Graf Media

09/05/2024

What’s the difference between a casual or candid picture of someone, friend or stranger, and a formal portrait? Both are an act of reaching out to people in an attempt to make a connection.

That’s the beauty of photographing people. The camera in your hand can break down walls or create barriers. It all depends on how you use it. But it also depends on your attitude and how you approach, what can be an intimate gesture. You are asking for permission to intrude upon their personal space, either casually or by design and preparation. 

People photography is all about trying to capture the personality, the  identity, the emotions, the very soul of a person. 

Portraits can be made with or without your subject’s awareness and cooperation and it is not absolutely necessary that the subject looks directly into the camera, although the success of most formal portraits depend hugely on making eye contact with the viewer. The eyes are windows to the soul they say. But the body language, the expressions and emotions portrayed by your subject can also reveal much of their personality and character.

Infinite patience and a warm friendly attitude are essential ingredients in portraiture to put your subject at ease. Learn humility and be aware and receptive to all the smallest nuances of the world around you. Reach out to people and strangers, and it will make you a much better and more complete photographer. 

Photographs by Bharath Ramamrutham

06/05/2024

Secure Meters, Sanand

 

This industrial facility for an Indian multi-national electronics manufacturer Secure Meters is in Sanand, a city in the Indian state of Gujarat. This state of the art facility has been designed by an emerging architecture practice .design headed by Ananya Singhal .photography

This factory building is situated on a 25-acre site, a former lakebed, that has been repurposed with a master plan that creates three distinct zones within the site. Keeping in mind their long term expansion plans for manufacturing lines and employee recreation the facilities are interconnected by sheltered walkways that are covered with white, undulating kite-like fabric canopies. These provide protection from the weather for employees and visitors alike, while doubling up as a wayfinding tool to guide people through the site.

The design uplifts the work environment that promotes staff wellbeing while reducing energy consumption through the use of solar panels, a highly efficient thermal envelope, and rainwater harvesting. These features and the overall strength in the Master plan and the design of the individual buildings has made this project one of the finalists for the 2022 awards.

This environment raises the bar of design for industry, and demonstrates how factories can be inspiring with beautiful spaces that encourage collaboration and bring joy to the people working in them.

 

 

 

 

Photographs by Bharath Ramamrutham |

04/05/2024

Mansions of Chettinad

This lavishly illustrated book celebrates the now vanishing lifestyle of the Chettiar community in the south-eastern state of Tamil Nadu. Their culture and lifestyle is expressed and celebrated through grandly planned and splendidly appointed houses and mansions.

The eclectic hybrid style that emerged from this is unique in the world.

Author: George Mitchell
Photographs: Bharath Ramamrutham |

This illustrated book ‘Mansion of Chettinad’ is available for purchase on Amazon.

Purchase Link is in the bio.

30/04/2024

The Churches of  Old or (Velha) Goa. one of the many spectacular UNESCO World Heritage sites in India.

Photographed in 1998.
Equipment: LinhofTechnikardan 4 x 5
Lenses: by Schneider and Rodenstock
Format: 120 film on 6x9 and 6x12 Horseman and Wista roll film backs.
Film: Kodak Ektachrome E100 VS

29/04/2024

The Churches of  Old or (Velha) Goa. one of the many spectacular UNESCO World Heritage sites in India, represent the roots of a unique Indo-Portuguese style that developed over 450 years. This period deeply influenced the way of life while creating a unique fusion of architectural styles influenced by both western and eastern traditions exemplified by the use of local materials and a unique set of artefacts created by local craftspeople. 

The Basilica of Bom Jesus (1605), which holds the mortal remains of St.Francis Xavier is one of the oldest churches in India. Its exterior facade is almost entirely a mix of local laterite and black granite, and is famed for its handsome Baroque architecture and its elaborately gilded and carved wooden altars.

The architectural style of the Se Cathedral (1652) is Portuguese-Manueline. The exterior facade is Tuscan with Corinthian columns within its grand interior. The church is 76 m in length and 55 m in width. The front facade stands 35 m high, making it one of the largest churches in Goa.

