Freezing life on film

TRUST THE first man of images to explain photography with a simple three-word phrase: Capturing the moment.

Trust P.C. Sreeram, cinematographer-director, to say photography is not about apertures, lights or lenses.

Trust him to make it sound like the greatest photographs were taken on auto-focus handhelds. And you would believe him.

Looking at the pictures on display at `Infinity', an exhibition of photographs by school students at the Lalit Kala Akademi, it's easy to see why Sreeram sounds so convincing.

About 30 students participated in the Hindu-Young World Shutterbug workshop held in May 2001. And the kids found more than enough subjects at the Snake Park, Children's Park, Crocodile Bank and Mamallapuram.

This set of pure amateurs have captured moments - a face dissolved in abandoned laughter, friends huddled in thought, a snake checking a water pit, and shadows playing with light.

``They started with auto-focus cameras. But when we saw how enthusiastic they were, we gave them our units,'' says D. Krishnan, a professional photographer.

With a beginner's talk on the basics, the kids clicked. And how. Most pictures are framed well, with a good understanding of lights and depth. But the strength lay in the subjects.

The first stop was wildlife. A crocodile ambles out of the green waters, an elephant enjoys its bulk, a snake delights in its curves, swans enjoy themselves for company, and a peacock spreads its fan in a proud mood. If a parrot has been captured with the sun for a halo, there's also a crow couple enjoying the warmth of Chennai's summer.

``The rewards of photography come from waiting for the moment to happen,'' Sreeram explained to the students at the inauguration of the exhibition on Wednesday. The kids had it right all along, focussing on the emotions of the emotionless.

The Mamallapuram Temple was a favourite subject, with the usual set of experiments to create optical illusions - a boy with the temple seemingly small enough to put his finger on - and angles. Sculptures there too have posed showing off their skills, but, somehow, the beach does not figure in the favourites list.

There are some studio shots too, portraits of emotions. But these aren't as successful.

The exhibition will be on till August 10. But, the workshop does not end there. A professional, V. Karthik, will lecture on photography, explaining the growth and progress of the art while discussing the more mundane but essential aspects of equipment and materials, every evening between 4 and 5 p.m.

By Feroze Ahmed

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Southern States
Previous : Stars dance for stars