Born to sculptor parents and having grown up amongst art and artists, Pradeep Das Gupta chose a camera at the age of seventeen to express himself. More than thirty five years later, he still longs to use his camera and enjoys photography as he did as a teenager. While the urban life takes centre stage in most of his personal work, his commercial portfolio covers everything from cars to peppermint. In an exclusive interview with Fotoflock, Gupta shares his views on commercial awards, how he handles audience reaction and spills some beans on his upcoming exhibition.

You first picked up the camera as a seventeen-year-old literature student at Calcutta University. What drew you to photography?
What can I say? I had seen my father use his Exacta all along and had always longed to use a camera. It was nothing more than that. I think photography has that quality- An ability to attract most people.

What was it like to work as a copywriter in advertising agencies in your early years? Did the experience help you as a photographer?
It was really exciting working as a copywriter initially. Unlike the stereotyped picture of working life, this was so chilled out. It was so different, something new every day.  And then it was great seeing your work in print and to boast to friends saying, “You know, that’s what we had worked on last week”.

I believe that every bit of experience helps you in some way. Nothing is ever wasted. My stint in advertising definitely helped me in my [photography] career, especially in its commercial aspect. It is quite natural that my years of experience in the advertising industry would have a positive bearing on my ability as an “advertising” photographer. I find it easier to ask the right questions, get the relevant answers, understand and demystify a brief and prepare that much better for a shoot. I am also able to see the use of a photograph in the context of the whole marketing or advertising exercise. I think it enables me to give my clients better and more workable results.

Awards are like haemorrhoids. Every a……e gets them sometime!

Born to sculptor parents, were you always inclined towards Art?
Not really. Not in a conscious sense. Not any more than other kids indulging in some amount of drawing and painting. In fact my parents did not encourage either of us (my brother and me) to be too involved in arts. But I grew up in the midst of art and artists. Most of our outings were to exhibitions. There was a time when I could look at a random painting and name the artist. It was an unconscious absorption of the environment. All the grown-up discussions around us were art-centric. There was no escape. It was inevitable.

You have mentioned that in your over thirty-year-old photography career you have not been able to strike the right balance between your personal and commercial work. Given a second chance, how differently would you juggle the two? Why?
I think I got a little carried away by the buzz and money of commercial photography. This is in spite of having nursed photography as a hobby for over 12 years before turning professional. I neglected my personal work for many years.

What was the theme of your latest exhibition? How do you handle audience reaction at exhibitions?
I belong to the old school- the school that demands a serious amount of work before even thinking of an exhibition. I normally don’t plan for exhibitions. I just take pictures and after a period of time find that the pictures are sorting themselves out into a cohesive whole that might lend itself to a show. My last show was in 2006 titled “New York – below the belt”. It comprised of pictures taken in New York over a period of four years. So it’s been over 3 years now. I think I am ready with my next show. These are pictures I have been working on for over 5 years now.

There is really no audience reaction to handle. Most audiences are kind of insipid and overly polite. The press are worse. There are hardly any genuine art critics writing for the press anymore. You have a hoard of uninformed writers asking innocuous questions. They just reproduce your statement for their article. The same people are reporting birthday bashes on page three the next day. So what reactions are we talking about?

You have won numerous awards at international events like the New York Festival and Asia Pacific Adfest. What would you rate as the highest honour? Why?
These are all awards for commercial work. Like someone said, “Awards are like haemorrhoids. Every a……e gets them sometime!”

Do you like the work of any photographers of the present generation? Why?
I love the work of James Nachtwey on one hand and Cindy Sherman on the other. Closer home, I can think of Arko Datta.

What is it about the urban life in the cities that fascinates the photographer in you?

There was a time in India (not so far back) when it was considered that “serious photography” had to be done in B&W...An “art critic” pointed it out to me. I told her my work was not serious. I was just having fun.

I am a city person. I have always lived in cities. So it’s natural that city life is what I am most familiar with. I can only empathise with what I am familiar. Urban energy, its pre-occupation with consumerism, the glitz and the glamour, the grit, the dirt, the cruelty, the resilience of the people…it’s all a part of it. I am not making a social statement. I hate that stuff. I am not being judgemental. I just observe, find it exciting and hence am energised to do more pictures. It’s simple.

An entire section of your personal work is dedicated to New York City. Would you call it your favourite destination?
New York has been a favourite photographic subject over the years. Innumerable photographers have found the city’s charms irresistible. I wouldn’t care to list out the number of New York photo books that are available.  That’s what makes it that much more difficult to do. It is definitely one of my favourite cities.

Most of your portraits have been shot in B&W. Why so?
No particular reason. For me things just happen. And I do what I have to do. If something is in B&W, it is in B&W. No other reason. There was a time in India (not so far back) when it was considered that “serious photography” had to be done in B&W. I was blissfully doing all my work in colour. An “art critic” pointed it out to me. I told her my work was not serious. I was just having fun.

Your commercial assignments cover everything from cars to peppermint. Which of these assignments have you enjoyed shooting the most?
If it’s up on my website, I must have enjoyed doing them.

What printing equipment does your studio have?
None.

	Quick Five: Your favourite camera: Whatever I am carrying at that point of time. Mostly it’s the G9. Your favourite printer: I have no idea. Ranbir does all my printing. So I guess he is my favourite printer! Your favourite shoot: Come on! That’s such a non-question! Your preferred location: Seychelles. Your ideal day: Beer and beach.

Photos by Pradeep Das Gupta | Fotosocial