When artists remain true and passionate about their art, a discerning audience isn’t far away. The Indian Photo Festival (IPF) – Hyderabad –  an international photography festival currently in its sixth edition – is a labour of love which is intended as a platform for such artists and photographers, enabling them to meet their audience.

Aquin Mathews, the director of the festival, speaks fondly about it like a parent would about his child. Talking to Shraddha Ghatge, he shares his journey on the inception of this festival, supporting emerging artists, heading the digital way in post-Covid era and the need to stand out in the age of visual clutter.

How did the thought of Indian Photo Festival come into being?

My family is based in Australia and I divide my time between Australia and India. When I was picking up photography, I used to attend a lot of photo festivals in Australia. I figured there is a lot of gap in India in terms of learning, and I would have been so happy back then,  if we had a platform where we got the kind of access that we are trying to provide here at the festival today. This is something I really missed when I was learning the ropes of photography. This motivated me to give something back to the community. And thus, we started IPF five years ago, and right now we are looking at its sixth edition. It didn’t just happen in one day, obviously, the idea was developed over several days of discussions and meetings with the team which helped us to bring out the festival.

The idea of starting a photo festival had been on my mind for long, but to start one of this scale was surely an uphill task. We struggled to cobble up support in logistics and sponsorships for our first edition. What started as a 10-day long festival, eventually extended to a month for the past three editions. This has only been possible because of the response.

It looks simple from a distance, but sponsors, logistics and a strong team are most essential to start off. My team and I have spent many sleepless nights during the past editions.

Why is a festival like this important today and how can emerging talents benefit from them?

Many aspiring photographers struggle with questions like – where to start, what to do, how to go ahead and many more. Initiatives like this festival can help them gain insight and direction. Such festivals provide ample opportunities to emerging photographers; educating them about photography and its genres; giving them direct access to several iconic artists and photographers we bring to the city.

Every artist has a different perspective and its really inspiring and motivating to absorb their ideas. It is always great to see iconic photographers, who have changed the world with their images, sitting in your own backyard, next to you, talking about their work or interacting with you and that’s a dream for most photographers. Those who have already made it big, don’t need that additional push; they already know their way around. However, upcoming photographers need direction. We at the festival are happy we are able to fulfil that need. More than the dream, we are glad to be a platform where they get direction.

The Indian Photo Festival is kind of a celebration of photography for the Indian photographic community. The idea behind this festival is to support the photography community in India by facilitating worldly exposure and access to leading mentors from around the world, awarding grants and so on. My team and I find a lot of happiness and satisfaction in hosting this festival because as a photographer, this becomes our contribution towards the community, especially towards the young and emerging photographers in the country. You make money from your skills, but at the end of the day hosting festivals like this is what makes everything worthwhile.

Tell us about your team and artists you engage with

One of the best things about the festival is that its run entirely by volunteers. We are all full-time professional photographers who set aside time for the festival. Its great that all the folks we began the journey with have stayed on with us, working selflessly and tirelessly. It is this selflessness which has helped us sustain for so many years.

You can’t quantify everything in money. I believe if you really want to make a difference, or do something significant, you can’t do that if you only keep your interest above all else. It is after all teamwork. A self-centred attitude wouldn’t have gotten us to the sixth edition. We work on a bare minimum budget and make a lot of adjustments. Many in our team have picked up photography because of the passion. They have stayed true to the course and made it big. Not just me, but every team member is passionate. There are some senior as well as emerging photographers in the team, but everyone has a similar kind of interest and spirit to do something or help the next crop of photographers.

Most artists who work with us, work pro bono because they support the cause. But we pay an honorarium for their time and all the logistics are taken care of by us. We primarily work through references. So many photographers who attend the festival are happy to recommend us to others. That kind of goodwill helps in a big way. Once these photographers come to India, they understand what we are doing and gladly promote the festival.

Walk us through the process of the festival

One of the main ideas of the festival is to establish physical interactions, especially in terms of exhibitions. So, every year we create this Open Call, primarily to look at the works of emerging and upcoming photographers from all around the world and we institute a panel of judges (leading photographers and editors of a magazines) where they come together and select the work. This year we received submissions from 84 countries across the world. Every year we do 25-30 print exhibitions, but this year, the scale will be smaller given the pandemic. We will host about 20 print exhibitions and the rest will be showcased digitally. A large screen projection has been installed at the State Art Gallery for the entire month. This will run all through the month and we are hoping to have a huge impact through this installation as opposed to links that are shared only via Online media.

