# Dare to do it | Shresth Gupta | TEDxBIT Noida Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oW9XfQjjpcQ Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/oW9XfQjjpcQ Generated: 2026-02-10T19:32:36.377+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview Shresth Gupta, an engineer turned full-time wedding photographer, shares his journey of overcoming introversion and societal expectations by treating photography as a lifestyle rather than just a profession, culminating in him starting his own successful company, Stories by Kalakar, after leaving a stable corporate job. **Key Points:** - Shresth Gupta, an engineer by education and photographer by profession, became known as 'Karakar' on Instagram. - He realized that photography provided him the means to capture love, laughter, landscapes, and lifestyles, which he enjoyed more than his corporate engineering role. - After seven years in a stable corporate job with promotions, he quit on December 3rd (3/12) to pursue photography full-time, despite his father's initial concern about the lack of a clear career path. - He started his company, Stories by Kalakar, took a 10 lakh bank loan, and learned photography from scratch without formal training, focusing on connecting emotionally with subjects. - His advice to others is to 'Think of it as lifestyle and not just a profession' and to 'Dare to do' things imperfectly, as constant self-evaluation leads to improvement. - His company has now covered over 75 weddings, generating over 1.4 crore clicks, and he now employs a team of 12 people to manage the growing demand. ![Screenshot at 00:05: The title slide sequence transitions from the TEDx BIT Noida logo to an animated graphic of a shattering red cube, symbolizing the breaking of barriers, before revealing the talk's title slide, "BREAKING BARRIERS."](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/oW9XfQjjpcQ/00-00-05.jpg) **Context:** This is a TEDx talk delivered by Shresth Gupta at TEDxBIT Noida, titled "Dare to do it." Shresth shares his personal story of transitioning from a successful career as a graduate engineer trainee (GET) in the corporate world to becoming a full-time wedding photographer. He recounts the internal struggle and external pressures he faced, emphasizing the importance of pursuing one's passion as a lifestyle rather than merely a job, and the necessity of taking risks and embracing imperfections in the learning process. ## Detailed Analysis Shresth Gupta introduces himself as an engineer by education and a photographer by profession, known as 'Karakar' on Instagram. He reveals that his photography journey began in college (2019, second year) when he developed a passion for capturing moments like sunsets and everyday life, even though he lacked a camera initially. After securing a corporate job in Pune at Mahindra Automobiles, which offered good salary and perks, he realized the corporate life felt like a trap, despite its predictability. He felt disconnected from his initial passion. This realization prompted him to quit his secure job after only three and a half months, against his family's expectations, to pursue photography full-time. He took a 10 lakh bank loan to start his company, 'Stories by Kalakar,' focusing specifically on wedding photography, despite having zero prior knowledge in that genre. He actively sought mentorship from leading wedding photographers, assisting them to learn the practical aspects of shooting events and connecting emotionally with subjects. He emphasizes that photography, for him, became a lifestyle, not just a profession. This perspective shift was crucial. He stresses that success requires a 'Constant journey of self evaluation,' where one must dare to do things imperfectly and seek honest feedback rather than being complacent. He notes that while critics exist, true friends provide constructive criticism, and the key is to focus on growth rather than seeking external validation. Since starting, his company has covered over 75 weddings, resulted in over 1.4 crore clicks, and he now runs a team of 12 people, proving that stepping out of the predictable path led to fulfillment. ### Introduction and Background - Shresth Gupta is an engineer turned wedding photographer known as 'Karakar' - He started photography in college without a camera, driven by capturing life's moments. ### The Corporate Dilemma - Worked at Mahindra Automobiles in Pune for seven years, receiving promotions and good salary, but felt trapped in the predictable corporate lifestyle. ### The Leap of Faith - Quit his stable job after only 3.5 months, despite family concerns, using savings and taking a 10 lakh loan to start his company, Stories by Kalakar. ### Learning and Growth - Learned wedding photography from scratch by assisting top photographers, focusing on emotional connection over technical perfection initially. ### Core Philosophy - Advocates for treating passion as a 'lifestyle and not just a profession' and embracing 'Constant journey of self evaluation' by daring to do things imperfectly. ### Current Success - His company has covered 75+ weddings, generated 1.4 crore clicks, and employs a team of 12, demonstrating success outside the conventional path. ![Screenshot at 00:05: The title slide sequence transitions from the TEDx BIT Noida logo to an animated graphic of a shattering red cube, symbolizing the breaking of barriers.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/oW9XfQjjpcQ/00-00-05.jpg) ![Screenshot at 00:47: The speaker points to a slide showing a photograph of a person walking a runway, illustrating his early photography work and the diversity of subjects he captured.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/oW9XfQjjpcQ/00-00-47.jpg) ![Screenshot at 01:09: A black and white image is displayed showing two men from different communities \(one in a cap, one with a long beard and sunglasses\) hugging, symbolizing the stories of connection he seeks to capture.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/oW9XfQjjpcQ/00-01-09.jpg) ![Screenshot at 01:25: A slide displays a portrait of a traditionally dressed Indian bride adorned with heavy jewelry, representing the wedding photography genre he specialized in.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/oW9XfQjjpcQ/00-01-25.jpg) ![Screenshot at 11:47: A slide appears with the text: "Think of it as lifestyle and not just a profession," summarizing his core philosophy for pursuing passion.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/oW9XfQjjpcQ/00-11-47.jpg)