Shweta Verma from Goa is a Family Photographer Whose Pictures Will Leave You Smiling

Shweta Verma was originally from Bihar but now lives in Goa and is a family photographer. Her work stands out as she has an eye for capturing the true essence of each child and family. What started as street photography and taking pictures of her lovely daughter, her love for photography grew with each picture she took.

She believes in creating history with her pictures. Something that each client can preserve and protect. She has a chat with us about what keeps her motivated and her process working with babies, children and lovely families.

Our photographer of the day, Shweta, with her adorable pugs!

Hello Shweta! Please introduce us to your life and photography.

My name is Shweta Verma, I am originally from Bihar but now I stay in Panjim, Goa. I am an engineer by education but I left my consultant job to pursue photography as a profession when my daughter was born.

Her beloved daughter.

What initially sparked your interest in photography?

My initial days of photography were all about streets. It all started in the country my daughter was born in – Basel in Switzerland. I could not get over the emotions, drama, and stories that I used to photograph on the streets. When my little one was born, I was even more pushed toward photography as I started capturing her everyday moments in an artsy way. That was when I realised that these personal pieces of art are so important for us and that I could help more families also preserve a piece of history.

How have your roots influenced your style?

I was born and brought up in Patna and as they show in the movies, the state was full of crime. So, insecurity was kind of inbred. Our upbringing, though, was in a very fearless manner. We were taught to be incredibly independent.

In turn, my work too lies somewhere in between the delicateness of an unsecured girl and the fearlessness of an independent woman. I believe that “Life lies in between dreams and reality.” I try to capture that essence.

Share with us a typical day for you.

At present, I am in pursuit of a simple life.

My day depends a lot on my shoot schedules. When I don’t have a shoot scheduled, my day starts slow – spending quality times with my daughter and my pug children, and a cup of tea with my husband. My favourite pick for exercise is cycling. For some reason, cycling is my where I get my best ideas. The next few hours are typically spent on edits, reviews, marketing activities for my brand and interacting with my clients. I tend to take breaks to look after my plants. I leave the evenings open for more family time!

When I rush through tasks or days, my creative energy is not at its best. Because I don’t work a typical 9-5, the trickiest part is balancing my work and my personal life. This balance helps me being more productive and creative.

Other than family photographs, I am also a wedding photographer and I have a separate brand with my husband. My mantra of managing my different hats is delegation and trusting my team members. I don’t believe in micro managing. Trusting your people and giving them freedom to pour their ideas and inputs is something that is really important to keep things fresh and in harmony.

What’s your work philosophy like?

“Embrace the current season of your life.”

Working with children is not hard for me, when I am on the shoot, they are my bosses. I frame my subject and wait for the right moment to happen. Sometimes, though, my subjects run away and then I run behind them but it’s all part of the process! I always aim to capture as much essence in my photos as possible.

What do you hope clients take away from your Photographs?

History! I wish one day, my little clients will look at their photos and realise that they had an amazing childhood.

What keeps you motivated with your photography?

The list of inspirations are huge. I do take a lot of inspiration from daily life on the streets, cinema and my own little one. As an artist it is very important to keep trying out new ideas. Every two years, I try something new. Right now I am working on underwater kids photography and it is exciting.

Which was your most memorable photoshoot?

All my shoots are equally memorable for me. I feel connected to all my clients. But the shoot which was personally most memorable was in the one I had in Baripada – Odisha. It helped me work through some feelings which had lingered from a traumatic incident I faced when I was there last.

Years ago, I was in Odisha working as an IT consultant when I heard about my mother’s passing. She was still young and I was so upset by it – the journey home to her – out of Odisha itself was such a difficult task for me and it added large amounts of stress.

When I was offered this opportunity to work on this humanitarian project, I was scared even though it was a worthy project. Eventually, I decided to choose to be brave. I traveled back to Odisha to a jewellery-maker’s house in the middle of nowhere, documented his making of traditional dokra jewelry and everything found peace.

I felt as if a weight had been lifted. I overcame my fear and because of this closure I grew in terms of my work as well. It broadened my limits for creativity, I had finally left my negativity to start anew.