Episode 10 - Meet Anupa Shah who is following her Ikigai of making memories come alive

[00:00:00] Hey there, Anjai will be very happy to be here with you. I know it isn't easy, yet I also know somewhere that we can all do it.

[00:00:13] And in my pursuit to keep the joy alive in mind and each of your lives, I bring to you the 10th episode of the RJ Sujatha Ikigai podcast. Where you will get to know Anupa Shah, a Mumbai girl who became a Boston dweller for over a decade,

[00:00:27] Moot back to India with loads of memories, a great camera and guess what? Everything then clicked into place for her. Not just being funny here but truly, her Ikigai reached out to her before she knew it.

[00:00:40] And she became a sore after international award winning wedding and lifestyle photographer. So let's get clicking folks!

[00:00:49] Drum rolls please as we welcome our next fabulous guest Anupa Shah on the 10th episode of The Get Up, Get Going and find your Ikigai podcast Anupa, how are you doing today?

[00:01:02] I'm doing well with Dada and I think considering everything that we're hearing around the arts right now, I think we're very blessed to say that and I really hope that can take the same for everyone.

[00:01:13] We know very soon and extremely excited to be here because I know we've been talking about this for a while, and yeah, all the inspirational people that you've been speaking to, I really feel honored that you asked me to do this.

[00:01:27] How sweet my darling, because you inspired me so much, I can't even begin to describe how much, but just to start kickstart the show as I would call it, you know, you say you're a wedding and portrait photographer.

[00:01:42] Hmm, is that all you do? You know I'm kidding right? Tell us more about this fancy occupation that you have.

[00:01:51] Yeah, so I actually joke to Jada that from the time you get engaged, till the time you have your last child and then some, you're with me throughout the journey. So yes, I definitely shoot engagements and weddings but also babies, machonity shoots, you know family events,

[00:02:10] the entire gamut that involves people because that's why I am a people person. I love stories. I love love stories. I'm a hopeless romantic and you know, I just, I want to freeze all those moments of love.

[00:02:25] That is so beautiful and Anupa, I also think that you are one person who will make sure memories are kept alive, right? And that's a brilliant job to do. A very honorable job to do is what I would call it.

[00:02:40] Okay, moving on. Anupa, you know in school, no one really thinks they're going to become a photographer of all great occupations. So you tell us about what you thought and, you know, your journey towards this profession.

[00:02:57] Absolutely, Jada. I had not in the remotest of my green thought of becoming a photographer because it's just not something that you generally think of like you said. I am a peor-bred, bomb-begirl, born, brought up your school college, you know, post-polled, jive-ed from my MBA to the US.

[00:03:15] I finished my graduation from Boston and, you know, post-polled that I took a slightly different route. I started working in a non-profit organization. Unlike most MBAs who do, you know, corporate kind of journey, mine was a little different.

[00:03:31] And because I found it very exciting, I was helping adults who have a mental illness to get back to the workforce. I was still in the branding space in that organization, but you know, undoubtedly a very challenging job because then you're nothing about it.

[00:03:45] And this, they, new country also for me. But you know, I think I've just grown up to realize that I'm somebody who really enjoys a challenge and I love learning new things.

[00:03:55] So it was just a really good choice that I made to go ahead and, you know, do something different with my life, which was still in the branding space like I said.

[00:04:06] And, you know, it taught me such amazing life skills and compassion that, you know, I still feel that it helps me today, especially as a people for the whole. And after the K-roso in the US, I decided to move back to India.

[00:04:22] And there was really amazing market at that point and I thought, you know, that's to do something different. So I moved back with a lot of great experiences and memories and also BSLA camera. Now, don't ask me why I bought it because I have absolutely no idea.

[00:04:38] I'm not even remotely interested in photography. I had just done like three months around the US as my last tour at Travels all over.

[00:04:47] And I was shooting with a simple point and shoot in a friend just told me, he said, why don't you buy yourself a nice camera, I said, I'm going to travel so much. And that was my plan when I moved back to India. I wanted to travel.

[00:04:57] So I just bought myself one as more of a, you know, not nothing that I needed but just as a luxury thing. And, you know, I think that's when you have to believe that sometimes the universe just has a plan for you that even you didn't know about.

