Dheeraj Khandelwal: Capturing emotion through the lens of nature and humanity

From engineer to self-taught photographer, Dheeraj Khandelwal’s work goes beyond the lens to evoke deep emotional connections with nature and humanity
Dheeraj Khandelwal
Dheeraj Khandelwal
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“Each photograph carries a piece of me, a piece of the love and effort I put into capturing the moment,” says Dheeraj Khandelwal, a self-taught photographer whose work transcends simple imagery. Grounded in visual storytelling, his compositions are not only beautiful but emotionally resonant. “The depth in a photograph is what resonates with the viewer,” he explains.

Originally from Chennai, Dheeraj’s journey into photography was far from conventional. A former IT professional and engineer, he switched careers in 2019 after realizing that his true calling lay in photography. “I felt stuck between my job and my calling,” he recalls.

His work reflects a delicate balance between humans and nature, urging viewers to look beyond commercially popularized versions of nature and seek a deeper connection. “True connection comes when you explore beyond the beaten path,” he says. Through his lens, Dheeraj calls on us to appreciate nature’s fragility and the need for conservation.

DHEERAJ KHANDELWAL

A pivotal moment in Khandelwal’s career came with the Chandrayaan-3 launch on July 14. As he stood in a crowd of 25,000-30,000 at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, he captured the emotional essence of the event. “It wasn’t just a space launch—it was a victory shared by everyone, especially the children,” he recalls. “It reminded me that anything is possible.”

Experimentation with materials has become a hallmark of Dheeraj’s work. For his exhibition on Chandrayaan-3, Footprints on the Moon, he experimented with backlit media to convey the vastness of space, using lighting to intensify the emotional depth of his images.

DHEERAJ KHANDELWAL

What Dheeraj seeks most is for people to discover themselves through his work. “The best feeling is when someone views my prints and shares a similar feeling to what I felt when I captured the shot,” he shares. This connection, he believes, is the ultimate success for an artist—when the emotional truth embedded in the photograph is recognized and shared.

Looking ahead, he aspires to document Antarctica’s pristine landscapes. “The whiteness and peace of it draw me,” he says. This dream aligns with his broader goal of making his images travel globally, inspiring others to explore the world as he does.

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