Leen's career in camera is a
strange blend of hues and notes. He began as a musician,
only to discover his real calling at the bay of colors
rather than at the shore of notes
Both in music and photography Leenn began well (which
meant half was done). He could make his entry-point
presence felt, evidenced by the invitations from
professional music troops to participate in their stage
programmes and by the choice of his pictures by the
local publishers to the cover pages of their journals.
Finally Leenn decided to anchor his career at the bay of
frames than at the shore of notes. But music was still
there; every frame that he clicked was composed rather
than made. A photojournalist these days, Leenn works for
Malayala Manorama group of publications. A post graduate
diploma in journalism and another diploma in
multimedia given by IBM and the Regional Engineering
College, Calicut help Leenn ensure a distinct place in
the occupational ambience also.
Born in 1968 at Kundara, a village near Kollam, the
coastal district of Kerala, Leenn grew amidst all
possible colors of nature. His house, equidistant to
hills as well as to sea, the nature around it offered
him best schooling in frames and colors. But a career in
photography was beyond all dreams then. But the singular
sight of Cochin backwaters against the crimson backdrop
of setting sun and marked with the jutting long poles on
which huge fishing nets were rolled up became the
turning point. The vivid picture was there in his mind,
but of little help. Leenn enrolled for a course in
photography the very next a day at a Cochin institute
'Studio One' which was accidentally the anvil for almost
all noted photographers of those days. He earned a
government diploma in still photography also.
"Learn while you practice" the motto of the school was,
Leenn was given a Nikkormatt, not-so-bad equipment, with
boundless exhortation to click at whatever he liked.
Initiation was astounding, the trainers remarked. Newer
equipments and fresh chances came in their way. Then
came the crucial turn in Leenn's career, appointment as
a photojournalist. With this camera grew to another
appendage of the body and frames the tools to win bread.
Now works with Nikon D2X the old orders have changed a
lot with digital photo age, Leenn has mastered it also.
The initial schooling at 'Studio One' was pursued
further, but later at many national and international
institutes including Thomson Foundation, U.K., IFRA
Asia, Light and Life Academy, India etc.
Apart from the daily requirements of the desk as a press
photographer Leenn finds chances boundless and time
galore at this vocation. But photography as an avocation
takes him out into the monsoon beauty and winter chill
of gods own country .Leenn's portrayals of the art forms
and cultural identity of Kerala is immense. Kerala
tourism benefits heavily from these. Nature is always an
enchanting presence and a perennial challenge for him, a
fact his nature shots amply prove .Along with nature
pictures Leenn concentrates on Calendar photography and
micro photography also. The
greatest approval, hitherto, for Leen's achievements
came with an entry in Limca Book of Records for his
photo biography of the renowned singer Dr. K. J. Yesudas,
which is the first photo biography in India. He focuses
on digital photography, portrait photography and nature
photography.
