The Transcript

Karthika: Welcome. Anna. Thank you so much for joining me on Culturally Ours. I am so excited to have you on the podcast and I cannot wait to chat with you and get to know you a little bit better.

Annapurna: Oh, thanks so much for having me. I’m a big fan of the podcast. It’s really nice to be one of your guests.

Karthika: Oh, that’s such a nice thing to say. Thank you. Before we begin, could you tell us a little bit about sort of who you are, where you’re from, just to help set the stage for this conversation?

Annapurna: Yeah, sure. So my name’s Annapurna Mellor I am a travel photographer and I sometimes write as well. I’ve shot for lots of brands and publications, like CNN Traveler, Lonely Planet, Cannon, and I do commercial work as well. And I’m based in Manchester, which is in the north of England. But I sort of spend quite a lot of my time, obviously traveling and for work and for pleasure. And I also run Roam magazine, which is like a cultural online platform where we have lots of contributors from around the world.

Karthika: Yes. And it’s a beautiful online space with lots of wanderlust inspiring stories.

Annapurna: Yeah, I hope so.

Karthika: Now you are, I would say a creative, you are a photographer, you write, you travel. How did all of this come about. Is this something you went to school for or you. How did all of this come about? Is this something you sort of went to school for or you always knew you would get into?

Annapurna: I didn’t go to school for this. But I think it’s very much been built up throughout my life. My parents are both travelers and they spent two years cycling around the world. And I was conceived at the end of that trip in the Annapurna mountains where my name comes from and yes, I spent the first four months of my life in my mom’s tummy on a cycle route from Nepal, England. I was actually born in England. But we also lived in Dubai, in Australia and then we used to holiday in lots of exciting places like Fiji, Sri Lanka, Thailand, New Zealand, and then all over Europe. So it was quite a different lifestyle to a lot of people, especially people that grew up in England. I think I’d be into like over 20 countries before I was 10 so I think that definitely like contributed a lot into why I’m so comfortable traveling now. And Yeah, my dad was also a photographer. But I didn’t actually pick up a camera properly until I was 21 and I graduated university, I was living in London and I felt very like lost at the time and the lifestyle that spoke to a busy, high pace lifestyle, everyone’s very concerned about career and money and I kind of felt at the time like I hadn’t really found my place or the kind of job I wanted to get into. All my friends are getting these graduate jobs and I told myself I am going to go climb the mountain I was named after. So I booked a one way ticket to Kathmandu and then I following on from my time in Nepal, I spent a year in India and Southeast Asia and then I came home via the Trans-Mongolian highway.

Karthika: Wow, that’s amazing.

Annapurna: Yeah. And that really set me up. It was during that year that I started taking photos. I was writing a blog. And I really started to realize that maybe this is a job. You meet a lot of people when you’re traveling and they have a lot of like unconventional lifestyles, meet people that work on the road or just live a more relaxed lifestyle where they are doing the things that they love. And I realized that maybe I could do that as well. So when I came back to England, I was living at home and then I took a little trip to Morocco. It was a quick get away from England. And I did a blog post about that and it got spotted by Getty images. That was my first professional step and that was probably about five years ago now, six years ago. So that might seem like a long time between building a portfolio and traveling as much as I can. I worked a lot of crappy jobs in the beginning and then I went full time as a travel photographer about two and a half years ago now.

Karthika: That’s quite an adventure. What I really love about your work is the people you photograph. It is a huge part of your portfolio and your work and somehow you managed to capture raw emotions in a very authentic way. I feel like I’m standing right there with you being a part of that interaction. So I’m just curious from a creative perspective, what is that process like for you? What do you look for the most in an image or moment or a frame that even before you kind of click that shutter and take the shot?