[00:05:12] So somewhere I think I was meant to be a photographer so it's just kept coming my way. And so when I came back, I took a break for about six months because you know, I had been away for ten years and a lot has changed in India.

[00:05:26] So I wanted to take some time to figure out what they want to go back to advertising, continue with nonprofits. Again, not even thinking of photography as a profession.

[00:05:35] But since I had this fancy toy, you know, my new camera, I started doing what most photographers do I was shooting sunset, city streets, family and friends. And I really started enjoying being behind the camera.

[00:05:48] I started learning more on YouTube, on I took small workshops because I'm completely self taught.

[00:05:54] And around the same time, my travels were on five wildlife parks in India and I grew to love it so much that on a whim, I decided I wanted to become a wildlife photographer. So basically I saw the light.

[00:06:08] And very soon after I realized that it has a lot of challenges, especially if you want to make your passion, your achy guy, which was for me that time wildlife photography. If you want to make it lucrative, it takes a long time to climb that, you know, ladder.

[00:06:24] So I decided maybe not, maybe I'll do something else in photography itself. And luckily for me around the same time my older needs was gone. And I have this adorable news in the house, so I started photographing her a lot.

[00:06:39] And that kind of caught wind and friends and samisarasks need photograph their children. But only shoes that had happened and very soon after a friend asked me if I would be interested in shooting his friends wedding.

[00:06:53] So this was something that I was really not ready for. I had skills to show by that point but I had never shot a wedding. So it was a totally deep of faith.

[00:07:03] Something that I just thought would be fun to try and I took it up and I did ask a couple of those who have their own family photographer. And I would be the, you know, one who would take the coat and coat creative shots.

[00:07:16] And honestly the picture turned out decent and the couple was also pretty happy with it but it was, oh maybe they were just super sweet to me and settled with nice.

[00:07:26] But the reason I, you know, I told them that was because from the very beginning I realized that memories are extremely important to people.

[00:07:34] So I always envisioned it as if it was my wedding or if I was having a baby shot and if somebody I hired missed moments, how would it feel?

[00:07:43] So that's the reason I asked them to have their other photographer because I take this as a very huge responsibility. And you know, I don't know from that point on photography started more seriously for me. I really started experimenting, learning, taking more international workshops.

[00:08:02] I was also working with a boutique design firm by that time. So, you know, I don't know the law of design and editing skills there.

[00:08:10] And it, you know, I just powered on so much that I finally quit the job and I went full time into photography and yeah, you know, we are today.

[00:08:19] And so what started as a solo photographer doing just photo, now we showed with a talented team of people providing photo and video, adding this as well as family events.

[00:08:31] But you know, in the, I'm shooting alone or if I'm shooting with a team, my focus is still the same. I want to capture the moment, I want to capture them in a time, took timeless and a joyful way.

[00:08:42] And I want to be sure that me and my team provide that same vibe of happy, timeless moments, you know? Wow. You know, it seems as though the universe conspired to put everything together, right?

[00:08:59] From the camera to you having, you know, that assignment that you were working on with a boutique, you know, which gave you those special skills as you said, which you needed for being a great photographer as well, right?

[00:09:11] Totally. I mean, I don't think I was looking for my kid guy. I think my kid, I just found me and I got super lucky. That is a brilliant tagline actually. I keep going.

[00:09:26] Wonderful, wonderful. That's great to hear and you know, tell us more about the life of a photographer, right? A passionate photographer as passionate as you are, you know, how do your shoots go, you know, the pros and cons, the fun of being an independent woman, you know,

[00:09:45] you know, woman photographer and Mumbai, what happens at weddings? How do you get through all that? Tell us more about that. That's a lot of masala to put in 20 minutes.

[00:09:57] But I try, you know, everyone whenever you say there's a, I'm a photographer, everyone so, wow, your photographer, it's such a glamorous profession to most people. And especially lately, the social media are drawing a lot of fine is so much.

[00:10:11] And you know, what people see is that we are traveling the world, we're photographs and celebrities attending fun events. And it just seems like all just wow. But there's so much that goes behind the scenes. There's such, so much of hard work.

[00:10:25] A wedding last anywhere from two to five days and you're standing for long, hours on your feet with heavy equipment, dining off you. Sometimes you know, even getting more than a meal a day because you're just so busy to even do that, you know?

