Suvam Saha Turns Chaos into Photographic Poetry
All images by Suvam Saha. Used with permission.
I love expansive street photography, full of layers and different narratives. The type that still manages to get close to the heartbeat of the scene. The action, the story, the thrill all packed together into a single frame. This is exactly the type of street photography Suvam Saha creates.
Saha experiments with multiple photography genres. Wedding, fashion and product photography are all part of his works. I see a little bit of each of them in his street photography.
Wedding photography transfers as a romantic element in his street frames. Fashion, his key eye for style. And product photography contributes to his strong use of architecture within his photographs. He’s the perfect example of why practicing different genres can improve your street photography.
I caught up with Saha to learn more about him, his motivations and his history with the candid frame.
About Suvam Saha
Sauvam Saha.
Saha is a street and documentary photographer from India. His works have been published on several platforms including NatGeo Traveler and Vogue Italia. He’s also been a finalist at the Fujifilm Moment Street Photo Award 2024, plus the Italian Photo Festival to name a few.
Away from photography he’s an electronic engineer with an MBA in finance marketing.
Them Frames: Hello Suvam! What made you get involved into the world of street photography?
I began my photography journey with my first DSLR, the Canon 700d. I used it to photograph products for my own business. At the time, I knew very little about this genre of photography.
Actually, one of my photographer friends introduced me to street photography. Every weekend we would roam together in various narrow lanes and banks of the Ganges in Kolkata.
I tried other types of photography: portrait photography, product et al. But, more than anything, I really liked street photography. I was drawn to its uncertainty. You don't know what will happen from one second to the next when on the street.
I believe street photography is an incredibly realistic genre as we cannot manipulate or stage our subjects. I like that we can make a good street photograph outside our room, we don’t have to travel the whole world to practice this genre.
Them Frames: Rather than focus on isolated subjects, you seem to like to get into the heart of large groups of people. What attracts you to that style of street photography?
Suvam Saha: As a street photographer, I‘m always seeking juxtapositioning. I enjoy layering, blending light and shadows, using silhouettes and leading lines. But, layering is my favorite subject as in this case there are multiple events happening in one frame with lots of subjects.
A photographer must keep in mind that no one is overlapping with each other. It's very challenging to me when there are lots of people gathering and doing different things.
Layering can become quite difficult when you can’t control your subjects and people in the frame are constantly moving. It causes things to change very quickly. So I have to stay for a perfect moment and for all my subjects to become perfectly balanced within the shot.
Them Frames: You are part of Moments Collective. Can you tell us more about the collective and how it helps you with your street photography?
Suvam Saha: Moment collective is a platform dedicated to showcasing the work of talented photographers from around the world. It was started by a group of street photography enthusiasts from Europe and the Middle East.
After lockdown one of my images was selected by the collective’s founders, Tassos Spetsieris and Saeed Al Sharbati, to be published on their official page. After that, they gave me the opportunity to share more of my portfolio.
We then became friends, and it turns out we share similar thoughts about photography. I then became one of Moment collective's official members.
Them Frames: What are some of your future goals for your street photography career?
Suvam Saha: I still think I am going to capture some of my best shots. As street photographers, none of us can be satisfied with our work until death. Besides street photography, I also do professional work like wedding and fashion photography.
For me, street photography documents regular social life, and I feel it should have an impact on society. With that, I have some plans for longer photography projects. For example, I’d like to do a night photography project in my city.
I wish someday I can publish my own photography book that relates to my city, it would be full of street photography. And the most important thing is trying to create my own style which is distinct from others. Recently I'm focusing on flash photography and different techniques.
Them Frames: Your work is predominately made in India. What other cities and countries would you like to shoot street photography?
Suvam Saha: My city is incredibly vibrant and diverse, with people of various religions and cultures coexisting in harmony. But I want to travel outside of India as there are ample opportunities to document in other countries and cities.
Some of the best cities for street photography I’d like to visit are in Spain, Cuba, Italy, Mexico and Russia. I’d also like to go to Pakistan to shoot street photography. Honestly, there are many more!
Them Frames: Finally, please finish this sentence: I need photography in my life because…
Suvam Saha: metaphorically, photography is my oxygen. When I feel bored, frustrated or exhausted I run to the street with my camera. I can remember times in my life I was really alone. I came to realize street photography keeps me busy and it’s my favorite thing to do. This is like a meditation to me.
Them Frames in an independent photography publication, aiming to offer an ad-free experience to our readers. Your optional donation can help us achieve this.
