Nilgiris
Friday, February 11, 2005
Last Word
Raghu Rai
The present state of creative photography in the country is very confused and leaves a lot to be desired.
Inevitably, India becomes the recipient of outdated technologies, fashions, and ideas from the West. This gets reflected in photography too. Photographers are expected to entertain through their work. But we are not visual entertainers.
Of course, there are enough of us who love to dabble in the medium and produce pretty pictures. Unfortunately, it is often this kind of photographer who gets picked up and lionised by editors and commentators, who make it a point to back the sensational rather than the solid.
If you say Shakespeare or Milton or Tagore is not entertaining enough, I would, quite rightly, dismiss you out of hand. The same principle applies to photographers. After all, ours is an art that is sensitive to nuance. We want to go beyond the mere physicality of our subject and delve in its inner truths. It is only in this way can the inner aura of people and objects be captured and communicated to others.
This requires a vision that goes beyond the superficial in both the people who photograph and the people who see.
Today is truly the age of fast food. We have fast food editors, fast food designers, fast food layout artists, fast food photographers. For them packaging is everything, the very essence of things.
Earlier those who influenced public opinion, whether they were editors or film makers or painters, tried to go about their work with a certain responsibility and a commitment to what they believed in.
Today, none of this is necessary. Everything works on market surveys. It is what sells that counts. Nothing else. And this,I believe, spells the death of true creativity.
Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
The present state of creative photography in the country is very confused and leaves a lot to be desired.
Inevitably, India becomes the recipient of outdated technologies, fashions, and ideas from the West. This gets reflected in photography too. Photographers are expected to entertain through their work. But we are not visual entertainers.
Of course, there are enough of us who love to dabble in the medium and produce pretty pictures. Unfortunately, it is often this kind of photographer who gets picked up and lionised by editors and commentators, who make it a point to back the sensational rather than the solid.
If you say Shakespeare or Milton or Tagore is not entertaining enough, I would, quite rightly, dismiss you out of hand. The same principle applies to photographers. After all, ours is an art that is sensitive to nuance. We want to go beyond the mere physicality of our subject and delve in its inner truths. It is only in this way can the inner aura of people and objects be captured and communicated to others.
This requires a vision that goes beyond the superficial in both the people who photograph and the people who see.
Today is truly the age of fast food. We have fast food editors, fast food designers, fast food layout artists, fast food photographers. For them packaging is everything, the very essence of things.
Earlier those who influenced public opinion, whether they were editors or film makers or painters, tried to go about their work with a certain responsibility and a commitment to what they believed in.
Today, none of this is necessary. Everything works on market surveys. It is what sells that counts. Nothing else. And this,I believe, spells the death of true creativity.
Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
Alan Harvey is God.
There are plenty of good documentary photographers in the world. A handful of naturally talented photographers, among them, have grown up to be among the top best. And, there is Alan Harvey.
David Alan Harvey is undoubtedly at the pinnacle of fine documentary photography. A sudden urge sent me digging through my old National Geographics to look for more of his stories. I was trying to read him through his powerful pictures. I spent a lot of time to understand, absorb and see beyond his pictures he has clicked for an assortment of assignments. His pictures represent photography at its sensitive best; his natural style of capturing the beauty of a place is quite unmatched. It is easy to understand why he is the best.
Harvey easily diverges from his contemporaries like Salgado and fellow photographers at Magnum, even McCurry. Salgado’s works would seem more of fine art, very passionate and moving (I am talking with mainly ‘Sahel’ in mind); Steve McCurry’s would seem to represent the perfect ‘on-assignment’ work- more apt, very client conscious, classy and ‘easily’ appreciated pictures I would say. But Harvey pictures borders on the abstract, the intelligent, and carries an air of freedom and unabashed individualism. He let goes of himself and tries to blend into the subject he is shooting.
Harvey’s pictures easily come together in being, most of the time, collages made using very few basic colours. And that is exactly what makes them powerful. His ultramarine blues, faded crimsons and scarlet, pure yellows, burnt umbers weave into beautiful pictures that rightly captures the ‘essence’ of a place and yet, representing a very superior style of a minimalist. Another element is the use of stark shadows. A deliberate harsh contrast seem to bring to the viewer’s attention the presence of a foreground or a background subject but the lack of details quickly restores the importance of the balancing element.
Harvey is selfish. He has no time for anybody. He is impatient. Harvey thinks only of photography. He represents a style where art and documentary photography don’t argue. If there is someone I don’t mind mimicking, that’s him. I am shameless, but I love him.
Resources:
~Reel People: Dave Harvey, on NGC. I don’t know when it is going to be aired again. Reza is being featured next on 12th feb.
~National Geographic: His bio and some questions answered.
~Take Great Pictures: Bio, interview and a must-read tips on documentary photography.
Afternote: People who have listened to Alan Harvey tell me that he is far from being 'selfish' and self centered. He only gets too involved in his subjects, he says. i am sorry if my analysis is far from the truth. i apologise. i love him more.
David Alan Harvey is undoubtedly at the pinnacle of fine documentary photography. A sudden urge sent me digging through my old National Geographics to look for more of his stories. I was trying to read him through his powerful pictures. I spent a lot of time to understand, absorb and see beyond his pictures he has clicked for an assortment of assignments. His pictures represent photography at its sensitive best; his natural style of capturing the beauty of a place is quite unmatched. It is easy to understand why he is the best.
Harvey easily diverges from his contemporaries like Salgado and fellow photographers at Magnum, even McCurry. Salgado’s works would seem more of fine art, very passionate and moving (I am talking with mainly ‘Sahel’ in mind); Steve McCurry’s would seem to represent the perfect ‘on-assignment’ work- more apt, very client conscious, classy and ‘easily’ appreciated pictures I would say. But Harvey pictures borders on the abstract, the intelligent, and carries an air of freedom and unabashed individualism. He let goes of himself and tries to blend into the subject he is shooting.
Harvey’s pictures easily come together in being, most of the time, collages made using very few basic colours. And that is exactly what makes them powerful. His ultramarine blues, faded crimsons and scarlet, pure yellows, burnt umbers weave into beautiful pictures that rightly captures the ‘essence’ of a place and yet, representing a very superior style of a minimalist. Another element is the use of stark shadows. A deliberate harsh contrast seem to bring to the viewer’s attention the presence of a foreground or a background subject but the lack of details quickly restores the importance of the balancing element.
Harvey is selfish. He has no time for anybody. He is impatient. Harvey thinks only of photography. He represents a style where art and documentary photography don’t argue. If there is someone I don’t mind mimicking, that’s him. I am shameless, but I love him.
Resources:
~Reel People: Dave Harvey, on NGC. I don’t know when it is going to be aired again. Reza is being featured next on 12th feb.
~National Geographic: His bio and some questions answered.
~Take Great Pictures: Bio, interview and a must-read tips on documentary photography.
Afternote: People who have listened to Alan Harvey tell me that he is far from being 'selfish' and self centered. He only gets too involved in his subjects, he says. i am sorry if my analysis is far from the truth. i apologise. i love him more.
Thursday, February 03, 2005
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