Annapurna: Thank you so much for saying such nice things about my work. It is my favorite thing to photograph and it’s the thing that I feel more comfortable photographing and like that’s what I’m looking for when I’m traveling. And so it’s really nice that that sort of emotion connects with the viewer as well. I have taken a lot of pictures when I travel and now I feel very comfortable asking people for their portraits. But I know it’s something at the beginning that a lot of photographers find quite difficult and I always get asked like, how did you this picture? Like how did you find this person? How did you get them to agree and I think it’s quite simple. It’s just like a human connection really. And essentially, most of the time I find I see somebody probably just on the street, he was got an interesting face or maybe they are standing in an interesting light or the backdrops quite interesting. And I think oh, that’s a picture. And you just ask them. And sometimes I do get a no, and sometimes it can be frustrating, especially if it’s like an amazing picture but they said no. And, you know, different places in the world have different approaches to being photographed. But I think being a woman plays a big part in why people feel, maybe not threatened by me. I’m a young woman, I’m traveling alone and I think I have quite a calm demeanor. If I go up to them with a big smile on my face, like say to them, oh, you are really beautiful, or can I photograph you? And that puts people at ease. And that’s why in my pictures, hopefully it looks quite natural, quite authentic. I don’t really do set up portraits very much.

Karthika: I agree and you said some things that I really want to reference back to because its really not that different than if you were meeting someone at a party. You are going to want to get to know them and you’re curious or you’re friendly. I don’t know why. Sometimes people assume that just because you have a camera or you are a photographer, you just are entitled. You take whatever photos you want and nobody should stop you. But these are people. These are people who at the end of the day are just like you. I appreciate the fact that you’re not one of those that just puts the camera to their face and says, okay, I’m going to take the shot. You ask. I know there’s a big, debate on should you and shouldn’t you ask. And I’m a big proponent of you always ask, because I would hate to be photographed without somebody asking me

Annapurna: So there is a time and a place for street photography where it’s maybe a wider shot or maybe it has nothing to do with the person. It is more to do with them adding something to the frame. So for example I take a lot of photos of famous monuments and people are walking across it because it just adds an element of humanity to the image. So then it is not possible to ask permission because the image is not about them per say. So I think there’s a time and a place for photographing people without permission. But if you’re taking a head shot of somebody essentially you need to. A lot of the time people will shoot with a 200mm lenses, a long lens, and take photos from afar. First of all there is no eye contact in the image and second that just rude

Karthika: Yeah, I agree. Now you’ve traveled all over the world for your assignments, for personal projects and such. Could you share some experiences or people who’ve really made an impact on your life, your lifestyle? And I think more importantly, just your mindset and attitude in life.

Annapurna: There are so many amazing people that I’ve met and I can think of some really amazing guides and people that I have photographed and people who run homestays. But I think someone that comes to mind is a Buddhist nun that I met. She was my teacher at the root institute in Bodhgaya, which is a Buddhist center in Bodhgaya. I’m sure her name was Sarah and she was an English nun. She was originally from England but she had spent many years, I think over 20 years living as a nun in both India and Nepal. And she had like this really wonderful energy about her. And she was like so calm about everything. And I remember, we were on this trip and we visited a lot of sites in the area and there was oftentimes that things went wrong. Like maybe the bus didn’t show up or we were being overcharged, things that often happen in India. And she just so calm. I think a lot of travelers get really annoyed at these situations and it kind of ruins the day and she just approached everything with this really calm attitude. And even though these things are annoying, you can just take a big breath, smile and then you know it’s just a little tiny situation and often these things add to the story or your memory of the place. I just remember she being in this very chaotic place and approaching it in a way which I really admired and I think as I’ve gone on to travel and being in a lot of other countries that are quite similar in this way to India, I’ve just learnt to take a deep breath. It’s okay. It’s not the end of the world.

Karthika: Yeah. I think just going with the flow is good in any situation. But traveling and especially traveling in India, it’s always kind of an adventure for sure. Now is being on the road really so hard? I know we tend to see often the glamorous aspect of it, but not necessarily the struggles. How do you cope with kind of being on the road, I know you just talked about Sarah and her sort of philosophy in life, but what are other strategies that you would recommend for having a good time and spending time on the road, authentically if I could say that.

