Ankit was introduced to photography in his childhood because of his dad who used to click a lot of pictures and camera was a highly prioritized prop during their travels and holidays. Ankit’s photography took birth in 2009 at Chennai when he happened to attend a house warming ceremony of his relative and captured the key moment of the overflowing milk (the auspicious tradition). That was his first photograph which turned out to be a masterpiece and fetched him applauds from everybody. Following it in 2010, another opportunity came flying to him when he had to take some pictures at his friend’s Bharatanatyam dance performance, Rangapravesha as they call it. Competing with the professional photographers there, all he could get was a place to the side of the stage. I got to capture most of her postures from a side angle. She liked my pictures more than the professional ones as they portrayed her without too much of lighting and artificial stuff.

Ankit then got associated with makemytrip and was into some travel photography exploring nature. He then worked for Microsoft, which is corporate photography, and he is presently shooting for a fabric industry. He has also laid a foot in wedding photography; he chuckles saying that people look scary at a wedding and it is just not his cup of tea. He talks about his never ending love for family portraits. So he has been a versatile person who had a tinge of everything and would never want to settle in a monotonous job for too long.

"I never had a camera of my own. I had to borrow a DSLR from one of my friends for a span of time, borrow lens from somebody else and continue my works with it. I had to travel from one corner to the other in Bangalore in search of locations. Nothing on earth could stop me from dreaming and moving forward. These thorns meant nothing because my eyes were all set on the field of roses far off. The beginning days in any artist’s life remains shadowed. It takes hell lot of time to establish oneself. The only way people get to know my work is through friends of friends. I am still confined to my own network that is slowly flapping its wings farther."

It is a fallacy that a best quality camera showcases your talent in the best way. Most of his clicks are from his phone and his splendid work is a clear answer to strike off these arguments. The compactness and simple technicality of his phone provides comfort and helps him focus on the content that he wants to portray. “Good pictures can come from anywhere irrespective of who you are, what you are and where you are. DSLR camera is a good thing to start off with if you want to know how a camera actually works but otherwise it all comes down to how amazing it all looks at the end of everything. Nobody actually cares what kind of camera, focal length and lighting was used in it.” He remembers a photograph that was clicked when a child was crossing the fence in moonlight. It was a mere piece of scrap. But post editing, it turned into a masterpiece that nobody can make out the conditions under which it was clicked.

He explains that a snap clicked is a raw data that can be manipulated in any way. A creative photographer can just play with it by molding it and turning it into a phenomenal creation. The mixing of colors again depends on the display device; it looks different on a phone, different on a laptop and completely different if you have to frame it.

In this softcopy era where a moment is captured in a plastic component - pen drive or CD, Ankit loves print. “To me, it is like my own creation taking a form in front of me; as an artist embraces his painting; a musician hums to his own tune; an architect sees his own building. It is my baby that I have nurtured.” He has got a collection of nearly 14 albums with his exclusive shots in each. Ankit redefines the word ‘passion’ and says, “I do not develop a piece of art with passion alone. I do it because I can do it really well and I like doing it.”

Emphasizing the role of social media in his photography, he says Instagram has been a great platform to display his work as well as connect with people. It enables you to find communities which get you to likeminded people. “Presently on my trip to Hyderabad, I ended up staying at a friend’s place whom I’ve met on Instagram. So that is what Insta has done to me”, says Ankit with a grin. Tumblr is also a very handy medium. In tumblr, when you have to add more than three snaps you have got to string them up using a theme, context or story that makes it all interesting.

“Pictures are not just 'jpg' files but they carry moments. I have pictures of people who are no more, traditions that no more exist, buildings that have been demolished and walls that have been destructed. So photos to me have these things captured that are no longer in front of you. It is more like going back in time and flipping back to those pages of life. My photographs are my identity. I pitch myself with them. They contain my name that I would want to carve on the globe.”

He shares about his experience working for different people and says it all depends on the amount of freedom the client has given you. He worked for companies where he was given the liberty to explore. “It is all up to you. I would not interfere with your work, but all I want is great images to elevate my company”, said one of his boss. Unlike them, some companies restrict you to the core and you have to work according to them. For instance, the industry that he is presently shooting for, gives him the space to shoot wherever he wants but the weavings in the fabrics have to be highlighted. So it is all about your work suiting their demands.

Presenting his insight on street photography, he says he enjoys it. But again he feels more unhampered when it is not crowded. He says he visited Charminar, and Hyderabad has been obnoxiously crowded and he just wants to get out of it, back to his Bangalore. “Hyderabad has been more about display of riches rather than beautiful scenic locations. To me it is all about locations and locations. I just want some lonely places with great background.” In Bangalore he has certain fixed places where he usually goes with his camera but that is not possible in other towns. He says that meticulous planning cannot guarantee outstanding work because it again comes down to the execution part.

He enlightens about how Black and White images hold significance in instances such as rock concerts where there is too much mix of lightening that can spoil your photograph and so black and white works out here. On the contrary if you have to capture a scenery of bright sunny day with a green carpet, blue clear sky smiling in the portrait, a child with a pure serene look holding bright colored balloons symbolizing the happiness in his heart; turn this into black and white image and you have taken life out of this scene. So it is all about the context of the photograph. However he personally likes his black and white photos more and says with a smile that he can stare at them all day.

Ankit Banerjee is a cheerful guy who is going to make it really big. His devotion for work and energetic nature shows it all. We bring to you the future bullet who carries that fire within him to inspire many more youngsters to step on to the race track and start running irrespective of where you are in the race because ultimately the zest within you can make you the champion.