Today we’d like to introduce you to Sanjeeb Kumar Garai.
Hi Sanjeeb Kumar, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I come from a humble, middle-class background where resources were limited, but my passion for visuals were always vast. My journey began back in 2016 with just a smartphone, capturing whatever caught my eye through mobile photography. After years of saving up and dreaming, I finally bought my first real camera, a Canon 200D Mark II, in 2021.
The initial days were incredibly tough. I was struggling to earn a stable income or find the right direction. That is when I discovered the vibrant world of cosplay photography. I started attending events, shooting content, and using every single opportunity as a practice ground to sharpen my skills. Just as things were aligning, my camera broke down. Refusing to give up, I managed to get a secondhand Nikon Z30 to keep practicing and improving, I started directing and shooting conceptual projects with my girlfriend, who became my constant support and muse.
I am entirely self-taught. I never went to a photography school, everything I know today comes from hands-on experimentation, failures, and a relentless drive to improve. Over time, I upgraded my skills and stepped into the world of cinematography. In just the last five months, this transition has opened incredible new doors, and I am finally seeing significant growth and momentum in my career.
I am deeply grateful to this platform and to everyone who has supported me, giving an independent, self-made photographer like me a stage to share my art and my story with the world.
If there is one major takeaway from my journey, it is that “gear doesn’t matter, your vision does.” Today, I am delivering high-end, cinematic results using a compact vlogging camera, proving that creativity and passion will always outweigh expensive equipment. I am deeply grateful to this platform and to everyone who has supported me, giving an independent, self-made photographer like me a stage to share my art and my story with the world.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It was definitely not a smooth journey. In fact, there was a point where I was on the verge of giving up. The major issue was the financial struggle. Photography is quite an expensive passion, every piece of equipment feels like a heavy burden on the wallet.
Since I’m based in Kolkata, especially in the wedding industry, your gear matters a lot. When I was working in weddings, I constantly struggled to earn enough and was often underpaid because of my low-budget equipment. That field never really gave me complete creative freedom either. It slowly made me lose motivation.
During that period, I lost my primary lens, and my camera (an older Canon DSLR) eventually broke down as well. I was devastated and honestly on the verge of quitting photography altogether.
But with the support of my mother and my girlfriend, I picked myself back up and started again. This time, I came back stronger. With whatever savings I had left and my old camera, I managed to exchange it for a second-hand Nikon mirrorless camera.
Things slowly started improving. I began getting paid a little better in weddings, but I didn’t want to limit myself to just that field. I continued doing cosplay photography, bought a gimbal, and stepped into cinematography.
The first cinematic video I created using the gimbal caught a lot of people’s attention. That moment gave me the motivation I needed to keep going and I never stopped after that.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a photographer and cinematographer based in Kolkata, India. My work mainly focuses on cosplay, portraits, fashion-inspired visuals, and cinematic storytelling. Over time, I’ve also worked in the wedding industry, which helped me gain experience working under pressure and understanding people and emotions through photography.
What truly defines my work is the way I blend emotion with visuals. I always try to make my photos and videos feel cinematic and expressive rather than just technically good-looking. I love creating frames that tell a story and make people feel connected to the moment.
What I’m most proud of is the fact that I never gave up on my creative journey, even during the hardest phases of my life. There was a time when financial struggles, losing my primary lens, and my camera breaking down almost made me quit photography completely. But instead of stopping, I chose to rebuild myself from scratch.
That phase taught me resilience, patience, and the importance of believing in your vision even when circumstances are against you. Looking back, I feel proud not just of the work I create today, but of the journey and growth that brought me here.
What sets me apart is my visual style and the way I portray people through my work. Many people have told me that I make women look almost goddess-like in my photographs and cinematic videos. I focus heavily on mood, expression, movement, and storytelling to create visuals that feel powerful, elegant, and emotionally engaging.
In my region, this style of cinematic storytelling is still relatively uncommon, which helped my work stand out and gain attention. Rather than simply recording moments, I try to create an atmosphere and give every frame a distinct artistic identity.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
People can connect with me mainly through my Instagram page, @sanjeebs_photography, where I regularly share my photography and cinematic work. For professional collaborations, shoot inquiries, or creative projects, I’m also available through email at [email protected]. People can also connect with me through the Kavyar platform.
I usually accept collaboration requests through Instagram DMs, email, and Kavyar, and I’m always open to working with creative individuals, models, cosplayers, brands, and artists who share a passion for visual storytelling.
For me, support doesn’t always have to be financial. Sometimes even a simple message appreciating my work can mean a lot. Whether it’s liking or sharing my work, recommending my page to others, or simply saying “keep going”. Those small gestures genuinely motivate me and help me continue creating.
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