Neha Shah loves her job. She is an introvert, she says, and grew up very uninterestingly, always drawing in bits of paper, with images of the sun in the top corners of her drawing sheets. Probably trying to cast an image of what she would likely be, many years on.
Her love for the sun, literally followed her into an unknown future and today she eats and pays bills from the lens, amid all the gender-based challenges and sometimes handling randy clients who take longer to pay or don’t pay at all.
Photography is her thing, and Vienle Photography her umbrella. She works closely with her mentor and father, Manoj Shah, an experienced wildlife photographer and her mother from whom she borrowed a leaf into taking fashion and wedding photography.
While she insists on being referred to as an up and coming photographer, five years down the line, she really looks well established in the industry, her niche defined by fashion and extending to corporates. She is the award winner in the category of Participating Photographer of the Year 2015, held in mid February 2016.
“Growing up, I loved the science and the art combination which made me inquisitive. The art allowed me to express myself,” Neha says.
A fine Art graduate from the University of Loughborough, United Kingdom, majoring in photography, film and video, Neha began the quest to follow her dreams against all the odds in a perceived male-dominated field.
With passion in creativity and a love for art, photography would prove to be her best choice of career. Many years later, the power of a camera and its ability to transform the world imagery challenged her and she took it on.
“It had to always be a creative sector; photography. I felt it was truly the medium that expressed what I felt and saw. Once I saw what I could do with a camera, I never looked back,” she says.
The bits and bobs that came along with her choice of career did not shatter her golden dreams but strengthened her zeal to raise Sh200,000 by the time she was graduating to acquire the first DSLR camera. “It was hard work and never ending hours of labour,” says Neha.
“I am actually a creative artist who is able to sustain herself using her art. I wanted to do things my own way and didn’t want to owe anyone anything. I would ride a bicycle or just walk to save transport,” she tells of how she saved up.
Photography is not the simplest of jobs anyone could do. In fact, it is a field that entails a lot of aggressiveness especially in this digital era where everyone can take a photo.
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But what keeps Neha in business? “Photography isn’t simple. Many people think it is. Good photographs have certain chemistry to them and of course knowing the camera settings. The complexity keeps me active, going and to strive further,” she explains.
She disagrees with the notion that photography is a ‘manly’ business and shuns such ancient beliefs because it’s working perfectly for her. The soft-spoken lady borrows her skills and derives inspiration from veteran female photographers across the globe, with Julia Cameron of the 19th Century being her greatest source.
“You see that misconception is 100% untrue. Women have been photographing for years. In this day and age, there is no such thing as a man’s job,” asserts Neha, smiles glaring in her face.
She adds that her easygoing nature, acute discipline and ability to develop curiosity keep her fit in the industry. She balances between a variety of clients ranging from weddings to corporates and literally everything fashion.
For anyone thinking of taking the lens head on, Neha has some piece of advice. “Find your niche and push it. It can be street photography, portraits or even weddings. Not everyone with a camera is a photographer; this is the greatest challenge professionals grapple with day by day,” she adds.
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