Radhika Palwai - the interview | Corpus Christi TX Photographer

I had the opportunity to interview a fellow photographer, Radhika Palwai, about her recent trip to India.  I have been following Radhika’s work for a couple of years now and I want to share a bit of her with you all because I find her photography to be soulful and moving.  She is very talented and loves to share her work!  
 
How long have you been a photographer? 
I always loved art and especially photography. When my twins were born I bought my first DSLR. I was taking lots of pictures, but I was frustrated with the quality of pictures taken in auto mode. In the fall of 201,2 I told myself I would set the camera to manual and never go back. I read lots of free tutorials and took pictures almost every day until I figured out the basics. I never set the camera back on auto again.
 
What draws you to street photography?
I like to travel and I love to capture emotions of people. I don’t usually get a chance to travel much, but when I do, I enjoy taking pictures of people. I am still a little shy approaching people to take their pictures. I need to get over that fear.
 
What was the purpose of your recent trip to India?
I visited India to meet up with my parents. They live in the South Indian city of Hyderabad. When I was there, I was able to visit my grandparents’ village where they do farming. I also visited Goa, a beautiful state on the western coast of India.
 
How long were you there?
My vacation was 3 weeks long.
 
What did you see that impacted you the most?
I noticed that people living in the villages had so little facilities compared to the cities, but they were much happier.  We don’t need brand name bags and shoes to make us happy. The people are very friendly and always ready to help others. Our car got stuck in mud when we were returning from the farm and it was getting dark. People from the neighborhood came and helped pull it out.
 
What are you hoping to show with the images you took while you were there?
I want the viewers to see and feel the beauty and emotion I felt when I visited.
 
When you are approaching subjects to shoot, how do you set about it? Do you chat and explain what you’re doing? Or shoot first, ask questions later?
If I am taking a close up picture, I chat with them a little bit and then ask them if I can take their pictures. I also show them the pictures I took on the back of the camera. If I am taking the picture from afar, I don’t ask.
 
What would you like everyone to know about India?
India is a country with people speaking more than 30 different languages. The majority are Hindus but there are Muslims, Jains, Christians, Buddhists, Sikhs, Parsis, Buddhists, and Jews. It has rich ancient culture. Culture differs from state to state and region to region. You will see more in my blog posts.

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