Keep the faith

Sanchita Guha interviews Subi Samuel, photographer.

Early influences

My school and college years were spent in Mumbai. I went to Holy Family High School, then to Mithibhai College, and then studied management. It was Ms Fatima, my class teacher in Classes VII and VIII, who spotted and encouraged my creative streak. She got me to work on a number of school projects that required designing and graphics. In business school, Dr RL Bhatia, a professor, also pushed me into creative work — I did a lot of illustrations for various college projects.

It was in college that I took up photography. I happened to pick up a book on the subject, got drawn into it, and began taking pictures — of friends, family. As my interest grew, I began learning the techniques.

Change of track

While I was beginning to become increasingly confident of my creative talent, I studied business management, mainly because my family expected it, my father being a businessman. But I knew very soon that photography was my calling, even though this was not at all well received at home.

Despite the opposition, I got started as a pro, working under Rakesh Shrestha (a veteran Bollywood photographer). After a year, it was time to strike out on my own. As with any career, it was not easy. Who is going to welcome you with open arms if you come in and eat into their clientele?

But perseverance gets you there, and I worked very hard to make this happen — sometimes I waited outside film stars’ vanity vans for seven or eight hours to meet them and build the contacts I needed.

Initially, I did my shoots in rented studios, and then used a property owned by my father for some time. Finally, the operations moved to the current Juhu studio.

Motivating factors

I enjoy doing various types of work — magazine shoots as well as advertising, not just celebrity portraits. What keeps me going is the urge to learn. I love new techniques. Even when I am shooting a family photo, I may do some experimentation with it.

It is not money that I am after, though this profession does pay well. I believe that if money is uppermost in your mind, you lose your creative force. And my advice to anyone who wants to do what I do is this: be prepared to work extremely hard, and do this only if you truly believe you are creative.

When people look at my job, they mostly see the glamour and probably think, ‘Oh, he gets to schmooze with all these film stars.’ They do not realise how much background work goes into it. For instance, for a shoot scheduled for next week, I would start planning this week, working out the shots and the props.

Circle of trust

My immediate team and the people I work with regularly have been with me for a long time. And I always keep the faith in the grace of God. I am a great believer in Jesus. Then there is my family — the company of my wife and my two-year-old daughter always perks me up. They help me stay buoyant.

High points

As a professional, it was when I released a limited edition book of my photos, titled Subi!, in 2003. This was a collection of celebrity photos and also images from everyday life. I do a lot of street photography — shooting people, not poverty — and now, thanks to my daughter, I am also into photographing children.

Personally, I experienced a great, great moment when I saw my parents, who were about to go on a family visit to Kerala, packing a lot of my photographs in their luggage.

My folks had been against my decision to become a photographer, but this moment told me they were proud of me and wanted to show off my work.

Traits for success

You have to value time. I do not think you will find a single successful person who is not punctual. And my personal success mantra is this line from the Bible: “Trust in the lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.”

Author: HT Horizons

Date: 24th Dec., 2009

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