Chocolate Box Photography: Story Of An IT Professional Becoming Dream Wedding Photographer
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Anshumaan Singh belonged to a family of doctors but he did not become one. He decided to join engineering but soon felt that he was not interested in it and instead his interest was in photography. Read his journey from IT professional to a professional photographer.
“I belonged to a doctor’s clan. My parents, uncles, cousins, were all doctors. Naturally, I thought I was destined to be one. The possibility that I could even choose any other career didn’t even occur to me,” said Anshumaan in an interview with a leading tabloid.
However, he couldn’t make it. He said in an interview, “I failed miserably, so I did the next best thing as is the norm in India, I chose to do engineering in Biotechnology.When my friends saw the photographs I used to click, they often asked me which DSLR model I had used. But they would be taken aback when I revealed that I had used a Nokia N73 phone camera.”
He started participating in photography competitions in college and won in many which raised his confidence and interest in photography. He then joined an IT firm but his passion for Photography was still in heart so he started taking projects related to it.
“There were days when I used to wake up early in the morning, finish a shoot, head to office, and go for a shoot again late in the evening. During the wedding season, I never slept a wink for days together. I would be busy either in shoots or editing the photographs.”
He credits his wife, Deepshikha Singh for encouraging him to pursue his passion full-time. “She has been my ardent supporter right from my college days. She understood my passion for photography when no one else did. When she saw that the regular 9 to 5 IT job drained me, she asked me to quit. And when I did, everyone around panicked, except one strong woman who believed in my dreams.” In fact, Anshumaan says that his wife was the one who finally convinced his family, when they wanted him to rethink his decision to pursue photography fulltime.
In 2012, Anshumaan co-founded Chocolate Box Photography along with Mohit Wadhwa who also was his collegue. In less than six years, Chocolate Box provides services which includes wedding photoshoots, couple photoshoots, baby photoshoots, in addition to candid video services. They have covered 150 + weddings both in India and abroad. They have shot weddings in places like Mexico, Thailand, Maldives and, Sri Lanka. Anshumaan says, “Our photographs are like a box of chocolates, filled with sweet memories. Through our work, we breathe life into the photographs. Each picture captures an indescribable emotion. Each picture helps to relive that emphatic timeless moment.”
He said in an interview, “The biggest challenge for me was to prove my abilities and prove that this journey was worth the risk I had signed up for. And because I gave my best, my work spoke for itself. and more work began to pour in gradually through references.”
Today, Chocolate Box Photography has a 20-member team. “My biggest ROI is when I see my clients smile at my pictures and view them over and over again. When I see my pictures framed and displayed on walls or tables, there’s this rush of happiness and contentment of a job done right.”
Anshumaan also said, “One of the best things of this profession is that no work day is the same. If I have early morning shoots, my day starts at 4 am and if I have a wedding to shoot my day ends at 4 am. Some days are just for client meetings. The no-shoot free days are dedicated to learning sessions and editing pictures. Life is no longer tiring or boring, as it once was.”
In the interview when he was asked about what inspires him to get better at what he already does best, he said, “Photographs. When I see a good photograph, I instantly visualise myself in that moment. I imagine how I would take a photograph like that. That apart, every compliment, every little pat, every acknowledgement of my work, be it on social media or in person, motivates me. It gives me a dopamine rush.”
Anshumaan’s journey from IT professional to professional photographer by following passion is surely inspirational and is a proof that passion is the key to success in anything you do.
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