Artist Bio
The early years
Born in 1966 in Mumbai, Sanjay Marathe has worked through the transition from the black and white film era to digital photography. He spent early ten years growing up in Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh where his father was transferred. After getting a B.Com degree from Mumbai University, and briefly attending Govt. Law College, he turned to his passion of photography and started work as a Commercial photographer. He moved to Daharan, Saudi Arabia for about nine months, and worked on assignments for Saudi Aramco. Sanjay returned to Mumbai in 1990 and has since worked for many reputed national and international clients.
Exploring Art
With over 25 years experience in commercial photography, Sanjay worked towards shaping his photography as an Art; in 2013 his Solo exhibition at Mumbai's prestigious Jehangir Art Gallery was very well received by the visitors and got encouraging comments. He has since exhibited regularly at Pune, Mumbai, Delhi, and Kolkata in India and Chappaqua, NY and Art Expo New York. His works of Art have been appreciated and bought by art lovers in India, USA, The Nederlands and Australia.
His subject range includes nature, wildlife, landscapes, festivals, historical architecture, cityscapes, cloudscapes, people and abstracts. His interest in history has driven him to document numerous old cities and lesser-known monuments in various parts of India and USA.
Technique, Timing & Style
Sanjay shoots in directional and soft light to give a painterly and soothing feel to his photographs. The perfect light and the right timing is his key to catch the Fleeting Moments. “All elements instrumental to a great shot rarely converge. If not captured at the precise moment, the magic disappears”, he says. For most of his work, Photoshop use is minimal, for basic colour corrections. Sanjay relies more on capturing the shot as is, at the right moment. This is perhaps due to the film era, when mistakes were not detected immediately and photographers had to rely more on skill and knowledge to capture the desired image. His works titled ‘Forest Stream’, ‘Cycle of Life’, ‘Camouflage’ and ‘The Boss’, are classic examples of his style and treatment of varied subjects.
Artist Statement
I look for a sense of peace and tranquility in my compositions.
As a photographer, my challenge is to capture a unique perspective, at the magic moment, and to reproduce it on suitable media, to resemble my original visualisation. The magic happens when the direction and quality of light create a superior visual impact. Composition is the key that can make or break a picture; I run through various framing options in my mind before clicking the shutter. The next step is the final selection for the Artwork, after discarding many frames. A Series of images is built bit by bit, over days, months or years. The final step is to prepare the file for printing, monitor the test prints to fine tune the desired tones and visual effect on the final print, and select the most suitable media.
Wildlife has always been an exciting subject to work with. Monsoons, spring and the changing seasons offer fresh perspectives for photography. Historical monuments is another favourite. Spending time at such sites and capturing the ambience, is relaxing and invigorating for me.
Artist Resume:
Art Shows (Upcoming):
* Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai – Solo – 26 Dec. 2018 - 1 Jan. 2019
* Academy of Fine Art, Kolkata – 2018
Art Shows (Past):
* Three group exhibitions by AIPA (All India Photographers Association) and PGI (Photographers Guild of India) in Mumbai
* India Art Festival – 2013 – Nehru Centre, Mumbai
* Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai - Solo show - ‘Fleeting Moments’ Dec. 2013
* Trident Art Walk, Mumbai - Solo show – 1 – 12 Apr. 201
* Art Around Town – Art Show in Chappaqua, New York – June 2015
* Taj Bengal, Kolkata – 23 – 29 Nov. 2015
* Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai – 8 – 14 Jan. 2016
* The Leela Mumbai Art Gallery – 5 – 11 Aug. 2016
* Convention Foyer, India Habitat Centre, Delhi – 16 – 20 Nov. 2016
* Art Expo New York – 21 – 24 April 2017
* Convention Foyer, India Habitat Centre, Delhi – 21 - 25 Feb. 2018
Launched photography portal: In 2000, when internet was still new in India, Sanjay started a pioneer website ‘indianphotography.com’ to showcase the work of Indian photographers online.
Stock & Fine Art photo website - indiaphotostock.com: His collection consists of over 20,000 digital images, ranging from Indian travel locations, historical monuments, forests, wildlife, people, festivals and other subjects, and a large collection of transparencies.
Teaching: He has taught photography as visiting faculty at three colleges in Mumbai – SNDT, Nirmala Niketan and St. Andrews college.
Workshops: Conducted two workshops on wildlife photography for Bombay Natural History Society, at the BNHS nature reserve in Mumbai.
Managing Committee: Served on the Managing Committee of AIPA (All India Photographers Association) and PGI (Photographers Guild of India) for 3 years.