“You don’t take a photograph, you make it.” — Ansel Adams
 I consider myself mostly as a wanderer and explorer with a strong bond and special bend towards the artistic side, having an optimistic approach and happy go lucky attitude for almost anything in my journey called life. I consider myself extremely lucky to have born with the gifts, which I have cultivated and cherished over the period of my life’s experience.
As far as my artistic side goes, I love and cherish Travelling and collecting memories, head over heels into music, a self-taught professional photographer, a blogger/ writer, along with a guaranteed charming, pleasant personality and a bright smile, which comes free of cost.
I was born in North part of India but spend most of my adult life in Pune and then settled in Mumbai in Maharashtra, India, a state in the western peninsular region of India.
Since childhood, my biggest passion and driving force was my immense love for music, which has always proved to be a resilient anchor in every turn of my life. Not to boast, although I am not a trained singer, I have always been a performer since I was 5 years old and have been the cynosure for my musical and singing acumen throughout my formal education phase as well as my corporate life.
I pushed my passion a bit further and taught myself to understand and play guitar, write and compose songs and perform at various platforms. But, maybe it was not planned to be and I didn’t follow my true calling, so to say.
Luckily, that desire to walk the steps in this music industry is still burning deep inside me hoping to spread like a fire someday! #followthepassion #hungryformore
“You don’t make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.”
― Ansel Adams
I have been avidly following my passion as a Photographer behind the lens since early 2000’s but was never inclined towards making it a decision to seriously pursue it as my career opportunity.
 “One doesn’t stop seeing. One doesn’t stop framing. It doesn’t turn off and turn on. It’s on all the time.” — Annie Leibovitz
As Masters in Human Resources from Pune University and a professional career spanning more than 12+ years in HR domain, it was really a breadth of fresh air to take a break from the corporate world and to get lost behind the artistic veil of my other interesting side J.
“Photography for me is not looking, it’s feeling. If you can’t feel what you’re looking at, then you’re never going to get others to feel anything when they look at your pictures.” — Don McCullin
I cannot remember since when but have developed a strong liking to feel and create memories from behind the lenses highlighting my imagination and growing with it. It is an eccentric but warm feeling to be a part of having a connection with the photographs, seeing something from your own point of view, which is of your own and only you can decipher. The love of creating memories started with the mobile phone Photography initially which then graduated to point-and-shoot Canon camera gifted to me by my sister.
However, the best thing happened to me when I got a surprise gift from my beloved wife in 2011 as my first DSLR (Canon 550D) and boy! The whole definition of photography and perspective changed rapidly.
There was a point in my life that I was always in multiple minds in pursuing my goals in life, which were frankly mixed up in every sense. I did not know where it’s leading me to and what I want to do to match my own expectations rather than anybody else. In those mind-jumbling times, the only person I could count on and who always had more courage and strength than anyone I know, who always stood by my side and believed in me much more than anyone was my life partner Sujata. The credit will always go to her to make me understand the nuances of life in all possible way I could imagine.
Free Mind’s Desire
The “free” mind is always occupied
Wandering in the bewildered wild
Seeking the answers that are sought within.
 The love of the world is what it desires,
The care and affection for it always admires,
 Expectations, consequences seem more frightening,
Plunge into the world of thunder and lightning
The more it seeks, the more it fires,Â
Then burn itself from its own desire..
–Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Abhishek Upadhyay
I feel that’s how an Artist-type mind is all about, be it a painter, photographer, writer, musician, singer, media person, etc, never ceasing with thoughts and can ponder on all the areas, and sometimes suddenly stops in between to admire the silence of thoughts. I feel restricted to canvas the Brain-Masala on a virtual or physical page as you don’t know where it make its way and to which world.
 “Creativity is experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, & having fun.” – Mary Lou Cook
I am a self-taught Photographer and editor that comes with its own advantages and disadvantages.
Hence, to boost my confidence, I did a small course in Photography and editing, which helped more in bringing fresh and more defined perspective in my work that I do now.
It was quite challenging to make a mark on the ever-growing photography market in Qatar. For one, there is an abundance of amateur Photographers here is Doha who do part time job as Photographers and some are pretty good at it too. In addition, the ever-evolving technology in mobile phones and other camera options has made people accessible to cameras in abundance and almost everyone thinks he/ she is a photographer. Fortunately, when it comes to professional and specialized work for the client, they hire hands on Photographers who know the job well.
 I was enthusiastic for this new challenge and wanted to grab the opportunities in any form. I started researching the market, started contacting most of the photography studios and agencies as well as individual Photographers and worked with them, with minimum or even no pay, at any capacity, be it just a coordinator or photographers’ assistant just to get a hands on experience in the new Qatar market and to learn with the amazing and experienced Photographers here.
I ventured out myself simultaneously, did many photoshoots free of cost just to build a rapport and network the fellow people make my way inside the market. I was rejected, not appreciated or was not even paid sometimes for my services but I never backed down. I always love to keep moving forward and learn from my shortcomings. I ventured into the various editing techniques and learned my editing and composition through trial and error, experimenting my way through multiple softwares (Lightroom, Photoshop etc).
Slowly but steadily, my determination as well as good support from my family and friends helped me to cover multiple events and individual photoshoots. My photo was also published in an Indian regional daily newspaper in Qatar and recently also been featured in a leading online magazine.
It’s been a satisfying journey till now here and I am confident the experiences will help me to achieve new heights where I am destined to be in due course.
 
I am not new to Photography and have few of my own nuisances myself in that learning the art and fine tuning to the maximum to be put to use and to use commercially. I still think that I have started this like yesterday as there is so much to grasp from the world and nurture yourself with the abundant knowledge and information out there. And, it’s never going to end, is it?
“Ask yourself, “Why am I seeing and feeling this? How am I growing? What am I learning?” Remember: Every coincidence is potentially meaningful. How high your awareness level is determines how much meaning you get from your world. Photography can teach you to improve your awareness level.” – Ansel Adams
Abhishek Upadhyay
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