Sudheer’s stunning photographs are now available in a book. Get a taste of it from the slideshow in our post
A member of our sannyasin community, Prem Sudheer, a photographer living in San Miguel, Mexico, has recently published a joyful, colorful, beautiful, and, yes, spiritual book allowing us to share his vision of his beloved, adopted homeland. Dreaming in Color portrays his love affair with Mexico’s constant, everyday carnivale. The book is, at once, dazzling and sublime in its focus on the details of daily life. It is a rapturous encounter with colors that not only strike the eye, but also subtly induce us to beg for more.
Sidewalks, puddles, floors, reflections, fruit, spectacular sunsets, people in all modes of garb—you may have seen many photos of these before. But Sudheer’s eye seems to record that magic moment when everything crystallizes in the midst of a dance of celebration. He observes that Mexicans are willing to take enormous risks with color, splashing vivid, intense hues onto walls with a certain kind of playful confidence. The risks pay off in townscapes that seem to glow. Sudheer sees this enthusiasm for color as part of the Mexican character, which projects a joyful sense of celebration.
For Sudheer, much of Osho’s philosophy has to do with ‘living beautifully’. It is clear by the evidence of his photographs that he takes that search for the beauty in life as his touchstone. He says that he finds looking through the lens of his camera a thrilling experience. He sees the outward beauty of the world, but also explores the inner beauty of each object and of his own soul’s perception. In his art, then, the external world becomes a reflection of a more personal spiritual beauty. These twin experiences of beauty take place in tranquil present-moment: shadows on buildings, light on trees; the huge variety of images he sees through his camera exist only for a brief moment. Everything changes, nothing stays the same, and so the world is always fresh and new.
Sudheer describes working with his camera as an experience of meditation. When he lifts the device to his eye, everything becomes still and he feels himself going into a quiet space within. There, in a place of deep serenity, without actively thinking or judging, he frames the dazzling light unfolding all around him. The results are pictures that seem not only soaked with color and rippling with texture, but also lit with inspiration. Sudheer does not indulge either in the new and trendy nor fall into the tired trap of irony. He simply aims his camera and records the festivity of light, color and joy that the world affords.
The photographs in his book, Dreaming in Color, shimmer with a unique photographer’s love of color and light. They are visions of a beautiful world caught in a unique slice of time, an eternal present as seen in wide-eyed wonder. It is easy to inhabit these images, to amble through them as the artist meandered through his landscape, drawn by the light, and to feel nourished by them. These are gifts not only for the eye, but also for the soul.
Available from amazon.com
Sudheer studied with Harold Feinstein, who taught him an invaluable lesson. “Good photograpy is all about seeing, not about the equipment.” Sudheer finds himself using the camera as a paint brush. He literally paints with light. This unique approach landed him a one person exhibition at New York’s prestigious location, The Light Gallery, and an invitation to be the first photographer ever to exhibit in the windows of Tiffany’s. Over the years, Sudheer has had many one-man shows and has sold his work to several corporate collections. In 2009, Sudheer purchased his first digital camera and all the love and passion that he originally felt when he first held a camera returned. Read Sudheer’s profile here…
Text by Roshani for Osho News
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