Today we’d like to introduce you to Urvashi Chugh.
Hi Urvashi, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I was born and raised in Delhi, India and moved to California 6 years ago with my partner. I did my MBA in marketing and pursued a corporate career, but realized quickly enough that that’s not what i want to do. I went on to run a small mountain style cafe in Delhi investing my savings, with my brother and eventually expanded to three cafes, the other two being in the hill stations in North India. It was an incredible couple of years, I love cooking, and got the opportunity to meet so many lovely people. Life took its course, and a couple of years later, I had to make the hard decision to shut shop, I had also gotten married during that time. Early on in my marriage, my husband got the opportunity to move to Silicon Valley and i decided to accompany him to just take a shot at this new experience while I was still figuring out what to do work wise. I came to the US on a dependent visa in 2019, with no clue to what it truly entails and spent the first three years really struggling to come to terms with my new life, but during the pandemic we moved to San Francisco and that’s where things took a turn for me. Photography was always a hobby, I had even purchased a DSLR from my 1st job’s salary, was the unofficial photographer for my friends always, and took every chance to be part of a media team whether it was college or my job. In 2021, I decided to start an instagram account and just post pictures which I would take with my phone. That’s how Stories in SF started. I educated myself, watched youtube videos, went out and practiced as i progressed to buy a professional camera and learnt the technicalities of the art. My work license came through in 2022 and that’s when i decided that i want to pursue my 18 year old self’s dream of being a photographer. With consistent hard work, i built this account for what it is. As of today, I am a professional photographer, content creator and a street photographer by passion. I shoot weddings, elopements, maternity and love working with families as well. You will find me roaming the streets of San Francisco with my camera in hand, almost omnipresent at most cultural events that happen in the city. I have a keen interest in documenting the LGBTQ+ community and the seniors of SF because they are so strongly attached to the history of the city and what makes it a truly special place. My photography is rooted in storytelling, culture, and the everyday poetry of people and place while focusing on my identity an immigrant woman of color. My lens is shaped by questions of identity, belonging, and the spaces we call home and that is why I find it instrumental to document this time in life in this beautiful city where i built a new life and met such amazing and beautiful souls.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s definitely not been a smooth road, being on a dependent visa was extremely challenging. And from being an independent and self sufficient woman, I found it hard to be in a position where I was not allowed to work. It made me question my self worth and deeply affected my mental health. Visa challenges often kept me stuck and I could not visit home & family as often as I’d like. Once I found my footing, the newer challenges were making a mark in a city where there are countless photographers. Also, I started over in my career at the age of 34, by when most people are usually well settled in theirs, and i was just starting out. I have lost out on opportunities to 25 year olds who had been pursuing photography since school. I have no formal education in photography and am 100% self taught. Not having a regular job or people to meet also made networking much harder. As much as I enjoy entrepreneurship, it comes with its struggles of being a bit isolating and also being accountable to your own self. There is no one pushing you, you need to show up day after day, shoot every shot, sometimes get paid lesser than what you deserve, but in the end its all worth it. Rejections are part of the journey, and I think its important to go through some pain to delve deeper within yourself as an artist.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I specialize in portraits and intimate event coverage (elopements, maternity, family). Street & documentary photography with a cultural & social edge is my passion. I also do photo series for editorial and brand storytelling. I am also committed to building community, and host photo walks in San Francisco, something I want to do more and more of with time.
I am most well known for the way I capture San Francisco and tell stories through my lens.
I am most proud of – my work being exhibited on the streets of Milan as part of an exhibition themed California Love, being published several times in different magazines including a solo feature, my work being exhibited in several galleries in San Francisco, the community of ~45k people I have built on Instagram, being named as one of SF’s top photographers’ three years in a row by SF Gate, being a guest lecturer at UC Berkley talking about finding meaning in making and most recently for being on the official press/media time for San Francisco pride.
What sets me apart is that I’m not just creating content, I’m telling stories that matter. As an immigrant woman in San Francisco, I bring a lived, intersectional lens to everything I shoot, whether it’s a street scene, a brand, or a personal portrait. My work is deeply rooted in narrative, emotion, and place. I’m not interested in just making things look good I want them to feel true. I also take pride in having an almost unique social media presence where i don’t follow trends, keep it super authentic and don’t give in to the algorithm. I show up true to my self and true to my work and it’s the authenticity that truly sets me apart in today’s date & time.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I would suggest having a mentor, I essentially haven’t had one, but then I am extremely forthcoming about getting feedback from people i am inspired by or look up to. While it can be helpful to have a mentor guide you, what has worked for me is tremendous amounts of practice, always being a student, and trying to learn something in everything. For instance, as a photographer, watching a movie could be such a good learning experience, because the scenes can help you learn how to frame your shots. There’s enough free resources out there for one to learn if they are really keen to. Training my eye, looking back at my own work with fresh eyes time to time and not getting caught in comparison has been great for me. A simple yet meaningful piece of advice I can give is to get out and take photos, and do that as much as you can. You never know what you end up capturing, who you end up meeting and where that leads you.
Pricing:
- My portrait sessions start at $400
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/storiesinsf/
