Anirban Mandal
Anirban Mandal never went to any photography school. As a matter of fact, he studied Mechanical Engineering in University of Cincinnati, OH, USA with full scholarship. Anirban also never took part in any of the thousands of Salon or Photo Club Contests in the world.
Then how does he qualify as a Fine Art Photographer, or in other way : Why would you even think of buying his fine art photography prints?
You’d have to go back to his childhood to know the answer. When he was just five or six, he used to beg and nag to his father to let him use his camera to take pictures. There was a quota of 5 for him in a 34 or 36 count of 35mm film roll. The main thing is that the activity used to give him immense joy. At the same age, he would create so much trouble at home that his mother would ask his father to keep him out of the house for some hours to have peace. One day his father too had some urgent work, so instead he took him and put him in a Sit and Draw painting Contest. It was a shock for them when Anirban’s painting was voted First by the jury. By the age of fourteen, Anirban had won almost 35 awards in painting, almost all were First prizes.
Jump cut to his youth: during his second quarter in US, he won the first prize in his College Photography Contest, with a point and shoot 4 Mpi Sony camera for a misty Pittsburgh downtown shot.
After his masters he worked briefly in Florida and then came back to India. It was as if fate had brought him back to the nation which is also any photographer’s paradise because of the riot of colors, diversity among landscape, cities, villages and most importantly: its people.
Anirban’s passion for photography has become a religion for him by then and the next ten years he traveled,blended in the cultural richness of this vibrant lifeforce called India.
Since last ten years , His works got published in National Geographic, Dodho magazine of Spain several times and got awarded in various professional categories of the World’s most awe inspiring or rather frightening (in terms of competition) annual professional photography contests like International Photography Awards (IPA) , Prix de la Photographie (PX3), Moscow International Foto Awards (MIFA), Tokyo International Foto Awards (TIFA), ND Awards, Monochrome Awards and many others. Not for once , not even for the first time Anirban took part in categories like Non Pro / Amateur or any category other than Professional. Anirban has a whopping twenty four certificates, and selections in these premier contests where world’s top photography gods fight to have their works selected.
Among 24 selections / awards , 20 is from IPA (Int’l Photography Awards), often voted as the number one international professional photography contest by famous photography websites. as in which is probably a record for any Indian Professional Photographer. The famous Lensculture magazine of USA used a portrait shot by him as the primary image in their website to promote their Annual Portrait Awards in 2021. Yahoo UK had published Anirban’s travel photo which was among National Geographic Editor’s selection for favorites in the Global Contest. Also, his photos were made into National Geographic wallpapers for three global contests consecutively.
Anirban’s true finesse is Fine Art Photography and he pursues tirelessly for days , months or even years to get a frame that would freeze the viewer for a few minutes when printed and framed on your wall.
But why believe him ?
Have one of his prints to check it yourself. You’ll have to come back for more.
