Dheeraj was born brought up in Mumbai (India). Simple in his ways, he had a tendency to drift towards the creative from the start. However, he decided to give the technical world a shot and set out to pursue an engineering degree after junior college.
At the age of 21, he laid his hands on his first camera and a mutual relationship of passionate attraction began finding its feet in Dheeraj’s world. Since that day, he lay down his inhibitions and never looked back.
He dropped out after 4 years in engineering and went onto complete a Master Craftsman Degree course in Photography from Mumbai itself. The attraction of the lens had led him to the limitless and enticing world of photography.
His obsession with the camera was rewarded during the course of these years with 2 awards that granted him the initial recognition he deserved:
- In 2008, he won First Prize in the Portfolio category at PIEA USA. This was an International award of repute.
- In 2009, he followed that up with a Grand Prize in the Portfolio category at the nationwide festival ‘Nirmaan’ which was held Kolkata.
“Photography helps freeze a moment for eternity,” says Dheeraj. It’s the best possible way to relive a moment since memory is such a fallible tool. Dheeraj’s technical background held him in good light as he went on to specialize in Architectural photography. However his competence with various photographic elements means he’s equally comfortable even in the abstract, people and commercial fields.
Dheeraj has had works published in magazines like Society Interiors, Elle Décor (50th Anniversary edition of Feb-March 2010), Forbes India, India Today and Domus, the Indian edition of the International Architectural Magazine in 2011. He has also closely worked with the mercurial artist Riyas Komu over the course of years.
Dheeraj has also worked with big names from various corporate industries like Oberoi Realty, Tata Housing, Piramal Realty, Panchshil, Runwal, Rustomjee, Godrej Properties, the Kochi Muziris Biennale Foundation, and SNK Architects just to name a few.
In 2020, Dheeraj has completed One Year Filmmaking program from Prague Film School, Prague and is currently developing his skills in cinematography and video editing as well.
“Shooting with Dheeraj was very smooth and enjoyable. I was pleasantly surprised by how comfortable I felt during the process. He has great ideas and likes to try different scenarios and possibilities which makes it fun and dynamic”
“Working with Dheeraj was an excellent creative experience. He was incredibly professional, organising Pinterest boards, and ensuring we had similar inspirations before we met. On the day of shooting he was happy to travel out to my studio, very early in the morning to catch the light, and we had a lot of fun working with our different ideas. His expertise was very helpful, and he made me feel comfortable and relaxed. I would definitely recommend him as a photographer, and will happily make use of his skills in the future.”
Dheeraj is a very kind, thoughtful and dedicated professional who will make you feel comfy and relaxed even if this is your first time shooting ever. His presence is very reassuring and makes you feel at ease in front of the camera.
And the result speaks for itself. Even after 2 years, I still mainly use the pictures from my photo shoot with Dheeraj as these are the pictures that truly show the essence of me. The shots are very expressive, full of emotions and live in each captured moment.
Can’t thank you enough!