The session with Hamstech’s celebrity mentor Mr. Avinash Gowariker at the institute’s Himayatnagar campus generated a lot of buzz among the students on February 16, 2018.
On his first visit of the year, he was welcomed with a lot of cheer and enthusiasm by the students of Hamstech Photography stream. The purpose and ideas behind this event were to offer the right guidance and motivation to the aspiring talents in the art and business of photography.
Right from the beginning of the session, Avinash emphasized on the importance of the professional ambition that every student should possess while pursuing a photography course. He reiterated the importance of having great dedication and seriousness concerning the craft so that it leads to a brilliant career move.
As the conversation progressed further, he gave a complete picture of his own journey into the world of photography. The cheerful mentor was also sportive in his approach and never had any qualms in admitting that he was academically a dropout and was initially working without clarity. He revealed that his success came by as a photographer after he utilised the opportunities that came his way. He stressed on the fact that no matter how much skill one acquires from photography classes, without a good personality, confidence and street-smartness, it is impossible to make a name in the industry.
Avinash went on to remind the students that unlike other lines of profession, photography being a creative activity cannot be assessed by marks. That puts them at an advantage and risk at the same time, depending on their approach and skill set in the subject. In such a scenario, the only way ahead is to have cent percent dedication to the craft and a passion to learn and explore the domain as much as possible.
As he proceeded to test the involvement students had in their field of study, he asked for few names of famous photographers patronized by the students. He emphasized that it is necessary to have idols to epitomize and draw inspiration from.
He went on to discuss how today’s digital photography and smart devices, including a smartphone, were making the task tougher than ever for photographers to compete in their field. Nevertheless, he asked his protégés to not be carried away by the apparently high quality pictures shot by such smart devices that are all over social media channels like Instagram.
In the course of the session, he shared some of his works including posters and quipped about his experiences in the creation of those works. He also gave the right perspective on the importance of effective communication along with creativity in making it successful as an in-demand photographer. He reminded the students that they were in fact lucky to have the guidance from the faculties at a photography school like Hamstech in this regard.
The session brought out many responses and queries from the students, and he responded with gusto. He wrapped up the wonderful session with advice about the importance of doing hard work with complete focus.