The Whimsy Photographer

Who am I? Like so many other women, I am a mother, wife, daughter, sister etcetera. Depending on the day and time, I also wear the hats of a teacher, clown, nurse, warden, driver and so many others. But let me start again. I am Richa Yadav. I am a photographer. I click photos of babies, kids, pregnant women and families. I also own a studio named ‘Remember When’.

I am 5’6” tall and in the last decade my body made an upward journey from size XS to XXL and then in reverse order (it’s between M and L currently). I love pretty shoes but with a shoe size too big (8 and you read it right!) I am often asked to check out the guy’s section. 

Because my son tells me more than twice a day that I am very beautiful, so I am absolutely sure that I am. What make me feel even more gorgeous are handloom sarees, some statement silver jewellery, kajal and the perfect shade of red lipstick (slightly obsessed about that! 6 different shades of perfect red but I am always on the lookout for the perfect one). My dressing style is different. Women around the world co-ordinate their lipstick and jewellery around their dress but I choose my dress, keeping in mind the shade of lipstick I want to wear.

To describe me – words like restless, headstrong, impulsive, chatterbox and forever optimistic come to mind. But I have my shortcomings. I lose my temper easily, I can’t be polite if I don’t like you, I keep stalling things for the last minute, and I don’t have much faith in the power of forgiveness. As long as negative people are away from me, I enjoy almost everything in life. Having managed to learn the art of tuning out unwanted people from my life, I am in a very happy place.

There are so many that make me happy. An out of blue call from some old friend, finding an old letter in a folder, 5 minutes of extra sleep in the morning, husband’s spontaneous show of love, singing at the top of my voice in the shower, crafting, meeting with friends, the list goes on. What would make really happy? Reading. I wish I could have one full day to myself so that I can just sit, sip some tea and read. With two insanely hyperactive kids it is impossible I know, but hey! A woman can always dream!

I am a dreamer and I am working hard to achieve them. What tops the list right now is a Master’s degree in Arts in Photography from UK. Spending an entire day at Roald Dahl’s house, live in a small house with HUGE windows overlooking either a valley or a sea (I think I can see you sniggering there), read as much as possible(err sorry no limit can be defined there), solo travelling and so many other things are a part of my bucket list. I keep one half of myself content with all the good things I have got in life but the other half (not my husband J ) still wants more.

               

De-stress you say? My children’s antics, a good book (oops i think I am repeating but it’s true!) or a long chat with a friend or my husband is enough to restore the balance between my energy and sanity. On too stressful days, cursing and calling people names in Awadhi (yes you read it right, the choicest of abuses), works wonders too.

My life changing event? Umm it was actually when my daughter was born and don’t raise your eyebrows!  During her first two weeks on this planet, she was on ventilator and ICU and the doctors did not tell me if she will survive or not. I learned to live life from minute to minute. From someone who almost always looked at the larger picture, I turned into someone who gives as much importance to the very important smaller pictures. And yes, my daughter survived and now she is a healthy, precocious, 3 year old devil. I mean child.

The story of my life is what I am right now. I started my career as a tv news producer and ended up being a baby and maternity photographer. On one hand, I am totally happy and content with my life and on the other I am dreaming big and working hard to make them true.

 I was born to a family of farmers, government servants and some kickass women. At the time of my birth my dad was a lecturer at Allahabad University and two years later he became an IPS officer. My mother held the difficult fort that was my home. Having spent the first 5 years of my life in a pure village, I grew up climbing trees, taking cattle to meadows and rivers, and playing the regular games the village kids play like kanche, gulli danda, rolling in the hay and mud and doing so many other things. My first spoken language was Awadhi and for the first year of my school it was the only language I spoke. And I guess I was the only one in school to speak that language! I guess I was a pariah in the city. I mean a pariah in the dozen cities my father got transferred to. I was 23 when I got married to the most wonderful man in the world. My husband is as much a mother as I am and there is no baby work that he doesn’t do and I am one very proud wife.

For my daily spiritual guidance, I turn to Matilda - my go-to-book as it taught me early on how to look for magic around me. Everyday, I experience a lot of Matilda (magical) moments and they are perfect reason for me to giggle and look forward to each day with hope and smile.  

Living for the future is a tough job, so I take the easy route. I have had my share of mammoth troubles but there are no regrets. I always have a present to make up for it so why not spend the rest of life doing just that.