Warangal lad masters the art of capturing

Meet Pabbala Saikiran, a young photographer from Warangal city, who recently got a Certificate of Recognition from the National Geographic Society

Warangal: With his penchant for ‘clicking smiles and creating visual imagery’, he wanted to do Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in photography but had to join BTech following parental pressure.

However, he later managed to win over his parents and joined Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) after quitting engineering as he believes he would simultaneously be able to pursue his interest. His decision was finally proven right when he won an international award.

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Meet Pabbala Saikiran, a young photographer from Warangal city, who recently got a Certificate of Recognition from the National Geographic Society (NGS) for his contribution to photography. While over 1.12 lakh people from across 172 countries participated in 35AWARDS — the 4th international photography awards contest, he remained the finalist.

Born and brought up in a middle-class family in Hanamkonda, Saikiran had gone through the travails that every Indian middle-class youngster would. His father, Pabbala Venkateshwarlu, is an assistant depot clerk and his mother Nagalaxmi is a homemaker.

“Presently, I am studying BBA second year at Chaitanya Deemed to be University (CDU), Hanamkonda. I started clicking photographs with a cell phone initially, and got a DSLR later,” Saikiran told ‘Telangana Today’.

“Almost all my family members and relatives were opposed to my decision to quit BTech and join BBA. But I made my decision due to my sheer love for photography. I am currently working as a freelancer and earning money to fund my college fee. I must thank my friends Onisha Reddy, Gokul, Sathwik and Harika for their unstinted support. They were with me during all my highs and lows and gave the much-needed support whenever I lost hope,” he recalls. He is an active member of the Digital Hub of the CDU.

Moved by the struggles of the poor, Saikiran, along with three of his friends, started a social welfare organisation — “Let’s Spread Love” — and took up various activities like donating food, grocery, clothes to the destitute. “While receiving them, the helpless faces bloomed with smiles. These smiles were straight from their heart and prompted me to capture those beautiful curves and wrinkles using my smartphone. And finally, I realised that I am in love with clicking pictures,” he said, adding that, he, however, got authority over the technology in photography. Saikiran’s story featured in the ‘Book of Achievers’.

“I always use the best camera equipment. If you want a photo-quality finish, powerful photos and beautiful images in all circumstances, then you’ve come to the best place,” Saikiran explains.

His click on houseflies that embraced a metal tomb tells us that everything is as beautiful as a butterfly sucking the nectar. “A photo of an oldie with his skin and turban, both wrinkled, has brought a good reputation for me,” Saikiran said. He participated in the Telangana Innovation Yatra 2020, a four-day journey, organised by Telangana State Innovation Cell and KULT, and covered the journey with his lens.

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