“My dad had gifted me a camera way back, it started off with that,” Salamat reminisced. Husain likes to use a minimalist approach, shooting in natural light to capture the authenticity in his subjects. His work has featured in leading publications including, Vogue, Taj Magazine, GQ and Verve.
The DNA of Salamat’s artistic sensibility is inherited, being the grandson of the late legend, who according to him, was instrumental in nurturing him during his formative years as a photographer. His minimalist approach and the resultant authenticity in his subjects can be seen in the photo spread ahead.
Describe yourself in three words.
It is quite tough actually, to do my own analysis. But, I would call myself a daydreamer, creative, and sometimes impulsive.
Why did you opt for photography?
I was anyways into graphic designing and animation back at the University. It had a mix of some training in programming to coding, to perusing photography as a part of the course. I think it just evolved over time. Moving to New York City and meeting another fashion designer there helped. Eventually it started happening, and art and photography became a way for me to show my thoughts and ideas.
What are your future goals?
-I want to share my experiences with everyone through interactive workshop sessions. I don’t want to do workshops just to showcase my photos, but go through the entire process of what a photographer goes through in a day.
It will be an answer to people who go ‘Hey, I want to be a photographer. What do I need to do?’ First, you need to understand what a photographer actually goes through, to understand what photography is. I want to conduct the sort of workshops wherein you scout for locations, look for subjects and figure out the right ways all by yourself, and thus, help them explore their creativity.
Vestrahorn Mountain, Iceland (2017)
During my photography workshop in October 2017, we scouted around several locations, and the journey to getting the perfect shot of the Northern Light was exhilarating. It was around midnight, everything was pitch black (most of us had head-torches), with temperatures dropping and harsh icy winds hitting us. We had to wait for nearly an hour-and-a-half, shooting the northern lights. It was surreal!
Dal Lake, Srinagar (2017)
To capture the hustle-bustle of a floating market is like a dream come true. I was on an assignment in Srinagar, which included waking up at 4am and then riding in the still waters of the Dal Lake at 0°C. This is my favourite photo, as it sums up the overlapping of the big canoes with the sellers and their colourful vegetables.
Diamond Beach, Iceland (2017)
It is a sight to witness the black sand beach filled with broken icebergs, washed down from the melting glaciers. The only trick to get the perfect shot is be here at 5am and grab the transparent ones to bring out the diamond quality. I created my composition by picking out the icebergs and placing them closer to the water, and kept it tight, to bring out the texture and colors the sunlight can create.
Dal Lake, Srinagar (2017)
I call this image a projection. This image was shot on our way back after shooting the floating market. My eyes are always scouting to create a good frame of images and at around 7:30am, when the sun rays were peeking in through the mountains, I captured the perfect scenic shot.
Observatory at Vestrahorn Mountains, Iceland (2017)
Any photographer would not miss the opportunity of capturing the skies in a beautiful sunset or sunrise. This was taken around sunset, and this area witnesses frequent visitors, capturing the Vestrahorn Mountains. The person in the frame is taking a photograph, which somehow completes the photo, along with the perfect amount of foreground with the sky, giving the idea of the environment as a whole.
Rumtek Monastery, Sikkim (2016)
This was taken when my wife and I decided to visit Sikkim to celebrate our first wedding anniversary. Sikkim was filled with locals wearing colourful clothes, and their vegetation was attractive. I was captivated by their aesthetical monasteries. The photo is taken as the door opened and a monk child stepped out to call for his friend. Luckily, it wasn’t crowded with tourists and we were fortunate to have a look inside and walk around.
