Punkaj Gupta Travel Photographer Email Id: punkajg@gmail.com / info@objectsinrearviewmirror.com 

Website: www.objectsintherearviewmirror.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/punkajg

Mr. Punkaj Gupta is an enthusiastic Travel Photographer who is an IT Professional who started his journey as a photographer with a simple shoot camera. He calls himself a “Confused Photographer” because of this interest in all types of Photography. He wants to create awareness among people regarding Wildlife conservation through his photography. We had an opportunity to interview Mr. Punkaj Gupta as a photographer and below given are excerpts from that interview. 1) Tell us something about you and how you developed an interest in photography?  I have been part of the IT/BPO industry all my life-based in Bangalore but originally from Coimbatore. In my school/college days, my friends used words like shutter speed and aperture, and I didn't feel very intelligent as I had no clue what those words meant or didn't even know that the words were connected to photography. Like most other photographers I know, I started with a simple point and shoot camera and gradually developed the interest to formally learn photography which I did about 5 years back, with the hope that I can capture some wonderful memories during my travels. 2) What are the various types of photography you indulge in?  Not so much into wildlife, but I try pretty much every other genre - landscape, nature, architecture, monochrome, street, etc. Basically, I am, what others call, a "confused photographer". 3) What is the inspiration that keeps you going?  To be able to capture and keep going back to some wonderful memories of my life. 4) How do you feel when your work is viewed and appreciated by a large audience?  I don't know of anyone who doesn't feel nice when, what they do is appreciated by someone else - be it at home, work or anything that they do for the society. 5) Tell us about photography and its inception?  There are loads of articles on the internet on how photography, the way we know it, first started and its evolution, but the way I see it, is that photography is as old as mankind - at the beginning, humans used to capture memories with their eyes (they still do, and should keep doing), and nowadays we also capture memories using a machine called the camera. 6) What, according to you, is photography and how do you perceive it?  To me, the camera is the most underrated invention which has been made to date. Science is constantly striving and spending millions of dollars on building a time machine, whereas most of us have a time machine right in our hands. Granted we can't go into the future, yet, but the camera can certainly take us to the past, even if it's just for a split second. 7) Please share some of your achievements in the photography profession.  My biggest achievement in photography that I still regularly try and make some memories with the camera whenever I can. And yes, I am also certified by the Photographic Society of America (PSA) and have won over 130 awards. 8) Tell us something about the photography community you belong to. I am part of several groups and communities across varied fields, and I find photographers one of the most selfless bunch of people - not hesitating to share their knowledge and experiences of their journey in photography. Bangalore too has an active and fast-growing community of selfless photographers. 9) Tell us about the general response you receive in exhibitions. I have participated in only about 5-6 exhibitions to date, and the response has been very heartwarming. I get all-time high when my exhibit is appreciated, and even more so when someone wants to display one of my memories in their living room. 10) What do you think about the scope of Photography in the modern Digital world? With the rapid technological progress in this field and with a camera in almost every mobile device, I feel that the future (and the present) of photography is extremely bright. 11) How do you feel about your association with Honeycomb creative support? I feel honored and extremely privileged to be associated with the Honeycomb family. 12) What are your future plans and dreams? To continue capturing some wonderful memories, some wonderful Objects in the Rear View Mirror of my life.