Have you ever caught your own reflection in a puddle, looking like a monster or a primate, or ever tried any pose wearing outlandish costumes? Or have you ever captured creative headshots, like a spoon balancing on your pet’s head? Through creative photography stunts, you can capture these unpredictable acts or funny moments, beyond just clicking serene landscapes or breathtaking vistas.
Just like the Dadaism movement of early twentieth-century Europe, creativity also makes room for unconventional concepts like transforming even simple scenes into something out of this world. Some photographers are really good at snapping objects of off-balance angles, like some gravity-defying compositions, creating ‘upside-down’ opportunities.
In this blog, we will enter a weirdly wonderful world of unconventional photography from an Indian perspective. We’ll explore how some talented Indian photographers like Dinesh Khanna, Raghubir Singh, Rammy Narula, and others capture fantastic and crazy moments, intimate street photos, mind-bending experiences, or snap grooms in strange chimpanzee costumes, challenging stereotypes.
Yes, these are the passwords to the wild, absurd world of bizarre photography—where the photo-grabbers hardly hunt perfection but, on the contrary, look for creative chaos!
Let’s take this fascinating journey to the most bizarre moments captured across India, from the best silhouette photography to other unexpected shots.
Turning the Gravity Upwards!
India has long been associated with the tales of levitating sages. Here, photographers are increasingly exploring eye-catching, physics-defying tricks to make more impact on the Indian audience. How about a snap of your next-door neighbour floating like a levitating sage or a wizard? Exploring absurdist photography, like levitation photography tricks, has been quite popular in India. It’s almost like doing Harry Potter wizardry, creating an illusion that you’re floating mid-air or, at best, flying above the ground. Yes, there are hidden supports like stools or chairs to do the stunts!
Photographers like Ansul Sani, Shobhit Sahani, and Bharathi S Murugan use some clever angles, curated jumps, and some careful light editing wizardry, thanks to editing apps like Photoshop or Lightroom, to support these gravity-defying shots. They also have their tutorials on platforms like Instagram and Pinterest.
Several other names include Rammy Narula and Dinesh Khanna, known for their experiments with weird compositions, a visual storytelling technique that bends reality.
Some famous still life photography shots include fruits dangling from a plate, halfway in the air, looking almost insane.
Newlywed couples or would-be couples prefer this dreamy levitation photography in wedding sequences where the bride can be seen floating like a nymph. These are the trendy shots preferred by couples, college-goers, and newbie parents who want to have their baby shots done with a touch of awe—like gravity doesn’t exist! What matters is the post-production efforts to get things in the right proportion.
Adding Depth to Ugly Location Photography in India!
Indian photographers like Vicky Roy or Raghubir Singh discover the raw and impoverished look of street children, religious spots, or some quirky snaps of public transport. There is no dearth of uninspiring locations to shoot. It can be a waste disposal lane, a peeling staircase, an ugly-looking parking lot, or capturing tightrope-walker monkeys on dangling cables. They also add to the strangely compelling look of the photos through clever angles and manipulating lighting.
The photographer Vicky Roy himself has a journey of turning into an internationally exhibited artist from a train station ragpicker. In his Street Dreams, the street photography series, he relates to some of those struggling moments of his cinematic life story.
Another noted photographer, Raghubir Singh, captured some of the deepest and ugly truths, like gender imbalance and casteism prevalent in India. He depicted ordinary Indians from villages, from all castes and cultural backgrounds, some shot in local fairs and circus arenas, snapping a raw face of India.
Forced Perspective Photography: Holding the Taj Mahal in Your Grip!
The fiasco of forced perspective in photography can be fun—yes, it’s almost like holding the Taj Mahal in your palm! Whatever the theme, these photography techniques make the small things look big or the big things like something you can grope from forty feet away!
Photographers like Saurabh Desai and Amar Ramesh work with these forced-perspective tricks, making iconic structures look pocket-sized. Their conceptual travel photography of capturing Indian monuments, railway platforms, and streets looks impressive. It’s almost like holding the sun like a cricket ball during a sunset beside the Ganges.
Getting Weird with Silhouette Photography!
If you have explored the works of Indian photographer Sudhir Shivram, you can understand how dramatic and mysterious silhouettes can become. His deeply expressive sunrise and sunset shots mesmerise. He works with bold forms, light, and contrasts, in natural and outdoor settings.
Some of the best silhouette photography tricks feature dupattas, turbans, temple bells, fishermen’s nets, or street performers.
Taking the Ultimate Still Life Selfie!
We all have seen and admired still life photography, but how many of us have become a still life shot in reality? It’s quite bizarre dressing up like a still life object yourself, like a pressure cooker, or a dabba, a desk lamp, or a carton—triggering surprise, humour, and awe.
Nishant Shukla has added more life to this playful and awkwardly expressive style of photography, along with other contemporary Indian artists. They blend performance with the art of self-portraits to redefine identity.
Embracing the Absurd with Creative Portraits and Bizarre Photography
“The best camera is the one that’s with you“
The beauty and craze for this weird and bizarre photography lies in challenging conventions and looking beyond the ordinary. Unlike Western photography enthusiasts, Indian photographers often work with limited spaces, tight budgets, and mundane objects, and that’s where their imagination soars. A simple and everyday thing like a cup of tea, a cracked wall, or a steel dabba can become extraordinary if only admired by viewers.
These weird and absurd snaps add more to the endless enigma called India, a land of diverse emotions, mixed culture and ethnicity, with a mysterious spiritual existence. And thus, these strangest clicks become the most memorable images, capturing the everyday surrealism of women cooking meals next to passing trains or portraits of eunuchs caught in city traffic.
As aptly said by renowned photographer Raghu Rai:
“Photographs must have a meaning beyond the obvious.”