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain conferred its Associateship to him followed by another international honour, Master Federation Internationale de L-Art Photographique (MFIAP) in 2009, that makes him the only photog in Uttar Pradesh to have been presented with.
Armed with his latest DSLR and a mobile phone, Singh can be found in and around the country doing what he loves to do consistently.
‘I can’t imagine myself without camera’
Being into cultural photography for over 52 years, Rakesh Sinha clicked his first picture at an event as a 15-year-old.
“My brother was associated with cultural programmes, and as a teenager, I enjoyed following him to events with those classic single-lens analog cameras that were limited to a dozen reels to use before you needed to add a new set. When I was a teenager, I enjoyed following him to events with those cameras. And if one was lucky, then only he could use the entire roll else kuch toh kharab hote hi the.”
“It was disheartening when the entire reel would get spoiled for various reasons, right before it was time to develop the pictures. If this happened, it would break my heart. Unfortunately, this happened multiple times,” adds Sinha.
The recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi award in 2007, Sinha has devoted his life to countless such pictures starting from the black and white era to the current era of vibrant colours. Sinha’s collection includes photographs of renowned artists and several other stalwarts. “My work is the outcome of years of hard work. I collected them out of personal interest pursuing the craft every day post my duty hours,” shares Sinha, a retired HAL employee who started as a freelance photographer and kept his passion alive even during his full-time job.
At 67, Sinha is still happy to continue capturing the culture of different cities via his digital camera. “What’s life without a camera, I can’t imagine myself without one. I still attend events and click pictures. Abhi toh sab bahut asaan ho gaya hai but there is one thing, the time I used to develop my reels and got to see my work taking form was a feeling that will always be matchless, he concludes.
