Photography- An Art

                             

                                       “I came, I saw, I captured”

I was caught in a kind of a dilemma the other day. It so happened that my friend and I were walking on this busy road when we saw a person clicking photographs. He was so completely consumed by what he was doing that he didn’t really bother about anyone around him. They were pictures of the chaos around but nothing In particular really. A thought suddenly sprung to her mind and she asked me…. why do people click pictures? Can’t they just enjoy the moment instead of losing it while their trying to capture the same in their little boxes of joy? I didn’t know how to answer her question, Still don’t.

                                                             When the waters keep calm,

I’m not a big fan of photography myself and much like my friends opinion I’m more of a ‘enjoy the moment’ kind of person. Since its inception in the 19 Th century till now photography has captured millions of hearts and continues to do so. Gone are the days when one had to wait hours before he/she could view the photo taken, chemical photography as it was called, had to wait for the completion of a chemical reaction. Now, it’s a digital era. A click and in seconds you have a digital image propping up on your camera screen. It has been quite a transition since then, from the black and white photography to the ones belonging to the colored fame. From the studio camera, the Polaroid to the DSLR, it has been quite a revolution in the art of photography. But what makes photography an art?

I have this friend of mine who’s really passionate about photography. He keeps roaming around with camera in hand wherever we go, clicking everything he sees. Even I do click pictures. The only difference between me and him is that his photos are actually good. Well of course he has a DSLR and the wow factor while I have my good for nothing Sony Xperia. Photography is not about the camera you have and blah blah blah. Well news flash, it is about the camera you have. You can’t just compare a Sony and a DSLR. But, it’s not all about the camera you see. For instance if my friend would give me his DSLR, I would still be clicking terrible pictures. I love my Xperia the way it is, always there to take the blame.

                                                                      Kambala in all its glory!    

Then there are the jargons of the trade. Ordinary human beings don’t understand the terminology of photography. You tell a layman that in order to get the perfect snap you have to adjust the shutter and the ISO speed accordingly, keep the exposure for an optimum time and control the aperture accordingly, and he or she will keep staring at you with bewilderment and awe or just plain blank. The same happens to me quite often when photography enthusiasts keep rambling about the art of brilliant photography. One has to admit therefore that it is an art, because not everyone can click breathtaking pictures, like not everyone can sing melodiously or paint beautifully.

                                                                  The language of the eyes…

Pictures have a language of their own. They convey what speech and colors cant, every detail, however minute, available to the observer. A language that everyone knows but very few understand. One goes in search of those perfect moments and once in a while will be surprised to find a Mohammed smiling at you with that same innocence that every child has only tamed by the difficulties at home. Once in a while will be taken aback to see a Vijay who will always find ways to be happy and curious no matter how cumbersome his life might be, however heavy his burdens might feel.

                                                            No burden can tame that smile!!

So photography is not just about understanding the science and the terminology related is it? No it most certainly is not. Anyone can see a brilliant dazzling rainbow in the sky but it takes a keen eye to observe a droplet of water in the foreground glistening with utmost glory. That’s what photography is about. It’s not about seeing the extraordinary, anyone can do that. It’s about being able to see the ordinary. Things which most people miss. Things that most people don’t bother to look at a second time. It’s about capturing that one smile that’s worth capturing. It’s about taking your camera whatever it may be, either a Sony or a DSLR and just heading off alone somewhere where you’ve never been to before and being able to look through a fresh lens each time. 

Photo Credits : Rajashekar Vasanth