'I love shooting in the City'

FRANKLY SPEAKING

Subi Chaturvedi has managed to achieve a lot – in a very little time. An ace photographer, filmmaker, curator and academician, this young woman seems to have done it all.

Originally from Lucknow, Subi has managed to stand apart from the usual crowd of girls her age.

Currently, working as an assistant professor in the journalism department of Lady Shri Ram College, she is simultaneously pursuing a PhD in New Media Technology & Social Change from IIT-Delhi.

Metrolife caught up with Subi to talk about her life, photography, inspirations and her love for Delhi.

 Ask her how photography happened to her, and the soft -spoken young woman thinks for a moment and replies, “I had a desire to explore and articulate what I was seeing in visuals and in images. After I studied anthropology and physiology, I decided to pursue my Masters in Mass Communication at the AJK MCRC in Jamia Islamia and this is where it all happened,” she explains.

Since then she has shot extensively on various subjects including environmental portraiture, concept and fine art fashion, travel and architecture, and product and industrial landscapes. She has also shot the Wills India Fashion Week officially for two consecutive seasons.

So why has she taken up teaching now? “I enjoy teaching, and these are young minds that can be shaped to make a difference,” she admits, adding that she hasn’t stopped her photography.

Ask her whether the City offers inspiration for her passion, and she says, “I love shooting in the City – especially the architectural marvels like the Jamali Kamali Mosque, The Qutub Complex, Humayun’s Tomb, and Safdarjung Tomb among others.” She adds that she intends to use her snaps as a means to convince the government and the public of the need to preserve these areas.

Talking about her love for Delhi, she says, “My relationship grew as I discovered the places and the monuments here. It’s really a love story, which has grown and evolved over the time. There is no other city which gives me more joy and pleasure than this place,” she confesses.

Subi is currently working on her book, ‘The 100 Success Stories’ of Women in Panchayat Raj with Mani Shankar Aiyar. Her other upcoming projects include ‘My City Delhi’ portraying the changing face of Delhi as a city, and ‘Uptown Girl’ about the City’s young girls and their engagement with the world around them.