Sanjay Austa is a name to be reckoned with in the world of photojournalism in India. Austa started out as a journalist and gradually switched to photography. His first assignment as a photojournalist was an ardous expedition to Kanchenjunga where he documented the Indian Army’s climb to the summit.
Austa asserts that for a photojournalist the story behind a photo is every thing, ”Most of the photo-essays I work on are stories which I think are important to me. For example my photo-essay Forty and Done is on old age sex workers. The sex-workers lead a horrible life of neglect and disease and when they cross 40 and the clients dry out. They are also ignored by the media. A good reason for their story to be told’’, he says.
Austa believes that photography has become a democratic medium with a surge in amateurs and hobbyists. He states . ” The professionals need to invent newer ways of doing photography. You cannot mimic the great photographers of the early 20th century in today’s day and age when everyone has a camera. Street photography is an anachronism today and should be left to the hobbyists and the amateurs’’.
‘’ Professional photographers should instead do in-depth photo-stories. This is somewhere they can bring something new to photography’’, says Austa
Austa’s photo-essya are published regularly in the indian and the international media including the Wall Street Journal, National Geographic Traveller, Departures, Centurion, Sunday Guardian, Mint WSJ , Outlook Traveller etc. His photo-feature on the 1984 Anti-Sikh Delhi Riots was exhibitited in California and UK by various human riots goups in 2009-10 respectively.
Sanjay Austa was awared the Karamveer Puruskaar (National People’s Award for citizen’s social justice and action instituted by the citizens and peoples of India) in 2010 for his photoessays on social and cultural issues.
One word coming i.e, Beautiful
Wishing you more success & fame 🙂 Bravo!
Thanks
This is great! congratulations Sanjay!
Thanks Mukta. But its just an interview. 🙂
Great Job! Wish you a good luck for your future.
Thank you