Founder at 'Stills By Rohit'
Rohit Agarwal
We have spoken about creating industries with Vivek Ram but what if your chosen profession is so unique and niche that you are the only one who engages in it?
Rohit Agarwal is a pet photographer by profession and runs the page “Stills by Rohit”. He does professional photo shoots with pets and pet parents and has carved his niche in that sector. Having worked in huge corporations like Amazon and Flipkart, Rohit dedicates his time now towards the two things he loves : clicking pictures and interacting with animals.
Soar2high sits down with Rohit to know the story behind this journey:
Leaving a stable corporate job and starting on your own in a very specific market, how did all come about?
I come with a decade of corporate experience and I really liked working in those companies, whatever I did. But I felt I could never explore my creative side with those jobs and that was lacking. There was no satisfaction. As to how photography started, my wife and I love traveling and go on many road trips. When he shifted to Bangalore about eight years back, we went on a lot of road trips. Back then I didn’t know anything about photography. I was just a guy with a phone, clicking random things. I fell in love with photography during these trips, the fact that we can capture a beautiful moment. There is a very famous park in Bangalore called Cubbon Park where many dogs and pet parents come on the weekends. I was regular there and I used to take my camera. I clicked randomly the antics of the dogs and when I showed it to the pet parents they loved those and asked me to send them. I did that and slowly word started traveling around that I am good at this. It was never a business plan or anything. I did it for the love of it. That was how “Stills by Rohit” was formed around two years ago.
How was your first commissioned shoot?
My first paid shoot was a maternity shoot with their dog. They had an adopted Lab and it was a maternity shoot. I had done collaborations and shoots for friends to build my portfolio before that. I was very nervous because there was a customer involved now. But the family was amazing and they were very nice about everything. I try to make the shoots an experience for the pet parents rather than just get things done. I try to make it very fun and casual. And it was a success.
Mesmerising pictures by Rohit Agarwal
Tell us about your volunteering experiences. You have done some fundraising initiatives and have collaborated with many organizations.
Yes. I have worked with some organizations and Bangalore based NGOs. I did some adoption shoots for animal shelters. I provide this service where if you are an animal shelter who wants their puppies adopted then I will do a photoshoot, no charges. A lot of these adoption videos are based upon evoking pity, like this puppy has been through a lot etc. But they never talk about the personality of the puppy, how playful it is or how hyper it is. That is something I want to bring out through my pictures.
What have you learned with the profession you have chosen?
The most tricky thing about pet photography is that you are working with a subject who you cannot communicate with in the same language. It is difficult. Most of the effort goes not into the shoot itself but into understanding the behaviour of the pet. They are not accessories in the picture. They are part of the family. That takes a lot of reading, learning, practice and then comes the photography. About 60% of my job is understanding their behaviour patterns and catering to it so that I can click meaningful pictures, only 40% is the actual photography part.
It was a lovely conversation we had with Rohit, India’s first Pet Photographer.
Connect with Rohit on Instagram and Facebook.
Visit www.stillsbyrohit.com to get connected with Rohit.