Smiling And Other Animals

Arjun Rajendran

“My profile as a photographer is rather limited- for years, I was mostly dabbling: macros of eyeballs and Matryoshka Dolls, long exposures of fountain lights and underexposed landscapes captured in the camera’s Auto Mode.
I think my first truly satisfying attempt at Photography was during my India trip in 2012, after a long gap of six years-enough time for reality to have sufficiently distanced itself from memory to create feelings of shock and alienation: dust is actually ugly and not your roommate throughout your upbringing; you are bothered how shoddily the switches are painted and you are disturbed that the “colours” in your head are not the “colors” of the world around you.
But it didn’t take me long to realize that in India it is far easier (for me) to be original, to take unique, intense photographs in the streets of Pune and Kolkata than in a bustling American metropolis. And I feel safer in India, pointing my camera at strangers knowing the probability of getting shot is minimal. Even then, street photography was terrifying in the beginning; I had an auto driver act as a guide, translate my intentions into Marathi so it was understood I was not from the Press.
This album, comprising photos from my visit earlier this year, is only an extension of the previous one, my self-initiation into street photography- though I must admit I’ve been far luckier this time. I hope to be as fortunate in the future.” – Arjun