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Mahesh Shantaram | photographer

Fully Anticipated Questions »
The fine stuff that everybody thinks they ought to know

What's the story behind “The Contrarian”?
Going by the dictionary, the contrarian is an investor who buys shares of stock when most others are selling and sells when others are buying. While this is a fair description of my investment strategy, it is also the underlying philosophy reflected in all my work. I am not afraid to take the contrary position or attitude.

Another noteworthy point is that “contrarian hypothesis” was one of the founding philosophies in a corporate practices research firm where I previously worked as an analyst. I kept that and the big black stapler for myself.

What made you shift careers from IT to photography?
The cubicle is no place for The Contrarian. I promised myself that I'd demand more from my next stint — more creativity, more freedom, to meet more fun people, earn more, and travel more. Four out of five is a good strike rate, I think. UPDATE: All five conditions satisfied since 2008.

Is being a photographer really as cool as we think it is?
I live the zero-balance lifestyle: I write invoices, travel the world, and pay no taxes (almost). I also like to say I'm a join-the-dots kinda guy in a do-watcha-want economy. Want more cool quotes from me? Check out my twitter page.

How exactly do you spend your time and make your money?

activity time income
weddings 30% 93%
workshops 5% 2%
facebook 35% 0%
unspecified 30% 5%