Cellphone Photography - In Search of Solace

George Kamelakis speaks to Nilofer Khan about embracing change, and the intention behind his sombre and sometimes mysterious images.

- George Kamelakis

Photographs are slices of moments witnessed by the camera. Sometimes the image is a direct portrayal of this observation. At other times, it takes more than just a glance to deduce what the picture holds. Something in the photograph stirs and tugs at your subconscious. It’s like piecing together a puzzle. The details are laid out in plain sight, but it is only after examining each piece that you are able to see the bigger picture. All these qualities are reflected in George Kamelakis’ photographs.

Best of Both

Worlds Initially, George would photograph everything under the sun. This changed as his work began to revolve around people. “I have always been drawn to portraiture. A lot of people consider it a difficult genre. But they don’t understand that it’s not about the camera or the lights. It’s about the interaction between you and the subject,” he explains. Besides taking the traditional route, he also likes to experiment with his portraits. One such fascinating project is Belle that he began in 2015. In this series, the faces of the women have been covered by their hair. Even then, you can understand the story through their body language and his accurate use of colours. “Originally, the faces of the models were completely obscured. Later, I decided to allow some features to be visible in a few of the portraits. The idea behind the series is to depict inner beauty, but I’ll leave this open to the viewer to interpret,” he says.