I had a conversation with Radhika about documenting life from behind a lens:
Radhika, what is your intent behind putting the frames you capture on Instagram stories?
"It's never been about how many people are going to see this story and how many people will reply to it, the intent has always been spreading the joy I get from looking at that setting, which I then try to capture and share with my social network."
(I can attest to her intentions as a curious on-looker as I'm someone who always looks forward to her stories and get inspired by the frames she captures)
Photos are like my first language. My method of note-taking - Radhika shared this lovely thought when I asked her why she feels like capturing frames in the day-to-day and what exactly calls out to her.
Save Ourselves draws a lot of inspiration from the concept of 'romanticising life' and being the main character. I wondered what Radhika thought of that especially as she takes efforts to document her life in her camera roll. That is a solid act of being present and making the most of the moment.
"I think when I click a picture the subject in my frame is the main thing about that moment and not me. That is how I romanticise life."
I love this thought because it takes away any traces of ego associated with romanticising life and makes it solely about experiencing that moment.
Radhika, how do you 'see things'? How do you decide what to capture?
"I love finding things that seem out of context or are unexpected. That is what draws my attention in the first place which I then try to capture. This also forms this apparent habit of being more observant in life, noticing things and capturing them."
"Once I've captured something, it's familiar to me."
"I am afraid of change. New places, new patterns in life are initially unsettling. For me, getting familiarized with these changes happens through photography. Once I've captured something, it is familiar to me. I'm currently living on the mountainside. Each day I capture the mountains, they feel more homely to me."
What kind of impact has taking photos had on your life?
People say that when you're taking a photograph, you're not being in the moment. But I haven't really subscribed to that thought. I feel that by taking pictures, you're enabling that moment to be experienced over and over again. Photos act as positive triggers that open up our associated memories with them. Our brains start to fade out earlier years as time passes and I think to have these positive triggers and go down the memory lane every now and then is a wonderful concept.