Almost as if alive, the photograph of two lions resting on the African plains, draws you in at once. But if you’re amazed by the life-like quality of the image, be prepared for a bigger surprise: its photographer is only 16 years old. Meet Nabil Patel – aspiring photographer, talented athlete, and a soon to be published author.
I catch up with Nabil on the sprawling grounds of the Aga Khan Academy in Hyderabad, which has been his home for the past five years. It seems an apt venue for a discussion, as it was a workshop at the Academy that first sparked Nabil’s interest in photography. In 2015 and 2017, the Academy hosted renowned photographer Frederic Roberts for a photography workshop with its students (http://www.agakhanacademies.org/general/turning-students-storytellers-through-investigative-photography). “Fred unleashed my talent”, explains Nabil as he reflects on his participation in the beginners and advanced workshops. “After the advanced workshop, I joined his team as a teaching assistant for a beginner’s workshop for Academy and government school students, which motivated me to work more and reach greater heights”, he says. Inspired by the idea of telling stories through the lens, Nabil now runs a Photography Club as an after-school enrichment activity for three hours a week. He also assists the Academy’s Communications Department with in-house media projects and publications. His work has been published on multiple platforms such as the Times of India student edition, the Ismaili India and even a photography showcase at the Ismaili Centre in Toronto.
And that’s not all. When he isn’t behind the lens capturing a moment for eternity, Nabil can be found at the Academy’s football field. An aspiring athlete, he has been Vice-Captain and Captain of the school football team for three consecutive years. He’s shared the glory of the team’s wins and his share of the responsibility for their losses. The three years have given him some valuable lessons in both life and leadership.
His leadership skills were also evident when Nabil bagged the award for Outstanding Delegate at the recent India International Model United Nations held in New York City in August 2017. IIMUN is the only external civil society organization to hold a full-fledged MUN at the UN headquarters in New York City. The conference had approximately 700 delegates from across the world. Nabil was one of the eight students selected from his school to participate in the conference as a member of the International Press. “This was by far the most competitive and the most demanding MUN I have experienced”, Nabil explains. “We were working with the largest press team I had ever seen and it was my first time competing at an international forum”. Nabil is an avid MUN-ner and has been a longstanding participant at the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad’s Model United Nations (AKAHMUN) and at other school MUNs, with a 100%-win record in the International Press. The experience of competing internationally, however, was incomparable. “Working with so many experienced photojournalists I was exposed to different techniques and approaches to photographing subjects, broadening my knowledge on photography’, says Nabil. “I came back more confident about my skills and more determined to make them better, even if it takes a lot of hard work!”, he says.
And he’s serious about that you know. As we speak, Nabil’s first publication on photography is going to press: a book titled, ‘Click! Your Guide to Photography’. The idea had its genesis in a personal project he completed during the Middle Years Program. Towards the end of the process, his effort made it worthy of publication. So Nabil went one step further and interviewed several professional photographers and clicked dozens of pictures for the book. Even with the dozens of books already published on the subject, Nabil is clear about the value of his work. “This book is different because it starts with the basics of photography and steadily progresses to more advanced practical applications. I also wanted to make sure that books like mine are more affordable for other ‘kids’ like me who want to try their hands at photography”, he says. True to the spirit of an Academy student, Nabil has taken an opportunity made available only to him and looked for ways to share this with others. As we part ways at the football field, one thing is certain: this isn’t the last you’ll be hearing about this aspiring young achiever.
To Purchase a copy of Your Guide to Photography, follow the link below:
