HAPPY MEMBER MONDAY!

THIS WEEK WE INTERVIEWED THE INCREDIBLY TALENTED PHOTOGRAPHER

Parmveer Masuta

“I am from a small town called Livingston in Central California. I was born and raised around the area and went to school at California State University, Stanislaus where I received my BA in Art before deciding to get the heck out of the Central Valley to live in San Francisco so I could obtain my teaching credential from San Francisco State University. I have been teaching different types of Art for the past 4-5 years now and I would like to take a gap year, so I can see whether becoming a full time photographer can work out for me. I am an Aquarius, so my birthday is just around the corner. January 24th, 1989 is when I was born. Oh, but around here we do not call it January. We call it Parmuary! ”

— Parmveer Masuta

How did you get into Photography?

“I grew up interested in many types of art from spoken word to drawing to photography. Nothing stuck to me more than learning photography though because of the darkroom process and the stories behind a photograph.

Darkroom photography was a class I took my junior year in high school back in 2005-06. It was something I lived for! To see what I captured come to life inside that darkroom was just incredible. It was like seeing a story unfold on it’s own and there’s something about those photographs that will always hold a special place in my heart. It’s too bad most darkrooms are gone now.

I loved interpreting other people’s photographs as well, especially the powerful ones that would tell me story or make me wonder what was going on in the photograph, which is why I began a personal photography project title, “Up in the Air” where I take powerful stories and document them through my photography to help spread awareness, motivate people, inspire people, and so much more. I hope to publish “Up in the Air” and share it with the world on my 30th birthday, which is almost exactly a year from now. I want to prove just how powerful photographs can be and that I can do something extremely meaningful and worth investing in instead of just scrolling away from it within a few seconds. ”

— Parmveer Masuta

How did you find out about TGS?

“Monique Quintero, JD Worland, Mercedez Higgins, are just a few names, and friends of mine, that I saw posting about TGS last year on Instagram. That’s how I heard about it.
”

— Parmveer Masuta

Why’d you join?

“I noticed that both Monique and JD were apart of it. I was taken by surprise, not because they do not deserve it, but because I could not believe that people from the Central Valley were getting recognized. I loved that because I had always felt that we were overshadowed by places such as San Francisco and Yosemite, so it was exciting to see that the Central Valley was apart this. In addition, I believe both Monique and JD recommended me to Alex Morehouse, Alex and I talked over the phone, and next thing you know I am hosting meet ups and designing Instagram story promos for TGS. ”

— Parmveer Masuta

Where do you get your inspiration from?

“Traveling and listening to people’s stories. I would love to travel around the world, listen to different powerful stories so I could expand my “Up in the Air” project into a possible series, and document it all through my photography. I have always told myself, “The world is just too big NOT to be explored!” And I want to explore every corner I possibly can, learn about it, and capture it. ”

— Parmveer Masuta

What’s your favorite way to get out of a creative rut?

“Taking a break. If I force myself to create while in a creative rut, I probably would not like the outcome of my art, so taking a break works for me. It allows me to get away from my creativity and come back to it with a fresh mind and fresh eyes.”

— Parmveer Masuta

Most interesting story revolving around photography?

“I am on the verge of leaving my teaching job to pursue photography full time. I DO NOT want to look back and regret NOT taking this leap of faith. I enjoy helping others, but I think it’s time to help others a different way. I hope that way is with “Up in the Air” because it involves everything I enjoy doing from traveling to listening to a good story to documenting that good story through my photography and lastly to help others by sharing the story. I am okay with taking less money, because at the end of the day I am living out my passion! Chase your passion ladies and gentlemen and never, EVER, look back because I looked back once already.”

— Parmveer Masuta

Random stuff about you?

“
- I vlog my photography adventures and travels
- Taco truck burritos over taco truck tacos
- Taught Art 1, Art 2, Art 3, silkscreen printing, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, photography, and ceramics within the last 4 years
- I am still in my 20s
- I will photograph a FREE wedding outside of California as long as my expenses are paid for”

— Parmveer Masuta