Soumya Shankar Ghosal is a Kolkata based Street & Documentary Photographer and an Educator. With over two decades experience, he has won numerous accolades in India and internationally.

Accolades:

Special Mention Award from CGAP —- World’ Bank in 2013, Grand Winner of Red Frames FOMC 2013, National Winner — ICICI Bank Live Your Passion Grand Challenge — 2017, Runner-up & Top 10 at Namami Gange Photography Contest 2018 (Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, Government of India), Second Runners Up at Ministry of Information & Cultural Affairs — Government of West Bengal, honorary mention at Utkarsh Bangla PBSSD — Government of West Bengal, Silver Medal and Honorary Mentions at Eyewin International Photography Awards 2018, recipient of Sahapedia Frames Photography Grant 2019, HIPA 8th Season Finalist and winner of several other Photography Contests held by Nikon, Fujifilm, Olympus etc.

An independent Global voting system by StreetHunters.net had placed him at number 3 in “The 20 most influential Street Photographers of 2017”. He is regularly invited as a Speaker at Photography Seminars, interviewed on Radio, Newspaper and Television. He conducts intensive task-oriented Photography Workshops.

Publications:

Soumya’s work has been published in several leading International and Indian publications including:

NationalGeographic.com, National Geographic Traveller India, Lonely Planet, India Today, 1X, Better Photography, Life Force Magazine, DPS (Digital Photography School), Fujifilm India, Sigma, 121clicks.com, CNN Travel, Sahapedia, Creative IMAGE, Getty Images, Scroll, The Times of India, Business Insider India, Gate 7, Tripoto, YourStory Bangla, DNA, The Tribune, The Telegraph, Anandabazar Patrika, Uttarbanga Sambad, Get Bengal, The Photographic Angle, Roli Books, Top Photography Films, Asian Photography Magazine, Indian Photo Arts, CREDAI Real Estate, Conflating Visions, Writing through light to name a few and his articles have been regularly featured in Epson Fotoflock. India 5 Senses, Calcutta Then Kolkata Now, HIPA Hope Book, Street Photography India (SPI), 1X Year Book Mono and World Street Photography Coffee Table Books featured his work.

Industry Association:

Soumya is an official Canon EOS Maestro. He was invited by Facebook as the Curator for the first official Instagram exhibition held in India during January 2016.

He has been associated with various Photography projects across several brands and industry domains including:

Ministry of Tourism — Indiatourism Kolkata (Government of India), Wikipedia, IBM, Idea Cellular, Amazon, Nikon, Fujifilm, Sigma, Tamron, Haldia Petrochemicals, The Chatterjee Group, Indus Towers, Orbit Animate, Asian Photography Magazine, Apeejay Group, ITC Hotels, Lalit Great Eastern, Vivo, Honor, Turtle.

Academic Initiatives:

Photography Education plays a vital role in his endeavor for creating a shared learning platform. He has initiated Photography projects in various capacities and roles at prestigious educational institutes including:

IIM Calcutta, Indian Statistical Institute (Kolkata), Presidency University, St. Xavier’s University, South City College, Medical College Kolkata, NRS Medical College, Indian Institute of Social Welfare & Business Management (IISWBM), NIT Durgapur, NSHM School of Media & Communication, Derozio Memorial College, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology (MAKAUT), Chitkara University (Chandigarh), Institute of Leadership, Entrepreneurship and Development (iLEAD), Street Photography India (SPI), The Heritage College, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Institute of Management Science (BIMS), Bhawanipur Education Society, YLAC Counter Speech Fellowship with Instagram, CRY — Child Rights and You, The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), Calcutta Boys’ School, Calcutta International School, South City International School, Sushila Birla Girl’s School, Modern High School for Girls, Lakshmipat Singhania Academy, Kalyani Government Engineering College, Future Institute of Engineering and Management and Techno India University (Ecole Intutit Labs and Department of Media Science).

He has played a significant role in mentoring the photography clubs of both the Kolkata Police and the Ophthalmological Society of West Bengal (OSWB). His guidance has offered valuable insights, helping members enhance their photographic skills and creativity. Through his mentorship, he has inspired and supported the artistic development of photographers within these organizations.

To enthuse Street Photography enthusiasts he founded of one of the largest Street Photography movement dedicated to a city — “Streets of Calcutta”, which has a follower base of 41,000+.

Soumya is frequently invited to judge photography competitions and has participated in photography for philanthropy projects. Additionally, he served as the Quiz Master for the “Photography” category at the Kolkata Quiz Festival.

Education & Profession:

Soumya holds an MBA in Finance, GNIIT in Systems Management, certification as an ISO 9000 Internal Auditor, and is an MCP. As a Guest Lecturer, he shares insights in Business Management, Photography, and Web Technologies with undergraduate students. Additionally, he fulfills roles as a Moderator, Question Setter, and Examiner at two prestigious universities.