A world of experiences within a single mind sometimes gets too stuffy, as a world of studies was to me. Literary works have always fascinated me; however, I kept a distance figuring the low empty space (read grey matter) in my brain. But how could I not abide to the freedom and right to expression. As a college student in Kolkata, poetry used to fascinate me and in course, I tried my hand on it to express myself. Well, flying on an airplane and flying one are not the same. While looking for greener pastures, I realized that I have been studying newspaper photographs since long time. Also, remembered that after my grandma’s death we had been searching for a snap of her. Finally a snap taken by me as a child was accepted by all. The same happened after the death of my grandpa a few years later. However, before that time I had already started taking classes on photography at Photographic Association of Dumdum, Kolkata. My dad bought me a Vivitar camera with a normal lens. I still use that camera. Later on I have also taken up digital photography.
I must mention here the name of my teacher of photography, my Guru Mr Ashoke Roy, a Geo-chemist working with Geological Survey of India at Kolkata. Apart from that, he is a writer, traveler and an avid photographer. He loves to trek the Himalayas. His books namely- Shalagram shilar sandhane (In search of the Shaligrams, ABP, 2000), Bhagaban Bishnu o shalagram shila (God Vishnu and the Shaligram, SPB, 2003) and Bibartoner dharay shib o shiblingo (Evolution of Shiva and Shivalinga, ABP, 2008), show his adherence to travel and study of Myth as well as Science.
When I set foot near the world of photography, the digital age had already been flourishing in India. In few months, Nikon stopped manufacturing all film based cameras except FM2 and FM10. Ashoke kaku (Mr Ashoke Roy) suggested me to study the science with films at first. The obvious question in mind was, “why film and not digital, when the previous one is going out of practice due to the complexity and expensiveness?” Since I had not started earning my own pie then, I convinced myself with the cause to be price of the camera. Later I realized that photography is not about a camera only. An equally important part is the dark room. While taking a snap, we see one image through the viewfinder but often it is not the one we visualize in mind as the desired image. Also, it is necessary to know how much we can use the dark room and how much we can minimize the use of it.
Honestly, I realized this much later and practiced it even later when I started working for www.thescape.in, a news portal. It was my first job as a professional photographer. I have been taking pictures of lot of things at favorable light conditions and favorable perspective conditions as well so far. One of my very first assignments included photographing Amitabh Bachchan from a distance of around 20 meters in the evening when he visited Jyoti Basu in a private hospital in 2010. Well, I succeeded but the photo was not clear. I corrected the exposure, and the very next snap was clear enough. Alas, it was of a policeman standing a bit further. That day, I learnt that I should take several snaps to test the exposure before the subject arrives. Also, I started evaluating the limits of dark room application from that day. Things got smoother after that day. While working for www.thescape.in, I received my first real life experience in press photography. My colleagues taught me several aspects of the digital dark room.
For me, photography has forever been a passion. But for the first 4 years, I never thought of composition. Exposure was my only concern. Thanks to my Vivitar and the drained out exposure meter cell, I have learnt the aspect of exposure. Those who saw my snaps used to say that they were really good until I started concentrating on composition. After a while, these same people started criticizing and suggesting about my photographs. This is when I realized that I’ve started learning photography and so far it was just encouragement for a person who didn’t even know the basics of this language of expression. Hence, I present to you ‘Kamara Syndrome’, my expression of everything that I can see and that I want to see. I welcome everybody to teach me by criticizing my photographs and sharing your views to help me develop myself. Please help me present to you more desired as well as unexpected photographs.
I do hereby dedicate this blog to those who supported and advised me in the run of being called a shutterbug. Apart from my Father Abhas Basu and Mother Nita Basu, the wildest critiques of my photographs, and my elder brother Bhaswat basu, the first name that comes to my mind is of Prof. Abir Chattopadhyay, HoD, Dept. of Journalism and Mass Communication, SA Jaipuria College Kolkata and Editor in Chief, www.thescape.in. I have been his student for almost last 10 years and would like to remain the same forever. A friend and brother, Sudipto Mukhopadhyay, lecturer, Delhi University, has always been my companion and guide in developing my skills as well as myself. I’m also grateful to the octogenarian on a Kolkata street who did not notice that I clicked him. I must thank all my victims of extreme close up with wide angle lens. I promise to introduce many more people to whom I dedicate this blog, alongside my photographs.
*This photo was taken at Naukuchiataal near Nainitaal in Uttarakhand, India in December 2010
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