Who Is Arun Saha?
Arun Saha is a Pune-based travel and documentary photographer, writer and photography mentor with more than 30 years behind the camera. Before turning to travel and cultural photography, he served 16 years with the Indian Air Force as a combatant member and technical photographer, working across cine, aerial and ground photography for defence systems.
Today, Arun Saha photographer India is a name closely linked with festivals, rituals and the everyday lives of people across the country. He is the winner of the 8th National Photography Award as Best Photographer of the Year (2019–20), patronised by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India.
He is also the founder and chief mentor of Arun Saha Photography (ASP), through which he leads photography tours and workshops for photographers from India and around the world. You can see his work in the portfolio.
Photography Journey
In Uniform
During 16 years with the Indian Air Force, the camera was a technical instrument: precise, disciplined and unforgiving of error. Aerial, cine and ground photography gave him a command of light, exposure and timing that still shapes every frame.
On the Road
Alongside his service, he built a second strength in travel, photojournalism, people and culture. After leaving the Air Force, he followed that pull fully, travelling across India to document festivals, pilgrimages and rural life.
Sharing the Craft
Over three decades, the journey moved from making photographs to sharing how they are made: the founding of ASP, award-winning work, a published book, and mentoring countless photographers on the road.
He writes about this shift in his blog post, becoming a photography mentor in India.
Photography Philosophy
For Arun Saha, a photograph is not a trophy taken from a place; it is a story shared by its people.
Respect before the shutter
He builds trust with communities first, so the people in his frames are participants, not props.
Light tells the truth
His technical background makes light, timing and position the foundation of every image.
Story over spectacle
A festival is more than colour; he looks for the quiet moment that explains why it matters.
This is also how he teaches. On every Arun Saha photography tour, participants are briefed on the history and meaning of what they will photograph before they lift a camera.
Photography Specialisations
The work of Arun Saha, travel photographer and storyteller, spans several connected genres:
Festival & Cultural
Holi, Durga Puja, Theyyam, Kulasai Dasara, Bhandara at Jejuri, Ganpati Visarjan
Travel & Documentary
Pilgrimages, rural life and traditions across India and Asia
People & Portrait
Environmental portraits of devotees, performers, wrestlers and tribal communities
Landscape
Ladakh, Rajasthan's deserts, Bagan's temples, East Java's volcanoes
Photojournalism & Corporate
Contributor to the India Today Group (India Today and Business Today)
Aerial & Technical
16 years of defence photography with the Indian Air Force
| Specialisation | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Festival & cultural photography | Holi, Durga Puja, Theyyam, Kulasai Dasara, Bhandara at Jejuri, Ganpati Visarjan |
| Travel & documentary photography | Pilgrimages, rural life and traditions across India and Asia; also book publishing, blogging, documentary making and content creation |
| People & portrait photography | Environmental portraits of devotees, performers, wrestlers and tribal communities |
| Landscape photography | Ladakh, Rajasthan's deserts, Bagan's temples, East Java's volcanoes |
| Photojournalism & corporate stories | Contributor to the India Today Group (India Today and Business Today) |
| Aerial & technical photography | 16 years of defence photography with the Indian Air Force |
Browse examples of each genre in the portfolio or read the stories behind them on the ASP blog.
Places & Stories Photographed
As a photographer in India for over three decades, Arun Saha has worked where tradition is still lived, not staged. Each location carries a story he returns to again and again.
Varanasi
The ghats, rituals and cycle of life and death, the subject of his book Varanasi – A Passage to Immortality.
Jejuri, Maharashtra
The golden turmeric storm of the Bhandara festival, which earned him international recognition.
Mathura, Barsana & Nandgaon
The colour and chaos of Braj ki Holi.
Kannur, Kerala
The fire and trance of Theyyam, with Kathakali and Kalaripayattu.
Kulasekarapattinam, Tamil Nadu
The masked devotees of Kulasai Dasara.
Kolkata & rural Bengal
Durga Puja and the Gajon festival.
Pandharpur road
The barefoot pilgrims of the Ashadi Wari Palkhi.
Kolhapur
The pehlwans (wrestlers) of traditional talims.
Ladakh & Rajasthan
Monasteries, high passes, deserts and blue streets.
Beyond India
Bagan and Inle Lake in Myanmar, Vietnam, East and Central Java in Indonesia, and the Omo Valley in Ethiopia.
Awards & Recognition
Arun Saha has been recognised by national, state and international bodies.
| Award / honour | Awarded by |
|---|---|
| 8th National Photography Award – Best Photographer of the Year (2019–20) | Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India |
| Maharashtra Govt Tourism Award – 1st prize | Government of Maharashtra |
| India Tourism Mumbai Award – 1st prize | India Tourism, Mumbai |
| Performance Award, Humanitarian Photography Awards (2017) | HPA, China |
| Honorary Life Fellowship | Photographic Society of Pune |
| Honorary Life Fellowship | Lens Maestro Group |
See the full list on the Achievements page.
Education & Professional Background
MA English
Master's degree in English.
MA Journalism & Mass Communication
Master's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.
Diploma in Photography
Awarded by the Government of India.
He served 16 years as a technical photographer with the Indian Air Force and now contributes to the India Today Group.
Publications & Media Features
Arun Saha's photographs and writing have appeared in books, magazines and leading Indian media.
Varanasi – A Passage to Immortality
A best-selling photo book co-authored with Rishi Agrawal, exploring life, death and faith on the ghats of Varanasi.