We also do workshops, panel discussions, reviews and so on. We have exclusive portfolio reviews with the National Geographic this year at the festival. We have been working with National Geographic since last edition and the director for Grants & Story Telling, Rachael Stretcher was at the festival last year. The portfolio reviews are free for the photographers and we are so grateful to Nat Geo for providing 7 reviewers when we asked for 2! They are happy to support the festival as the impact on the upcoming crop of photographers is huge.

Tell us about the shift to the digital platform…

“Yes, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected certain elements, and so we are going online for many segments of the festival of interactive nature such as artist talks, portfolio reviews, panel discussions and workshops, in order to completely respect international travel restrictions. However, we are doing about 20 exhibitions in print format and presenting the rest as a digital showcase. I feel, talks are still workable online, but hosting exhibitions online doesn’t have that appeal, given the daily profusion of images online. It is always better to see the images in print form because of the impact and connection it can have.

These days most images are only seen on a six-inch mobile screen or a laptop, whereas an image like the Napalm Girl – by American-Vietnamese photographer Nick Ut (who was also a speaker at the 5th edition of the festival),  which impacted the course of the war between US and Vietnam would have an impact only if seen on a big print.

Before the digital era, we used to see the prints in hand, get the feel of the image and now, due to the advent of digital photography, it’s not regular. I still feel it is important to see images in print or on a wall in large sizes to feel their full impact.

Do you think festivals like IPF are struggling to survive economically?

Primarily, we don’t have a sustainable model to run the festival year after year. Most festivals charge their audience a nominal fee. Here, everything is free. We don’t even charge for art installations. I used to pay 50 USD (almost Rs 3,500) for a single talk when I attended such festivals abroad. But here at the IPF, we do not charge any money from our audience. We incur costs since we do take care of the travel and logistics of the photographers who come to present the talks, but we make sure we do not levy it on our audiences. This signature characteristic of the festival, ensures its democratic core. You get access to everything free of cost.

It is natural that the festival needs a strong financial support. At the IPF, we do not ask for monetary grants from our sponsors and partners, instead we seek their services. For example when we foresee printing costs we ask our sponsors or partners if they could take care of the same at an effective cost. We also get a lot of in-kind support from the Tourism Department of the Telangana State Government. This benefits them collaterally too since our website is globally accessed. Basically we operate as a collective to support the photographic community which I think is the only mantra that will work going forward.

How do you think the international artists perceive the photography scene in India?

They see a lot of potential in the kind of work they come across at the festival. The international artists or editors whom we bring to the festival review, critique and provide feedback on the work of these emerging photographers. All these international senior artists at the panel are familiarised with the work of Indian photographers and artists. They do find huge potential and try to give more opportunities to Indian talent. Their feedback has only highlighted the need for more fine-tuning in the work. Their guidance often provides direction in terms of storytelling or editing images to build a strong story and so on.

On the struggle of the emerging artists…

Nothing really comes easy to anyone in life. This holds true especially for artists, who have to compete to grab the viewers’ attention. It’s all about making your work stand out, keeping it relevant and impactful.

I tell young photographers to be persistent with their work, with what they’re doing because the reward for such persistence comes in when you are least expecting it. As an artist, persistence is a great trait. You either have it naturally or cultivate it, because life throws you a lot of difficult situations where giving up seems like the easiest option, even if you’re halfway through. So, you have to learn to stay the course.

Secondly, you have to be really smart, and network wisely. If you reach out to a hundred people, at least 5-10 people will get back and that can be a good start. Connect with writers and editors of the subject you wish to pursue; attend workshops, festivals; enter photography competitions; secure grants. If your work is really great, it will be exhibited and that will give you a lot of exposure. Such exposure matters for emerging artists as their work can be picked up in many festivals. For the world to know you’re producing great work, it has to be put out there.

A photographer once shared, how he divided his time now between making photographs and marketing his work as opposed to his earlier days of just photographing all the time. Social media presents a great opportunity for photographers to make connects. You can now send a proposal to an editor in the US or France or anywhere in the world sitting in a small town in India.

There are several organisations awarding grants. For instance, Alkazi Foundation, Photography Promotion Trust and Photo SouthAsia. There are several other art events like the Chennai Photo Biennale and Serendipity Arts Festival, who have been supporting photography in India. We at IPF also award grants. Apply to such grants and make sure you have a decent proposal and portfolio while applying. Make sure your proposal and portfolio are really to the point and the images are true to your subject. These are some things always looked at while selecting a proposal. How true the proposal or the image is to the subject or the kind of idea the photographer is working on is very important.

There are a lot of activities happening in India, it’s not like there aren’t any. You just need to seize the opportunities. It’s kind of a struggle but you can get there if you’re persistent. That’s my experience, and I have seen it happening with many photographers.

