NEHA BASU, PHOTOGRAPHY

A woman with a fighting spirit and who swears by the book “The Secret” – meet Neha Basu, founder of Neha Brackstone Photography. A self-taught photographer with over six years of experience, Neha loves capturing people at their happiest and best. With a job that ensures she is surrounded by joy, she says “it never feels like work.” She is drawn to beautiful spaces, bursts of colour and loves to photograph them in the best way possible. Neha started her journey with no …formal course or degree in photography – so it wasn’t a smooth start. The early days as a freelancer meant no steady income and long breaks between shoots. She spent all her free time learning more about photography from her wide network of friends in the industry. As she opened up to me, Neha talked about all the times when it seemed like it could not get any worse. She has coped with the emotional turmoil that surrounds a divorce, survived in recession-hit country for 10 years (in a racist town) and as if that was not enough, around 3 years ago, Neha met with an accident while on one of her shoots that put her out of action for a whole year. She describes that phase as “intensely painful”. More than the immense physical pain, what hurt Neha more was to let go of the projects she was scheduled to shoot for. She felt “lost and like I would never be successful again.” That’s when she chanced upon the book “The Secret” and it changed her outlook to life. She suggests everyone reads it as it teaches us to focus on our thoughts, reflect on the subconscious messages we are sending the universe and think about everything we are attracting into our lives. She says she got through that low phase because of the unconditional support from family and friends. The entire process taught Neha humility, empathy and above all – how to be a fighter! Neha’s story is truly one of turning pain into power and ultimately ending in pure bliss. There is excitement in her voice as she talks about her recent “most incredible” expedition to Antarctica (more on that later) and having married the “love of her life.” Ending the conversation on a high note she says “If you are passionate about something, pursue it; and always remember people treat you the way you treat yourself so give the maximum love to yourself.”