Nepal street photography by Shirren Lim

Shirren Lim does Nepal Street Photography. She has a really good eye and wonderful way of processing. I asked her for an interview which she happily said yes to.

Nepal Street Photography

Shirren, please tell us a bit about yourself

Hello, I’m Malaysian. I now live in Jakarta, Indonesia where I work in the advertising industry. All other times, I work for my hobby as a street photographer.

What inspired you to become a photographer?

My inspiration comes from wanting to explore the world and document it. Also as a means of self-expression through the visual medium. Seems so easy yet so difficult to master like poetry.

Where were these images shot?

These images were taken in and around Kathmandu, so it’s Nepal Street Photography essentially. I spent about a week exploring Kathmandu, Pokhara and all the World Heritage sites.

What camera did you use and why?

At that point, I owned a Nikon D40X and 1 lens; a 18-200mm. So basically I went round exploring Nepal with just that. I first bought it because I wasn’t sure where my hobby was going to take me in the coming years…Because of you I’ve recently purchased a Ricoh GR. Thanks for that!

Most of the time you divorce your subject from their location, why pull them out from their context?

Hmmm, I love to just concentrate on the map of their face. There’s so much to see and it’s like a mystery to me. Pulling them out of their context allows me to focus on that. Add the interplay of light and shadow over this terrain, it’s just mesmerizing to me.

What do you find special about Nepal Street Photography?

This is a question I asked myself time and again. I can’t quite put my finger on it but I just love Nepal and my time spent there.I guess as a photographer, every corner is a photo opportunity.

The people, the culture, the sights it’s all so very picturesque. I find myself reminiscing about my time there and hopefully I get to explore Nepal again in the near future.

You have of portraits, how did that go? Did you ask for permission or not? How were you and your camera received?

When I’m looking to shoot for faces and portraits, I’m usually on stealth mode. I don’t like posed portraits in my travels. I very much like to capture candid private moments..the fleeting emotions that cross someone’s face, those are the kinds of portraits that appeal to me.

I didn’t have problems photographing the people. Usually what I do is, I will just show them the photograph after I’ve shot it.

What is your favorite image? Why?

If I have to choose, I would have to say it’s the one titled “Cold+”. I remember it being a cold late afternoon and we were sitting ducks in a traffic jam. I spied this man sitting on the sidewalk right across from my view inside the car.

All bundled up and smoking a cigarette to keep warm. It struck a chord in me. Here I am inside the warmth of my car and there he was, outside in the cold. I raise my camera and took his photo from where I was sitting; using my telephoto lens.

Any closing comments?

Yes, thank you for taking the time to get to know me and my work…

For more of Shirren, check out her Flickr