Interview with Dewang Gupta (Second prize 2023 BSPF Singles)
Interview with Dewang Gupta (Second prize 2023 BSPF Singles)
Tell us something about yourself and how you got into street photography.
I’m a 23-year-old street photographer from Delhi, in India. I’ve been doing street photography for the past four years. Back in 2013, when I was still a kid, my older brother had a point-and-shoot camera which I used to make photos around our home. From then on, I was interested in photography. I learned a lot from seeing what other photographers were doing on websites like Flickr and 500px and later Instagram of course.
In 2019 I went to college to get an engineering degree, but I wasn’t really interested in the subject, and quickly dropped out. Although I already knew quite a bit about photography, I enrolled in a one-year photography course and that's when I really got into street photography.
Which photographers inspired you to become a street photographer?
There are a lot of them but the name that comes to mind is Yash Seth (https://www.yashsheth.in/) who is based in Mumbai.
What is it like to do street photography in a huge city like Delhi?
Delhi is a big city but most of it is not very walkable. There are many wide roads with not much around them. Even if there is a market somewhere, then nothing happens around that market; there are just houses. You see a lot of traffic and many cars, but not many people walking. The most famous and best part to go to is the old center. That’s where everybody goes to shoot and that’s also where I go to. It is very easy to take photos there and the street photography scene is growing day by day.
How do people in Delhi react when you take their picture on the street?
Most people are fine when you take their picture. I would say that they are mostly curious about the camera. They want to know what you are doing; they want to talk to you. Since street photography has become more popular in Delhi, most people however know why you are there. If people don’t want you to take their picture, they will simply tell you.
I don’t think we have privacy laws in India about taking pictures in the street so you can take photos of whoever you like.
What is your typical set-up when you go out to shoot?
Currently I’m using a mirrorless Sony A6000 with a 16mm pancake lens, which is equal to a 24mm on a full frame camera. This set-up is small and light, and it is really easy to move around without attracting too much attention. Like most street photographers I don’t want to be noticed so I can make as candid a picture as possible.
I like to get really close to my subjects because this creates a kind of intimacy, and I like the visual style of this type of photography.
How did you get to know the BSPF?
I got to know BSPF back in 2019 when I started my street photography journey. On Instagram I saw that Sachin Chauhan, who’s also from India, had won the BSPF. I didn’t know much about street photography back then, but from then on, I also wanted to enter the competition and win a price!
Winning second price this year is therefore very important to me. I hope it will help me to get to know other people and make my way in the photography scene. Getting my work out there is a very good feeling, it motivates me to do more work. Overall, it has been a great experience.
What is the story behind the picture that won second price at the BSPF?
I took the picture in September last year, during the monsoon season. As usual I was walking around in old Delhi with my camera. Just when the rain started, I was at Jama Masjid which is the building you can see behind the boy. I stayed there during the rain and when it started to slow down a bit, I came out of the Jama Masjid.
I had this shot, which included the rain, a large building in the background and a subject in the foreground in mind for quite some time, and I tried to take a photo like this when I was in Mumbai, but I didn’t succeed. As I was standing there waiting for something to happen, suddenly the boy appeared. In a split second everything came together, and I took the shot.
Would you say that this photo is typical for your style of street photography?
I’ve been doing street photography for a few years now, but I don’t think I have a particular style yet. Sometimes I try to copy other photographers, see what they are doing. I try to mix their style with my own feelings. I’m still exploring a lot of different things.
Which properties should a good street photographer have?
For me street photography is about emotion. In my opinion the photographer should try and capture a feeling or an emotion so that afterwards, when he sees the photo, he can go back to that feeling.
In my photos I try to capture the flow of life. Everything is constantly moving, and things are happening; stuff is moving around. You can’t capture everything of course, but when I see something, and it feels warm or I get excited about it, then that’s what I want to capture. By taking the photo it becomes a memory that I can visit again.
Which advice would you give to people who want to get into street photography?
Just go for it! Shoot a lot because street photography is about trial and error. Learn from your mistakes and be critical of your own work. Finally, look at the work of other street photographers as they may inspire you and give you new ideas.