[00:10:38] Or if you're chasing toddlers, my God, that's like the perfect workout you can ever have. The only thing I do is things with these big cameras on you. So it's like every profession and everything in life, it has a frozen con sport show.

[00:10:55] But I also want to love it because, you know, the people, the followers, the emotions, you know, are like all that's completely beautiful to us. I love that, you know? And I think it's the pandemic has made us realize anything.

[00:11:09] It is that, you know, human connections are really luxury. And you know, both photography gives me that. So yeah, I love it. And you know, remember we were talking once and you were telling me that, you know, especially older people come up to you at weddings and say,

[00:11:26] Oh my God, you're a photographer. You know, how does that feel? Yeah, you know, that's really cute. Sometimes these uncles will come up to me and they last me, you know, be there.

[00:11:35] Wow, you know, you're a woman photographer or you're a photographer. Like, you know, my entire team sometimes could be women. And, you know, they're just so amazed by that because I think the tape that's going on in their head is this is not something I have seen before

[00:11:50] because we don't really have these non-traditional jobs for women. So definitely it is very, I mean, I've been lucky that people have come up to me and said this in a very respectful and a very adoring way

[00:12:04] but I also know there are a lot of women and I don't want to generalize this, but a lot of women especially in smaller towns have actually struggled.

[00:12:12] They actually see this smaller, you know, as a statement about who they are. And so I really wish we can start normalizing these non-traditional jobs and, you know, you don't know people saying, is she, you know,

[00:12:25] you're only one thing, is this a male photographer's form? You know, always your them calling them a photographer. So why is it a woman photographer, you know,

[00:12:32] I just wish we would start, just actually if we had the judge, do it from professionalism and talent rather than my gender.

[00:12:43] But at the same time, like I said, it's also very, very cute to see it and I think because the change is happening slowly and, you know, from the time I started to know there's so many more women in this field and it's really great to see that.

[00:12:57] Healthy competition is what I'm hearing, huh? Absolutely. It's a really talented woman out there and then of course, but, you know, it's amazing to see the kind of stuff that people are doing now and you know, scaling your life.

[00:13:12] Right. And, uh, I know what this is very interesting question that came to me right now, which is about, you know, the compassion and other things that you learned while you were in the US,

[00:13:24] you know, your job and how you can apply to the photography today, right? But can you just tie it up together and, you know, any experiences that you've had or also, you know,

[00:13:37] the fact that women typically are more empathetic, right? So do you see anything of that emerging in you and is there any special quality that a woman photographer can add? So, you know, I feel like any job that works with people, definitely requires compassion.

[00:13:56] If not something that can be taught, of course it's something that, you know, you already have or you don't and can be cultivated by just being in the right of in situations like I was for example in the agency I used to work with.

[00:14:10] So, you know, we used to work with adults that were recovering from mental health issues. So of course compassion was extremely important there. And in weddings too, you know, there is so much going on, there is this whole melange of emotions happening, you know?

[00:14:24] So there is like, you know, there could be that crying as he sees the bride walking in. There could be more moves like, you know, all over the place,

[00:14:33] you know, the bride's means there is so much going on. And I think at that time just having a little bit of compassion just stopping and being okay with that, not just trying to get the shot and trying to re-ream it more.

[00:14:51] Just being part of the narrative is very important. And so that you need to kind of step away and still be in it, but, you know, a step away and just give them that space that they need to be roasted to you.

[00:15:04] And, you know, I think as a woman, definitely I feel like I have a little bit of advantage in that, you know, I can walk into the bride's room and she is getting ready and get some really cool shots which maybe my male counterparts can't.

[00:15:18] Or you sometimes even the bride's maid they last me and they'll be like, hey, you know, which, you know, been real of better or what bangles to three.

[00:15:25] And that's a great point for me to get close to those people. So, you know, there's suddenly feel like I'm their friend or their family.

[00:15:32] What's this outside of this window, you know? So it gives me a lot of access to get the shots I want especially because the kind of photography I do is about real moments, it's about documentary style.

[00:15:44] So, that access is not something you can stage, you have to earn it.

[00:15:49] And also the patience, you know, I mean, you know, when you're working with folks that have a mental health issue and trying to place them in jobs in an external world which is a very, it can be pretty cruel sometimes.

