Dheeraj Dman, a 23 year young man from a small village named Kalwan from Haryana, India, caught my attention during our Anniversary Celebration Championship Cup contest in May 2021, because of his fine sense of photography.
He started doing street photography in 2018. He often use to go to nearby towns to explore them and click pictures where he could experience different cultures, people and their behaviour. In 2018 for the first time he went to explore Delhi and that was the moment he thought he should move out of his hometown so that he could persue photography more seriously. So he shifted to Delhi and presently doing street photography there since one and half years now.
In the beginning as usual he was afraid to get close to people to shoot because it would be uncomfortable for the person as well as for himself to do it. Finally he got to overcome this fear when Master Vineet Vohra started talking about it on his instagram about how to approach people without fear and how not to make them uncomfortable when you get close to them. Now he has overcome that fear and has been shooting pictures with much more confidence now.
Street gave him a vision of how one can enjoy the beuty of daily life and how people live their lives. He was never involved in cultural or religious activities but from the day he persued street photography he started getting to know about these aspects as well.
Dheeraj do you enjoy photo walks?
Yes, i think we get to meet new artists with some great vision and thinking towards life. We learn new techniques of shooting and seeing the world. Although i haven’t attended many photowalks but still i have recieved a good experience from few. There are experienced mentors whom you can ask and show your art. It’s fun and informative overall.
How social media played a role in your photography journey?
Social media actually had great impact on my life. I honestly don’t have more than 2 friends whom i know from my childhood, so i earn so many friends and artist from social media and some of them are my business fellows too. In terms of art, on social media almost every artist put thier work and they provide online classes on Live sessions too. Photo competitions run regularly on these platforms. We can even earn from our work by selling them online. Furthermore my work got featured on national and international platforms due to the presence of social media only.
Which photographer do you follow on social media?
I actually follow 2 artists a lot , one is Guru Navin Vatsa. I have accepted him as my Guru as I didn’t have any knowledge about street photography so he is the one whom i have learnt most of it from. About philosophy of photos and life he has it all and i also joined a master class by Guru Navin Vasta. Second is Master Vineet Vohra, he is world class, well known street photographer. He is the master of decisive moment and the way he show his lifestyle and his life philosophy is extraordinary.
Do you think adhering to rules of composition is that important?
Yes i believe understanding composition is crucial in photography because composition clearly define the beauty of frame and composition rules are made to do just that.
Your camera gear?
My first camera was Sony a6000 and i used it for over a year and then shifted to Sony a7M3 and i believe when i attach my “Sony FE 24-105f4 G” lens on it, this is all i need. I usually shoot at 24mm and i think if i am given a chance to change my camera then I’ll go for any Leica camera with same 24mm focal length.
Your preferred style of photography?
I shoot on both, color and black and white because i think both carries different feeling and philosophy. Where colours show the real image of this world, monochrome shows the soul of this world. So i shoot both.
Any favorite photo you remember?
I actually don’t have any favourite image because if i start putting that favourite tag on art then i will not be able to create some new with that much of feelings. Master Vineet Vohra once said “Kill your babies” and it’s true, you have to kill your babies when you are doing street photography so that you don’t feel stuck and stop experimenting with something new.
Your most frequently visited place for street photography?
I honestly love Delhi 6 because it’s full of colours, activities, people of different cultures and street animals too. It’s a place that never stop giving you something new. In winters I usually shoot Yamuna Ghat which is situated in Delhi. In winters, migratory seagulls come to this place for around 5 months starting from November to March. This place has always something new to impress you with.
Whenever you go out to shoot, do you have a specific theme in your mind ?
I don’t step out with any specific theme in my mind because this is the beauty of streets that you don’t know what will you get. It’s always fresh and shocking at the same time and i love this aspect of it a lot.
PHOENIX PHOTOGRAPHY 
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