When do you discover a passion? Are you born with it? Do you tryst with it through serendipity and random sequence of events and nurture it? Oh, a big yes! Do you have an age for it? No, we don’t think so! Well, if your answers are like us, chances are you’ll love the saga, which denotes Jay’s life.
Epiphany, it’s said, as it strikes unexpected, uncalled, and so it did to Mr Jay Vardhan Sharan–an acclaimed and celebrated multi-genre Indian photographer.
Fresh like a hot bun, Jay was budding young blood straight out of arduously studying BBA at IP University. With the broad scope of options in front of his conducive age, he chose to absorb further knowledge in New Zealand’s Massey University for his Postgraduation in Management.
During his destined decision to pursue his post-graduation, international travelling got him all fascinated with the concept of visiting new places, knowing about them, falling in love with the intricacies and nuances of it all.
While he was in New Zealand, he was captivated by the breathtaking views and mesmerization that gave birth to the photographer in him, which we know today.
Jay couldn't get his mind off the scenic beauty of the incredible kiwi terrains. The genius beholder found his muse, not just for one snap, but his real photography penchant.
From a beginner’s beat to consistent improvement, the quality of his photographs just kept growing, and so did his fondness for the subject, from a hobby to a passion.
He quotes, “I started seeking inspiration from popular photographers, and with the practice of angles, modes and technique, my work started getting a lot better, and my social media uploads started garnering praise and compliments from my near and dear ones.”
Travelling at different places, seeking inspiration and clicking pictures with his unique point of view made him appreciate nature and value each moment. The responsible bachelor-pad life gave him the confidence and contributed to a bounty of learnings and self-discovery.
Earlier, he was a typical shy kid. But after spending a few years outside, he learned that he loves exploring different cultures, people, and facets. That is thoroughly reflected in his profuse writing and photography.
Like a Lion that lives in the heart of every brave man, Jay took every challenge with a smile that came his way. He breathed a sigh of confidence on post-graduating from one of the world's top universities and doing things beyond his imagination.
This includes jumping from a plane and skydiving from 16 thousand feet above the ground, skiing all over the icy slopes of Mount Ruapehu, getting inked and befriending beings from different cultures and ethnicities, volunteering for Greenpeace and World Wildlife Fund etc.
Dancing through all these slopes of life and various cultural landscapes, his unchanged vegetarian and straightedge lifestyle was constant. Jay is proud to have maintained the same, more than any achievement.
Until now, Jay has ventured into about 20 Indian states and a few countries abroad.
His works of art have been exhibited multiple times and published and featured on top international platforms like Viewbug, Photocrowd, Nat Geo Your shot, Youpic and 35 Awards Russia.
The pandemic has restricted his travel to much extent, but he rejoices in capturing the unusual in the usual locally. His last international trip was to the UAE in Feb 2020, and his previous domestic travel was to Andhra Pradesh in August 2021.
On the professional front, Jay has been hustling in the customer service industry and has contributed his merit to companies like Vodafone and Amazon. Currently, he is a Monitoring manager with a travel and tech company based out of Noida.
He strives to conceive his creative inputs and perspectives and improve them consistently.
An appreciation from someone you look up to always means the world. For Jay, this moment caught the eye of Mr David Lee, producer, Nat Geo Your shot.
Mann Niyati, a famous Indo Canadian photographer, was his first mentor who often complimented his work, gave him constructive feedback regularly, encouraged him always and even taught him the minute difference between a good vis a vis an excellent photograph.
He is grateful to Mr Swapan Banik for accompanying him in his early wildlife photography days and educating him on various animal behaviours.
Apart from the many accolades and photography plans taking shape, Jay plans to explore street photography more, like Mr Navin Vatsa's work.
The road ahead: A lot of exciting collaborations are in the pipeline.
Once the pandemic after effects cease, he plans to visit the African subcontinent and plans on initiating a podcast or a youtube channel.
Have you seen his pictures yet? Google his name or check out his Instagram profile @jvsphotogallery.
