Projecting a sense of stillness through fine art photography
Sajin’s images project calm with a sense of stillness. The peaceful feeling that emanates from his shots are intentional. If he is not able to find the silence in his pictures he does not share them.
Although he works in a technical role for his day-to-day work, Sajin has always had a creative influence from his parents. As a singer his father was a prolific storyteller. Music and that sense of storytelling has had a positive impact in Sajin’s creativity and visual art.
Refining a style
Sajin started out like most photographers in the UAE. He realised he had much to learn and even after learning the theory and practical skills, you still had to put in some creative effort to take a good photo. Before even buying his first camera he learnt by reading books, speaking with other photographers and made sure to have a good theoretical background.
The more he learnt the more excited he got about learning this new art.
He admits his first images were very average, but he used to shoot everything. Soon he started refining his skill when he realised that long exposure and images in black and white were his forte and so he concentrated on improving those particularly.
Dubai has had a huge impact on his fine art photography. The plethora of iconic buildings inspired him to take more architectural shots. He sees a flow in these structures and a beauty of black and white static buildings.
Inspiration in simplicity
Sajin is motivated by minimalism.
His photographs appear simple, a little moody. The black and white of all his images ensures that although at first they seem dark and dramatic, actually they then draw you in to their peacefulness.
To convey this simplicity requires planning and pre-visualisation of composition in advance. He always prints his images in large format and so any small element is considered a distraction.
Most of his subjects are therefore inanimate. He focuses on architectural structures and desertscapes. The abstract quality appeals to him. While the former is static the latter is constantly changing.
Sharing creativity
Sajin is grateful to be able to share his expertise. He is a Nikon influencer and regularly holds workshops for them at their premises or at photo festivals and exhibitions. His Masterclass ‘Learn the Art of Fine Art Photography’ focuses on post-processing and composition and the use of wide angle lens and long exposure.
You can find Sajin at Xposure in February, if you wish to attend one of his workshops.
The story behind the images
Solo III
This is one of Sajin’s favourite images because of the repeated patterns. Perfect dunes like this are hard to find, especially with a tree in the perfect spot like this. Winds change the landscape constantly in the desert. When Sajin went back recently, he discovered the dunes had completely changed again. He was lucky that day.
The Island
A shot of the Abu Dhabi skyline; taken at the right time, from the right place. Conditions were important in this capture. The low-hanging clouds are what give it its impact. Sajin says he was lucky to witness this environment and be able to capture it. It would be possible to take the same photo from the same angle, but not achieve this sense of drama.
Untie my Silhouette
Taken in Kerala, his home town. As he doesn’t take many pictures of his hometown this has special meaning to him. Sajin can conjure up the smell of coconuts and the sea from looking at this picture.
Sajin’s fine art photographs are part of our Limited Edition series.
View Sajin's Fine Art Photographs