[00:16:00] You need a lot of patience, you know? And that patience has also then translated into my work here because, into photography because, again, it's photography is definitely not a job, you can just start click and done.

[00:16:13] It's something that you have to deliberate on, you have to wait for light, you have to do a lot of things especially in weddings. And kids are told like, you know, they're just another whole body, you know?

[00:16:23] No agenda, you know, you can't go with an agenda, you have to go with just an open mind and really, a lot of agility. And as we were speaking earlier, you mentioned that this gratitude is what has helped you survive the last one year, right?

[00:16:40] And the pandemic began. So, what's it been like? You know, needless to say it when you 20 was a very difficult year for me and for everybody around weddings took a huge hit due to the lockdown even my family shoes were much, much less than usual.

[00:17:00] And there was like anxiety everywhere. But, you know, at some point I just chose to channel that anxiety towards some form of creativity. You know, social media has just made light all about validation. So how many light so many followers?

[00:17:14] And I do somewhere have gotten into that rapid hole, you know? So 2020 actually helped me gain that much needed for them reset. So in the past, I had been creating just to be to make the perfect photo to make the perfect moment, you know?

[00:17:30] But now I had kind of reset my head to start creating for just for fun. Just for pure play.

[00:17:37] Okay, okay, so that's what I got into this for. I enjoy photography so much that I wanted to just create. I just wanted to click sometimes without thinking even, you know?

[00:17:45] And just go with the moment and then sometimes you come back and see it on your camera, on your computer and you're like, wow, you know? Like I'm so glad I was there for that moment.

[00:17:54] So somewhere, you know, because of all of these, as you start getting more into a profession, you start losing that. So it was a great reset for me. And all this play was completely like without any kind of agenda, no judgment. I was just experimenting with my camera.

[00:18:12] I was painting on canvas which I hadn't done since college probably or school probably. I was creating like, you know, random bookmarks from recycled wedding cards.

[00:18:20] It's just creating for the sake of creativity. And if it was bad, I was joking it. I wouldn't show up, I wouldn't post it online.

[00:18:27] It was creation for me because when you start creating for yourself, it is just so liberating. And I think as artists, you know, we were just somewhere that artists can entrepreneur become the difficult line to, you know, write it.

[00:18:44] So that's what I kind of did and you know, I let go of perfection because I'm always with somebody use a perfectionist.

[00:18:51] And I just told myself that, you know, I need to work on the process now. I need to stop focusing on my next school or, you know, the next award or, you know, all of that. I just need to, because the menu, you reach your perfection. You have stopped to bond late. So what's next then?

[00:19:09] And somewhere in that play, you know, you might just get new ideas. You might even get a new angle to your photography and terms of a new genre that you have not explored or just probably a way forward. So at the moment,

[00:19:21] now that we're back again and lockdown, I'm again just back to all of that because you know, anxiety is just not going to lead to anything. So, and you speak for your community here, right? And entire community.

[00:19:35] Yeah, I mean, it's really dark. Some people are really struggling with this and some are, you have to choice to sit back home and probably do this.

[00:19:44] So if you have the choice, at least, you know, monetarily, then maybe work on your passion. I would say, you know, don't just stay, just get into that black hole of what he earned right here.

[00:19:56] And all of our do it, craft me even I do it, but it's just that, you know, you have to kind of keep plugging at it. You have to be open to new ideas. And on the off days, you just have to remember why you started, right?

[00:20:08] And as long as you're doing it in the now and with your full passion and honesty, I'm sure that somewhere those kids will flower.

[00:20:16] Wow, that's such a beautiful thought. And how will you take these learnings forward when things open up like an open up for good, because one thing that you said is letting go of perfection, that's stood out for me.

[00:20:32] So how would you take a thought like that forward as you become like one of India's most photographers hopefully? So I think, you know, probably you would try some new genres of photography.

[00:20:46] So, you know, before I would have not tried food photography or maybe even commercial photography as much, mostly because I love people and so I wanted to do more portraits.

[00:20:58] But it is something that is also very exciting and it is, you know, it's also the need of the art people are doing a lot of stuff that's food right now.

[00:21:06] And needing photographers as well as weddings, unfortunately, or fortunately, are going to be going to take a little bit of time before they come back.

