Pictures are one of the the ways in which we capture our favourite memories to savour them forever and photographer Kelvin Sitaram ensures that such special moments are recorded in the sharpest and most brilliant colours.
On this photographer’s Facebook page, his main subjects are a cheerful young woman and a bright-eyed baby. They happen to be Kelvin’s daughter and his soon-to-be wife and they are the only two that take precedence over his profession and hobby.
Photography entered Kelvin’s life when he was worried about what he could do for a second job. After working at Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) as a laboratory technician for years, Kelvin one day stopped and asked himself what he would be able to do to earn an income if he ever lost his job. With that in mind, he started learning to cut hair, but he was not passionate about it and knew he would never become a barber. He subsequently decided on photography, did extensive research on it was and began to learn.
Early last year, he decided on a vacation and travelled to the US where he ended up being stranded owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. Months later, he was on the first repatriated flight on June 2 and arrived in time to witness the birth of his daughter who was that same month.
During his time away, he invested in a more advanced camera and computer to provide better quality photos and explore videography. When he returned, he began making more time for photography, which provided great results as more and more people began booking him for photo shoots.
Photography is a skill that has to be learnt over time. The equipment is far from cheap and editing takes a lot of time. Often, photographers have to cut back on sleep to meet deadlines, which is why the cost of photography packages tends to be high. However, Kelvin, though he understands the value of what he does, believes that capturing precious memories should be available to all which is why his packages are among the most affordable.
Though he did extensive research on photography, he credits much of what he knows to some of the big names in the local industry like Saajid Husani, Michael Jackson and Ian DeFreitas. Kelvin noted that he was inspired by their work and later reached out to them for help. These photographers, he said, did not shy away from helping him.
There are many benefits to being a photographer like travelling and being one’s own boss, but one of the best things for Kelvin was being able to step out of his shell. Growing up he was an introvert, and while his time working at the National Insurance Scheme assisted with his customer skills, these customers belonged to the company. Being an entrepreneur, the answers are never textbook as learned when representing a company. “When I bought my camera and started looking through the lens, I started seeing the world differently.I had weddings to do. By the way, I was a nervous wreck at the first wedding I did but it grew on me and over time, my self-confidence boosted,” shared Kelvin.
As his work evolved, people began to commend him. Recently, Kelvin was contracted by the University of Guyana as a regional photographer. He was assigned to take head shots of students living in Region Three who did not want to travel to the university to have their shots taken. He is now looking to provide portrait photos for companies in the near future. With his new camera and computer, he now has the software and the right equipment to venture into videography and films which he has already begun to explore.
“Photography is not as glamorous as it looks. It takes incredible discipline, patience, understanding and amazing combination skills,” said the photographer. Sometimes photography also means having great balance. Probably one of the riskiest things he has done for a shot is walking along wood that had moss on it near a river. Kelvin explained that at the time he wanted to get a photo of people a boat but was only getting a side view from where he stood. He decided to walk along the moss covered wood to get the shot from the front of the boat. He said he never gripped his camera tighter than he did that day but in the end it was worth it. Another risky thing he has done was to invest in photography not knowing whether it would work out; but today he does not regret it.
Many of his clients are repeats and in fact, Kelvin chuckled, he has been promoted from taking wedding photos to the couples’ baby showers.
While his clients brag about his work, the humble artist noted that he is still one of the small guys in the industry adding that like anything, there is always room for improvement.
Part of the reason his shots are good when it comes to lighting among other things, is because Kelvin takes the initiative to visit the venue prior to the designated date check out the lighting and the best spots.
“At the end of the day there are two satisfying things about what I do; the reaction of my clients and also the kind of computer software I have. I am able to view the picture the way it’ll look when it is printed. On some devices a picture is more saturated then when it is printed it doesn’t look like it was shown on the computer. This helps me to edit the photo the exact way I want the customer to receive it,” he shared.
These days, he noted, customers are requesting more soft copies of their photos as they want to share with friends and family on social media. Of all the work he has done, Kelvin recalls only ever printing hard copies for three of his clients. Hard copies, he noted, incur additional costs.
With the month of brides being June, he has already been booked for a few weddings. Bookings for weddings, he said, should be done at least four months in advance and 50 percent of the price for the package chosen is expected to be paid in advance. Meanwhile for regular photo shoots, persons can book a week in advance.
For bookings, Kelvin can be reached at Kelvin S Photography or Kelvin Sitaram on Facebook or 616-1476.
