Friday 25 November 2011

J-School, A place to learn, A place to grow

Five months. And for the first time ever, I have the courage to tell a large group of people that I have seen life. It was not until I entered the premises of my favourite J-School did I realise the reason the personalities of people. My professor did tell me that the key to being a good journalist is to be a good human being. Strange but true. You never know what you are looking for unless you know what it feels like. Camera techniques and production methodologies can always be discussed and taught. Thanks to you tube and video conferencing it is now possible for one to learn more from those sitting miles away. But what J-School does teach you is the mere essence of journalism- life. J-School (a.k.a journalism school) is not only about the grades and work. It is a world that aims at preparing you for the most unexpected. With each report or story, we tend to discover newer aspects of our self. You not only learn how to say it but also how to say it effectively to a large group of people. I still remember how our faculty had warned us of the work load that the course could offer. I bet no student believed her. But today after nearly 20 weeks of hard work I am convinced that no media person can ever make  it big without a love for the field and the determination to get the job done.
         As a child, I wanted to be a 'war' journalist. And I would fancy being amidst ammunition and smoke. Today, I want to cover the arts. Or may be research on some of the tribal groups in India. That is what journalism is. It is all about the open mind, the thirst for finding out more and to reveal the truth in a fair way.
All of us entered the compound of the J-School with pre-conceived notions of such a career. Each one of us thought of it as a world that would offer us luxuries beyond explanation. The truth? It is the opposite of all that. Travelling far and wide, we journalists are perhaps better tourist guides than those stationed at monuments. Punctuality has become our middle name for nothing is acknowledged without a tinge of timeliness.
        May be there is a lot we need to learn after all. We need to do all that we have to before we hold that microphone and say "back to the studio."

Sunday 20 November 2011

How crazy are you at 'the moment?'

Two years ago T.N Perumal, veteran wildlife photographer, had given my classmates and I a talk on the Dos and Donts of wildlife photography. During the course of the presentation, I noticed a photograph of world's most respected wildlife photographer- F.W Champion. A champion indeed he was! Barefoot, dressed in Khaki this man was known to scare those animals that stood before him. He did so by trying to 'shoot' them. Interestingly, the weapon was a camera that weighed twice that of the Cannon 5D if not more. Today, many aspire to be as brave as the "Champion" but not all dare to do so at "the moment."
      I was in conversation with a very passionate and determined photographer. At 22, this young man has proven himself worthy of all the praise he could get. Yet, his attitude and style of capturing the Kodak moment has stunned not only amateur but even professional photographers too. To him, nothing fears him more than the mere inability to capture reality. When I asked him what he wanted to be, he said "A War photographer." 'Hmm..... Daring," I thought forgetting that clicking is the last thing I could think of when a bullet is targetted at my body.
     The question that has left me fickle minded is whether an art/science/skill like photography demands the love for craziness or not.
       In merely three years of photography, I have realised that sometimes one has to resort to being insane to record what could one day be termed "history." But what one must never forget is the importance of walking the line; the line that distinguishes passion from profession. The line that determines what are who gets to be termed "history."
       What makes a photograph worthy of appreciation? Is it the technique, the lighting, or luck? Ever wondered how sometimes blurred and out of focus images catches the eye more than the technically perfect ones? When in doubt, I  recollect the tale behind Steve Mc Curry's picture of the Afghan girl. It takes passion, detemination and alot of gut to track down a woman in one of the world's most feared places. Yet, in spite of the fame the photograph had earned, the effort behind the moment was more obvious than the picture itself. Every photograph has the creators signature engraved in it. Either in the form of a by line or the style. The later demands the need for being crazy.
         May be it is a matter of the right permutations and combinations. Photography has no stead fast rules. One has to be imaginative, think out of the box, and most of all have a strong sense of self to be outstanding.

Saturday 19 November 2011

Go digital


Kodak moments can never be re-created. The first steps of your child or the first dance recital are not mere events but memories that motivate you lifelong. Recording these images has been made easier through the efforts of many wise men and women. Yet, people prefer doing things the good-old-fashioned way. The reasons are many. Some prefer the old way due to its everlasting charm, while some choose to do so as they are technophobic. No matter how expensive the task may be, photographers continue “flirting with the film” due to a variety of reasons. The question that lies before is- should technophobia prevent one from venturing into a new style of image recording? After all, change is the key to creativity.
The invention of film had revolutionized the world of image recording. Analog photography permitted people to preserve images for a much longer period of time as opposed to those photographs that were created on photographic plates. Some of the finest pictures of all time have been captured by means of a film camera. However, this form of preservation was not economical. Prints of these photographs would often cost photographers a large sum of money. Indeed, the passion of many had become a gamble for life; for one couldn’t preview the outcomes.
                It was in the year 1991 that the term digital photography had come into existence. Films were replaced with image sensors and thus the camera had become every person’s best friend. Digital photography allowed one to have a preview of the frames that were captured and had also provided sufficient scope for effective and efficient image editing. The question that lies before us is, which form of photography is preferred and why.
As per a survey conducted by more focus, 82% of the photographers prefer using digital cameras as opposed to analog cameras.
                It is interesting to note that in spite of the developments in technology, a photograph taken by means of a 35mm analog camera consists of around 20 million ‘quality’ pixels unlike the digital image.          Hand held or point and shoot digital cameras allow photographers to capture images consisting of a as few as four million quality pixels.
                 While the world continues to strive towards achieving stability in the economy, companies such as Polaroid seem to have made significant efforts to bring to light the good old instant image film cameras in the year 2009. It is indeed fascinating to see how old habits die hard! Then again isn’t it wiser to use a cost effective instrument to record those precious moments of life?

A survey was conducted among a group of photographers so as analyse their opinions on the various technologies in the field of photography.
                90%of them believe that digital photography has enabled one to explore more. In other words it not only allows one to earn more, but learn more as well! True, digital cameras are more user friendly than film cameras. However, there has been a significant rise in the number of careless usages of digital images. The question of image quality is indeed debatable. While many strongly feel that film cameras produce better images than those produced by DSLRs, the others say that the quality of these images is satisfactory except in the cases of precise scientific experiments. Some claim that photographs captured by a film camera are richer in colour and depth as opposed to digital cameras.
Let us study the technical aspects of analog and digital photography.
                To begin with, Analog photography is not only the art of capturing an image but also the science of reproducing an image in its true form by means of various chemical permutations. A photographer thus has to be aware of the various forms of light, its direction and properties. Film cameras produce images which consist of 20 million “quality” mega pixels unlike the digital camera which produces images of less than 4 million “quality” mega pixels. Films allow one to record and reproduce images a broader colour range thereby enabling you to record highlights effectively. Storage is never an issue for it is easier to preserve hard copies of documents as opposed to soft copies! A negative or a positive does not become unreadable due to a virus attack. Thus, it is more effective for the purpose of preservation.
                However, feasibility is always a matter of concern for analog photographers. The costs incurred are not always proportionate  to the work done. Today, chemicals for the development of films are indeed scarce. This method of photography is time consuming as well. Thus, it has become ineffective and inefficient means of preserving moments.
                Digital photography seems to be booming at a rapid pace. This technique has led to a significant rise in the number of photographers. It was more user-friendly and cost effective. Digital photography allows you to have a preview of our images before processing. It enables one to make back-ups of the various documents in the form of CDs, DVDs etc. Unlike those of a film camera, the colours of the images do not fade over the years. Thereby letting you relive the moments. In fact, processing the image is much faster than in the case of analog cameras. One is also relieved of the burden of carrying films with varied ASA values so as to capture an acceptable picture due to the ISO variation facility in the camera menu.
                Yet, every coin has two sides. Digitization of images also leads to a variety other technical problems. Such as corrupted disks, memory cards etc. The initial costs for digital photography are indeed high. Digital cameras are also more vulnerable to damage due to its computerized mechanisms. The quality of an image, in terms of the number of bits of a single colour pixel, is less as compared to that of a film camera. For instance, modern digital cameras gather 10 to 12 bits of a single colour pixel which is further reduced when the images are converted into JPEG images. The credibility of such images is often debated as these photographs are easier to modify unlike those of the film camera. Digital photography has also been the primary reason behind the rise in the number of ‘careless’ photographers. It is thus, no longer an art but a commercial gimmick.
The romance of film seems to be withering away. But it is important to realize the necessity to keep pace with technology. Photography has been digitized so as to simplify the task of preservation and recoding by making it economical, effective and efficient. In doing so one must remember to do the following:
a)      Purchase equipment according to your need and not desires; it is not worth investing in a fortune that becomes outdated or which you may never use.
b)      Create back-ups of your photographs immediately in the form of DVDs, CDS, etc. This will permit you to re-install or format your memory cards.
c)       Do not copy pictures by means of a USB on to a system infected with viruses. This could affect the programming of your camera.
d)      Avoid shooting during the monsoon or near a source of water without proper precautions. Electronic gadgets are more prone to damage than analog cameras.
e)      Go through the user manual before experimenting with your cameras in the most unexpected ways.
f)       Love you camera like a child. Any manhandling will not only cost you in monetary terms but also in terms of you a lot of physical stress as well!

The initial costs are a mere investment for a piece of wonder. It is indeed more feasible and easier to edit images by means of computer based software than print those undesirable images of reality. Digital photography can be as charming and wonderful as analog photography; for in the end it isn’t the photograph but the photographer who creates the moment. After all, a picture does speak a thousand words.

Friday 18 November 2011

A fad for frames

Every time I step out into the open, I try to picture the most unique and strange sights within frames of varying sizes. Sadly, the desire to record these frames were shunned away for three months due to a sprained wrist. Yet, I always hoped for something as fascinating as a world class lens to help me capture those fine images of life. 
     A lens to me is not merely a 'part' of the camera. It is the means to witnessing that part of the world we cared precious little about. Perhaps that is why, photographers crave for better lenses while clicking some of mother nature's most outstanding creations. Many a time the need for a lens wth  high focal lenghts is  meaningless. While on some instances it is said to be the reason behind fabulous work.
   Honestly, when unprofessional photographers shell out big bucks on 800mm lenses, 4x converters and 600mm zoom lenses, it is no less amusing than a hip-hop dancer trying to do the snake dance. Rule number one- the mind sets the frame. The lens assists the mind to capture the frame and not the other way around. It is not wise to spend an entire life's savings on equipment which might never be used.
   Lenses, for that matter, have to be thougth about before purchase. In the rush of getting the 'frame' one often tends to save and show off. In other words, they buy cheap lenses of a particular focal lengtd and show off without even double - checking the results. For instance, some Nikon zoom lenses give you the best results so long as it comes with the in-buiilt AF mode. It is accepted that many zooms lenses that are of the manual mode cannot capture sharp and focussed images. These lenses are meant for those experienced cameramen, whose body and breath are in their control.
     Piece of advice, use what you have to the fullest. Learn it. Understand it and appreciate it. Only then venture into newer arenas.

I hear you

This is an attempt at poetry after a gap of nearly 17 years. _________ I hear the noise around me The rage, the anger, and the hate A...