photography

Spruce Shave Club /  by Aman Sridhar

Spruce Shave Club, or Spruce as I like to call it is a startup I've been collaborating with for about 2 years now. 

What started off as a freelance gig has evolved into something so much more...a part-time gig. 

"Part-time" is only a word though, because when you're working with a startup, things are never just part-time. 

With Spruce, the work I do ranges from blog posts to video content, and while on paper that may not seem like much, in reality it's a mountain task. 

The beautiful thing about startups is that it's all on you. Whether or not the thing grows is based on how much you've put in. For me, that's meant a great learning curve. In the two years I've worked there, I fancy myself as an expert on basically everything that's been handed to me. 

Obviously it doesn't mean there's more to learn, it just means I've got a lot out of it already. 

Go check out Spruce Shave club here, if you're interested. 

My work for them can be found here. For your convenience, I've also uploaded a few highlights right here. Check them out below.

 

 

Krunk Live BassCamp /  by Aman Sridhar

I remember one thursday evening, I get a call from the guy who I'm usually in touch with over any gigs. 

He's the go to guy for any and all good underground music events in the city, and in many ways is the guy who's my closest contact through all the gigs I've done over the past year plus. 

Thursdays for me usually are brutal. I'm home late the night before after covering a Boxout Wednesday gig; usually back around 1:30-2:00 am. By the time I'm ready for bed it's 2:30. 

The next morning (Thursday), I'm up round 9, and out the door latest by 10. It's a struggle. I have a cup of coffee in hand, jump into the car and drive off for work. 

My day job is very different to my night one. In many ways, it's very ordinary, but when you're handling two or three different jobs like I often do, it's extremely taxing. 

Thursdays for me feel like fridays for everyone else. It's just a day I have to get through. Usually fridays are reserved for editing and the gym, both of which I can do on my own time. 

Regardless, it's a thursday night, and I get a call from this guy saying that there's an event that's looking for a photographer. I considered how tired I was. 

My face felt broken, I was wheezing from all the pollutants that I inhaled the night before, and my brain was barely functioning. 

But without a thought I said yes. 

Begrudgingly, I got into a taxi and went over to the venue, unable to imagine what the gig would be like and constantly worrying about how long it would be on for. 

As soon as I stepped in though, it felt like I had been reborn. I remember being at ease at the bar; I just had to play a waiting game. As soon as the drunk folk hit the dancefloor, I would swoop in unnoticed, do my thing, and then dip.

I'm like Batman of the club. 

The night turned out to be a lot of fun - music a lot heavier than my brain could handle - and I was able to swoop in and get some good shots. 

Working with Krunk was fun, and would definitely do it again...maybe, when I'm slightly better functioning, though. 

Check out the shots here - 

Boxout Wednesdays 048 /  by Aman Sridhar

I know I'm miles of my Boxout Wednesdays schedule, but here's the highlights from week 48. 

Weirdly enough, week 48 marked a huge turning point for me. It was my first Wednesday working with my new camera and it led to some phenomenal pictures. It allowed me to experiment with many different features including shooting without flash. 

Week 48 with Rohan Kale was an absolute monster, and is a week that will in my eyes be a turning point in shooting music gigs for me. 

Check out the pictures below - 

Auster Wip Launch Party /  by Aman Sridhar

Auster e-juice's launch party in Delhi was one of the first big parties I covered after I started with Boxout Wednesdays, and it was really nothing I could have expected. 

The warehouse was ridiculously stacked with stalls sampling out vapes. The art installations varied from experimental to straight up in your face, but the decorations were tasteful. 

For me, it was all about the music though. I had semi-hustled my way into one of the craziest parties I had ever worked. I was there for the bass tearing into every fibre of my body; the light show so trippy it would trick you into thinking you were on DMT; and the chance of capturing some of the greatest pictures I could possibly imagine. 

To my large sequences of the night were simply a blur. Obviously, the booze was flowing, but almost always when I'm working, I stay off the alcohol until the very end of the night when I've done my job. Despite having access to almost unlimited supplies of alcohol, I didn't need any. It was the environment, the people the music and the dance floor that was so ridiculously adrenaline pumping, I couldn't wrap my head around it. 

In my mind, despite being the new kid on the block with a shitty camera and a semi-complete vision, I had achieved something I had dreamed about. 

In hindsight, I can say that the party was a great opportunity that subsequently led to numerous more gigs of a similar nature, but in the moment all I could think about was the colours, the frame and the light (or lack thereof). Eventually, I got some shots I was insanely pleased with; you can check them out below. 

 

RedRoom Sessions /  by Aman Sridhar

The months of April and May were absolutely packed for me. Event after event popped up, and I was loving every second of it. 

In a way, it showed me that my technique and craft was improving, which led to more people in the industry hearing about me. It also re-confirmed to me that I do genuinely love the work. Shooting gigs and music is the closest I can get to that dream I used to have of being a musician/performer/rockstar. 

Shooting with RedRoom Sessions, India, was another one of those gigs that reaffirmed my passion for photography. 

During these months, it seemed like every gig I was getting was overlapping, and my collaboration with RedRoom was no different. 

It was scheduled for Saturday night, but I had a shoot earlier in the morning for a corporate event. 

I had to be really economical with my use of energy and time, which meant that when I got home after the first shoot, I couldn't waste any of my free time. 

I transferred the pictures, got in touch with my contact at RedRoom and let the rest of the day play out. 

Eventually, things turned out quite smoothly, and I got to listen to some kick ass techno that helped massage away the soreness of the day. 

Check out the pictures below.