What do you think about the evolving spaces in photography today?

Photography has been evolving since inception. Today, Live TV shows are shot through mobile cameras. Photojournalists use mobile phones to report. But the true idea of photography as an art form stays intact even today. No harm has been inflicted on the idea of photography because its a universal language. Photograph of a war taken in Afghanistan can be easily understood by a person sitting in India as well as Africa. You don’t need a specific spoken language to understand photographs. It’s also a great educator because had it been not for photography, we wouldn’t have known what war or the devastation caused by a tsunami looks like. It’s all about how you treat that medium in telling those stories or how you want to create an impact through your images.

Many say mobile phones have killed photography. I would strongly object because mobile phones, DSLRs or even a pinhole cameras are only a medium. What you do with them is what really matters. If I take an image through a mobile phone and if it can create an impact in the society and evoke strong feelings and thoughts in my viewers, why not?

We live in a world of visual clutter right now. Lakhs of images are being uploaded into the internet daily. People cannot really yet identify the good from bad ones. We, in fact, started this festival to show people what real photography is; and this is what really matters at the end of the day. We get a lot of general public at the festival and after visiting one or two exhibitions, they sort of understand the idea of what a good or a bad photograph is. So, that kind of interaction helps as do that talks by artists.

Do you fear the changes in the photography scene in the post-Covid era?

There indeed has been a disruption, but every disruption is also an opportunity. Artists are really persistent, and they know how to pick up from where they’ve left off, they learn every day. There will be a lull in the industry for a while, but I’m sure it’s going to recoup with more strength in coming days. And again, as photographers and artists, it’s all about how we adapt to different situations.

When digital cameras came, people shooting with film cameras stopped practising photography. So many of them couldn’t adapt to the new technology. But there are a lot of photographers – for instance, Raghu Rai – who transitioned from film to digital and are doing really well. If we sit there and say that I can’t do it, then you’re the ones who is going to lose. But if you’re happy to embrace change, get yourself going, nothing can stop you. We, at IPF, are in a similar situation right now as well, where we have a disruption due to Covid-19. But I hope as an artist, it has given us all a lot of time to rethink about priorities and perspectives. I’m pretty optimistic about that.

Tell us about your personal journey with photography

I have spent my growing up years in India, and as a child, I always saw my father taking photographs of our family. I think that piqued my interest in photography; the process of taking images and capturing something that really touches my heart. So, I kept taking photographs of anything I found beautiful or striking and always had this constant urge to take such photographs. This continued till I graduated, and even when I was working for about 8-9 years in a corporate job. I got into full-time photography when I realised the banality of a nine-to-five job was not my calling. I thought, I’d rather do something creative or exciting. This feeling of not pursuing a mundane professional life convinced me to take up photography full-time. For the past ten years, I’ve been primarily practising commercial photography in Australia.

Who are your personal favourites? Your inspirations?

For me, the best photograph is the one which stays in your mind forever, no matter how big or small the photographer is. I look at images on the kind of impact they make. How they have changed the world. I really like Nick Ut, who shot the Napalm Girl image; then I like Sebastião Salgado, the Brazilian photographer, the kind of work he has been doing through his images. I even like the images of Raghu Rai and Sudharak Olwe. There are a lot of photographers I take inspiration from; these are the first few names which come to my mind.

What have you gained as an artist through this festival?

All of us associated with the Indian Photo Festival have been fortunate enough to be interacting with iconic photographers from around the world. It’s really moving to see their unique work. Also, it is not merely a photograph, but has had an impact on the world. The success of the photograph lies in how it has moved the mind of the viewer and audiences. We try to bring such photographers to the festival who inspire and motivate. We really get to learn a lot from them. Personally, I’m amazed at the choices they made in life by getting into photography. It’s for the good of humanity because most who choose photography try to bring forth various topical and social issues and I really hope that the emerging photographers from the outside would take a cue from this.

It’s a great experience for me also personally to work with these folks. I still go for artist talks, even for paid ones. Because hearing from artists is always great; the process they have gone through, how you work on a particular story, the challenges, the kind of impact those images create. These things help you evolve as an artist. Art is a way of living, it’s not just that you create some photograph. True art, I would say, is a reflection of how true you are as a human being.

Shraddha Ghatge

Team Member, Samyak Drishti

Shraddha Ghatge is Mumbai-based independent journalist covering social, health, and civic issues. She has written for Firstpost, Newslaundry, People’s Archive of Rural India, Deccan Chronicle and Zeit.de. She has also worked with Mumbai Mirror, Firstpost, and on research projects with Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. She has been a content writer for photo documentation on social issues in collaboration with well-known photojournalist Sudharak Olwe.