Arup Biswas

Photography

Biography

I was born in India, at the foothills of the Himalayas. The pristine Himalayan beauty instilled in me a love for nature, which I rediscovered after moving to the United States in 1992.

I have also been associated with the Center for Photographic Art in Carmel, founded by Ansel Adams; as a result, my works have been influenced by the teachings of such notables as Ted Orland, Brian Taylor, Jerry Takigawa, Huntington Witherill and Brigitte Carnochan.

Mystical, haunting, moody, - these are the words that describe the photographic style of Arup Biswas. Arup’s landscape photographs do not document the landscape but rather express our innermost feelings through these images.

Arup studied with the internationally renowned fine art photographer and master printmaker Charles Cramer. Charlie opened Arup’s eyes to the nuances of light and color that make a print truly “sing.” The bug of making luminous prints has not left him since.

In 2009, Arup was invited to hold his first solo exhibition by the renowned “Sunset Cultural Center” in Carmel, California. In 2009, 2010, and 2015 Arup’s photographs were selected in the coveted annual/international juried exhibitions at the venerable Center for Photographic Art (founded by Ansel Adams), Carmel.

Arup’s photographs were selected in two books by the respected Lenswork Publishing. His photographs can be found in many individual and corporate collections. Arup donates all the profits from the sales of the photographs to environmental organizations fighting climate change and ecosystem restoration.

Artist Statement:

The making of these photographs, captured over the course of the last twenty years, has been a self-discovery process. It started with the aim of capturing the landscapes, but eventually, I realized that it is far more interesting to express our innermost feelings through the landscapes.

Many times I would spend hours in a location before I could "listen' to the landscape. I find landscapes are most expressive in low light and bad weather conditions. Those are the times I find myself busy with my camera trying to capture my 'conversations'. To create these photographs I often revisit a location many times until I am happy with the capture.

I love to photograph trees. Each tree has a different character. They are subtle, gentle and of course, living beings. When I am surrounded by them, I feel like coming home. They heal my body, nourish my soul and rejuvenate my spirit.

Once I have a satisfactory capture, the next stage is to print it. This often takes a very long time, sometimes many months, before I come up with a print that can express my visualization of the image.

I capture the images in color, as I believe that color adds a strong emotional dimension to the landscape. At the same time, color can be overused to the extent that it can ruin the overall statement that the image needs to convey. I approach making a photograph similar to a symphony conductor trying to orchestrate different instruments to create a harmonious piece. In the case of my photographs, these elements are line, form, texture, luminosity, color hue, and saturation. A successful photograph, in my opinion, is a perfect fusion of these elements.