CITB PHOTO GURU
Akash Das
Artist & Photographer
Akash’s romance with wildlife and nature photography goes back over two decades. A renowned advertising creative director, he started dabbling initially with fashion photography in the early ‘90s and quickly became a well-known name in the industry. A few trips to Corbett National Park began what he describes as an infatuation with the flora and fauna of the jungles; it’s a passion that has only gathered intensity with passing time.
Drawing upon his innate instincts as an artist, Akash has changed the way wildlife is photographed and presented. He is a dedicated environmentalist, and his body of work strongly reflects that – the creatures of the wild are always a part of a larger story in his pictures. Over time, some of his pictures have become icons of wildlife photography, regularly featuring in International magazines, National Geographic, WWF journals, Time magazine, the globally admired Incredible India campaigns and many other celebrated publications.
A former CANON brand ambassador, Akash is now the brand ambassador of NIKON. He is also an active member of NIKON PROFESSIONAL SERVICES, and the first Member of SANDISK Extreme Pro Team Worldwide, as well as SANDISK’s and Western Digital brand ambassador.
He is popularly acknowledged as the pioneer of Art Wildlife Photography. He has over 100 prestigious advertising and photography awards under his belt. Among them, the honor of being one of the ’10 most influential people in photography industry’ adjudged by Ernst & Young for Asian Photography in February 2013.
He is the only photographer whose black and white exhibition titled ‘In Search of Asian Nudes’ featured in Limca Book of World Records as the first of its kind theme- based display in the world. Till now, Akash has done twelve solo exhibitions all over the world including in Paris, Miami, Hamburg, Monte Video and in India.
Anil Risal Singh
Photographer & Mentor
Anil Has been exploring the creative possibilities using the medium of photography. He has been awarded MFIAP, ARPS, Hon.FIP, Hon.FICS, Hon.PESGSPC, Hon.FPSNJ. He is former President of Federation of Indian Photography one of the premier national bodies of Photography in India.
Anil has been receiving many awards and recognitions prominent amongst them is the Charles Wallace Professional Grant to visit and study photographic collection in different museums of U.K. He has been awarded Senior Fellowship by CCRT, Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India. He has received National Award of Photography awarded in 2011 by Govt. of India.
For his outstanding work in the field of creative photography, he has been appointed Nikon Expertive by Nikon India (2019-2021). Conferred with international distinction of photography, Master Federation Internationale de L-Art Photographique (MFIAP) by Federation Internationale de l-Art Photographique, France in 2009.
The Royal Photographic Society of Britain conferred its Associateship (ARPS) in 1999. Apartfrom this, he has been recognized by many prominent photography societies and clubs and he has been conferred honorary fellowships.
A winner of around 250 National & International Awards, Anil Risal Singh’s nature, people, street and architectural work is an inspiration to many photo enthusiasts.
Shabir Santosh
Painter & Photographer
Walking in the footsteps of his illustrious father G. R. Santosh ; Shabir has chartered his own course . He graduated as a fine art student specializing in painting from College of Art , Delhi, in 1986 . He is a recipient of many awards and has also executed numerous commissioned works. He has been a member of various committees and forums . Shabir was brought up in a family of artists ; a world of creativity , of images , of painting and poetry , where art was part of life . He also has the experience of teaching fine-arts for more than 20 years . He has participated in more than seventy group shows which include both painting and photography and has had solo shows in both Delhi and Mumbai.
He is an ardent photographer and loves photography for the way camera can capture the ever changing moods and colours of mountain landscapes, his beloved subject. As with all influences, Shabir can celebrate his painting which is both of its time and timelessness, in particular his lyrical line and strong use of colour.
Shabir has participated in 60 group exhibitions, and 5 solo exhibitions. He has won numerous awards and scholarship from prominent bodies. His work is collected by individuals and various national and International institutions in India and abroad.
Shabir is also curator and mentor at INDIA PHOTO STORY, a collective of inspiring storytelling Photographers community on Instagram. He has been mentoring enthusiasts to click inspiring images.
Sanjay Das
Artist & Photographer
India’s rich cultural diversity and its many unique customs and traditions have been a major source of inspiration for the photographer. It has always been his endeavor to bring forth the untold stories that this country has to offer and showcasing them to the world at large.
The objective is to create imagery that tells a story – in color, in texture, in light and in shadow and form a unique blend, which is spiritually as well as mentally rewarding. Sanjay’s works are a merger of theoretical and conceptual assertions with experiences, interests or fascination which finally forms the image and its meaning.
Advertising professional turned Fine Art Photographer; Sanjay completed his qualification from College of Art, New Delhi. Photography developed as a passion in his early college days and ever since his involvement with photography has spanned more than two decades. Sanjay have been a part of many national and international shows. Born on 4 th July 1969 in New Delhi, the photographer lives and works from New Delhi, India.
“I have always been drawn to capture the mystery of a fleeting moment through my lens.”
Sanjay Das
Idris Ahmed
Photographer & Mentor
An executive director & publisher of the photography magazine – FRAME, he also runs PhotoCommune, a collective of photography enthusiasts.
Idris started out as a photography instructor. With his curiosity and passion to capture he delicate moments of human life and the wonders of nature, he went on a detour to Spiti Valley, an enchanted valley in Himachal Pradesh. It was during this trip his relationship with Photography became sacrosanct and inspired him to become a freelance photographer.
To date, Idris has shot for many renowned organizations, domestically like VIVO India, MBL Infrastructure, Wildlife Trust of India, and CK Birla Group, and internationally like SABMiller Breweries, Fresenius Kabi, Taisei Corporation (Japan), and Dorling Kindersley (London), to name a few. His work includes working solo, in a studio set up with his team, and on snow-covered mountains of the Himalayas.
His oeuvre has been published in Forbes India, National Geographic Magazine, Outlook Travel Guide, Cosmopolitan Magazine, Sunday Guardian, and many more. Exhibiting his work since 2010, he has traveled the world and has also received recognition from News Channels like NDTV, brands like Vivo, and in group exhibitions held from Northern India to South.
Through various workshops and expeditions, Idris aims to inspire more and more young photographers to enter the world of lenses and aesthetics. He is a faculty at SACAC and has taught in other institutions like the Institute of Film & Television and the College of Media & Communication, in the past.
Reimagining the world through his viewfinder, today Idris continues documenting his sojourns.