Iqbal Mohamed is a man of few words, but a coalesce of myriad experiences, influences and passions. And he uses these dimensions to reimagine the ordinary. He believes that all of us have the power to change the world by seeing it differently. So every day he wakes up, and goes in pursuit of a distinctive picture that presents the world through a different lens.
One of India’s leading professional photographers, Iqbal stumbled upon photography as a young boy. Ever since, he has felt an unparalleled sense of exhilaration whenever he is behind the lens.
He has worked with many national and international brands , but has also put his eye for the perfect frame to uplift NGOs like the Tamil Nadu AIDS Control Society, CRY and the Spastics Society.
His insatiable zest to share his knowledge of photography with the young and curious led him to start Light & Life Academy and Light & Life Academy Online.
Light & Life Academy is the first and only custom designed, full-facility institute for professional photography in Asia, perched on a mountaintop about 7000 ft. above sea level, with a spectacular view of the Ketti valley.
LLA strongly believes in the methods of Modern Gurukul. In order to fully understand photography, one should understand light and life. This philosophy propagated by the academy guides students to grow and develop in all aspects of life.
Iqbal Mohamed set up Light & Life Academy in 2001 to provide high-quality affordable professional photography education. The academy has been supported by, Kodak India, Eastman Kodak USA, LMW- Coimbatore, Calumet-USA, Photoquip-India, ZenTask-India, Gretag Imaging-Switzerland.
Learning photography should not be restricted by time, geography, language or resources; more people should express themselves through photographs. With this thought Iqbal Mohamed launched an online photography platform in 9 Indian languages apart from English.
The first course on this platform, “Get Creative with Photography” is designed in a way that makes learners feel that they’re in the classroom, without having to be there. Replete with easy-to-understand concepts and fun assignments this course provides the knowledge and guidance for participants to discover, nurture and showcase their creative side.
It is a platform through which serious hobby photographers can learn the art of seeing and raise their creative bar.
Photography is a universal language of expression, not reserved for the privileged few. With Light & Life Outreach we attempt to expand the creative horizons of the underprivileged by handing them a camera and giving them the joy of expressing themselves through photographs.
Children from Government schools we’ve already visited have lit up with pure joy as they held a camera for the first time in their lives. Their bright smiles pave the way for us to further the objective of Outreach and enlighten more lives.
Being able to actually “SEE” the world around us, in all its wonder, requires us to “BE” in the present moment, completely engrossed in where we are as the magnificence unfolds. If we are truly alert, we almost always see something wonderful. However, usually, our mind is occupied with a million other issues and the mind does not have the space to take in the beautiful visuals that surround us, thereby losing it forever.
We have to tune our minds to focus on seeking beauty always, in any situation, to be completely in the moment and be awed by what we see and capture it for posterity. We can also draw visual inspiration from other art forms. For example a musical composition may evoke a visual in our minds or a beautiful verse from a poem. Visual triggers can come from any source.
Photography is a bridge between what we experience and what the mind imagines. And the craft of translating this experience into a picture is the true Art of Seeing.
Age is no barrier to learning photography and LLA Online’s participants are true testament to this. From the age of 14 to 70, we have had eager hobbyists taking up the course and truly raising their creative bar. People from all over India have come together from the comfort of their homes to create amazing images.
We have worked with many underprivileged kids and watched them handle a camera for the first time. Those moments of pure joy exuded by the kids are perfect frames by themselves but for now let’s see how they provide fresh perspectives to everyday moments.
The world is an ever-changing series of billions of frames. Photography is just choosing yours. You don’t take a photo, the photo presents itself. All you need is to be there. Be really there. There is no such thing as “later” in photography. It doesn’t have a tense. It’s seen, lived and done in the ‘now’ because two moments are never identical.
The world is an ever-changing series of billions of frames. Photography is just choosing yours. You don’t take a photo, the photo presents itself. All you need is to be there.‘now’ because two moments are never identical.
The world is an ever-changing series of billions of frames. Photography is just choosing yours. You don’t take a photo, the photo presents itself. All you need is to be there.‘now’ because two moments are never identical.
The world is an ever-changing series of billions of frames. Photography is just choosing yours. You don’t take a photo, the photo presents itself. All you need is to be there.‘now’ because two moments are never identical.
The world is an ever-changing series of billions of frames. Photography is just choosing yours. You don’t take a photo, the photo presents itself. All you need is to be there.‘now’ because two moments are never identical.
The world is an ever-changing series of billions of frames. Photography is just choosing yours. You don’t take a photo, the photo presents itself. All you need is to be there.‘now’ because two moments are never identical.
The world is an ever-changing series of billions of frames. Photography is just choosing yours. You don’t take a photo, the photo presents itself. All you need is to be there.‘now’ because two moments are never identical.
