Sydney’s Balzinder Balz is a self taught art photographer
By Manju Mittal
Balzinder Balz, a photographer, poet and script writer, has a creative mind that is determined to generate innovative ideas. His dedication and unique passion can be seen in his photography and acknowledged by many. He is a prize winning photographer, his extensive portfolio that covers everything from art related shows, fashion, family functions and hospitals.
This month I had the privilege of interviewing Sydney’s own very talented photographer Balzinder Singh. He discussed how he started out and what it takes to succeed as a photographer. He shares his philosophy on life and art. Here’s the excerpts of the interview will tell you more about Balzinder.
Tell us a bit about your personal life?
I was born and grew up in a small town Patiala in Punjab. I have done post graduation in Punjabi language and Journalism from Punjab University. I worked in a UK television channel based in Punjab as a script writer. I moved to Sydney in 2009 with my wife and daughter. I am also very family/friends oriented which shows through my photography.
Currently I am working in T-shirt Merchandise Company as a colour composer. Photography I do as a passion and it is a huge part of my life, I am all self taught, I never stepped foot into a single class of photography or for photo editing.
Take us through how you started out as a photographer.
Well, it started out as a hobby, I was and still I am an avid photography enthusiast at heart. This passion kept growing. I had always been interested in photography. I also learned from other photographers, many have been very helpful to me especially Sandeep Singh, he is another photographer and a great friend of mine. I just like to learn and explore and I practice a lot. I must say I am a self taught photographer.
How would you describe your photography style?
I would say my style is very simple if I see something I take a photo of it. I have discovered that lifestyle photography is what interests me the most, but I also like to venture into landscape or portrait photography as well.
Nature and people are always my personal interests in photography. I love the various expressions on people. People are always interesting to photograph, they tell their own stories when captured through the lens.
Who influenced you the most when starting out in photography?
I have always been interested in art, in some form or the other. Poetry, Painting, drawing and art films. Bollywood Art films of Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Ram Gopal Varma always inspires me a lot. I love everything artistic and I hope that shows in all my photos. I try to make my shots as natural as possible with a touch of personal art in them. I am very fascinated about old time black and white camera and keep experimenting all the time. I must add I love Australia and in Sydney you get inspired all the time.
You have done some quite powerful fashion photo shoots in the past, what is your working process like and how do you do that?
When I have to take picture of someone, I read up on them beforehand so that I have an idea of what I am looking for. The most important thing is to gain a person’s trust. If you can get the person in front of you to relax and trust you, then you can get those moments that seem very natural.
And sometimes I mess up the shoot because of the other things; it might be that the person is just too stressed out. Sometimes there is not enough time to get what you are looking for. Then it can be quite a challenge to reach the person.
How much do you research your subjects before photographing them?
I do a lot of reading about the subject and do lot of research no matter who I am shooting. It really depends who you are photographing; I need to know about the person I am about to shoot.
What is your next goal in your photography?
I am currently collecting shots to exhibit soon. Balancing my work and photography is sometimes very tricky, but I am up for the challenge. I am moving forward with my photography journey.
What’s been the biggest highlight in your photography career so far?
I have been blessed with more than my share of great assignments. I have to say that it was a huge thing for me when I covered three art shows in Sydney last year. Anupam Kher’s ”˜Mera wo matlab nahi tha’, Gulzar’s talk show and Arif Zakaria’s ”˜Gardish mein Taare’. I had an absolutely fantastic experience capturing art moments of celebrities. Anupam Kher shared one of my clicks on his personal page and I felt rewarded.
Can you tell us one marketing strategy that is working really well for you at the moment?
Building relationship, word of mouth, Twitter, Instagram, facebook and other things they are important in terms of building credibility and getting your name out there, but word of mouth is the best form of marketing.
What is one piece of advice you would give to someone aspiring to jump into a career in photography?
I think if you combine your passion, skills, interests and unique personality into a career and infuse it with a little courage, your work will stand out. Be inspired by other photographers but don’t copy them, it just undermines your own vision.
It was a pleasure talking to Balzinder, he is disciplined and a dedicated photographer of Sydney. We sincerely wish him best of luck in all his future projects. You can see his work on his facebook page Balz iclick
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