Face off

So where did he learn his craft?

On the job entirely. Jatin did not go to any photography school. quot;There aren8217;t many institutions here that teach photography.I chose to train under Atul as I really liked his work.quot; And then, when he felt he had grasped the art, he moved on. But the student and his teacher still share a very warm relationship. quot;Atul and I are still great friends and talk to each other regularly.quot;

Does that mean Jatin is not educated at all? No formal degree?

Actually, he is not just a creative whiz-kid but a bit of an academic too. He got a degree in law and was considering MBA next. In the end, his love for photography won the day.

When did he realise that photography was his first love?

quot;When I was 11 years old and took my first out-of-focus picture.quot; And since that day, it has been difficult to get Jatin to switch off.

It sounds like he spends most of his life behind the camera?

True. Very True. Jatin is a workaholic and spends upto 18 hours a day with his camera. quot;It is quite ridiculous.quot; But he enjoys his work so much that it is the only thing that counts in his life.

What is his favourite medium black amp;white or colour?

He likes both. For experimental work, he tends to use black amp; white. quot;But some of my best fashion pictures have been taken in colour.quot; Jatin does not like to stick to any one style. quot;Every morning I like to see something new.quot;

He must have some preferences in his work though. Like, does he find editorial work more challenging than commercial work?

quot;In a way advertising work is more challenging as you are working under pressure. And I really like to work under pressure.quot;

What sort of pressure does he put on himself to meet deadlines set by him?

Well, when it comes to his experimental work, Jatin chalks out seven days a month for that. And then nothing comes in his way. Except his creativity. Right now, one of the project8217;s that is consuming all of Jatin8217;s energies is a series on body art.

Umm8230;urr8230; we are almost scared to ask but if he has any spare time, what does he do with it?

He buries his head in philosophy books.

Does he ever really lethis hair down?

Well, he is not into partying and prefers quiet dinners with close friends.

Since outward appearances play a big part in his professional life, is Jatin also driven by looking good in his personal life?

While he is not a fashion victim, he is some what conscious of what he wears. quot;I like to be presentable.quot;

Other lensmen are getting into ad films is he also planning to branch out into that?

At the moment he is very happy with still photography. But you never know. Jatin carries a handy-cam with him on shoots, so maybe he will expand his horizons one day.

And what is Mister Automatix most likely to say?

quot;Take life as it comes.quot;

What is today8217;s most happening lensman least likely to say?

He cannot think of anything. So, after a lot of hemming and hawing, he declined to say anything. At all. But judging by how busy he is, we concur that he is least likely to say, quot;I have some free time on my hands!quot;