This HR turned Photographer will certainly steal your hearts with her soul-stirring captures. In a candid chat with WE Magazine, Amrita Samant takes you through her incredible career journey.
From a Corporate employee to a Maternity Photographer. How did the switch happen?
I’ve always dabbled in some form of the creative art form from childhood – dance to acting to writing to photography and over time I realised I was made for doing something different, aside from the options above. Photography started as an interest. Capturing my sisters’ twins was part of my daily routine. That’s where the comfort with babies grew beyond just loving these little humans. It was a matter of time and a strong brain-wave to figure out that I could combine two of my favourite things – Photography and Babies.
How hard was it to get people convincing about baby photography and kick-start a career in Maternity shoots?
Our instinct to protect our precious new family members is not new to any of us here in India. And it does take a lot to trust a total stranger with a mum-to-be and newborn. It took a lot of time to educate my clients on how safe and skilled the whole experience is – be it newborn, 6-month-old, 1-year-old children or mum-to-be. I showed them that I was skilled enough to handle all situations and age groups. I’ve even done newborn safety training to be skilled and safe at what I do. It’s a huge responsibility when I work with children and I know I have to reassure parents about the same.
The first few months were bumpy until I took the initiative to educate new parents, in a matter of 2 to 3 months, I started to receive a lot of inquiries for shoots of all age groups, including newborns who were below the age of 15 days. Thankfully I can say, there was no looking back. I still continue to educate whomever I meet about the process, safety, guidelines etc.
Where did you draw your inspiration from?
I draw my inspiration from my little clients, to be honest. Kids are real, genuine, honest, and funny. Conversations and time spent with them help me think like them, with no set rules, no boundaries, the whole world is a playground and we can let our minds wander without any social rules. I also do engage a lot in other activities, such as travel, outdoor activities, reading, watching a lot of movies – basically, if you don’t fill your heart up, how are you going to empty it out on to an image?
One unforgettable experience during your journey so far?
This is like asking me to pick between my babies. There are so many unforgettable experiences on this beautiful journey I’ve been on. The ones I won’t forget are when I’ve seen babies take their first steps ever, in my shoot, and I’ve seen parents squeal in excitement and joy while I try and capture that live moment. I feel so honoured to be a part of these families’ personal journey, seeing them grow from a couple to new parents and seeing that transition overnight to be fiercely loving and protecting their newborns. It’s all so heart-warming.