Annapurna: So I think Instagram gives this kind of perception that travel photographers are all staying in these really fancy hotels and have private drivers. And occasionally I have traveled like that perhaps. But generally on trips you’re traveling like the backpacker, you’re staying in kind of like dodgy, cheap hotels. You are up at 4:00 AM every day to get sunrise, you have to take like these crazy 15 hour night trains, which just like rock and ramble and these buses which got in the mountains which might fall off the mountain and its moments like this that are not so unglamorous. But I think this is the best way to travel, especially if you want to get good photographs. Traveling like a local how you’re going to like really connect with people and get the really amazing pictures of people and trains and people in public transport and people in these tiny villages and little guesthouses and things like that.

Annapurna: And so I think even though things are difficult, there’s also a positive side to those difficulties. And that’s why I still continue to travel like that a lot of the time. One thing that’s really hard though about traveling, especially when you’re traveling alone is getting sick and it’s something that unfortunately I’ve experienced quite a lot of times. I really like to go to these local off the beaten track places. I like to eat local food and live as much as the local as I can. But this has meant that I’ve like probably had food poisoning many times and that’s not fun. You have to sit in a hotel room for a few days constantly right off the toilet. That’s a really hard part of traveling. But you just have to like say, okay, this is the downside, but look at all these amazing positives for the rest of the trip. And for me it’s totally worth those few days of vomiting and diarrhea for amazing experience.

Karthika: You know, it’s so funny you say this because I am exactly the same way and I pretty often traveled with my young kids and we go home to India quite a bit. But even otherwise we are all about the local cuisine and experiencing all the local things. And I know some of my friends would go to India and then the first thing they would do is go to McDonald’s. Why would you do that? I mean off all the places, India. I mean just go to the chai walla or pick up a samosa chat which is so much more traditional. But I know that fear can be hard at times, I guess each his own. But you bring up a good point about  travel and experiencing it so that you know the country, the culture, the people – all of that as opposed to just having the tourist lens I guess.

Annapurna: Yeah, definitely. Sometimes when you stay in these nice hotels and you just take private taxes around everywhere, you don’t really see how people live. And that’s such an important part of getting to know country and getting to know people.

Karthika: Yes, for sure. Now, Anna, how do you balance all these things you have going for you – being on the road, having a career, friends and family and your own aspirations. How to balance all these things in life?

Annapurna: Balance I think can be difficult at times and it’s something I’m working on all the time. At the moment I’m still really young. I’m only 27. I don’t have children, I don’t have like a mortgage or anything like that. So I feel now is the time I have to focus on my career. And my passions and the things that I really want to do. And I’m really lucky that my work and my passion is essentially the same thing. So there’s no conflict between that. Because when I’m traveling for work, I’m doing the thing that I really love. It’s not like I have to come home and like recharge or do something different. I think the biggest sort of a balance thing for me is finding and spending time doing the things I love, which is photographing and traveling. Those things that really like feed my soul. And also balancing that with spending time with people that I love, who are at home. And sometimes these people like don’t really understand my desire to go to some remote part of the Himalayas to look for a particular picture or something and then they might not share those same interests and things like that. So it’s balancing those two paths in my life at the moment that is what I am focusing on the most.

Karthika: So when you’re not on the road, when you’re home, are there things that you absolutely do? Like on a Sunday you will spend time with family. I guess I’m trying to understand the more tactical things because of your nomadic lifestyle.

Annapurna: Yes and no. It is very difficult for me to make any kind of routine because a lot of work comes up very last minute. So usually in a month I’m away for at least a week of the month. So even trying to do something like you said meeting family on Sunday or trying a yoga class every Sunday is not always possible. So I just have to take it when I’m home. I just have to try and fit in as many with whatever time I can. But there are a lot of things I like to do at home that I really cannot do when I travel. Like I love cooking and doing yoga and going for walks, spending time with my boyfriend and things like that.

Karthika: All right Anna. So I want to ask you this because of what you do in your lifestyle. How can people become more ethical and inclusive as they travel? Do you have any sort of pieces of advice on, especially for not just other sort of travel photographers and writers, but even just the general public, how can they kind of be more aware and not just quote unquote do it for the gram.