St. Cajetan Church, also known as Our Lady of Divine Providence (1661) is modeled on the original design of St. Peter’s Church in Rome epitomizing the Renaissance style which was at its peak at that time.

The Church and Convent of St.Francis of Assisi (1517), was rebuilt in 1521 and 1661. With elements in the Gothic and Baroque styles, it is identified by its unique octagonal towers, its wooden carved altar and paintings depicting the life of 
St.Francis of Assisi. 

Photographs by Bharath Ramamrutham |

                       

26/04/2024

Acting as the main residence of the emperors of the Mughal Dynasty until 1638, The Agra Fort is a majestic red sandstone fortress. Moti masjid is an impeccably designed marble mosque inspired by a perfectly shaped pearl that is inside the fort. Its pillars are elegantly adorned with semi-precious stones in appealing floral motifs. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is inextricably linked to the more popular Taj Mahal, but is less appraised as the former.

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22/04/2024

This glorious book by Bharath Ramamrutham and captures the spirit and essence of this former city’s stately architecture and setting. As the capital of the great Vijayanagara empire, it has inspired people for centuries and continues to draw pilgrims from all backgrounds who come to gaze upon these majestic ruins in supplication and awe.

With light and shadow magically at play amongst the dramatic natural rock formations, these imposing ruins are made exquisitely graceful as they form part of this unique UNESCO World Heritage site. These images capture the core of why Hampi was such an inspiration to builders and visionaries for so many centuries.

Hampi lies in the state of Karnataka. The imprints of time and people have infused this sacred place with stories from the ancient and medieval past that come alive amongst these ruins. Hampi is a fascinating place to wander and discover the rich history of this region. The rough carvings of prehistoric times and the grand elaborately decorated temples embrace innumerable stories of Gods and Kings.



Author:
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08/04/2024

One of Bombay’s most arresting qualities is its abundance of European-style buildings, with each architectural era amply represented. The resplendent arcades with arches carved out of Indian stone, established new forms of decoration and set standards for design and detail





Photographs: Bharath Ramamrutham |

06/04/2024

Arches of Mumbai

The exquisite arch gracing the ground floor entry to the Rajabai clock Tower and the arched entrances of the Sassoon library in Mumbai. This Sasoon library building along with the Rajabhai Clock Tower are a part of the Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensemble of Mumbai, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Rajabai clock tower, an outstanding example of Venetian Gothic architecture in Mumbai, was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott, an English architect of Victorian age who also designed the Convocation Hall to the Library. The main material used in its construction is the buff colored Kurla stone, which was easily available in Mumbai those days.The tower itself is built next to the Library Building and provides an entrance to the Library through a ‘Porte Cochre’ at its base’. A portion of the total cost of construction was donated by Premchand Roychand, a prosperous broker who founded the Bombay Stock Exchange on the condition that the tower be named after his mother Rajabai.

The articulated arch of the main entrance Porch with John Lockwood Kipling’s bust of David Sassoon who partially funded the building of this Library. The building built with yellow Malad stone and followed the Victorian Gothic style of architecture was inaugurated in 1870. the oldest living library and reading room in Mumbai The ground floor facade of the three-storeyed building has pointed arches decorated in white and black stripes protecting the arcade which is characteristic of the area.



Photographs: Bharath Ramamrutham |

14/03/2024

The 18th-century Blue Green Mahal recalls the flourishing years of Rajput palace life. It is built upon the principles of Vastu Shastra and Shilpa Shastra of Indian architecture. Though left undisturbed for decades, this warren of arched chambers retains the impressive display of blue-green hues and rose-pink stencilled motifs.

A recent project photographed by Bharath Ramamrutham |

04/03/2024

Red Earth, Tadoba | WildLife Sanctuary.

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01/03/2024

A House by the River Periyar. Kochi

Designed: |
Photographs: Bharath Ramamrutham |

&iarchitects .in

11/01/2024

Across cultures, it is believed that human beings possess two sights.
There is the first sight through which we perceive the world before us.
Then, there is the second sight—a special ability, sometimes a gift.
The second sight through which we perceive the world beyond.

