About

Born in the bustling heart of Calcutta in 1983, Rishipratim Guha Mustafi grew up surrounded by sound, motion, and the vivid tapestry of city life. Yet even as a child, his gaze was drawn elsewhere — toward stillness. A rustling palm, the slant of morning light on a quiet rooftop, the hush of the world before sunrise. These were his early teachers.

| “Not all landscapes are found in nature. Some are found within.”

His formal schooling began at The Assembly of God Church School, Tollygunge. But his real learning started earlier — in moments of still observation and quiet wonder. In his teenage years, this quiet curiosity took shape behind the lens. A kind-hearted local photo studio owner became his first mentor, offering not just knowledge, but belief — belief that this soft-spoken teenager had something to say, and a unique way of saying it.

| “Each edit, each frame, was a slow breath. A meditation.”

Like many artists, Rishi’s path wasn’t linear. He earned a degree in Computer Science & Engineering from Visveswaraiah Technological University and entered the structured world of IT. But the cubicle could never contain what the horizon had started calling. His friends saw it before he did — the eye, the sensitivity, the urge to create. With their encouragement, he made the leap.

Quitting his job was not just an act of rebellion — it was an act of returning. To self. To silence. To something real.

As his archive of landscapes grew, so did his hunger to refine. He turned to the digital world to learn post-processing, immersing himself in video tutorials by photographers from across the globe. YouTube became his classroom. Lightroom, his sketchpad. Every evening, he would transform photographs into quiet stories — patiently adjusting tone and light until they felt honest.

| “The silence in his images isn’t absence — it’s invitation.”

He uploaded his work onto online platforms, unsure of whether anyone was watching — but doing it anyway. Quietly. Consistently. And then, like so many of life’s best moments, a quiet surprise arrived: Penprints Publication reached out. They saw not just photos, but a philosophy. They saw the artist.

Together, they began the slow, thoughtful process of creating this very photo book — Through Light & Silence — a meditative archive of years spent wandering, listening, and framing the unspoken.

| “This book isn’t a portfolio. It’s a journey written in light.”

Today, Rishipratim continues to work independently — curating prints, pursuing new projects, and staying true to the voice he found long ago: a voice that doesn’t shout, but waits. That doesn’t demand, but invites. One that listens.