Annapurna: Yeah, this is become a big thing, especially in the last few years, the cost of Instagram and a lot of people going to places they shouldn’t go to or I don’t know, standing on the edges of ancient buildings just to get a picture and things like that. And I don’t think people already did these things before Instagram. Also there’s definitely like a bit of a copycat culture there with specific places. Sometimes I’ve been to these places and you just can’t really believe what you’re seeing. You have to remember that getting those exact same pictures everybody else. Why is that adding to your travel experience? You’re going to look back in a few years time and you’re not going to remember that time you pushed for that place . Instead you will remember so many other things about the local culture or some amazing dish that you ate or the really great cooking class that you took. Or even some beautiful spot that you went to that where there was nobody else there and you had this place all to yourself. Being a more ethical traveler is like trying to travel as close to the local culture as possible and not leave a negative footprint on the place, which isn’t natural to the place. So I’m always trying to support local homestays or support family run and guest houses cause they’re the people that really benefit from that money. Not the Hilton kind of hotels. And then I’m always trying to find something unique when I photograph because I could go to the same places and get the same shots that everybody else gets. But why is that interesting? That’s not interesting to me. It’s much more interesting to go to the places that no one’s been or just find some really interesting face on the street at a random fish market at five o’clock in the morning and really connect with that person. You get a different kind of picture and you also get this experience that you’re always going to remember.

Karthika: Absolutely. And I think you hit the nail right on the head. Connect with that person, right? I mean, what is their story, who are they? Why are they at the fish market at five o’clock in the morning? These are all just normal questions. I mean, aren’t we all curious? We want to know these things, but somehow like you said this Instagram culture, it has become a culture I think. Where, you know, you do it for the gram and you all obsessed with how many likes you have, how many comments. I agree that is work for a lot of people, but that shouldn’t be the sole reason that you travel or you connect with other people and you experience things. What do you want to remember? Like you said, what is your favorite memory? What is that favorite dish that you’ve had?

Karthika: Let’s perhaps start to maybe wrap this up with some more questions. What has been your biggest aha moment in life and maybe another way to kind of put this is what has life taught you?

Annapurna: I think my biggest Aha moment is probably like when I first went traveling, I think I was very lost and wondering who I was and the kind of life I wanted. And in England people really get into this cycle of like, I must have a career and then I get a house and then I have kids. When I went traveling, I met these people that had really unconventional lives and really did things that were their passion. And it made me realize that I could kind of do whatever I wanted. And the world is very open. And when I found travel photography and I realized that this could be my career, it was like this moment of realizing like I’m not lost anymore. A lot of people in their early twenties really don’t know what they’re doing their lives. I was very similar to that. And when I found the thing that I loved and then I realized that I could do this with my life and this was a job and that was definitely a moment I knew I’m not lost anymore. This is my thing. This is what I’m supposed to do, this is what feeds my soul.

Karthika: And so would you say that this is what motivates you even today? What keeps you going?

Annapurna: Yes, photography is definitely a big driver for me in my life. But I think traveling probably even more, like if you said to me, you can never photograph again or you could never travel again. I choose to travel because even though the camera adds so much to my experience and I love the creative process of taking photos, it’s the exploration of the world that is so important to me and that I really love so much. And that’s what drives me as well to take photos. It’s such a big, beautiful world out there, isn’t it? Not just landscapes and monuments or whatever, but even people and cultures and how they live and that’s what it is.

Karthika: Absolutely. Diversity is a beautiful thing. Now if you could give advice or even life lessons to a younger Anna, what would those be?

Annapurna: I think it would have to be not to worry so much. I’m quite a big worrier, even a little bit. And I definitely spent a lot of time when I was first traveling, like worrying about what am I going to do when I get home or how am I going to make money? And all of those things that western society places so much emphasis on, and I think it causes a lot of anxiety in young people. You feel like you really should be doing something more important with your life than just roaming around the world and having fun when you’re 22 when actually that’s probably what you should be doing. And that’s the main way that you’re going find out so much about yourself. So I wish I just like I went with the flow a little bit more about what was happening and just like followed the things that were happening in my life and didn’t worry so much about the future.

