AVRA GHOSH

I began clicking pictures as a hobby almost 25 years back. My father was deeply interested in photography, and I was motivated by him to start taking pictures on my own. He had been in love with the camera for a long time, even before I was born. I remember as a child playing with old German box cameras that my father didn't use anymore. We also had hundreds of black and white prints of photographs my father had clicked and retained as memories over the years. My first camera was my father's National 35 Sprinty BC film camera, the one my father used. Later on, I graduated with the Vivitar film camera.

In the beginning, I would often take pictures of family members at home and of relatives who came to visit us on occasions, festivals, and weekends. I would click away at my heart's content, often my subjects unwilling. That never deterred me. But during vacations, my father would have control of the photography. We had only one camera, and I'd have to stay content by freezing those beautiful Nature shots in my memory. It wasn't before my father passed away that I began using the camera all independently.

I was in love with the mountains. Trekking was a passion. It still is. Armed with my camera, I found myself in the lap of nature, clicking away landscape shots every time I was in the mountains. Wherever I went, my camera went with me. I had a group of friends who were all photography enthusiasts. My camera and I became inseparable as I teamed up with them for the trek after trek.

My inspiration was my father. I spent my afternoons going through his black-and-white photo prints after school, and each piece was a revelation for my young mind. The monochrome opened up a mysterious world of shadows and light in front of me, and I would often be lost in those prints till late in the evening. I also came across photographs by Ansel Adams, whom we know as the Father of Landscape Photography. Those black-and-white images mesmerized my young mind. That is probably when I was smitten by landscape photography, a passion that continues today. My computer hard drive is to the date, filled with photos I have taken over the years. Many years later, I came across the works of masters of photography like Henri Cartier-bresson, Vivian Maier, Steve Mccurry, and Raghu Rai. I once again lost my heart to each of their production. I'm greatly moved by their composition and storytelling style. I find inspiration in the candid moments they've captured, the philosophy in those frames, and the aspects of humanity they reflect through their images.

The street is the most dynamic frame of photography. Every moment presents hundreds of options to capture a frame. And each moment is different from the previous one. Every edge is transient, every frame potent. The beauty of street photography remains that each moment captured will never be replicated. That is where the boundary is frozen in the face of time. The moment you catch is yours to keep. Always.

I find beauty in the movement of each element of the street – buses, trams, taxis, bazaars, shops, tea stalls, pedestrians – on their own and put together. Exploring the street gives me frames that I can cherish all my life and a chance to interact with countless people and share with them a slice of life. This interaction is fleeting like my frames, which is probably why they remain etched in my memory. I am also interested in documentary photography, apart from street and travel. I enjoy capturing people, cultures, and moments of their livelihoods.

Photography begins with intent - the photographer's intent on ideating a concept, creating the composition, and the journey till the end when every element during the process contributes to the completed photograph. Vision is another important element in this journey. It depends on the power of observation of the person behind the lens. It is like an intimate affair – the relation between the moment captured and the photograph. I am looking at my subject and the angle I want to capture. What is the story that I am trying to create – it is something that changes with every photographer. The relation between the subject and the environment is also important since a harmonic coexistence begins the story. The story is created even before the shutter clicks. That is where the photographer's intuition and experience come in.

I look at photography as an ever-evolving process. Like football's "off the ball movement" process, I believe in "off the camera" photography. I practice searching and looking at frames even when I am away from a camera. Even when I am not clicking any photograph, I look for frames wherever I go. I look through imaginary boundaries that are continuously evolving. I start planning my shoots way before the actual shoot begins, at the time when I am looking at frames. I look for unique angles through which I narrate my composition. I continuously look to break the mold.

I don't start clicking away the moment I hit the streets. Sometimes, people don't like it, especially in crowded areas, if you click them during busy hours. I try and understand my environment, interact with people and wait for my moment. I have often waited patiently at places where I have been able to identify interesting frames. Especially for street portraits, it is important to interact with the subject. No one likes strangers clicking away in front of their face trying to catch a slice of their life. It is important to interact so the subject is not unwilling when you click them. There are candid shots that allow for a rawer appeal of the street. I am more interested in catching raw moments, frames that are not staged, people, and other elements in their candid best. That's the raw magic I look for.

Planning is definitely required in street photography as well. Especially if it is a commissioned or planned project. If you know a particular type of photograph that you will be clicking, it is always important to plan ahead. I always do my research and discuss with people involved in event or festival projects. So it's a mix of both planned shoots and in-themoment ones. But the aim is always to create something unique.

