Let's Shoot
Lens of an Artiste
Rishi Raj
Dancer & Photographer
“There are many possibilities in terms of creativity and innovation, and I feel with the camera one can explore a lot. There is no end when it comes to creativity. Starting with the dancer, the make-up, costume or outfit, colours, backdrop, location, or finding the angle, framing, creating the composition or using software like Photoshop to edit the photos, the possibilities are endless”
Rishi, where are you from and when did you move to Chennai?
I am from Bihar. A small village called Chhaperatar, which is around 80 kilometers from Patna. I moved to Chennai in 2016 to attend college at the Kalakshetra Foundation.
When did you discover your love for dance?
Right from my childhood days, whenever I went to my sister's school on days like Independence Day or Republic Day, to watch the performance of the students, I knew I wanted to dance. Once that desire grew in me, I started to learn Kathak, folk dance and ballet.
Looking back, I'd say, my love for dance didn't come only from one single place. It came from different experiences of life and also from watching and listening to different art forms. My eldest sister was one of the reasons for my love for dance. She was great in whatever she did, everything became gold in her hands.
It also came from this open family which I grew up in, which acknowledges the power of the arts and never stopped any of us from doing whatever we wanted and always supported us. Unfortunately my eldest sister passed away when I was young. But for me, she was someone to look up to and learn.
Later, at the age of 15, my dance teacher and mentor, Sudipa Bose in Bihar recommended I go to Chennai and continue my studies at the Kalakshetra Foundation. She filled my registration form and that's when I moved to the state of Tamil Nadu and became a student at the Kalakshetra Foundation and graduated in 2020.
On coming to Kalakshetra, I thought the college would be like my school in Bihar. I was a student at the Bihar Bal Bhawan Kilkari, where we had all kinds of classes like painting, writing, music, dance, instruments and many more. I thought Kalakshetra also would offer something similar to that. Only when I started college, I figured I’d be mainly learning dance, which again made the connection and my love for dance deeper.
Photographs by Rishi Raj
Talk to us about your time at the Kalakshetra…
Kalakshetra for me, was a journey of art. A place where I grew not only as a dancer and artiste but also grew and matured as a human. I realised that whatever you do in life, the foundation, the core of what you believe in affects the way you perceive things and life around you and the way you go about it.
In this journey at Kalakshetra, I had both good and bad days. As a child, I was always taught to look at the good things, the favourable things and move forward. That's how I would say my journey and experience was, or at least what I took out of it, a very positive journey. I have learnt a lot from seeing my family; how to take the good from the bad, learn my lessons and carry on.
Kalakshetra was exactly what I needed in that phase of my life. I felt like a little prince who was sent to learn what he loved, and everyone around me was there to teach and take care of me. I was just full of excitement and gratitude and that came from a place of innocence. Let me just say, I was happy being there.
When did you find your love in the camera? Are you self-taught?
While I was in Kalakshetra, I was interested in capturing the beauty of dance with my smartphone camera. During my third year in college, I bought a second-hand camera and that is when I was actually able to live and explore more of my passion for photography.
Rishi dancing to a short crisp Jathi
After graduating from Kalakshetra and during the pandemic, I got a job as a dance teacher at the Isha Foundation Samskriti School in Coimbatore and became a teacher for a year and a half. But I was always attached to my camera, continuing to capture dancers and artistes.
During this time, I landed a job at Studio A in Chennai. Until then, I had never attended any workshop or classes in photography. I used to watch YouTube tutorials and I had learnt the basics by myself. Only when I started work at Studio A, did I get the chance to learn from professional photographers like Amar Ramesh (CEO of Studio A) and A Lakshmanan (Lead-photographer of Studio A), who went on to become my mentors and close friends thereafter.
I left Studio A to explore more dance photography rather than wedding photography and also because I received many private requests for photoshoots from different dancers in and around Chennai. Since then I have met many artistes from different art forms, worked with them and explored many new ideas. Actually, I learn something from every new shoot and I am truly enjoying this journey.
You have chosen to specialise in shooting dancers; does it really help that you are a dancer? Give us some examples of how that helps in the way you bring nuance to your photography...
Yes, of course. Being a dancer helps me a lot in my photography. I always feel that my creativity comes from my experience in dance and as a dancer, and I apply that to my photography.
More than that, being a dancer helps me connect with the art form and the artiste. I can understand the dancer, the pose they choose, but I also understand photography and composing the frame. I offer suggestions to the dancers to strike a pose, and create something which fits the particular frame. This helps me a lot, especially for outdoor shoots.
While shooting performances by dancers, it really helps being a dancer. I often know the item, understand the music and this helps me to capture the perfect moment.
Photographs by Rishi Raj
What are some of the creative projects you have worked on? Since dance is a movement form, are there possibilities aplenty with the camera? How do you plan your shoot? What is your process like?
I have done some small creative projects. But I still feel that I haven't reached a level for it to be called creative enough.
I have a lot of ideas that I want to execute. But I think this is a problem which many artistes face. I feel like the possibilities are infinite, even though dance is a movement and the camera is that which freezes that movement and captures it.
There are many possibilities in terms of creativity and innovation, and I feel with the camera one can explore a lot. There is no end when it comes to creativity. Starting with the dancer, the make-up, costume or outfit, colours, backdrop, location, or finding the angle, framing, creating the composition or using software like Photoshop to edit the photos, the possibilities are endless…
Planning the shoot always starts with the dancer or artiste. We first try to find out what the artiste is looking for or if they have a concept or idea in their mind. So either ways, we start working on that or come up with ideas and concepts along with my team and present them to the artistes. It's a lot of dialogue and conversations until everything needed for the shoot finds alignment and balance.
In what way has dance inspired your photography? And are you pursuing your passion, dance too?
As mentioned earlier, my inspiration and creativity in photography comes from my background as a dancer. And yes, I continue to dance. Right now, I am learning dance with Renjith Anna and Vijna Akka of the Saraswatham Foundation. Because of my shoot schedules, I do not find much time to attend all the classes, but I enjoy every hour I get to dance. Mostly I dance for myself or along with my friends.
More recently, you were in Rajasthan; how was that experience?
I have been to Rajasthan a few times. Recently, I was in Delhi, Rajasthan, Agra and Vrindavan. I had an amazing time there and enjoyed the beauty of North Indian architecture and culture. It has always interested me to go and visit the North (of India), especially places I already visited in my childhood.
It is interesting to see how perspectives change. Earlier, I used to be stunned by the beauty of this architecture. Today, I find myself stunned no doubt but I bring to that, my own vision as a photographer and dancer.
I am always looking to come up with new ideas for a shoot or start to choreograph a little piece.
As a city, do you think Chennai offers enough opportunities for exploration and experimentation for photographers like you especially in the context of dance?
For me, the city of Chennai is always a city of dreams. Since my childhood, I always wanted to come to South India but I have no idea why!
Coming from a little village to Chennai was an eye-opening experience for me. Chennai is the hub of artists, so it does offer me a lot of space for creativity.
Whatever I am today, is also because of this city. I was and am still getting so much support from the people here.
Rishi Raj at a shoot