We were lucky to catch up with Chandra Sivaraman recently and have shared our conversation below.

Chandra, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you tell us the backstory behind how you came up with the idea?

It was not a sudden insight, but a gradual realization over many years. Initially, it was just the joy of seeing the world anew through the viewfinder, framing it in myriad ways, emphasizing this and cutting that out, experimenting with composition, light, shadow and texture, telling stories of pockets of nature encountered during post lunch walks on my office break, recording memories of vacations to be replayed later, humoring myself and my family who were the only audience. The camera was like a toy and using it brought back memories of the free spiritedness, the immeasurable lightness of childhood. Then, a little imp came into my life in the form of my daughter. Preserving memories of her childhood became a great motivation to hone my craft, to learn new techniques.

As I put together a portfolio of sorts on Instagram, I noticed patterns and themes emerge. Ansel Adams had always been a great hero and inspiration of mine and his black and white dream like visions of American nature captivated me. I started as all artists do by copying his style. Since I didn’t always have the luxury of camping out in national parks, I made do with microcosms of nature available in urban settings. Over time I realized that editing black and white photos brought out aspects of the world that were hidden, lurking beneath the surface of color. It became easier to hide unwanted elements, emphasize shapes and forms and make the subject pop through editing. That became my signature style.

I also made a habit of flipping through my portfolio regularly, and noticed it had a calming effect on me. The miniature stories these images told were great stress busters. I had the idea of printing and framing the better ones on fine art paper. I wanted to make sure they looked as good on paper as on the screen. There was some learning on that front as well. I framed them and put them up on walls and started gifting them to friends.

It then occurred to me that I should expand my audience. My goal was to share the rich and interesting stories that nature was telling us if only we slowed down enough to listen. If the images gave someone a moment’s peace, soothed some jangled nerves, made someone smile, it would be totally worth it even if I never sold a single print. There can never be a shortage of stories in the world and adding our individual voices to the human fugue is always a worthwhile endeavor.

Chandra, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a black and white photographer specializing in nature and its intersection with the urban. I got into this business by simply having fun. Every time I picked up the camera, I felt like a child again. My brand is called “Speed of Light” as a homage to the power of light – its ability to instantly communicate profound truths about the world around us.

This website is a curated selection of my work. If you are drawn to any of the images, I welcome you to purchase a fine art print for yourself or as a gift. The images are printed on high quality fine art paper.

Personally, for me they induce feelings of calm and serenity. Like a spa for the nerves and mind in a frenetic world that rarely pauses.

I take pride in my craft and can say that each image on my website (and many on my Instagram feed) has been created with thought and care to tell a story and highlight something precious that has been overlooked.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The work is its own reward. Just walking around with the camera, visualizing and framing scenes, cropping pieces of reality to explore later at leisure, exploring contrasts and strange juxtapositions, feels like a meditation. Capturing is just half the job. The other half is editing, interpreting and fine tuning. Every image has a story to tell and identifying that is crucial. So, the entire process of bringing an image into being for me is very rewarding.

It is also immensely gratifying when the audience connects with the stories.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

There is something fulfilling and rejuvenating about the act of creation, however small. Especially when the original impetus comes from you.

If you have never experienced this feeling, I urge you to give it a shot. You never know what the muse might conjure through you. The beautiful thing about art is that you have so many outlets for your creativity. Pick up a camera or a brush or a pencil or a computer and just produce a draft. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It doesn’t even have to be good. It just has to be something rather than nothing. That first draft is like a spark that can ignite and grow into a wildfire.

Learning the craft happens through the act of doing. Reflecting on the work and improving what you don’t like are logical next steps. Learning from masters through training and observation expose you to more advanced techniques.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://speedoflight.photo
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cs31415