Meet the Pune man whose photo the won 2021’s iPhone photography award – Times of India

Sharan Shetty has been in the hospitality profession for a while now. He isn’t someone who you would call a photographer yet a photo clicked by the Pune-based hospitality professional has won the first prize at the 2021 iPhone Photography Awards. “It’s funny when I say this, but I became a photographer only because of the entry of iPhone into my life, he says.
The image — titled Bonding —that won him the award was taken in Azerbaijan in September 2019 when Shetty was travelling around the hills at Yanar Dag, near Baku. What caught my attention was the man’s connection with his horse. Both were tired walking up the mountain and both decided to rest,” Shetty explains about the concept behind the image. He chose this particular image as brings out the bond shared by both so beautifully. “Hence the name Bonding”, he says.

Shetty wasn’t expecting an award especially since has never taken part in any competition. But the ‘love’ for iPhone and the image being close to his heart, he sent in his submission. It was hard to believe in the beginning that he had won but he was secretly hoping that the images would “at least get a mention somewhere”.
Shetty started off by taking photographs of landscapes, but moved to photographing portraits. “Humans, their behaviour, their culture, their connection with nature are what have been inspiring me lately,” he says.
His ‘journey’ in photography began with an iPhone. It’s easy, user friendly, fits in the pocket comfortably and does not let him miss any moment, he says. “I don’t need to worry about buttons and camera settings since it incorporates most features required for a perfect shot in any settings,” he says. Furthermore, the iPhone makes him quick and helps him being discreet while shooting on the streets. It helps me be quick. Moreover, it helps me be discreet while on the streets.