Duyum, who are you, where are you from, where do you live, what do you when you’re not on Foap?
I come from a small village in the northeast region of India. We’re a tribal community. My state borders China, Tibet, Bhutan and Myanmar. I did my undergrad in Architecture in India. In 2008 I moved to Los Angeles to pursue my masters in Building Science, and since then I’ve been living in LA. When I’m not on Foap, I’m busy working at my architectural firm here in LA.
Its said the best photos are of the things you love to photograph. You seem to have quite a range. We’ve found great photos in your portfolio of people, animals, architecture, street scenes. Do you have a preference?
I am finding myself increasingly drawn to surreal photography. It’s more reflective of my personality. I like the creative process involved in this genre as opposed to representational photography which is more about being at a right place at the right time.
One photo for me was particularly striking. This one. This is a really amazing portrait of your grandmother. Can you please share more about this photo? Where was this taken?
Great pick there. My grandma has spent most of her life working in the paddy field. Her face reflects the hard life she has lived, albeit a happy one. My childhood was spent with her. I was then sent to boarding school and we saw less and less of each other. The time this picture was taken, June 2008 that is, I was visiting my hometown after 4 years. By this time I had completed my architecture degree and had worked for a year and half in Delhi (the capital of India). Over the years, every single time I visited my grandmother, she would always, without fail, bring up the stories of how as a child I always had a bad stomach and soiled so many clothes and how difficult it was for her to have a clean dry cloth ready in time for me, especially during winters and the rainy season. She would also mention the time when I fell from our bamboo house and lost consciousness for about 30 hours and the first thing I uttered when I regained consciousness was “I’m hungry” and how deeply she cried on hearing my voice again. This visit was no different. So she started her stories again and then complained how little she sees of me and that’s when I took this photo. After that visit, I left for the US and haven’t been home since. I will however see her again this December. I’m one of those guys from a small village who got caught up in chasing big dreams. But things are more settled now and I hope to see her more often hereon.
What’s your favourite photo from your Foap profile and why?
Attached is my favorite photo from my portfolio. It’s my favorite because it makes me think of my own roots. Here, in LA, I’m on the other side of the globe but I’ve never felt more strongly about my roots than when I was close to home.
Many of your photos seem to be taken at the right time, in the right moment. What’s your philosophy? How do you work? Do you carry a camera everywhere you go? Are these taken with a mobile?
I use to take all my pics from my mobile phone camera but I got myself a DSLR last January, so now I take pics mostly from my DSLR. I almost always carry my DSLR with me, it’s not as handy as a mobile phone camera but it gives you more flexibility. You can’t have it all…sigh!
If you do use a mobile, do you edit your pictures much? If so, what are your favourite apps?
I like apps that give you the flexibility to select the strength of the effects. I don’t like strong/harsh effects. I had used Camera+ in the past, now occasionally I use Fotor. I do most of my edits in Lightroom and PS, it causes less damage to the image this way.
We’re planning a complete revamp of the Foap app. What’s one change you’re hoping for in future updates of Foap?
That’s good to know. One change that I’d like to see is the ability to enter the pics in your portfolio for a mission without having to re-upload the pic. That’s an unnecessary hassle as of now.
Thank you for your time Duyum! It’s great to have such a diverse community on Foap!
Be sure to check out Duyum’s full profile on Foap for more of his amazing work.
Foap on! Have a great weekend!
