About
Hello friends.
My name is Swami. I'm a photographer in the SF Bay Area and the founder of Sepia, the portfolio platform this site runs on. I shoot both landscapes and people, and I've been at it for the last 15 years.
But the origin story goes back to the 90s, when I was in Malawi and my dad got me a video camera. I took it to school one day and videotaped my classes. It was when I learned to see through a camera. Those recordings have become the most precious memories of Africa for me and my classmates.
A few highlights along the way:
- My Golden Gate Bridge image was picked as an Editor's Favorite by National Geographic in 2017
- My Gateway of India image was the #1 image on 500px for over 5 years. It has sold 200+ times and was the backdrop at Social Media Week Mumbai
- I was an official photographer at the 2018 BNP Paribas Open, where I shot Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, and Murray
- I've photographed over 30 Bollywood celebrities, including Katrina Kaif, Alia Bhatt, and Salman Khan
- My Eastern Sierra work was published in Escaype's book and shown at their San Francisco gallery
- I hosted ShotMasters, a podcast featuring award winning landscape photographers
These days I also teach a 12 week photography program for teens. Some of my former students still send me their work years later... and a few of them now shoot better than I do.
Outside of photography, I like building things and talking to interesting people. I co-founded QTR, a calm 13-week planner to hit your goals, and I host How I Got Here, a podcast about the paths remarkable people took.
I'm originally from Chennai, went to high school in Malawi, college at ASU, and now live in Pleasanton.
Thanks for stopping by. If something here speaks to you, do say hello. Would love to hear from you.
Swami
Get in touch
I'd love to hear from you