I recently interviewed Sailendra Kharel, a promising Nepali photographer, for a magazine in the UK. It is not yet published and we'll see if it is what the readers want.
What I liked about him, and he was very likeable in many ways, was his determination. Its not easy as a photographer in Nepal, though that could be said for any place. But in Nepal press photography is not very developed, the pay is low or none existent and the drive for creative and technical excellence is limited.
Two things stand out from his story, apart from the constant refrain of trying harder.
Firstly he still uses an old Canon 350D. Many photographers obsess about their equipment, which is the best camera, how is the quality, which lenses should I use, should I upgrade etc etc? And they would look down on a 350D. For Sailendra, the camera represents 4 months' salary. The equipment decision is thus closed and Sailendra views this as an opportunity as he can just focus on being in the right place at the right time and getting the right shot to the best of his ability.
Secondly was the story of how he first got into photojournalism. Again, the right place, the right time coupled with energy and determination.
Read the draft version (complete with spelling mistakes!) here and the edited, final version here at Photography Monthly.
http://www.photographymonthly.com/News-and-Reviews/2009/5/Sailendra-Kharel-interview
Friday, May 01, 2009
Sailendra Kharel
I recently interviewed Sailendra Kharel, a promising Nepali photographer, for a magazine in the UK. It is not yet published and we'll see if it is what the readers want.
What I liked about him, and he was very likeable in many ways, was his determination. Its not easy as a photographer in Nepal, though that could be said for any place. But in Nepal press photography is not very developed, the pay is low or none existent and the drive for creative and technical excellence is limited.
Two things stand out from his story, apart from the constant refrain of trying harder.
Firstly he still uses an old Canon 350D. Many photographers obsess about their equipment, which is the best camera, how is the quality, which lenses should I use, should I upgrade etc etc? And they would look down on a 350D. For Sailendra, the camera represents 4 months' salary. The equipment decision is thus closed and Sailendra views this as an opportunity as he can just focus on being in the right place at the right time and getting the right shot to the best of his ability.
Secondly was the story of how he first got into photojournalism. Again, the right place, the right time coupled with energy and determination.
Read the draft version (complete with spelling mistakes!) here and the edited, final version here at Photography Monthly.
http://www.photographymonthly.com/News-and-Reviews/2009/5/Sailendra-Kharel-interview
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