Photography: What Started As A Small Part Of My Life Has Now Become My Livelihood

Amrita Samant: You know they say that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, likewise, I think I owe my entrepreneurial skills to my dad and my inclination towards art from my mom, a crafts and culinary expert. Well, Albert Einstein did say that creativity was contagious and to pass it on.

I guess that explains why I had a strong inclination towards anything that’s related to the arts. So much so that my younger days consisted of countless doodles whereby I used to try to sketch everything my mum and siblings did. Don't worry my doodles were enough evidence that I wasn't destined to be an artist. So that got ruled out pretty quick! But you see, the creative industry is vast and there were so many areas that I was interested in. The only way was for me to try a few out to see what stuck. And this wasn’t privilege, it was sheer determination to find that one creative career that would be commercially viable and yet satiate the starving artist in me.

I tried out as many as 10 different professions, all this while I was working a corporate job. After work, before work, well, anytime I wasn’t working I was involved in anything that allowed my creative juices to flow.

Nine out of 10 couldn’t sustain me even though they were jobs I liked. My 10th attempt was when I assisted my friend for a wedding photography gig. It was then that I finally realised what my true calling was, that I truly enjoyed capturing the raw emotions that are felt and expressed before a new beginning. Sadly, as much as I loved assisting my friend, wedding photography wasn't my cup of tea. I then went on a search to understand which field of photography was the one for me. That's when it struck me that new beginnings happen not only during weddings but also at birth, where they uphold a new responsibility, a new life altogether. Being an aunt to my sisters' twins I knew that working with children was something that came to me naturally, it was something that I found joy in doing. So then it was just a matter of brain wave to combine two of my most favourite things and set foot on my new journey of becoming a Maternity, Newborn, Child, and Family Photographer.

And here I am after traveling over 10 countries, doing over 1,600 shoots in seven years, to tell you that I never regretted my choice of doing so. The passion and love I had for this profession remains the same to date. I think that's partially why I had taken a liking to educate all the like-minded photographers who are just beginning to set foot into this industry. When I started there was no one in India that I could look up to, the road was unpaved. So I had no choice but to pave the road with the knowledge I had gathered through the years of experience. And now it makes me immensely proud to see the paved road being used by thousands of my students!

I am a firm believer that "Knowledge increases by sharing not by saving", the vision behind my online academy, where wisdom is shared abundantly! And the best part of this is the conversations that I get to have with my students. Their stories have always inspired me to do more, to explore more.

One of such attempts led to the beginning of the breast milk awareness campaign. Many know that 1 ounce = 6 teaspoon, but do they also know that 1 ounce of breastmilk can feed a premature baby for a full day? Studies have also shown that 80% of the problems in NICU can be prevented by feeding those babies breast milk rather than formula milk. Thus I started this project as a means to help babies in the NICU who didn't have access to breastmilk and the concept of donating breast milk was barely known in India even though it dates back to midwives in the 19th century and is common overseas. My goal is for everyone to wipe away any inhibitions they have of breast milk donation! And what better way to do it than with images? They say a picture speaks a thousand words, but I wanted my images to just do one thing, which is to make my viewers stop and see! See the joy, see the purity of this whole notion, see and understand the reasons why this shouldn't be taboo, see and take actions in supporting the same endeavour! And I think I was able to achieve that by breaking all kinds of stereotypes with my images!

All in all, this field of photography has given me more than I could ever ask for. Clients like families, students like friends, and the power to tackle social issues like my own! What started as a journey, a small part of my life has now become my livelihood and my reason to do more!

Picture credit: Amrita Samant

The author is a photographer and the founder & chief creative of Mommy Shots by Amrita. The views expressed are the author's own.