Anzar Mehraj: Omar Bazaz, 35, returned to Kashmir after graduating from an aviation school in Texas, USA, to pursue his passion for photography. Bazaz’s decision to give up a lucrative job as a commercial pilot for photography was never an easy decision.
Bazaz, a Srinagar resident, does not regret giving up his work. Passion is more essential to him than training. “I tell stories as a hobby,” he explains. He has been photographing the wide landscapes of Kashmir with his camera since his return.Bazaz has built a reputation as one of Kashmir’s few professional minimalist photographers over the years.
Many young boys and girls with a love for landscape photography look up to Bazaz’s work. Bazaz, who studied in Srinagar’s Tyndale Biscoe, says he always wanted to become an artist and have his own medium to express his feelings. “I feel photography is the best medium to express your feeling. I am grateful to have showcased my work at different platforms including international magazines,” he says.
Omar, an adventure enthusiast, is an expert in backcountry photography. His works have featured skiing in the majestic mountains of Gulmarg, high-altitude peaks and lakes, off-road driving in the regions of Kashmir and Ladakh. Bazaz is not only an ace lensman but also an avid travel blogger who regularly publishes his travel experiences across the length of breadth of Kashmir and other places. Based in Srinagar, he frequently travels to the Himalayas. “Mountains fascinates me and there fore become my subject too.” says Bazaz.
“The mountains have laid a path for me to work in different tourism related projects in the Himalayan region.” He further adds, “I always had a love for travelling and it was because of travelling that I came closer to my passion for photography and also managed to turn it into a full-fledged career,”
In more than ten years into professional photography, he has a vast body of work, spanning different genres, to his credit. “I don’t like to stick to a particular genre. Over the years, I have worked on nature, adventure, commercial, art and culture and street photography,” he says while talking about his work Bazaz’s work reflects the culture and topography of places he visits. He believes Kashmir, with its incredible landscape and weather, is a perfect canvas for him.
He thinks that photography is a good career option and needs patience. “It is a slow learning process. One needs to be patient to excel in photography.” For him it is important to treat every project as your own and put heart and soul in it.
“The key to having a good eye for photography is to keep clicking and improving and experimenting yourself with new challenges,” he says in a word of advice to young people armed with cameras