Charak is a Hindu folk festival celebrated in honor of Lord Shiva. It is held on the last 2 days of the month of Chaitra, just before the Bengali New Year, which is around mid-april. The festival is celebrated from April 12-14 every year. People believe that it brings prosperity by eliminating the sufferings of the past. People worship Lord Shiva during this festival. One of the rituals involves a performer tied with a hook on his back and whirled around a wooden bar with a long rope to satisfy the deity. But Butanol is a village near Arambagh in West Bengal where the Charak festival is something different. The Charak performer is called Gajan Sanyasi. Early in the morning, many sanyasis gather near the main temple where the Lord will be worshipped. The experienced persons of the village pierce a long iron bar through their tongue. Gajan sanyasis run dangerously with iron rods dangling from both sides. I also ran on the pathway beside them, keeping my head low, and stopped at a strategic position to capture them. Sanyasis ran from the main temple to a nearby small temple and back to their original place. They started dancing, facing each other. After an hour, the devotees began replacing the iron rods from their mouths. Devotees gathered to observe the rituals and immediately offered medicinal leaves, locally named 'Kala Pushpa,' to the sanyasis to stop the bleeding in their mouths. After the morning rituals, the main crucifying ritual preparation started around 9 am. First, devotees lay on a wooden framework with huge nails fixed on their bodies. Then, others are seen, pins set on their body and tied with a cloth to the wooden cross like Jesus Christ. Then, cycle vans with crucified persons started a procession through the village with huge local people and back to the main temple. By 11 am, the full ritual was finished.

India, with its multitude, offers more variety for frames than one can ever imagine. The diversity in culture, clothes, religions, and language makes for exciting opportunities for photography. Even in Kolkata, where I live, the range of subjects is more than one can ever capture in a lifetime. My city has aged with time and still carries old traditions juxtaposed with modern living – this makes for an interesting mix of subjects. Even during the pandemic, I have gone out to take pictures, and the experiences have been enriching. Managing crowds during photography is an ongoing practice, so it is important to keep doing it. You need to build your confidence and courage to go out and interact with complete strangers. Because without your subject's consent, it is difficult to take a specifically planned shot.

Street photography is completely different from other genres of photography. Because of the transient nature of frames, you have to be mindful of every moment's challenges. You have to swiftly grab that perfect frame, all in seconds. With that, you also have to manage the crowd and your subjects. I have often been in situations where people have refused to be photographed. You need to be able to judge the case – sometimes talk them through it, and at times respectfully retreat because, at the end of the day, the mutual respect shows in your frame. One trick is to revisit a place to familiarize yourself with the surroundings and people there.

I use the Nikon D850, along with the Tamron 24-70mm and f/2.8 Nikkor 50mm lenses. I also like the super-wide Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 lens – it allows for unique compositions due to the wide-angle view. It helps to use this lens in street events and festival photography.

I keep the post-processing of my photographs to a minimum. I like the rawness of the captured frame, so I do not want to alter elements or the background of any picture. What I charge in my frame turns into my end photograph. Some of the minimal editing I do includes cropping, dodging, burning, brightness, contrast, and color correction with Photoshop software.

Social media has become an important channel to showcase your work. However, I am yet to regularize my posts on social media. Aside from photography, a large chunk of my time goes into music. I am a piano player and vocalist, and I spend a lot of my time practicing my music and conducting music classes. I use Instagram now, having moved on from Facebook. Apart from these two platforms, you will find my work on Flickr. I do believe that it is important to regularly showcase your work on different digital and print media channels.

There are many projects in the pipeline, and I want each to see the light of day one by one. I am very interested in working on multiple projects, with the subject being Kolkata. It is a city as old as time. In terms of human connection and elements, my city's abundance is enough to keep any artist inspired for a lifetime. I consider myself a student of the art of photography. I am only at the shore while the mighty ocean rages on. I feel if you are starting off in street photography, the best way is to familiarize yourself with the street. Walk the lanes and bylanes, and try to soak in the essence of the place where you want to capture your frames. It is important to catch moments and frames even when you are not charging a photograph – the off-camera method I mentioned earlier – and interact with people. It is a practice that helps immensely when you are out in a crowded street, jostling with people to get the perfect shot. Because at the end of the day, the better you understand the pulse of your subject, the more intense your frame will turn out to be.

62 | Shades of Colon°17