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.
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.
Well written. I am a naive photographer,but I could relate to your thrill in seeing the world through the lens and capturing that fraction of a second to view for hours..years! later.There is maths/science behind it, but its the amount of 'self' one puts in the effort that makes it what it is as you said. And creativity is spontaneous, though it is an expression of the self, it is pure when the 'creator' doesnt worry about His self during the creation!.. Lovely read! Keep them coming
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your first successful blog-post :)
ReplyDeleteWell-written.
The difference between the history reader and the history maker is the degree of insanity.