Minimal hues and approach

A glance at his clicks and it becomes crystal clear that Radhakrishna Rao loves to capture images that have few objects in them. So, when a recently concluded photography show themed on minimalism, was held at India Habitat Centre, Delhi, Rao’s works effortlessly garnered eyeballs. Hailing from Karnataka, the photographer moved to Delhi in 1999 and works as art director in the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. On weekends usually, he moves around the city to capture routine life of people in unconventional frames. For instance, he moved around different parts of Delhi and in a photography series, documented the life of effigy makers during Dussehera that got him an award from the Union Ministry of Culture in 2015. Or take the picture of two dogs lying on a pavement, for which he was honoured by Lalit Kala Akademi last year. So, what’s the reason behind the minimalist approach? “Maybe because I am a very simple man who enjoys classical music,” says 43-year-old with a smile.  

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And when you ask him why he loves the black and white frames so much, he says, “With colours, you can identify everything. Colours are the body, black and white is the soul. There are only shades in it. You have to feel the picture. I click colours only when it is direly needed. Also, I am immensely inspired by the works of photojournalist Kishor Parekh, whose black and white photos clicked during the Bangladesh Liberation War, will leave you crying.” His personal life, however, is not so colourless and his young kids inspired him to click a series titled ‘Innocence’. “Only a kid, who is yet to know the difference between right and wrong, is innocent. You can click the purity of human emotions on their faces,” he says.

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Though always interested in photography as a teenager, the lensman got deeply fascinated with the art form when he chose the subject of ‘Evolution of technology in photography’ for his dissertation in graduation and since then there has been no looking back. He considers photography as a potent tool to bring change in mindsets. “The picture should tell a compelling story without me explaining it and it should contribute in spreading social awareness,” he shares and adds, “The key to being a better photographer is patience. You have to visit a place several times to get that one nice shot. Frankly, thanks to photography I learnt to be hardworking, dedicated and tolerant.”