It was at the annual photo fiesta at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai, photographers of all hues gathered to discuss and showcase their ‘specialised’ area of work. Though there was no dearth of serious work of photography, some peddled their photos on baby bump, wedding nights and boudoir scenes.
Camera has indeed taken iconic leaps from its ancient box avatar. With the technical expertise of the lens eye, the creative eye has also taken formidable steps. From profile shots of national leaders and sports icons to the despair of famine and beauty of landscape; from photo essays of the disadvantaged to the privileged; from aged actors to pouting nymphets; from hotels and restaurants to motels and motor bikes; from food to fashion, wedding to wildlife; the scope of photography has further widened now to include the best and the bizarre. “Photography has come a long way in India,” observes Mukesh Parpiani, photojournalist and Head of Photography and Gallery at NCPA. “In fact, the other day, I heard of a commercial photo assignment that was to be shot like a documentary on the birth of a child.”
Director of Symbiosis School of Photography, Vishal Bhende expressed his concern over the usage of technology. “Sony has developed a contact lens fitted with a camera that zooms and auto focuses. It is yet to hit the market, but imagine the level of penetration in one’s private space.” Chirodeep Chaudhuri, former editor of photography, National Geographic Traveler (India) told DW that the quality of smart phones have become phenomenal. “I too have shots taken with my camera phone. The effects are breathtaking.”
CAMERA PHONE: THE PIED PIPER
Photography in the past was an art that one mastered through painstaking hours studying the subject. There was a time when news agencies, art magazines and the rich with a taste for good shots would patronise talented photographers. A rare photograph could command as much price or praise as a work of art. But with the advent of technology in a selfie-crazed world, subjects range from inane to breathtaking. “In fact you name it, and there is a picture for every occasion and for every reason. Shots taken by amateur photographers are interesting and some are really good, but one interested in photography should still learn the subject. Depending upon the time, money and energy, formal training always helps in the long run,” Parpiani opines.
With the explosion of social media there is no dearth of platforms where one can showcase photographs. Beside social media pages, there are blogs and vlogs which provide platforms for dissection and discussion on one’s art. Even national newspapers, tabloids and broadsheets today provide space to commoners with a passion for photography.
As Parpiani pointed out, earlier photography was an expensive proposition. “A camera with one megapixel would cost Rs 4-5 lakh in 2000. Today, at the same price, I can get a 24 megapixel camera with interchangeable lens. In fact, phones with camera which have made their presence felt in the last five years are also increasingly becoming effective tools for good photographs. Several camera phones have interchangeable lens and video facilities which ensures smoother and better photography. In fact, looking at the popularity of mobile phone photography, we have invited ace lensmen for tutorials at the NCPA gallery,” he adds. However, experts rue the
fading out of digital SLR (single-lens reflex) cameras in the next five years. The opinion is that the future belongs to mirror-less cameras (found in camera phones) which are eco friendly.
The NCPA has a huge thumbprint behind galloping strides in photography. The brainchild of JRD Tata and Dr Jamshed Bhabha, the NCPA was inaugurated in 1969 and was the first multi-venue, multi-genre cultural centre in South Asia. It is dedicated to preserving and promoting India’s rich cultural heritage in music, dance, theatre, film, literature and photography. The Piramal Art Gallery is part of NCPA. It came up in 1988 with the help of the Ford Foundation and is located within its sprawling campus at Nariman Point.
“The idea behind the Gallery was to promote photography as an art. For the first ten years it was run with the support of the Ford Foundation and later NCPA pitched in. Till twelve years ago, display was free at the gallery but today we charge a nominal amount to recover the maintenance cost,” observes Parpiani. True to its spirit, the gallery has been organising photography sessions for children and senior citizens besides holding its annual Photo Fiesta for the last four years. Stalwarts like Raghu Rai and Vikram Bawa participated in these sessions teaching the nuances of photography. In terms of video and installation art, the gallery remains true to its passion. Also, since the last two decades, the gallery has put up its small but enviable collection of books by legendary photographers for public consumption. Along with exhibitions, a small corner is reserved for display of books such as India 24 hrs by Henri Cartier Bresson, Dreams of India by Raghu Rai, Yosemite and the Range of Light by Ansel Adams and many others.
Since its year of inception, now touching almost three decades, the gallery has put up about three hundred exhibitions which include budding photographers as well as the pathbreaking ones. From Pamela Bordes to Israeli photographer Pierre Poulain and home spun politician Uddhav Thackeray – they are all there. To mark the birth centenary of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, an exhibition from the collection of Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust is in the pipeline.
66-years-old Parpiani himself have inspired generations of Mumbaikars. A work life spanning over four decades, Parpiani knows the pulse of the city like few does. From a series on the Mumbai serial blasts, the heart-rending story of Aruna Shanbaug, the nurse who was left comatose for decades after a sexual assault, to Amitabh Bachchan walking barefoot to Siddhivinayak temple, Parpiani has captured several exclusive shots as well as unusual ones of the megapolis. He says he’s the first to take a sneak peek of Haseena Parkar, the late sister of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, without her burqa.
EXPANDING MARKET
If we talk about commercial photography, the market is only growing. For instance, in the past a brand shoot would mean hiring one photographer. Now for one commercial, a horde of photographers are hired for that perfect look for different kind of media (print, audio, visual and social pages). The growth in business has also seen a spurt in gadgets and people buying them. It is difficult to point a specific value to a market when it is still growing and extreme competition persist among the companies as the demand for phone models vary from city to city. Also the prices change at online sales. The range of phones and its purposes serves a multitude of interests. A Rs 5,000 worth mobile phone will have a camera good enough for personal consumption of a family within a certain budget. But for those with a passion for photography there are high-end phones with camera available from Rs 25,000 onwards. It’s not only the tech savy person with a taste in the eclectic, but even those from small towns where interest have sprung up. Camera is as much a tool for pleasure as it is a tool to bring change. In fact, it is perhaps the only tool that can effectively mirror the present for posterity, bring in the sensitivity among the artist and the audience as well as nail the present for an effective future.