Sujata shared with Bored Panda that photography came into her life at a critical segue. After moving to the UK, she tried looking for work opportunities in radio and TV but unfortunately remained unemployed for 5 years. "An entirely different cultural landscape and lack of financial independence threw me into depression. I returned to India for a while to seek medical help while nursing my 11-month-old daughter and looking after my ailing mother."
In the past, the photographer always found any form of creative engagement as a recourse in difficult times. She admitted that she is not one who can express much in words, so she always used painting, sketching, or sculpting as a form of expression. "That is exactly what I did in this situation as well. My husband had bought me a basic amateur camera (Canon EOS 450D) as our wedding gift and so I started taking pictures of places and people with it and posting on my Facebook page. Somehow friends and family found my work interesting and that’s where I got my first assignment, to cover a birthday party."
Sujata is a self-taught photographer with no formal training in college. When she started photography, it was just a business for her because, according to the photographer, she was desperate to regain her self-worth. "That somehow was connected with being financially independent but within 6 months of covering parties and events and weddings, I started to feel a relapse of depression. And so I started looking inward to see what are the things, experiences, and emotions that made me happy."
The photographer revealed that watching her then two-year-old daughter play with her grandmother (her husband’s mother) and her dog always made her happy so, at times when Sujata was not busy with client work, she started to steal some shots of Aayat playing with her mother-in-law and their dog Mustang. "Suddenly it felt like a weight had lifted off of my soul. I started feeling like my voice was returning. That I had a lot to say and share."
According to Sujata, her work is a way of communicating with the world: "it is my inner dialogue that is manifested in the form of these visual narratives. I combine realism and art and turn life, childhood into a magical moment captured through my lens. It is a continuous reminder of how beautiful life is and how, if we focus on everything that is good in this world, then we can truly learn to live happily."
Sujata is hoping that her work brings joy to people's lives and gives them a reason to smile, to believe in magic, and to rekindle their childhoods.
It would not be wrong to say that the photographer draws all her narratives out of her own life. According to Sujata, some narratives are recreations of the good times and some are hopeful imaginations of what could have been but that which was not.
"I lost my dog Mustang a few years ago suddenly and to honor his relationship with my daughter, I started photographing children with their furry buddies. That just helped me find healing and also gave something special to the families of these children. A reminder of this unconditional human and animal bond that they would cherish for all their lives."
If you're thinking of becoming a photographer, Sujata has advice for you! "Don’t take this just as a profession that will bring bread to the table. Think of photography as your own emotional journey and route to personal growth. Focus on coming up with personal projects that have a theme. That theme could be based on a personal story or a subject/issue that is close to your heart. Write down how you would want to give that these a visual energy and then create images around them."
Sujata added that posting her works on Bored Panda regularly has changed her life. "It has taken my art all over the world and I am forever grateful to Bored Panda for that."