[00:21:15] So I will need a segue financially too. So, you know, maybe I'll do that and the reason I haven't in the past is because I always wanted to be perfect with it.

[00:21:24] And I wanted to be really skilled at it and have a lot of stuff on my portfolio before I do. But maybe I'll try it out, you know, and yeah, just to just try more creative stuff, you know, maybe I'll start painting just for, you know, to self and on-procursor something. I'm not sure yet.

[00:21:46] That's wonderful and actually you're letting go of your fear of being judged right when you want to be a perfectionist many times, many a time what happens is people are fear being judged and that's why they want to be perfect. Right.

[00:22:01] So somewhere here that fear being let go of a new pass, so more part to you girl is what I've been here. Fearless and you are pursuit of happiness is my mantra pretty much.

[00:22:13] Yes, in the pursuit of happiness and that's what I think is all about a new path. Apart from fearless, I do believe that you won a couple of other awards tell us a bit more about that.

[00:22:26] I think the last two, three years have just been very, very rewarding in terms of awards and I really feel blessed to have that. 2020 started due to sleep for me because you know, it started with two fearless awards.

[00:22:38] One of the most coveted awards in the industry of wedding photography. People around the world all over brilliant photographers, you know, people who I look at their photos and think, wow how did he even think of that?

[00:22:51] He as a photographer, I'm still thinking that. You know, so these people are just amazing and then there was another one called this is repertoire which is also like one of the best documentary photographers,

[00:23:04] photographer, community out there and you know all of these were so great to have but I must say that this is my own last take of growth.

[00:23:17] So for me that was how I see how much I have grown when I'm competing with these world renowned photographers. It just makes me up my scale the other time, but it is definitely not my artistic success.

[00:23:32] So the main success is somebody like a bride calling me after she sees her photos and telling me that, oh my God, you know I saw the photos of the Vidae and I was crying all over and I remember what my dad said in my yoke.

[00:23:46] The groom's dad telling me that you know, you and your team blended so beautifully with our families and friends we literally felt like you were part of our gang.

[00:23:54] And that to me is quality and service provided, you know, so that is my artistic success but definitely awards and things like that, you know, they definitely helped to kind of propel you for them.

[00:24:09] So it has been good and I hope I can continue to create some good work. Absolutely you will my dear and last but the most important question I believe is your message to our listeners on following your iki guy, right?

[00:24:30] It's been tough and tougher in 2021 as I would presume because things were just opening up, right? So how do you keep your heart focused on your iki guy? I think that's a tough question to answer given the uncertainty we are living in currently.

[00:24:48] But you know I would say that just keep plugging at it. If you're currently doing what you want to then continue to do that, keep taking smaller steps to just hone your skills at home, you know work on those spending projects that we keep shelving thinking that.

[00:25:03] I do it when I'm free, you know, we've been gifted with this three times not so happily but you know we have it now so might as well use that.

[00:25:11] And you know if you, I just be open to it if you're not already having found your iki guy then you know just just be open to new ideas and new things that we can do.

[00:25:22] So you never know what kind of a different path you might lead to. You know sometimes things that we do like you know me doing the mental health job leading to now working with people or for that matter,

[00:25:37] so doing advertising which now currently helps me with a lot of designing and other things. Sometimes these trenches weave together so beautifully and you don't know how the tapestry of her life just plays through.

[00:25:50] And if I had to say this as a photographer, I would just say that you know see the light and he's a light. Wow, that's super inspiring and a great message to end this beautiful episode with you.

[00:26:04] Thank you so much for being here spending your time and you know helping our listeners just understand what a different occupation is like you know like photography like all of us see photographers at weddings or you know we see all these beautiful things on Instagram social media etc.

[00:26:22] But the hard work that goes behind the emotions that lie there. Thank you so much for introducing us to that. Thank you and you know you've been doing such amazing work. So please carry that on. You're really providing a lot of positivity and hope through these podcasts.

[00:26:40] And you know I would just say that please be kind here for the first time asking them to make you look thin. But that you know yeah stay safe and you know just I hope the world comes back to what it was very soon.

[00:26:57] Absolutely, well thank you once again. Bye bye take care. I found the other side with another special guest on the RJ Suji Ikigai Fortcast.