Originally from a small hill station Shillong in Meghalaya, India, Kormiyaki Lamarr’s journey of becoming a photographer is eye raising. Kormiyaki, who is self taught in the fundamentals of photography has first started to get into photography at an early age of 12 but he started shooting professionally in 2011. Later, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue his degree at the prestigious New York Film Academy.
He recently shot a short film for a well known magazine, which will be out soon.
Kormiyaki was also a part of the very famous Kingfisher Calendar 2021 which happened in Kerala where he was the head of social media. Besides these, he also worked with Meghalaya tourism, enhancing the beauty and charm of the state for the tourists visiting there from across the globe.
Sharing more on his journey from hometown Shillong to LA, he said, “Journey from Shillong to LA has been a roller coaster, I have had so many obstacles, studying in a boarding school for 10 years really taught me to live independently. I have had a lot of good opportunities all because I put in the work and subsequently got noticed. I have encountered many different people and cultures in my journey, which has given me a different aspect of the world we live in and helped me capture it.”
Describing his challenges throughout, he reveals, “Having lost my mother as a teenager is probably the hardest challenge in my life , however I use this negative energy into my photography to channel it into something productive. When I’m with a camera I forget everything that has happened and simply live in the moment. That’s what keeps me going.”
“Opportunities don’t always come, you create your own and having a strong mind set and putting the hours into it has helped me get to where I am today, I am grateful to have a family who always believed in my work, I couldn’t have done it without them,” he added.
Asked when did he develop interest in photography, he says, “Started of with family photos, found myself spending more time with a camera than anything else. Being surrounded by the beauty nature of Meghalaya made me want to capture all of it. From nature to culture to people. It took off for me when I got publication in a few newspapers of an image I took of a house that was accidentally burnt down. Seeing my work being spread across the state really motivated the young Kormi. Photography is my tool. it showcases my perspective of the world. When I create images, I make sure I always back the with a concept or a story to tell, this also adds to the impact of my work and gives it a wholesome sense of purpose.”
He has been shooting various fields of photography and videography ranging from events, landscapes, commercials and documentaries. He primarily focuses on fashion photography and also delves into a stylised and conceptual approach to his work.