Last weekend I got the fortune to go through the celebrated photographer Raghu Rai's Photographical book about Delhi -'Delhi. That was'. The book is a collection of Black and White as well as coloured photographs from various parts of Delhi from the 70s till eary 90s.
While going through the first time, I was merely interested in looking Delhi, as one tries to communicate with the pictures of one's city and recall,'Oh yes! it's that street or that locality.' The second time I can actually feel the old world charm enliven through the book and eventually I saw the pictures again and again, each picture demands attention and tells a process.
Eventually I realized this is the purpose of photography, it should entice, it should attract attention and it shouldn't be void, it should say something through the images. Raghu Rai's. book serves the purpose 100%.
Those who had seen childhood through the 80s or 90s know very well how Photography used to be an occasion for a common middle class family. All of the family members used to be excited for a photo on some child's birthday or parents anniversary. They used to dress well, especially in new and proceeded to the nearby photo studio where there were curtains of different colours for background and even scenery of an Indian village with a pond and ducks and green trees and blue sky and a thatched hut. Sometimes if the photographer was free he used to give suggestions and took the family out to nearby playground for an outdoor photo with hills in the background. The family were in jovial mood so no one has to smile artificially, it came out abundantly and the photographer has to tell that keep your mouth a li'l less open and don't show your teeth, of course in the humblest way. He was a revered being that time for the subjects. The week long wait for a single photograph to come made it all the more pleasurable when the final glossy postcard size Bromide print was taken out of the crisp white envelope and the never ending discussions and leg pullings started. And who can forget the frenzy for the classroom group photo!
Once I saw the photographer working with a fine paint brush filling dots in the eyebrows of a lady's black and white passport size photograph and I realized that it was his dedication towards the profession that he didn't leave a picture incomplete. Sometimes the protrusions in the paper used to flak off and left a white spot in the back area in a picture, and he fixed it with black oil colour, where do we find such finesse now?
If you recall an outing be it single or with family or friends it used to be an outing, a sightseeing a complete picnic where we used to enjoy from a little butterfly to a cool shade of a big banyan tree and time seemed to stand still.
When you jump towards the modern era where everyone has become a camera wielding soldier smiling artificially, only God knows how much I hate the word'Selfie'. Anyways! that's a personal view not to offend anybody. You realize that you are not out for the sake of picnic but you are a slave of the camera. Is it really necessary to capture every time be it there's a lake in the background or the Taj mahal or India Gate?, instead of marvelling at the masonry of these legendary buildings and enjoying nature at a serene cool water body the camera is'clicking-clicking'.
The professional vending photographers at famous tourist spots lost their profession due to the wretched handheld devices, And I can bet that no selfie trotting tourist can click a picture as beautiful as a professional photographer. It's a both sided loss. You get the picture but they are ugly, they don't tell a story, they are just a reminder of a visit and will be forgotten over time in which folder you had saved them. And the most precious thing lost is the time you should have enjoyed got wasted in click-click.
Anyways. it seems I went towards being rude to mobile photography which may seem to be absolute absurdity to the general view.
One beautifully clicked picture is way better than a hundred in-your-face types selfies, and that one only a seasoned person can do who understands the reflection of light, the colour of background, the posture of the subject and other technicalities, that's his genius, his forte. That's why you get a professional for doing wedding albums because you know the product of your handheld devices can never be at the same level of finesse.
And there comes a but. That we failed to realise the sheer art involved in photography. it's not just clicking.
It should be a click with a hearty feel and attentive mind.
