‘The more you share, the more you grow’ – Rohaan Sulaiman, travel photographer

In Part IV of our photo essay on the Art Bengaluru 2018 festival, we showcase more creative works along with insights on what passion and success mean for the artists.

PhotoSparks is a weekly feature from YourStory, with photographs that celebrate the spirit of creativity and innovation. In the earlier 260 posts, we featured an art festival, cartoon gallery. world music festival, telecom expo, millets fair, climate change expo, wildlife conference, startup festival, Diwali rangoli, and jazz festival.

The diverse works of 17 artists from six cities feature at this year’s Art Bengaluru festival: Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, and Indore. The festival at the UB City mall will run through November 11, and is free for all (see also Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 of our photo essay).

Featured artists at the 10-day festival this year are Ashish Dubey, Ashu Gupta, Balan Nambiar, Chandan Bhowmick, D Venkatapathy, Devangana Kumar, Ganesh Selvaraj, Gurudas Shenoy, Kavita Jaiswal, Pallon Daruwala, Parvathi Nayar, Rohaan Sulaiman, Romicon Revola, S Ravi Shankar, Saju Kunhan, Vipta Kapadia and Yuvan Bothysathavur.

Rohaan Sulaiman, based in Bengaluru, started off as a furniture decorator and took up wildlife and travel photography as a passion. “Growing up here, I would frequently visit wildlife parks in Kabini and Kudremukh,” said Rohaan, in a chat with YourStory.

Later on, he visited wildlife reservations in Kenya, and also travelled to remote parts of India. “I was fascinated by the customs and costumes of the Koniyak tribe in Nagaland’s Mon district,” the travel photographer explained.

“There is so much more of India to explore beyond the usual destinations,” Rohaan suggests. There is so much to learn in Northeast India; he advises travellers to befriend local communities and immerse in their lifestyle before photographing them.

“I share all my photographs on social media like Instagram,” he explained. The visibility of his works would eventually lead to an invitation to exhibit at Art Bengaluru 2018, his first exhibition. “The more you share, the more you grow,” he advises aspiring artists and photographers.

Success comes from the happiness of work, and getting a “wow” response from viewers, says Rohaan. “However, travel photography is not cheap – it takes a lot of money and planning. But if that’s your passion, you will find a way to support it,” he signs off.

Now what have you done today to find your creative spark, and find a way to pursue it in the long run?

Got a creative photograph to share? Email us at [email protected]!

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