KIRAN RAMCHANDRAN

I surf. And because of that people think I love the ocean. I do. But I'm also terrified of it. It's beauty comes from its force. The more beautiful, the more terrifying.

It doesn't matter if it's basketball in the projects, soccer in the favelas… or cricket in the slums: It's a long shot dream to a better life. A threadbare ball and a prayer. At the least, a respite from the crushing burden of the present. I could hear their laughter and the SMACK of the bat from several blocks away.

I am not so much inspired by images that are achieved through techincal superiority. I always seek those that orchestrate the axioms of visual design (color, shape, depth, line intensity, etc.) into a form that resonates with the seeds of a story or some echoing emotion. You look, and keep looking, and can't stop looking because the image feels like an evocative riddle you want to understand. Your mind wanders out to sea on the undercurrent of some mysterious emotion.

Short documentary for Communities in Schools, a nation-wide non profit that helps underprivileged students in challenged socio-economic neighborhoods. Volunteers do "whatever it takes" to help the kids realize dreams.

For many Americans, this city will always feel haunted. It is thick with lost memories. Palpable even for someone like me- a generation born after the Vietnam War. It is a city both frozen in time and constantly in motion. This photograph was part of a Southeast Asia series I shot for Nat Geo.

This vid was created for a campaign pitch to launch the BeatBox, a contained stereo system and the latest product in the Beats by Dre line. This pitch video was produced for under $2K and it's impact overwhelmed the client. We won the complete execution of the product's marketing launch.

A sci-fi/fantasy novel/screenplay/feature film currently in development with wife MeiMei Fox. For inspirations, please click here.

Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story, The Warriors, and a masala mix of Bollywood, Kid Bang is a dance flick mashed up with Shakespeare. I almost made this feature film with Fox Searchlight… Four times. That's an epic tale in itself. This image is part of an extensive look of picture and production bible.

This project launched a three picture deal with Fox Searchlight, with Kid Bang being evolved into a feature film. Kid Bang is a post modern Shakespearean tale in the electrifying style of Baz Luhrmann meets Bollywood.

I've always felt that the story of our lives is told by our hands. How severe, how difficult, or how privileged and fortunate- our hands reveal our journey, our age, and our history. Whether soft, tender, healing, callous, weathered, or wirey, our hands don't lie.

I like to photograph portraits with an even daylight key. I'll bring them to life in the treatment. In this case, the story was revealed by manipulating structure and sharpness. Suddenly, a life's journey was carved in his face with uncompromising severity. Every time I look at this picture, I wonder… Were you ever young? Was it ever easy?

Writer/Director. Short promotional film for Proofpoint, one of the top data protection companies serving top brands in the financial, educational, health-care, and technology sectors. A William Gibson (Neuromancer,) Phillip K. Dick inspired visual take on the digital landscape of the world in which we live: as powerful as it is unnerving.

I was 19 when I first read William Gibson's Neuromancer. Two decades later, the text still influences my visual lexicon. From Blade Runner to the Matrix, it's obvious I'm not the only one haunted by the book.

Creative director of 2010 re-branding campaign for Mike's Hard Lemonade. "Mike's Hard Sports" celebrates the quirky athlete in all of us. Writer/Director of three 30 sec broadcast spots. AD WEEK honorable mention for best re-brand of 2010.

"The Slow Cross-Walker" is the pilot episode for the web series PET PEEVES, optioned by MSN. The series, hosted by eccentric Raymond Honeycutt takes a humorous and outlandish look at all the irritating 'pet peeves' that bother the shit out of us:) Concept.

This photo is dear to me because it was one of the last times I shot with actual film. Years ago, I was living in Indo. The objective was a surf contest in Bali, but I was wrecked by dysentery. In a fevered delirium, I got lost in the spice market. I came home with several choice prints. None of them surfing.

Click here to follow Kiran: Follow @Kirancreates

Angkor Wat is a wonder so arresting it seems too fantastical to be real- even when you are standing in front of it. It's also one of the most over-photographed locations in the world. I felt my only chance of taking a somewhat memorable image of the temple complex would come from finding a bit of story, humanity, or intimacy within its splendor. This photo was part of a larger collection I created for National Geographic Online.

Mephistopheles

Yes, I found him in a silk bazaar hidden in a far corner of the globe. I was on assignment photographing unicorns.

Recently I've developed a new approach to table-top (food, product, etc) photography using the latest technology of light-field cameras. Whether the subject is seared ahi or Legos, it's vital to make these images compelling—a tricky task since the composition is contained and the subject matter isn't inherently dynamic. I've been able to give "life" to these images by creating a hyper-real sense of detail within a composition that appears 3-dimensional, giving them a "reach out and touch" feel.

Nikon D-500, f/5.6, 24mm at 1/60th shutter. So, I know all the technical mumbo jumbo of photography. Does any of that matter anymore? Most of us have the ability to take high definition photos with our cell phones. Everyday, every moment, the most unsuspecting people are capturing brilliant images. It is the true democratization of art. I love that.

A Shakespearean tale reinventing Westside Story with the spectacle of Bollywood, KID BANG is a feature film of wild visual style, movement, and dance set in an urban world of magic realism. Optioned by Fox Searchlight. Now available in turnaround.