Jayanta Roy is a professional photographer based in Kolkata, India. Jayanta was shortlisted in the Professional Landscape category of the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards with the series, 'Himalayan Odyssey'. He says, "My main focus in photography is to capture unusual landscapes and portraits which can express the internal spirit of a subject in a single frame."
Hi Jayanta, please introduce yourself and tell us a little about your photography
Hi, I am a photographer based in Calcutta, India, but my focus area for photography is the vast Himalayan mountain range located northern part of India and Nepal. I mostly work on long-term projects to produce Photobooks and complete bodies of work. Himalayan landscape and its people are my lifelong interest and I have been photographing them for the past 10 years or so.
Why photography? What does the medium mean to you?
Because photography gives me wings. I am a born traveler, I like to explore faraway places and unknown horizons; photography is the medium that gives me the license to do so. Photography for me is a great source of inspiration and drives me to go that extra mile in my journey. Over the years the meaning and purpose of photography have changed for me; presently I am working more professionally and becoming organized around my projects along-term goals. This medium has never failed to motivate me to create new work. I will do photography as long as I can feel a strong bond with my camera, and I hope it will last a lifetime.
Remind us of your successful series, 'Himalayan Odyssey'. Why did you choose these images and what do they mean to you?
Firstly I want to say thanks to the jury for selecting this as a shortlist, and I was also happy that overall winner of the 2017 competition came from the Landscape category. I started photographing the Himalayas seriously in 2011. The Himalayas as a geographical structure has paramount importance over the life of around 40% of humanity. Rivers flowing from the mountain shape the large Indo-Gangetic Plain, which is home to nearly 1 billion people. Every bit of water we consume is coming from the melting glaciers of Himalayas, and in these images I focus on the rivers and their source: the Indus, which is the birthplace of ancient Indus valley civilization; the Ganges, which is the lifeline of North and East India. My aim is to show people our origin, and make people aware of its importance in a time when we have leaders here and there who are known climate change deniers.
Do you have a photographic philosophy?
I use my camera the same way a writer hopes to use their pen or a painter their brush.
Where in the world are you and what's next for you?
I was born in, grew up in, and still live in Kolkata, India. I am mostly working on long-term personal projects and commercial assignments for a living.
