Suhail Khan
Most of the time, people remember the subject, their tale, and their life, but no one ever thinks to acknowledge the struggle of the photographer who captures historic moments in history and shares those images with the world. Here, we present to you three such photographers who, in order to get to the top, where they currently rule the roost, had to work very hard and overcome numerous obstacles.
Junaid Bhat:
From a normal photojournalist to a social media influencer Junaid Bhat, a reputed photojournalist has become a household name in Kashmir.
His journey to fame was not a cake walk but he strove a lot and faced various barriers to reach this position.
His work is published in local newspapers and leading newspapers, magazines and internet sites around the world like BBC, Al-Jazeera.
Junaid has even shot several short documentary movies and has several awards to his name.
His posts on social media are helping society to a great extent by bringing a visible change.
Junaid sets an inspiration for those hundreds and thousands of Kashmiris who want to have their hands on fine photography. Those thousands of Kashmiris who have fallen in love with art and want to spread the sacredness of love towards photography.
A lot of youth have even got hands-on training on photography from him and are still doing the same.
In a chat with Webstory, Junaid said it’s always been a tough job when it comes to clicking pictures or to shoot videos of any happenings especially in a place like Kashmir.
He said no doubt things are somehow quite fine for the people carrying cameras but on the other hand it is a bit challenging too because what you shoot should reach the expectations of people and should even not go against any government organizations.
He said I shoot because I see. I shoot because if I don’t, I don’t know who will. Activism is seen as a dirty word. I shoot because I find peace in being especially active, and being a vigorous advocate for a cause.
The Sopore’s social media sensation said that his journey started from the small town where carrying cameras was a distant dream but what matters is passion, dedication and hardwork and today it’s all because of my passion I reached to this level and had achieved this milestone.
He credited the people of Sopore also who gave him enough support in his journey so far and believed in his work .
Junaid had done a professional degree in photojournalism from Delhi.
Junaid’s posts get viewed in lakhs on all social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instragam.
And also he has more than 222K followers on Facebook, 60.2K on Instagram and 38.8K on twitter.
Peerzada Waseem:
Hailing from the Sopore town of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, a place where clicking pictures, videos was always a distant dream but Peerzada Waseem proved it wrong by his dedication and hardwork.
A young talented cinematographer who lives to capture the enchanting views of nature has started his career as a photographer and with his unique skills of photography that delight the eyes of viewers, he achieved the milestone within a short span of time.
During the initial stage of his photography, this young and talented guy traveled, trekked across Jammu and Kashmir and captured all the sections through his lenses which the public loved and praised.
With the passage of time, his hard work, dedication made him a successful and professional photographer across Jammu and Kashmir and later by his ability he debuted as a cinematographer.
Besides, Peerzada Waseem is running his own production house namely “Waseem Flims ”
“Working in Kashmir for years I have seen youngsters with such great talent but unfortunately unavailability of a platform always spoils their dreams,” said Peerzada Waseem.
He said that his passion is all about bringing the film revolution to Kashmir so that the youngests especially the artists in Kashmir, will be recognised.
Peerzada further said his future plans are to work for the big screen and with hard hardwork and dedication, achieving that level and position isn’t a big deal.
Eeshan Peer:
Eeshan Peer, a graphic designer at Pixel Room Studio was just another local photographer working for newspapers here in Kashmir. A hardworking and talented Eeshan is now a cinematographer, graphic designer and a filmmaker working for top corporate offices in the country. He is also a proud owner of Pixel Room Studio dealing in professional wedding shoots.
Eeshan believes that as a photographer you know you have done your job as a photographer well, when you get your best emotional shot of a couple.
He says that being behind the lens at weddings is challenging as you have to spot those ‘magical moments’ and then recreate the wedding scenes. You can’t just miss a moment. Blink an eye and your shot is gone!
Peer began his career as photo journalists who would usually capture daily life in the valley. The journey for Peer has been a roller coaster from being a job-seeking photographer to an entrepreneur who now runs first of its kind super studios which offer various services under a single umbrella in North Kashmir’s Sopore. Pixel Video Studio has been a hit and talk of the town since its inception. The studio provides various services like Wedding shoots, product shoots and various commercial shoots under a single umbrella at affordable prices.
Eeshan said that as the demand for stunning pre-wedding photoshoots goes up, his studio in main town Sopore has been evolving to make standard ‘engagement’ portraits evolve into shoots that are meticulously styled and imaginatively planned.
Eeshan Peer believes that wedding photography is insane! The amount of fun you have plus the people you get to meet and the food.
“Weddings are a socially acceptable form where I can go and click to capture people in their natural state. What can be more beautiful than making a difference in someone’s life and preserving their memories,” he added.
Peer said that the response for wedding photography is very much good and their team of two editors, lightman, and camera assistant are already booked for the coming months.
“From being a ordinary photojournalist to filmaker, cinematographer and graphic designer, it takes lot more courage and hardwork. Everything comes with a price. I struggled a lot and today I am here with so many projects in pipeline, ” Eeshan added.
Allah bless trio