-Great Masters-

In friendship with Photography

Umesh Gogna

 

Born in a family of jewellers, Umesh Gogna was inclined towards arts since his childhood.  After completing his post-graduation, he started helping his father in his family business while also working on his Ph. D thesis on ancient Indian jewellery. He needed good quality photographs of jewellery for his thesis. In order to get good images for his thesis, he decided to buy a camera and try photographing the jewellery himself. He bought a second-hand Pentax camera kit, thus started his journey as a photographer.

After some disappointments, and a lot of hard work, he was able to get good images for his thesis. After a phase of time, he discovered that he had fallen in love with photography and he started spending more and more time with this form of art. He upgraded his camera kit, brought studio lights and even set up a small studio in his house. Soon people started asking him to photograph their jewellery-products and he was happy to oblige them.  As he loved travelling, he started travelling to new destinations with his camera. During these trips he got fine images of different places.

When he realized that he was devoting more time to his photography than to his family business, he decided to turn professional and devote all his time to photography. It was a difficult decision as he was essentially leaving a secure business for the uncharted waters of professional photography. But now, after so many years, he is glad that he made that choice. Photography has always been the main passion of his life and he feels especially lucky and blessed to be able to devote all his time to it.

Most of his professional work is in the field of handicraft and jewellery, stone and the hospitality industry. Apart from his professional work he also does a lot of travel and nature photography. Over the years he has spent a lot of time in documenting the cultural architectural and natural heritage of Rajasthan and the Himalayas. The wilderness and the open paces of the desert and the mountains attract and inspire him.

After spending many years as a professional photographer, he felt that he should give back something to the profession of photography. One area where he felt he could contribute was by educating aspiring photographers about the science and art of photography. He started helping young photographers by conducting workshops. He has accomplished more than 250 workshops of photography till date. For seven years (2008-2014) he conducted workshops for Canon India as a mentor. He is currently a brand ambassador and mentor of Sony Alpha. Now a days his Astro photography with photography expeditions, and his master classes are very popular.

He has spent a lot of time in documenting the cultural & architectural heritage of Rajasthan and the Himalaya. His works have been published in several books on these subjects. Rajasthan’s royalty, fairs, festivals & colours are framed in the coffee table books of Pali, Jalore & Jhalawar by him. Some of his other books are lined up to be published. Today Umesh Gogna is a well-known figure in the field of photography. He is among the jury members of renowned photography contests. Many organizations have appointed him as their mentor. A number of his photographs have featured in reputed publications. He is committed to help the beginners forever.

Achievements/Awards:

·        Founder Member and Mentor / Jury at Camarena Academy (FB)

·        Honored with the Life Time Achievement Award by Jaipur Photographer's Club

·        Honored with the Life Time Achievement Award for contributing to education in photography by Jodhana Photo Journalist Society

·        Honored by Governor of Rajasthan (Margaret Alva) for contributing to education in photography

·        Part of Jury for a number of photographer's club, colleges and schools.

·        Conducted over 250 photography workshops PAN India

·        Guest Faculty in Allahabad University (2008 to 2019), Central University of Bihar, BITS Pilani Photography Club and more

 -Dr. Pankaj Sharma