The click of an eye

It's been so long since I've done any serious photography, and it's eating into my heart. My time these days is pathetically occupied with house-hunting, and worrying about the soon-to-happen tax deductions. So, I'm going to write about photography. A tutorial.

I don't know where to begin. I still remember the first photo I ever ever made. I must have been around 11, and my dad finally entrusted me with holding a camera and making a photo. I dunno why I wasn't allowed before, but I do remember it being a great big deal. It wasn't a great big camera. It was a regular manual point-and-shoot family Minolta. The whole family (and cousins and uncles and aunts) were on holiday in Panchgani. We stood on the plateau, and I remember how very windy it was. I took the camera with great excitement, and strode a bit away and made a photo of the family.

And it turns into a sweet portrait of a family and -
My dad, with a content and proud smile, giving me the thumbs up.
My mother's face very excited and grinning widely.
And my baby sister clutching my mom's skirt in excitement, with an expression that reads: Afrin is taking a photo!

I should scan it.

Anyway, to the tutorial. Extremely basic for now.

I've never had formal classes on photography. Although in our Mass Media course, we took a paper on photography, our professor spent a lot more time on the 'concept' and ideologies of art and beauty and not too much on the technical part. Which was good - he did enough by explaining the workings of the aperture, shutter, and their interactions.

But for me, the two most important aspects of photography are composition and timing. That's all it takes. Obviously photography is nothing but capturing a single fabulous moment (or an ordinary moment made fabulous). And so its of most importance to be able to capture it from the right place at the right instant.

It isn't important to have a fancy camera to make good pictures. (One thing my photography professor imprinted on me was using the phrase 'make a photo' and not 'take a photo.') Equipment can only aid a photographer if he's got a good sense of composition and timing. That's my opinion anyway.

This is a nice photo that I made years ago while wandering in bombay with an extremely ordinary manual point and shoot Olympus camera, and my first ever black and white film.I love the light in the water. But the point here is the extremely ordinary camera I've used for most of my photography, and got excellent results.

I've made great pictures from running trains, and speeding bikes, and what not. This one from a moving train - but an almost perfect composition.



Another lucky one was this one I manage to get of Nigel during a concert. It was pure luck and timing, and in return, Nigel is my eternal fan.


Anyway, that should be enough for today.

PS: None of these photos were made with my digital SLR.

Points to note:

1. You always make a photo and never take a photo.
2. Timing and composition make great pictures.
3. Great equipment is as good as cow-dung if in the hands of a lazy, careless and unimaginative photographer.