Editorial Team at WallMag Updated on May 22, 2026 6 min read

Capturing Mumbai's Soul: An Interview with Cityscape Photographer Shrish Hardas

What sparked your passion for cityscape and street photography, and how did you get started?

It all began when I moved to the cosmopolitan city of Mumbai. I was completely fascinated by the unique blend of skyline, sunsets, and the sea—it was unlike anything I had ever seen. The city is a fast-paced reality, filled with a variety of stories, constantly evolving in what it offers to artists and admirers. I remember watching the show Nat Geo Cover Shot: Maximum City when it came out. Seeing contestants compete to get that one shot in National Geographic’s coveted Yellow Frame while capturing the City of Dreams sparked something deep inside me. But it wasn't just the show; wandering around, exploring, and observing what other photographers were doing helped pave the way further. I sought inspiration from these journeys to develop my skills, and I started experimenting and putting myself out there.

Tell us about a memorable moment or turning point that shaped your approach to photography.

Honestly, it's mostly observation and constant learning from other photographers that has helped me keep upgrading my style. The truly memorable moments are all the interactions I've had during my journey—each one shaped how I see the world. It’s never been a single, dramatic event but rather an incremental process. I have simply enjoyed the process itself so much over the years, and that's where the change has always been. It would be very hard to pinpoint just one moment because there are so many that have changed how I look at the world and, above all, how I capture it to carve a story out of it.

How have your skills and perspective as a photographer evolved over the years?

The evolution is pretty stark. What I can capture today has definitely taken years to shape into a skill. It’s also about how I look at the world now versus a few years ago when I started. There are always tools and gear, but my worldview has significantly changed as I've traveled, worked with different people, read books, challenged myself, and, many times, just let myself be. Editing also plays a key role in bringing out the key elements from the images, and I’ve improved a lot on that front, creating a balance between under and over-editing to keep the core intact. We are all unique in our own ways with different life experiences, and that has been a central theme for me. My uniqueness comes from keeping ‘exploration’ at the center stage and then creating things around it. This has helped me build a perspective that definitely helps me as a photographer—and in life in general. The result? Capturing the world around me and creating stories out of thin air has become second nature!

What drives you to continue capturing urban life, and what keeps you motivated?

Oh, there is so much! It’s a vast world, and as I mentioned, exploration and learning keep pulling me toward it. In our era, we’ve all been urbanized in some form. There’s a commonality in daily life, but yet so much difference when you see it from a certain view. Surprisingly, it’s never the same. There’s calm, chaos, love, hatred, success, failure—all in one place, and yet there's structure to the urban world. Architecture, culture, people, festivals, sunsets can mean heaven to those who love to capture them as a setting. There are elements that need a voice, which can be captured and brought up, and there are popular elements that can be presented from a different perspective. The underlying thing is that there is so much to capture in an urban world because it blends all these factors.

Which cityscape photo do you feel best defines your style?

Marine Drive probably remains one of the most special places for me. It has sparked so much creativity that I probably can't even properly explain it. The sunsets, the people, the art deco buildings, the skyline on one end with simple homes on the other—it's iconic to the core. There’s so much happening, yet it has given me the most calm I've ever felt.

This photo is a reflection of that. Captured from a rooftop restaurant, it showcases the Queen’s Necklace at its full glory. The hustle and bustle, the sun hiding behind the clouds spread across the skyline as a backdrop, the red double-decker bus which has always been at the heart of this city, and the overall vibe—it's unmatched to any other place I have been to till now!

What's the story behind the street photo you just shared?

This is a special image I was able to capture. If you look closely, it's a child looking up to his father, and they were having a conversation as a father and son, just enjoying the wind and the sea. Of course, adding to it are the stunning sunset shades. I just love how it all comes together in this image. It is beautiful, calming, and has its own little storytelling element as well.

What's your go-to camera gear for cityscapes, and how does it influence your shooting style?

I have completely shifted to the iPhone Pro model for a while now. The reason is the hassle-free experience it provides to go out there and shoot as much as I can in great detail, given the power of these phones in capturing and blending elements. It's easy for me to carry the device, use a tripod if absolutely needed to get stable shots of the cityscapes, and use the in-built features to capture the frames. I then edit them through Lightroom for more room for editing versus a tool like Snapseed for quick fixes. Since I am a working professional and not a full-time photographer, this approach serves my purpose, which is to connect, create, and share with the world!

What does Mumbai mean to you, and how did you capture its unique energy?

Mumbai is a special city to me. I have covered almost every nook and corner in search of inspiration, in search of stories, and many times, in search of myself. It gave me a platform to step outside my comfort zone and put my work out there. It's given me so much as a creative, and I will be grateful forever. The city pushes you, the city breaks you, and then the city makes you. I call that image 'Sea of Devotees Meet the Vast Arabian Sea.' Ganpati is my favorite festival, and the energy, the vibe, and the colors are something I long for every year to capture through my lens. Mumbai takes this festival to a whole new level, and it's a journey in itself to capture the happenings as they unfold during the ten days of this festival. Very special!

Walk us through the editing choices you made for your street photo, and why.

For this particular photo, I gave it a film effect with a layer of grain, a bit of ambient light adjustment, and a slight contrast boost to make the guards more prominent. The idea was to create a timeless, cinematic feel while preserving the story's authenticity.