Multi-Award-winning photographer, graphic designer, author, entrepreneur, philanthropist and Durban University of Technology alumna, Karishma R. Rajcomar recently scooped the top prize for Best Picture and won the Canon Perfect Picture Competition 2022 for her image, ‘Stare in Agony’.
The Canon Perfect Picture Competition 2022 is a seven-part reality series where celebrities with a passion for photography compete against each other to show that they have what it takes to step away from the spotlight and move behind the camera! All they needed is a good eye in order to take the best picture and to use their technical and creative skills to show they can take the perfect shot.
In collaboration with this series, Canon has been running the Canon Perfect Picture Competition, in search of South Africa’s best photographers who have what it takes to stand out from the rest and take the Best Picture. For Internationally recognised award-winning Durban photographer, Rajcomar, it was a surreal moment when her image clicked the prize for Best Picture.
The entrepreneur, creative director and professional photographer has her own photographic and design studio, Bright Spark Studios which is based in Westville, Durban.
Rajcomar studied Graphic Design and Photography at DUT which prepared her for a place in the world of visual communication, design and digital advertising. Owing to her excellent academic achievement, she was awarded a bursary and graduated Cum Laude for her Bachelor of Technology Degree.
Her work has been featured on television, radio, print and online media which include: SABC News, Glow TV, Sunrise FM, Lotus FM, Sunday Times, The Daily News, Lifestyle Mag, The Daily Maverick, Independent Online, Highway Mail, Westville and Durban Times, The Rising Sun, POST and Tabloid News. She also had her work displayed at numerous exhibitions throughout the country including the Durban Art Gallery and the KwaMuhle Museum.
She has won over fifty professional awards and some of them include the Canon Perfect Picture 2022, WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) #EarthHour Campaign, and the Prestigious National Geographic & Samsung Photographic Award. Winning numerous other international, national and regional awards has given her great acclaim both nationally and internationally.
Rajcomar was ecstatic when she heard she was the winner, saying that she has always been a loyal supporter of Canon, and when she saw the Perfect Picture competition on SABC 1, she knew that she had to enter in the hope of having her work shared with the rest of the world.
“I knew that it was not going to be easy to win, but I was determined to give off my best and submitted one of the most powerful images that I had captured,” she said.
Speaking of her winning image, she explained that she first met her subject at a park and he seemed to be in extreme agony.
“Many people passed him by and ignored him, but I just had to stop and check if he was okay. I chatted to him for a while and learned that he was homeless and not too well, but despite his hardships, he remained confident that better days will come his way. Although he looked so fragile and weak, something about him seemed so powerful and strong and this is why I decided to ask him if I could capture an image of him, which he agreed to. I love powerful images that tell a story and I was happy with the outcome of my image, as I felt that I captured the essence of that moment perfectly,” she added.
Rajcomar indicated that the selection process was extremely tough as she was not only competing with other talented professional photographers but also with other award winning photographers, who were also submitting their very best images, in hope of being selected.
“It was an absolute honour to win the Perfect Picture Competition, especially because it was held by one of the World’s Biggest Photographic brands, Canon,” she commented.
For Rajcomar, her first love has always been photography, she relayed that she had always been very creative and from as little as a toddler, she used to page through magazines tearing off her favourite images and words and gluing them on top of each other to create unique ‘masterpieces’.
“I loved using different colours and sizes of letters from magazines which I used to make words and sentences in birthday cards that I gifted to family and friends. I was ecstatic when my school offered Art as an additional subject in high school, and I selected Graphic Design as my specialised area of study,” she said.
She also became serious about photography in 1999 whilst studying at University and doing part-time photo shoots. Her enthusiasm for photography grew much more after the birth of her little girl in 2010, who she thinks was the most photographed baby in the entire world.
“Photography allows me to freeze priceless moments, which we can remember and treasure forever,” she stressed.
Rajcomar also loves wildlife and portrait photography such as taking pictures of newborns and capturing powerful images that capture emotion, empathy, and unique and remarkable moments, that tell a story. Often referred to as ‘The Baby Whisperer’, Rajcomar has been highly commended for her outstanding images of newborns both locally and Internationally. “My passion for capturing images with emotion is because I love being a visual storyteller. Very often emotions are hard to explain but when captured in an image they can be so powerful and tell a story on their own,” she said.
Her photos were selected and showcased in two high-quality international Publications, one an Exclusive Limited Edition Holiday Magazine and the other a Brand Model Magazine.
She was the only photographer from not only South Africa but the whole of Africa to be selected by one of the most recognised Newborn Photographers in the world, Ana Brandt. Ana Brandt has worked with several celebrities such as Alicia Silverstone, Sarah Drew, Edyta Sliwinska, Ian Ziering, Jessica Rey, Adrian Young, Sienna Guillory, Eddie Guardado, Kobe Bryant, and many others.
“Being placed among some of the best photographers and having my work published and showcased around the world makes me feel on top of the world’,” she said.
Rajcomar is no stranger to winning many accolades having also being the Grand Prize winner of the ‘Glow TV Spread the Love’ Photographic Competition and donated her prize of R250 000 to a non-profit organisation, and was even featured on television for her generosity.
“Photography and giving back to the community has always been my passion and I was happy that I could help those in need,” she beamed.
As an alumna of DUT, Rajcomar indicated that DUT was instrumental in moulding her into the successful individual that she is today.
Pictured: Rajcomar’s image, ‘Stare in Agony’ wins best picture in the Canon Perfect Picture Competition 2022.
“I had the opportunity of being taught by very seasoned and dedicated lecturers, who provided their invaluable advice and expertise with day-to-day deadlines which motivated and enabled me to excel. DUT also provided the necessary resources and practical training which allowed me to better myself and assisted me to fit into the corporate world as a flourishing alumna,” she replied.
In terms of what is forthcoming with regards to her photographic career, Rajcomar added that she is currently finishing off her book and is looking forward to launching it soon. Her plan for the future is to continue taking her work globally, so that it can be appreciated by not only South Africans, but by people throughout the world.
Pictured: Internationally Acclaimed, Multi-Award-winning photographer, Karishma R. Rajcomar.
Waheeda Peters
