My name is Vijay Britto and I live in Clarksburg, Maryland with my wife and 13-year-old son. Besides being a photographer, I also work as an IT Project manager in the arena of health informatics.
My journey in photography began in early 2011 when I picked my first DSLR after reading an article about the exposure triangle. However, I stayed in a rut for the next few months till I began the 365 Project – when I clicked and posted a picture each day. This project with all the exposure to very talented photographers and their amazing work actually helped me “see” through my camera and expand my horizons and was a first big step in my love for photography. Although I clicked very few portraits during that time, the project really helped me discover my love for people pictures. Towards the end of project 365, I got introduced to the 100 Strangers project - essentially seeking out people on the street - everyday people going about their business - and requesting them a few minutes of their time for a picture and sharing a little about themselves. Despite being un-nerved by the idea of approaching and photographing random strangers and knowing a little more about them I jumped right in. The project – now rechristened ‘Portrait of a Stranger’ since I have almost 200 strangers photographed and no intent of stopping soon. Arguably that was the best decision I had taken in my journey - I absolutely loved the idea of photographing everyday people and show them l like the stars they were.
A passion for people photography, and a genuine desire and ability to have my pictures reflect the personality of an individual is what I immensely enjoy. When I am not photographing people for paid sessions you are most likely to find me clicking random strangers for my Portrait of a Stranger project. This project opened up doors to photograph people professionally and one thing led to another and now here I am. I have no qualms about admitting that there may be far technically superior photographers than me. Creating cookie-cutter snapshots of an individual, I admittedly fail at. Each individual is unique, each face has its own story, and having the pictures reflect that is what I strive for. Working with you each step of the way to ensure that you receive exceeds your expectation will be my highest priority. "You capture the essence of an individual" is how people have described my work. Interacting with people and collaborating with them to ensure they look exactly as they perceive themselves is what gives me most satisfaction. It’s difficult to express how I feel when a person looks at a picture of them that I have clicked of them and has a gleaming smile. That in itself makes my journey as a photographer completely worth it.