29/11/2023

Falaknuma, Hyderabad- India

The city of Hyderabad has numerous palaces like Purani Haveli, King Kothi and the exquisite Chowmahalla. But when it comes to luxury, grace and refined elegance it is the ‘Mirror of the sky - The Falaknuma Palace’. With its legendary collections of rare treasure including painting, statues, furniture, books and manuscripts, as well as glass cases filled with precious artefacts and Jade objects, Falaknuma alone stands as the splendid testimony to the glory, wealth and power of the 19th century court of the Nizam of Hyderabad.

Falaknuma is one of the only palaces in India to have remained in almost perfect condition with minimal changes since it was built over a hundred years ago.
The endless vistas of rooms lead off from the magnificent marbled entrance hall and with the lavishly decorated interiors characterised by fine woodwork, stained glass windows, carved rosewood and leather chairs, and exquisitely embroidered drapes and upholstery.

Falaknuma is undoubtedly one of the largest palaces that still dots the Indian landscape. Like many other palaces around India, Falaknuma is now a hotel, but what makes it different is that it has been upgraded and restored as an uber luxury hotel managed by the Taj Group.
Bharath Ramamrutham’s images are the last set of images that are documented for posterity, the magnificence of the Palace as it was.

Having worked hard for the privilege of unrestricted access over almost 20 years, his images record the rich and evocative interiors of a lifestyle that the current Hotel attempts to recreate.

Photographs: Bharath Ramamrutham

22/11/2023

The house in Goa is called Kiranpani,is located on the hill, approximately 40m above the river Teracol.
The house is carefully placed in the existing terrain and with a desire to preserve the large trees that also provide shade and keep the soil in place. One enters the property from the road which is above the house. The house is invisible from the road, as it sits on a lower level behind the jungle vegetation and the smaller buildings. One walks down a stairway to a very large wall of laterite stone with very few openings in stained glass - a reference to local Goan architecture.
One enters the house via a bridge, which leads onto a platform covered by a large tiled roof. When entering the house you are exposed to a magnificent view over the river with the mountains in the distance and the mangroves at the foot of the slope.

Photographed for ELLE DECOR Japan for special issue on Scandinavian Architecture. The main feature was the feature on Mette Lange, which opened the magazine and began with this house.

Architect:
Photographs: Bharath Ramamrutham
Text courtesy: mettelange.com

20/11/2023

14/11/2023

Traditionally, the houses in Delhi have shared a contiguous relationship with the surrounding urban landscape. Set back from the tree-lined road and spacious front garden acting as a buffer, the two-storey houses shared a connection to the outside environment. The House of Void seeks to re-establish this connection. it becomes a space where nature, light and the urban elements converge. The lower sections of the house give way for the street to run through. A deep garden reaches upwards through a series of fragmented courts and fissures and propagates downwards into the basement office. Labyrinthine voids expressed as green spaces, deep fissures and skylights run through the house, inviting the light and balancing the temperatures. A colossal structural pylon acting as the load-bearing pivot creates shaded ground. The House of Void unifies the inner and outer realms, in the process becoming interwoven with the neighbourhoods of Delhi.

Architects:
Photographs: Bharath Ramamrutham

14/11/2023

Traditionally, the houses in Delhi have shared a contiguous relationship with the surrounding urban landscape. Set back from the tree-lined road and spacious front garden acting as a buffer, the two-storey houses shared a connection to the outside environment. The House of Void seeks to re-establish this connection. it becomes a space where nature, light and the urban elements converge. The lower sections of the house give way for the street to run through. A deep garden reaches upwards through a series of fragmented courts and fissures and propagates downwards into the basement office. Labyrinthine voids expressed as green spaces, deep fissures and skylights run through the house, inviting the light and balancing the temperatures. A colossal structural pylon acting as the load-bearing pivot creates shaded ground. The House of Void unifies the inner and outer realms, in the process becoming interwoven with the neighbourhoods of Delhi.

Architects:
Photographs: Bharath Ramamrutham.

03/11/2023

The House of Voids. Delhi

Architects:
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01/11/2023

The House of Voids. Delhi

Architects:
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