On my pinboard

Auditya Venkatesh found his passion for photography in college. From working with volunteering organisation ‘Make A Difference’ to documenting their work across India, shooting with a sports brand, creating content with a smartphone manufacturer to international travel shows across the world, Auditya has done it all.

He is associated with Google and also spoke at the local event to promote smartphone photography. He is the ambassador of Sony Alpha cameras. He has also shot for Discovery TV and National Geography.

He’s spoken at multiple TEDx events, the Under 25 Summit and at many leading institutions across India.

He also conducts photography workshops to raise funds for causes he supports. He has built a social media community under the label ‘Audi Photography’ and he currently has 266k followers on Instagram.

Food

Khichdi

“I started cooking quite recently, after my marriage and I’ve been doing a fairly decent job. I refer to Google for recipes and whatever I end up ruining, my wife fixes it. Since I travel a lot, I’ve realised that dishes like ‘Khichdi’ and ‘Rasam and Rice’ are what best suits me. I am also a vegetarian which makes eating out a challenging factor too, but I make it work during an international trip. If I can’t find anything to eat, I just head over to the nearest supermarket and get some chips.”

Book

Creativity, Inc.

“I’m not much of a reader, to be honest. I usually read on my Kindle when I travel. I prefer reading non-fiction or articles about people’s journey.‘Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration’ by Amy Wallace and Edwin Catmull is a book about managing creativity. I like reading materials that tell me how I can improve.”

Inspiration

My family

“For the longest time, my family and my cousin brother Tejas have always been by my side. They have seen all the phases of my life and still continue to show their support. Now I have my wife Harleen who is there to support me.”

Travel

Gokarna

“Firstly, it’s close to Bengaluru and secondly, I’ve been going there for about eight years. My friends and I loved to hike and hang out by the cliff there. I used to go there thrice a year but I have been able to go only once a year. I usually travel internationally for work. So far Nepal and Australia have been interesting places to visit. The beaches in Australia are absolutely stunning.”

Photographer

Steve McCurry

“I’ve grown up admiring his work. He has a wonderful understanding of capturing things when travelling. Bengaluru too has an incredible group of photographers. Anup J Kat is a wonderful underwater photographer; he’s also amazing to hang out with. Vivian Ambrose is also a good friend and an amazing photographer.”

Actor

Tom Hanks

“He’s a versatile actor and does some brilliant work. We end up feeling for the character he plays rather than for the charisma that Tom Hanks has. I also like Natalie Portman. She’s not only gorgeous but she’s an incredible actor. She portrays everything from being a superhero to a black swam so gracefully. In Bollywood, I think the work of Irrfan Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui are amazing.”