“Life never seizes to fascinate me!”

“Ego is what we all wish to get over and the moment one gives an introduction, presents a subtle package of one’s ego. Kindly give me the opportunity of introducing myself in a manner moving away from the standard norms and rather let the wonderful people read on and get a hang of me!”

Jagdev Singh, you tell us photography is a medium for creative expression. What made you choose the camera as your tool of choice to this end?

I remember taking a few pictures on a film camera from my childhood days on instances of family outings. Growing with age, I feel the connection with the camera kept growing subtly and surfaced as a clear and defined tool to express my creative urge.

You define yourself as a street and travel photographer – and yet, there are many powerful portraits in your portfolio. What is your stance on people photography?

I perceive Street and travel photography as my natural inclination on a macro level and people photography as my love on a micro level. So it’s like, street is the large canvas and portraits are the gems churned out!

What inspires you, who or what is your muse?

The life, which runs in so varied forms and paces, never seizes to fascinate me. The daily cycle of life from sunrise to sunset is visible on people’s faces! The innocence, the energy, the spontaneity, the honesty, the smartness, the style, the stride are just enough to inspire me and connect with them.

Which one of your own pictures occupies a special place in your heart? Why?

This picture of a cute girl I came across for a few seconds while covering Hola Mohalla at Anandpur Sahib in 2014. This picture has a special place in my heart. You know, the more I see the picture, the more i wish to see. It just binds me with itself immaculately, beyond words.

You live in Delhi, a city of over 11 million people. How do you single out special moments that you want to capture with your camera in a place of monumental dimensions like that?

Delhi presents a unique and a dynamic face at every corner. The city per se appears overcrowded and you see traffic moving bumper to bumper on several main roads of the city. Busy markets, street food, cycle rickshaws, night bazaars flooded with people are a common sight in Delhi. Life never stops in the streets of Delhi. Interestingly, morning to evening, Delhi life reflects a different mood. This unique characteristic of the city rather eases out for me to single out the special moments I wish to frame.

An early morning shot:

An evening shot:

And a late night shot:

The whole Delhi series reflects the city’s different moods through people as protagonists.

Speaking of superlatives: in 2013, together with fellow Photocircle photographer Victoria Knobloch, you visited the Kumbh Mela festival. The mass Hindu pilgrimage is considered to be the largest peaceful gathering in the world and takes place every twelve years. Around 80 million people participated in 2013 – how was this experience for you as a visitor, and as a photographer?

As a visitor it was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of an experience. To visualize such a mass of people in a picture, and to witness as one in the millions being yourself is a beyond-words experience. As a photographer, it was a flood of impressions! It really took a little time to digest the fact that we actually are in the so much hyped Maha Kumbh Mela. And with interactions and observing all the activities and happenings around, we started connecting.

From super-sized celebrations to contemplation: quite a bit of your portfolio is dedicated to Buddhism in different parts of Asia, and in 2014, you traveled to the Tibetan colony of Bir to explore this place of lived spiritualism with your camera. Contrast or complement?

I treat it as a complement. Deep as you penetrate the chaos, you find contemplation, and when you explore contemplation inwards, you find the chaos. Its like the immaculate nature – in a seed is a huge tree which bears fruit, the fruits again have seeds in their core!

What’s next for Jagdev Singh?

People!

You can buy Jagdev Singh’s inspiring pictures from his gallery on Photocircle. If you’d like to learn more about his work, be sure to also visit his website.