Chandan Sojitra, the vegan photographer!
I’d like you to meet Chandan Sojitra, the vegan photographer!
Chandan Sojitra discovered the magic of telling a story through photographs over a decade ago. He was further motivated by seeing the joy it brought to others. He is known for being relaxed, taking shots naturally, as they come up. He’s an artist with a lens.
I know that you follow a vegan lifestyle and you're a photographer. Have you always been a vegan photographer?
I first picked up a camera in 2010. I developed my style of Visual Storytelling a few years later and started to shoot professionally. Soon after, I learned about the shocking realities of the animal agriculture industries and I became an ethical vegan.
Are veganism and photography separated in your mind and in the way you live or does one affect the other?
After I became an ethical vegan, I turned into a bit of an empath and started to "feel" the world around me along with people's vibes and energy. I guess for me the two are connected. I think it’s important for everyone to know the truth about where their “food” or “fashion” comes from and in the same way, I see myself as a truth seeker when I document weddings and events.
How is your way of using the lens different to other photographers?
I document the day as it genuinely unfolds, the tears, the laughter, the clinking of glasses, everything. I don’t just turn up and shoot. For me, being a wedding photographer means that I am part of a couple's legacy. I provide them with more than just photos; I create heirlooms and cherished memories for them. The empath in me allows me to be able to bring people's stories to life by feeling and showing the real person behind the moment.
I'm aware that you offer wedding photo albums. How are they different from what you might have used if you weren't vegan?
There are several things that can make a wedding photo album non-vegan. some of these things are:
The glue
The paper
The cover
I no longer offer leather covers and I regularly check with the manufacturers that the glue used in my albums are free from animal derivatives.
How do you make your business sustainable in terms of the materials you use?
Today I'm one of the only vegan wedding photographers who is making an effort to offset my carbon footprint. I do this in the following ways:
planting 12 trees for every album ordered
donating £50 to an animal sanctuary for every wedding booked
planting trees for every flight taken to a destination wedding by using a carbon emissions calculator
not using leather camera straps and instead, shifting to using straps that are made from cotton canvas material
Have you ever photographed a fully vegan event? If so, how was that for you?
Not yet. I would love to document a fully vegan event. I think that suppliers in the wedding industry overall should look into making their businesses more sustainable and eco friendly. There’s a lot of waste at weddings, especially when there’s a lot of guests attending. This could be waste from the wedding favours, the catering and also the décor. The good news is that slowly, some suppliers are starting to look into how they can implement changes.
I would have loved to support a vegan business and have our wedding photos taken by a vegan photographer when we got married. Would you consider using a vegan photographer? If so, you know where to go! :)
“To get mud off your hands, use soap and water. To get blood off your hands, go vegan.”