He strives to capture nature, wildlife, people, places and all that his vivid imagination and eye seeks within the frames of his lens and it is some of these images by ace photographer and Assam government official Sanjib Gohain Boruah that would be on display at his first solo photography exhibition, ‘Frames- Myriad Images’ at the Gauhati Artists’ Guild here.
More than 50 captivating images portraying nature, quaint places and people along with its varied moods and nuances would be on display at the four-day exhibition, to be started from January 19.
The images captured by him speak volumes of his artistic sensibilities and he pursues the art with unparalleled passion and zeal, building up a huge collection of photographs on varied subjects.
“Photography to me is an art form with which I experiment in varied ways, both in terms of subject and technique,’’ says the senior IAS official.
Nature in all its glory—the earth, sky and water, changing faces of the environment, people and their moods, the uniqueness of places visited are subjects with which the photographer deals with finesse and clarity.
The vastness of the sky or rivers, roads to be traversed, the changing colours of nature, wizened faces struggling to survive amidst the vagaries of nature and adversities of life or the daily grind to earn a livelihood, hopes, expectations, joys, sorrow, life in the wild or the wild in the backyard et al in its far and wide varied manifestations have found a place in the frames.
“There are moments that capture my eye and I strive to freeze these within my lens so that people can view it at leisure. I try to seek the extraordinary in the ordinary and capture images for posterity,’’ he points out.
Photography for Gohain Boruah is a way of life and notwithstanding his busy official commitments, he strives through his lens to represent the land and people of his birth, his journeys and an emotional connect with people he meets along the way.
“Photography to me is not merely documenting or recording events but it is an affirmation of beauty—stark, real and subtle too,’’ he adds.
Playing with light, shade and colours, each frame depicts a rare eye for detail and focusses on insights that compel a viewer to stop, contemplate and interpret its meaning.
“I seek to tell a story through my photography. I usually don’t like to give captions to my images but even when I do, I expect the viewers to go beyond the captioned frames and weave their own stories,” he says.
Light and colour are the dominant features that define Gohain Boruah’s work and its changing shades are brilliantly captured by him within the lens.
“Colour, in particular, is a very important factor for me and the constant changes that take place with every moment and season is very fascinating which I try to capture,’’ he adds.
Gohain Boruah spent his early childhood amidst the pristine environs of Arunachal Pradesh (formerly the North East Frontier Agency-NEFA) and the sylvan greenery of Upper Assam which instilled in him a love for nature and wildlife.
As a school boy, he was introduced to the magical world of cameras and photography by his maternal uncle. An interest was kindled but in the subsequent years, the pursuit of education and a career in the civil services assumed prominence in his life.
The dormant love for photography came to the fore with the advent of digital cameras and it was during his stint as the Deputy Commissioner of Assam’s Golaghat district, where the famed Kaziranga National Park is located, that he seriously began capturing his surroundings within the frames of his lens.
Gohain Boruah points out that the advent of digital cameras has revolutionised the world of photography and has evoked keen interest among both senior and young photographers who pursue the art form with great dedication.
He is all praise for young and aspiring photographers who have taken to the digital world of photography with ease, pursuing it with dedication and producing collection of work.