ABOUT GURINDER

Gurinder Osan specializes in landscape and social documentary photography and is based in New Delhi, India.

He has traveled extensively in the Himalayas since 1987, passionately photo-documenting the poetry of these beautiful mountains. He acquired mountaineering training from US based NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) and has traversed many a high altitude regions in pursuit of his work and self realization.

He has also traveled with friends on an Enfield Bullet 350cc motorcycle across the worlds highest Khardung la pass in Ladakh twice besides many other parts of the Indian Himalayas, camping outdoors for extended periods of time and carrying all the gear necessary to do so.

Gurinder currently works as staff photographer with the Associated Press (AP). His recent work can be viewed here.

Amongst the major news assignments he covered for the AP are the Mumbai Terror Attack (2008), the Delhi serial bomb blasts (2008), the Mumbai Train Blasts (2006), the Lankan internal strife (2006), the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne (2006), the Kashmir Earthquake (2005), the Tsunami (2004), the Indian elections (2004 and 2009), the 50^th Anniversary of the climb to Mount Everest (2003) besides news events in India, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bhutan.

His images have found prominent display in many leading newspapers and magazines worldwide.

Prior to the AP, Gurinder worked as a freelance photographer (1998-2002), he shot editorial assignments for magazines like Far Eastern Economic Review, Indian Design And Interiors, besides working for UNICEF,. development organizations like Oxfam, Aarth, Ankur, Tamana Special School etc.

He has been equally adept at working with advertising agencies and direct clients on people, product and conceptual photography. He worked regularly with FCB-Ulka, Ogylvy and Mather, Leo Burnet.

Earlier, he worked for the BusinessWorld magazine (1994-1998) and the The Indian Express newspaper (1991-1994).

Amongst the prominent assignments he handled for the BusinessWorld were:

Photo feature on the capping operation of the ONGC oil rig blow-out at Parsalapudi in the Godavari Basin. (1995), Toured across India for a feature on the Indian Railways(1995), Photo feature on the Rajasthan Canal (1995) Photo feature on the Auto Expo – 96, Besides these, traveled to several cities in India for business news/feature related stories

Amongst the prominent assignments he handled for the Indian Express were:

Riots in Delhi following the demolition of the Babri masjid (1992), International Athletic Meet, New Delhi (1993), Bangladeshi refugees being deported (1993) and Hazratbal crisis in Kashmir, Srinagar (1994). Besides these, covered current affairs, feature stories, sports, culture, development page etc

Gurinder has regularly synergized his mainline work with various parallel projects.

Amongst the prominent ones are:

• Extensive photo-documentation of the Rebari nomads of Indian Rajasthan state, who herd cattle and are presently leading a marginalized existence. (1992- 93)

• Close association with prominent theatre director Habib Tanvir, photo-documenting his life and groups’ performances. (1992-96)

• Commissioned to photograph for interactive CD ROM projects on the Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation, the Indian Railways and on the Taj Mahal, shooting virtual reality projects when they were still a new technology.

• Photo documented artisans working in their natural environment for “Status Report on India’s Artisans”, published by CAPART, Delhi. (1988)

• Worked for NGO’s on project basis photo-documenting issues related to development. Worked as photographer for UNICEF, New Delhi (Nov. 1998) on a month long project documenting stock based images and later for commissioned assignments.

Workshops Attended:

2005: Diploma in Mountaineering from USA based NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School)

2003: Diploma in HEFAT (Hazardous Environment First Aid Training) conducted by Centurion.

2001- 2003: Was amongst 15 photographers chosen from across India for the 2001- 2003 World Press Photo Seminar series.

1995: Member of first National Workshop on Photography organized by Lalit Kala Akademi, Delhi, in the tribal district of Koraput in Orissa

Workshops conducted:

2005 Conducted 7-day workshop with a group of 15 serious amateurs on landscape photography in Ladakh, for Better Photography magazine.

2001 Conducted 8-day workshop with a group of 11 serious amateurs on a trek to Harkidoon valley in the remote and scenic Garhwal Himalayas, camping in the great outdoors

2000 Conducted Five-day workshop with 10 children for pitara.com in Delhi

1996 Conducted 2-day workshop with a large group of senior students of Mira Model School, Delhi

1995 Conducted 2-day photography workshop for the students of Scindia School – Gwalior

1995 Conducted 2-day photography workshop for the students of IIT Kanpur

Exibitions :

* 4th -30th Jan 2000 Group exhibition titled “Endless Horizons” by three photographers and friends who had travelled extensively in the Northern Himalayas, collectively and individually, photo documenting the awe inspiring beauty of these ranges and their people. The resultant images related to landscape and people were exhibited at the IGNCA, Delhi (Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts), between 4th Jan. 2000 to 30th Jan2000, inaugurated by the acknowledged photographer S.Paul, who described it as the best exhibition on landscape photography ever held in Delhi. All the 131 prints in colour and B&W mounted were printed at his personal darkroom.

* April 2001 Prints exhibited as part of group show titled “999″ at vis-a-vis gallery, Delhi. The show traveled to other important cities of India.

Dec 1995 Photographs selected for exhibition titled -Echoes from Panchpatmali, organized by Lalit Kala Akademi in Delhi and Bhubaneshwar

Sep 1992 Photographs selected for traveling exhibition of photographs from SAARC nations.