About six years ago, when Mr. Roy was leafing through the pages of National Geographic Magazine, his zest for a new hobby had found a clear direction: photography thus became the calling of another man who decided to teach himself the art of making images.
Sunny Roy began reading everything he could about photography, especially technical blogs, and started watching YouTube videos to make sure he got the fundamentals right.
Mr. Roy began his journey as a photographer by capturing birds, as the avian world happens to be his first love. Making images of birds in flight or perched on twigs and branches of trees that contemplate their own existence gave Sunny a joy that was liberating. He also took up a few wedding assignments too, tried landscape photography when he travelled to different places, and also took pictures of mammals in places like Kabini and Bandipura.
But bird and nature photography happen to be Sunny’s favourite genres of photography, and he wants to explore aviation photography in the coming days. In his own words: “I love the metal birds, too, in the act of flying, and being an aviation geek makes me want to explore the wonderful machines not only as an enthusiast but also as a photographer.”
“When it comes to bird photography, I love going to Bharatpur year after year, especially in winter because the place is flocked by migratory birds. I do my homework before going to any place and I don’t want to miss an opportunity to capture mammals, too, when they are around.”
Mr. Roy got to know about Toehold through Better Photography magazine about four years ago and has been hiring photography equipment ever since. He has done the Toehold workshop, on field, in Kabini and says that he has learnt a lot of techniques – how to employ them in varying light for different subjects.
When asked about what photography means to him personally, Sunny says: “To me, photography is about making or breaking a moment. It is about a keen mental preparation that consumes a lot of moments leading to a single moment of beauty and magic. It saddens me immensely when I don’t get a shot that I would anticipate or desire for, but it makes me want to keep trying until I get what I want. Photography, to me, is also about approaching the same subject with different perspectives.”
Sunny says that his mother has been extremely supportive of his interest and tells us how important it is to be understood by those close to us when we set out to do what we immensely love and treasure. The family support and his own passion reflect in Roy’s work, which you can check out on 500px.
Sunny also acknowledges that any genre of photography is increasingly becoming saturated because anyone can try their luck with it quite easily today. He asserts, “I try to be as honest to the experience as I can and when I am recreating a moment in the form of an image, I want to be as true to the moment itself that was when it was. And this is how I think I try to give a sincere personal touch to my art.
“I keep following the latest trends and pay attention as to what kind of pictures gain what sort of attention – positive and negative – and try to gather the transformation that’s happening in the world of photography with each passing day to keep myself updated,” explains Mr. Roy.
He welcomes feedback and emails on his 500px account and is constantly trying to reinvent his passion and ways of learning what he is passionate about. We wish Sunny Roy the best and that his journey continues to be filled with more surprises and joy ahead.
Excellent work Mr. Roy! You are a great inspiration for nature photographers. I am really glad to read this article. Thanks for sharing a great experience here.