The Gaze Behind The Lens

He is not just a photographer.
He’s someone who listens deeply before he clicks the shutter.
His work feels honest, sometimes raw, sometimes gentle… but always real.

A photograph can hold, not just an image… but a story, a silence, sometimes even a shift in how we see the world. Srinath’s style is silence.The kind of silence that holds presence, observation, and depth. The kind that is attentive.

In this episode, I sat down with Mr Srinath Rao, a photographer whose work has been circling quietly through my mind for a while now. His images stay with you. Not because they shout for attention, but because they don’t. They are not built on spectacle. They are built on trust.

More than a Frame

It is hard to describe what exactly Srinath does without showing you the work itself. His portraits feel like held breaths. You can sense that the person in front of the lens is not performing. They are simply… being.

That kind of presence doesn’t come from a camera.
It comes from the one holding it.

Srinath doesn’t treat photography as a tool for perfection. He treats it as a conversation. A slow, respectful one. The kind that requires you to let go of control, let go of assumptions, and allow the moment to unfold on its own terms.

The Episode

This conversation doesn’t offer 10 tips for better portraits. It doesn’t try to teach or impress.
But if you have ever tried to create something honest… this one might feel familiar.

Srinath reminded me that the most powerful work often begins in calm and stillness.

And that sometimes, to truly see, we need to stop trying to capture, and start trying to understand.

🎧 Watch the full episode here:

We Spoke About...

We spoke about perception. About learning to see without projecting. About how technical skill is only one part of the work, and how emotional patience is just as vital.

We touched on memory, observation, the artist’s relationship with self-doubt, and what it means to hold space for another person… not just as a subject, but as a collaborator in the story being told.

And we also laughed. Quietly. At the absurdity of the creative process, at the unpredictable rhythm of client work, and at the strange beauty of doing something for years without fully knowing why, except that you have to.

Connect with Mr Srinath:

Stories with Venky

With this channel I wish to bring you voices that are often unseen. Artists, adventurers, and everyday humans doing extraordinary things. New episodes every Friday at 8pm.