One of the first compositions we write in school is - My Hobbies. Generally we write it as part of 'Myself'. Reading books (fiction mostly), writing poetry,dancing and listening to music have been my hobbies since childhood. With time, there have been 2 additions - Photography and collage making.
I don't remember when exactly I began photography, probably when I was about 13-14 years old; but I always enjoyed being behind the camera! Yes, I enjoyed that more than being clicked by others! For me, holding the camera and clicking a photograph was way more fascinating!
When I started writing, I started looking at the world and the people around me with a different perspective. I started 'seeing' and 'noticing'.... The sad eyes behind a bright smile, the dark cloud with a silver lining, the impoverished soul behind the expensive clothes.... That must be the beginning of my interest in photography.
I think when Adit gave me a camera, I actually started taking my hobby of photography seriously, which is basically after marriage. In fact, our trips together were a great opportunity for me to bring out the photographer in me which lay dormant for years!
Our photographs in Mandu (Oct 2003), Goa (Oct 2004), Europe (Apr-May 2005) and even at home, with family and friends, showed I wasn't just casually clicking away but taking pictures to keep these memories alive forever. I realised it was all about that 'Kodak moment' which made the difference! I learnt about the importance of angles and lighting through a lot of trial and error! Still learning!
When my daughters came along, they became my muse and models!! I just loved dressing them up and clicking photos! I also took candid shots of my little models, with surprising results sometimes. They enjoyed it too and played along with me!😍
Every time we are travelling I go crazy with the camera! My girls tease me saying there are no people in my pics! Of course that's not true!😬 I do love taking candid shots of people. But more than that I love the scenery around. Nature is my biggest muse!📸
Every place, not necessarily a tourist spot, has its own uniqueness and beauty. But sometimes I feel even the best cameras can't capture the beauty that our eyes behold! It's the raw, real and spontaneous that appeals to me.
Having travelled the length and breadth of the country, I have loved shooting with the camera to capture the sight my eyes see! Sometimes, it's a ripple in the pond that catches my eye, sometimes the sun melting into the horizon....Kodaikanal (2009), Ranikhet and Nainital (2010), Ladakh(2014), Andamans(2015), Mumbai and Bengaluru(2016), Bhutan and Sikkim (2017), Dehradoon and Nainital( 2019)-beautiful moments become everlasting memories! If only I could, I would fill up this space with beautiful pictures instead of words. Look forward to it in the near future.🙂
Ladakh and Rajasthan are a photographer's delight! Two extremes of the spectrum with stunning visuals. The colourful culture, the Gompas, the palaces and forts,the mountains,the desert and sand dunes..... I was totally floored!
The Singapore trip in 2017-18 also saw me behind the lens rather than posing for pics. My girls were so happy, that I couldn't help clicking away to make those memories last forever!
Last year, when we visited China, my love affair with the camera was much talked about! Because I was always seen clicking away! Not taking selfies or videos, but pics of everyday life that I saw around me. I was totally fascinated by the beautiful and colourful China, it's culture and people- ancient, mysterious and so vibrant! I probably have something for the Oriental culture (and looks!😉)
Nothing mesmerises me like classic black and white shots. There's something about black and white photographs which screams CLASSY! It's my dream to have a beautiful collection of my own black and white pictures. Haven't really gotten around to do that so far but it's definitely a dream!
Photography is ultimately a matter of perception. How I may perceive something would be different from another's perspective. I just want to capture that moment forever, so I can look back at it anytime I want to!
Sweet and sour memories of beautiful moments of life....
Still.
Frozen in time.
Made immortal and everlasting.
Each of my blogs has at least 3-4 collages related to the topic. I enjoy making picture collages with a theme / idea in mind. I feel it adds another dimension to my written words. Collage making is an interest I developed over the years, along with my hobby of Photography. Although nowadays I mostly make collages with the phone apps, earlier ones were made with picture cutouts from magazines, photographs, old greeting cards, newspaper cuttings, handwritten/ typed quotations mostly.
The old concepts of photo albums has given way to digital photo frames, technology has really evolved. Photography has become quite high tech! But the photographer in me doesn't need any hitech equipment!
All I need is my camera phone and I am happy to just 'Aim and Shoot'!!!!!
you said it Mamoo, so liberating to be able to click what our eyes see :-)