By Anurag Banerjee:
1) Aatish Nath (@aatishn)
Mumbai-based Aatish Nath is a writer by profession, but one look at his Instagram account tells you that he has quite an eye for detail and the not-so-ordinary. Aatish has the knack of making the mundane look spectacular every once in a while. A photographer-in-hiding, his Instagram account is a delight to follow.
A photo posted by Aatish (@aatishn) on
2) Asmita Parelkar (@asmitaparelkar)
If you enjoy quietude, Mumbai-based photographer and designer Asmita Parelkar’s account is right up your alley. Her feed is filled with stillness, even her videos emanating a sense of calm and serenity that is almost dreamlike. Often presented without a caption, Asmita’s photographs have the lightness of a feather and the depth of an ocean.
3) Aashish Chandra (@aashishchandra)
A lot of times you look at a photograph by Aashish Chandra, you might find yourself wondering what you like about that photo. Wide open spaces, a parked car, a few benches by the sea, photos filled with emptiness. You might look at them and think that if you were standing exactly where Aashish was, you possibly would not have stopped for a second glimpse. That is the speciality of Aashish’s work – you may never know why you actually like a photograph of his.
4) Karan Vaid (@vaidkaran)
If you are a dog person, you simply cannot not be following Delhi-based Karan Vaid’s Instagram account. His account is more like a journal of his day-to-day life with his wife Mussarat, Muttley, an extremely adorable Labrador and Pasha, a really big German Shepherd who does not quite realize how big he is sometimes. What makes his feed even more enjoyable are his captions, written lucidly and laced with humour.
5) Roshni Bajaj (@roshnibajaj)
There are many Instagrammers out there who use the platform to chronicle their travels around the world and their love for food, but none quite like food and travel writer Roshni Bajaj. Her feed is filled with colour and vibrancy, but the way she photographs food with her cellphone should probably be put down into a cellphone photography manual – no weird angle, no going so close that the food seems unappetizing; keeping it simple and shooting it in adequate light. Make sure you are not on an empty stomach when you are going through Roshni’s feed!
Sunday bread #levain #oliveoil #mustard #olivepaté #agedbalsamic #fleurdesel
A photo posted by roshnibajaj (@roshnibajaj) on
6) Ritesh Uttamchandani (@riteshuttamchandani)
There really isn’t much more that can be written about Mumbai-based photojournalist Ritesh Uttamchandani. For starters, he has got 100K+ followers on Instagram but deserves much more. Ritesh’s understanding of the city is unparalleled by most, having learnt all that he has by roughing it out himself and not through books or spoken word. His photographs are stripped off any sort of complexity and the scene is presented to the view just as it is – unadulterated. Accompanying them are his informative and intelligible captions. A photographer par excellence, a writer of significant merit – if there is just one Mumbai account you need to follow, make sure it is Ritesh’s.
A photo posted by Ritesh Uttamchandani (@riteshuttamchandani) on
7) Ronny Sen (@ronnysen)
You could give Kolkata-based photographer Ronny Sen a broken camera to use and he will come back and blow your mind with the images he’s made with that same camera. A powerhouse of talent, and in his twenties, already a name to reckon with in Indian photography, Ronny’s account is mysterious, eerie and often times, beautifully abstract. His dry captions often compliment brilliantly the drama that his photographs encapsulate.
Winter is coming IGNCA, Delhi October, 2015
A photo posted by Ronny Sen (@ronnysen) on
8) Gopal M S (@mumbaipaused)
His Instagram handle summarizes quite succinctly what Gopal M S’s account is all about. Even this monstrous city, between its throbbing and pounding and palpitating and scrambling, pauses for a breath every once in a while. And in that pause, you will find the carefully placed lens of Gopal. His photographs aren’t spectacular, they won’t take your breath away; instead, they will help you catch your breath. In a recent interview with Better Photography magazine, Gopal said that trying to earn a living through photography “killed his joy”, and so now, he only photographs to keep himself happy. Much to the delight of his 20K followers!
#MumbaiOnALeash The train had stopped because one of the bogies had gone to pluck a flower.
A photo posted by Mumbai Paused (@mumbaipaused) on
9) Zishaan Akbar Latif (@zishaanakbarlatif)
Zishaan Akbar Latif is a photographer who loves shooting on film and even today carries out a lot of his assignments on film. Yet, he has fallen in love with the cell phone as many of us have, making photographs for the simple joy of it. That he has a beautiful eye is clear with any photograph of his that you see. But if you follow his work over a period of time, you will notice that there is a certain slowness in the way he produces images. He lets his thoughts brew, simmer over a low frame and the finished product is almost always astonishing.
A photo posted by Zishaan Akbar Latif (@zishaanakbarlatif) on
10) Arati Kumar Rao (@aratikumarrao)
Arati Kumar Rao is one of the most compelling environmental photographers of our times. Her documentation of man’s conflict with nature is outstanding; her black and white photographs are breathtaking and her narratives will make you stop and ponder. In any of these lists, Aarti Kumar Rao’s name is usually a no-brainer.
A photo posted by Arati Kumar-Rao (@aratikumarrao) on