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Honestly speaking, I had never planned on becoming a photographer. It just happened. It began as an infatuation of a 12-year-old, and inadvertently grew into a passion. And the love affair is on. The relationship, however, began after school, when yours truly laid hands on a 35mm single-reflex cameraVivitar V3800.
Back then, Alfa, Nova and ILFORD, were the most preferred monochrome films. Around 40 per cent of the process was about clicking the picture, the rest took place in the darkroom in trying to develop and print a picture. Photography was more about the process back then. Geometry, textures, patterns, hues and flora were few of my favourite subjects.
After a shoot, the long wait for the final product would be killing. Processing films and printing them was like giving birth (if I can use that term). Or, like creating an artifact. Watching a plain printing paper turn into a frameit was exciting! The excitement is still there and the time spend in the darkroom is still precious.
Today, the development of technology is providing every person a chance to experience the magic of photography. Having said that, I don't believe everyone becomes a photographerunless, there is that special something in the blood that makes the process into an addiction for you.
And, the process and aesthetics of the frame has changed as well. Previously, the art of photography entailed that a photographer would give considerable thought to the frame before shooting. Now, with the process becoming simpler and, to some extent, cheaper, the thought comes after a picture has been clicked (perhaps through the simpler auto mode). If such a trend continues, soon there will be newspapers and magazines carrying photo credits for the camera company, and not the person clicking it.
As time went on, I found myself graduating to storytelling through the lensI began to shoot musicians and models for magazines. The intent was to capture motion. Like a chapter of a story. As a photojournalist I have been fortunate enough to meet people from different walks of life. Celebrities, artists, students, actors, leaders, professors, business heads, IT managers, models and designers. And I have discovered that a simple picture is sometimes the hardest to shoot. Or that, clicking a baby's picture is more challenging than shooting a supermodel. That shooting a celebrity is more fun than shooting a political leader. Shooting IT managers is really unique, as most of them are camera shy. When you have such an individual, it's best to start with a conversation and create an environment of ease.
A shot is a candid moment. If there is no control over that moment, it might not just happen. And then there are logistics of the momentdeadlines, opportunities, locations, props, lights, number of people, etc., involved in a shoot. Not to forget that a picture plays a critical role in every storythus, you better be sure of what you are doing in that moment when you click!
It is rightly said that a picture speaks more than a thousand words. Photography is my language. It is the strongest medium I have known. Glad to note that my journey (with photography) has just begun.
The author is a Chief Photographer @ 9.9 Mediaworx Pvt. Ltd.
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