Today we’d like to introduce you to Pallavi Sharma.
Hi Pallavi, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Born and raised in India, my fascination for the artistic pursuits, be it painting, classical Indian dancing, and music, has been part of me since kindergarten. I am utterly grateful to my parents for exposing me to the various fields. My father’s deep interest in photography intrigued me greatly. At that time when I was only 6-7 yrs. old, I had no idea that this would stick with me through my adulthood and would one day become my profession!
I was raised in a small town of Jamshedpur, India, where kids were taught to dream big and never quite settle for anything less, be it in academics, career or life. My mom had dreamt for us to explore the world not only outside of our hometown but country as well. She knew that it would change our perspective and life! And so, on August 2004, she put me on a plane to Minnesota (BTW, I had never sat on a plane before that day!) and my life changed completely after that!
I completed my undergrad from Winona State University in Computer Science and Math and then moved to Minneapolis for work experience. After only a couple years, I enrolled myself in an MBA program at University of St. Thomas and secured the degree while working my day job as a software developer.
One might wonder, with a busy life like mine, when did I find time for photography? My answer to that is, it never left me. Beyond running and yoga, it was my decompressing activity! Photography was and still is my respite! It is what fills my cup every time!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No path that’s worth treading on is ever free of obstacles! And I see obstacles as an opportunity – opportunity to filter out what I want from what I don’t. At first, it was to identify and figure out what within the large space of photography I even enjoy. I started off with landscape and architecture, moved on to macro and nature photography and then eventually where I am today, portraiture! And this journey took me about 11+ years.
The other obstacle was overcoming self-doubt! As artists, we can sometimes be our own worst critic and lack confidence in our abilities. Social media is a great tool but hasn’t helped in this area. Luckily when I was still evolving, social media did not have as big a presence as it does today. So, comparison did not impact me as much as self-doubt did. It would demoralize me at times and I would give up too soon. But then the power of the art was so much greater, that it would keep bringing me back to it.
And the final obstacle, that I continue to struggle with even today is patience – with myself and my art. In the culture of instant gratification, it’s even more important to exercise patience with everything, especially your craft that you were gradually trying to grow and nurture. I have to consciously remind myself to connect the dots and appreciate my work and accomplishments!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am an MN-based portrait photographer and I love celebrating people and their big moments, be it high school senior, wedding, maternity, newborn or different milestones.
My style of not only capturing dreamy images but also my painterly retouching sets me apart from others. My goal for my clients is to create dream-like pieces of art that aren’t JUST photographs. My hope for all my clients is that they cherish these pieces of art and adorn their homes with it.
With being selected to be showcased at the Fine Arts Building at the MN state fair 2 yrs. (2019 & 2021) in a row (made it to 25-30 selections out of 900 entries) I am deeply grateful to the art community in Minneapolis. These have been some of my proudest moments!
What do you like and dislike about the city?
What I love most about this city is that there is a place for everyone from every different walk of life, race, and culture! Especially as a photographer & artist, there is SO many opportunities to not only meet like-minded people but also to showcase your work. I am blown away at how rich the art scene is in Minneapolis!
What I like least were the unfortunate reasons our city was in the news last year! This city and its people need SO much tender, love, and care! We all need to evaluate as humans what we want this city to be like going forward and make small changes to create a better place for everyone!
Contact Info:
- Email: pallavisharma4@gmail.com
- Website: www.shutterglee.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/shuttergleephotography
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/shutterglee
Image Credits
Ashma Paudel
Megan Schultz
Brody & Briar
Sam & Dustin
Natalia Perez
