Photo © Ayash Basu | Jíbaro Photos

Ayash Basu

Executive Member
born: India
based: USA
Website | @ayash.basu

Biography

Ayash started dabbling in photography as a child by experimenting on his Dad’s Russian-made camera and black and white film. These experiments matured into a serious hobby when in college, he started to participate in treks with the Himalayan Explorer’s Club and developed a keen interest in nature and landscape photography. Since then, Ayash has been pursuing photography passionately, and over time, his visual interests have gravitated more towards documentary and street photography. Ayash prefers to shoot with Leica M Rangefinder cameras, a system that now forms the basis of almost all his work.

Ayash founded Loculars in 2017, a marketplace where travelers and photography lovers can connect with highly accomplished photographers over curated, one-on-one, locally relevant photography experiences. One such program brought him to Cuba, a country that immediately touched his heart and kept him going back. Having met and interacted with many gifted artists in Cuba, Ayash got the initial concept of a Cuba-focused collective, which has since been brought to life by the founding members of Jíbaro Photos. Ayash prefers to work on personal projects over commissioned assignments, given that photography is not his principle career. Some of his ongoing projects include — the performing arts and culture of Cuba, the life of rodeo cowboys in the US, the sacred festivals and cultural hotbeds of India, amongst others. Ayash was recently included by Austin Monthly magazine in their “BIPOC Artists from Austin You Need to Know About” feature.

Prior to starting Loculars, Ayash was a leader in the Marketing & Sales practice at McKinsey & Company, advising the C-suite and top management of Fortune 500 companies on topics such as Marketing Strategy and Effectiveness, Corporate Strategy and Growth, Commercial Operating Models, and Organizational Design.

Ayash holds an MBA (Dean’s List) from Columbia Business School in New York and a Bachelors in Architecture (Honors) from the Indian Institute of Technology in India. His other interests include tennis, single-malt whisky, value investing, and world travel.