Mastercraftsman
As Told to Sweta Baruah
The masters of the craft share their insights and photographs
was born and brought up in Ranchi. Professionally, he is a Gazetted Of icer in the Judiciary Department of the govt. of Jharkhand. Roshan is fascinated by Macro Photography. “I used to get allured with the pictures covering delicate details of the unseen macro world- especially tiny insects, which ultimately triggered my passion towards macro photography. My journey as a Macro Photographer started in the last quarter of the year 2018. Though I rarely get time to pursue photography due to my profession, but, whatever time I manage, I love spending it with my ‘macro subjects’. Some of my favourite venues for Macro photography are Horhap Jungle, Ranchi, Birsa Zoo, Ormanjhi and of course my own garden.”, says Roshan.
Instagram: @macro_roshan
What piqued your interest in Macro photography?
As a photographer, the best genre which fascinates me is Macro Photography. I used to get allured with the pictures covering the delicate details of the unseen world, especially, the tiny insects, which ultimately triggered my passion towards Macro photography. My journey as a Macro photographer started in the last quarter of the year 2018. Initially, I used to click Marco subjects with my Nikon
D750 with a 50 mm prime lens, but, it required a lot of cropping and the results were not satisfactory. I was looking for an inexpensive macro filter which could yield better results for a new Macro photographer like me, before I could test my hand on a dedicated Macro lens. Then, I switched to Tamron 70-300 mm with Raynox 250 macro filter. After that, there was no looking back.
What kind of gear do you prefer to use for macro photography?
For Macro photography, I always prefer 70-300 mm + Raynox 250 combination on my Nikon D750. However, I also use Tamron 90 mm VC Macro lens. Recently, I started experimenting with Nikon Z6 and Laowa 100 mm Macro lens.
Have you had any formal training in this genre of photography?
No, I have never gone through any formal training in macro photography.
What type of challenges do you face in shooting macro?
It is a really tough genre of photography, especially, when the genre is very uncommon. One cannot shoot Macro alone in an isolated jungle; you need a group of Macro enthusiasts and also support and cooperation from the forest department/local administration.
Who would you say, is your mentor in the photographic journey?
Since there was no Macro photography mentor here in Jharkhand who could guide me, I followed the trial and error method. Till date, I have been following the same method. However, I have learnt a lot by following the posts of various Macro photographers in different photography groups on Facebook. I get inspired by each and every photographer whose work helps me in improving or improvising with my own work. It is difficult to single out a particular photographer or artist.
How important is the process of post-processing in macro photography? Do you follow a particular step by step method for it?
As far as post-processing of Macro images is concerned, I believe it should not be confined only for making the photos more vivid. Its original goal should be to make them more realistic and close to nature. No I don’t follow a particular step by step method for it. I usually capture pictures in Raw format so that it becomes easier to postprocess the shadows and highlights, using Photoshop Camera Raw.
What advice would you give to someone who is just starting out as a photographer?
From my experience of two years or so in Macro photography, it is my advice to the young photographers that ‘patience’ is the key here. Don’t fall prey to shortcut gimmicks to gain publicity. Don’t run behind awards, let it follow you. And last but not the least, respect mother nature.