Bored Panda reached out to Guru Charan to learn more about his creative process and personal journey. The photographer shared that it was movies that first sparked his passion for photography. "The color grading, framing, and the story behind the shots are what made me learn photography."
Charan captures a wide range of subjects, but he finds the way animals express emotions—much like humans—particularly fascinating. "I want to depict that in my photographs," he shared. "The fascinating part is studying their behavior, which most closely resembles human socializing when observed intently. Learning their behavior and waiting for animals to act as you expect them to is the most interesting aspect."
Photography comes with its own set of challenges. For Charan, the most difficult part of being a photographer is learning to cope with failures. You don’t get the shot every day, and you need to keep moving along. I enjoy the journey as a photographer. If we focus only on the results, we don’t enjoy the process as much, so the creative journey of making an image is what I enjoy the most."
When asked about his favorite photograph, Charan pointed to an image of a monkey couple. "I shot this in 2013 when my wife was pregnant, and the doctors told us that the baby's oxygen supply was on the lower side. I was photographing a monkey couple in the Western Ghats when I received the news. Lost in my thoughts, I continued shooting the pair. After some time, the female moved slightly, revealing a baby. It was a special moment for my stressed mind, filling me with hope and happiness."