DODHO Magazine, Barcelona
Published his photo story on the turmeric festival of Jejuri, the same work that won the HPA Performance Award in 2017.
India Today Group
Contributes as a photojournalist to India Today and Business Today for corporate story coverage.
Read every feature on the Publications page.
Arun Saha as a Photography Mentor
Many photographers seek out an Arun Saha photography mentor experience because he is both a strong photographer and a generous teacher. He shares the settings, positions and editing methods behind his own images rather than keeping them to himself.
What mentoring with Arun includes
- Pre-tour briefings and webinars on the story, culture and gear needed for each shoot.
- On-location guidance on where to stand, when to shoot and how to compose in crowded, fast-changing scenes.
- Daily post-processing sessions to edit the day's images together.
- Personal photo reviews at the end of the tour, and support afterwards.
- Access and safety in places that are hard to reach alone, built on years of local relationships.
He mentors beginners, serious hobbyists and published professionals alike. Read more in My Journey as a Photography Mentor in India, or hear it from past participants on the Testimonials page.
Photography Tours With Arun Saha
Arun Saha photography tours are small-group photo workshops built around the right place at the right moment: a festival's peak day, the best light on a ghat, or a ritual most visitors never see. Every ASP tour is designed for photographers, not sightseers:
- Small groups (often around 10 seats) so everyone gets mentor time and clean frames.
- Itineraries timed to light and events, planned from years of returning to the same places.
- Local access to temples, talims, villages and performers, arranged in advance.
- Comfortable logistics: hotels, transport, food and camera rain covers where needed.
- Learning built in: briefings, field teaching, editing sessions and a closing photo review.
Tours run for Indian and international photographers. Check the upcoming photo tours, browse previous events, or flip through previous tour highlights.
India & International Tours
ASP runs festival and culture tours across India alongside a growing list of international destinations. Dates change each year, so every tour links to its current page.
India Photo Tours
| Tour | Region | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| India Holi Photo Tour | Mathura, Varanasi, Rajasthan | Colour, crowds, festival action |
| Theyyam, Kathakali & Kalaripayattu | Kannur, Kerala | Ritual, low light, performance |
| Kulasai Dasara | Tamil Nadu | Masked devotees, street portraits |
| Gajon Photo Tour | Gajon Festival, Rural Bengal | Ascetic rituals, devotion and village life |
| Varanasi & Holi Tour | Varanasi | Ghats, aartis, sadhus and Masan Holi |
| Pushkar Photo Tour | Pushkar, Rajasthan | Camel fair, pilgrims and desert life |
| Varanasi Photo Tour | Dev Deepawali, Varanasi | Ghats lit with thousands of diyas |
| Pattankodoli Photo Tour | Pattankodoli, Kolhapur | Turmeric festival and Kolhapur kushti akhara |
| Kolkata Durga Puja & Rural Bengal | West Bengal | Idols, pandals, rituals |
| Jejuri Bhandara Festival | Maharashtra | Turmeric festival, temple scenes |
| Ashadi Wari Palkhi | Maharashtra | Pilgrimage, documentary |
| Ganpati Visarjan | Mumbai | Processions, street photography |
| Leh Ladakh | Ladakh | Landscapes, monasteries |
| Royal Rajasthan – Desert Odyssey | Rajasthan | Deserts, rural life, architecture |
International Photo Tours
| Tour | Country | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Mystical Myanmar | Myanmar (Bagan & Inle Lake) | Temples, portraits, landscapes |
| People & Life of Vietnam | Vietnam (North, Central & South) | Culture, daily life |
| Indonesia (East Java) | Indonesia (Bromo & East Java) | Volcanoes, rural life |
| Omo Valley | Ethiopia | Tribal portraits, documentary |
Can't make a scheduled date? Arun also designs private, tailor-made photo workshops in India. Get in touch.
Workshops, Lectures & Education
Beyond the field, an Arun Saha photography workshop can happen online, in a classroom or on a university stage.
Academy of Visual Arts (AVA)
The education arm he founded to nurture budding visual artists. AVA has run online courses such as The Art of Seeing for adults, mobile photography for kids, a beginners' workshop and an advanced photography course. Visit AVA
University guest lectures
For the VFX and Visual Art departments of Sandip University, Nashik and Techno India University, Kolkata.
Field workshops
Every ASP photo tour doubles as a hands-on workshop in composition, light and editing.
Private one-to-one sessions
Custom shoots such as the Taj Mahal at dawn or the wrestlers of Kolhapur, planned around one photographer's goals.
Institutions and clubs can invite Arun for talks and workshops through the contact page.
ASP Traveller Magazine
The travel photography magazine of Arun Saha Photography. Each issue turns a tour into a visual story, combining Arun's images, participants' best frames and notes on the culture behind them.
It is the best way to see what an ASP tour actually produces before you join one. Start with the Ladakh tour edition, then explore all issues on the previous tour highlights page.
Testimonials
Read what photographers from India and around the world say about touring with Arun.
Read TestimonialsWhat Defines My Photography
In Arun's own words:
Photograph India's Living Traditions With Arun Saha
Whether you are picking up a camera for the first time or building a professional portfolio, there is a place for you on an Arun Saha photography tour. Travel with a National Award–winning photographer, learn from a patient mentor, and come home with stories, not just pictures.
Join a Tour See the Work Hear From Others Contact Arun