Karthika: Yeah. It teaches you a lot of who you are. For me, I didn’t travel, I sort of had a career path. I had a path laid out for me well into my twenties and thirties, but now as I have completely shifted from what I went to school for and what I worked for me I feel like this is my new way to explore and figuring out what I like and what I don’t like. And you’re right, it’s absolutely amazing giving yourself that freedom, whatever stage in life you are. Give yourself that freedom to just get to know yourself a little bit without any boxes or lines that you need to fit in and things like that. Just freedom to express

Annapurna: Yes absolutely.

Karthika: Now what do you do for fun? I know you said you try not get into a routine because that’s hard, but how do you unwind after a long day, whether you’re traveling or even at home?

Annapurna: I love cooking. I’m vegetarian for a long time and I really like making like vegetarian versions of Asian, Asian food, Indian food. So that’s something I definitely do like in the evenings when I’m home and I always look forward to coming home and having a kitchen to cook. I really love doing yoga when I’m at home and I also run sometimes it’s something that I find like when you’re traveling, even though you’re walking all the time carrying cameras your body gets quite stiff. So I like to stretch a lot and try and do exercise when I’m home. And then just like relaxing, like watching like documentaries. I love watching reruns of friends on TV. And just spending time with my family and friends is like the main thing.

Karthika: Okay now we are doing to do a rapid fire round, so maybe take your time little bit on some of these. And then we can wrap up me to like, uh, expand on, on the answer or just say one word. I’d say one word but don’t like if anything, like if you have something to say

Karthika: Okay – lets do a quick rapid fire round to get to know you a little better. So whatever sort of comes to mind.

• Coffee, tea or something? Tea always.
• What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream? We go to Italy, we have proper ice cream – hazelnut and dark chocolate. Madagascan chocolate.
• A quote that you get inspired by – Okay I have this quote that hangs above my desk – Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions.
• Horror Movie, action, adventure or drama – Drama
• Favorite seasons spring, summer, fall or winter? Summer. I’m a big on summer.
• Childhood dream job – I wanted to be an underwater scientist, so I guess that’s a marine biologist. I tried diving probably like four or five years ago and I had a panic attack on the water.
• Beach or mountains – since I’m named after amounts and I have to say mountain,
• Tacos or pizza – Back to Italy and we had pizza in Naples.
• What are the 3 must haves that you take with you on every trip when you’re traveling? My camera, a book for those long train journeys and something that’s always really essentially like a scarf factually, especially when you’re getting into like places of worship and just like cover yourself up. I find I can use it as a blanket. I always found it really good thing to have.
• What’s your favorite country in the world? India for so many reasons, but when I always try and sell India to people, I always tell them India is like a continent in a country. You have so many contrasts of culture, of language, of religion, of landscape. You can go to the highest mountains in the world and then go to these amazing deserts and hot beaches and see so many different kinds of people and people that live in so many ways. And I feel like I just never ever tired of traveling in India because there’s always more to see and more to discover.

Karthika: So what sort of lies ahead for you? Are you kind of fully living your dream or what comes next? If it’s okay to show with us?

Annapurna: At the moment I feel like my career is going quite well and I feel like I’m like doing what I want to do and I feel very grateful for that. And all my dreams are travel related, I just always want to see more of the world. So I’m hoping to get back to India in two or three months. And then I’d love to do the Silk Road as a big thing I go to around. I love to see more of Africa and South America which are very like undiscovered contents for me. And then just continue to work with brands and magazines and being a better photographer and I want to focus more on storytelling and people and things I’m really passionate about. So I hope I can do more of that kind of work in the future.

Karthika: Oh, I don’t doubt it. I know you’re really good at good at everything that you do. And like I said, for me, your people narratives and just those experiences really speak to me, so I know you’re going to be extremely successful. Thank you so much, Anna. This was absolutely amazing and a dream come true. I’ve been a fan of your work too for a long time, so I really appreciate you coming on and sharing a little bit of your story and your life with us.

Annapurna: Thank you so much for having me. It’s been a pleasure to chat to you about all things India and travel.