(For Day Three of the Festival of Words hosted by Write Tribe from July 10 to July 16, 2016, I’m writing a photo post and a brief glance at my journey into the realm of photography)
There goes a well-known saying that a photo is worth a thousand words! I doubt if this dictum holds true anymore, considering that photography, once considered the privilege of a select few, is no longer so. Today, with the advent of smartphones and user-friendly digital cameras, photography is easily accessible to almost everyone, as we observe how photos are being posted online at an exponential rate by all and sundry. In fact, as part of an increasingly visual society, people find it all too easy to snap a photo out of any ordinary event, right from where they traveled to what they ate for breakfast or who they were with, at any given time. All, thanks to social media.
One has to admit that visual cues (pictures) reach out to us much faster than anything else. My foray into photography began years ago when I began documenting our travels for a private journal that was my companion for many years. I loved my write ups with accompanying photographs. My love for the old black and white photo albums of parents and grandparents got me interested in portrait photography initially. There were a couple of talented folks in the extended family whose work inspired me a lot. I started with basic lessons from Dad to understand the fundamentals of manual photography. Those were my baby steps. Over the years, my passion has led me on. It has fuelled new learnings and new surprises have followed me everywhere.
Since I started blogging a little more than a year ago, I discovered that images seemed to convey emotion very powerfully lending an additional depth to the content. This prodded me on to join Skywatch Friday, a weekly bloghop, where you get to view some of the most amazing skies from all over the world.
As an amateur photographer, I find the possibilities of learning from others are endless. To me photography, like sketching or drawing remains another art form of capturing this beautiful world around me. The camera merely captures the moment and freezes it for posterity.
I agree with Don McCullin when he says:
Photography for me is not looking, it’s feeling. If you can’t feel what you’re looking at, then you’re never going to get others to feel anything when they look at your pictures.
Sharing below some of my favourite captures.
Are you passionate about photography? Do you think it can be considered an art form or is it just another mechanical recording medium of people, places and events? It would be wonderful to have your thoughts so please do share them in the comments section below.
Here are my other posts for the Festival of Words:
Day 1: A Haiku – The Day is Ending
Day 2: A 100-word story – Acceptance
Those were nice captures. My favourites are the Kerala photo and the one with Arjyo and your mother looking out of the window (I hope I am correct with my assumption). Photography as this is surely an art and you have diverse talents with writing, photography, sketching, painting. I am in complete awe of you 🙂
I am so humbled by your words, Anamika! Thank you so much for your warm words of appreciation. It means a lot when you say that but trust me I am still learning…yet to master anything at all…I’m so interested in all these things that I keep trying them whenever time permits. Sadly, time is always less and number of things I’d love to do are more. 😀
OMG!!!!! Such amazingly beautiful captures, Esha! I am having a tough time selecting the bestest of the lot! While many can learn the technical know-how and skills of photography, very few have that ‘artistic eye’. And I must say that you have both the skill and the talent, Esha!
Thank you so much for your kind words of appreciation, Shilpa! I love the art of photography and still learning everyday, so have a long long way to go dear!
Beautiful snaps . Great shots . Your work shows that u are an amazing artist who is so true to her passion . Photography is the only simple language that can be understood anywhere in the world . U give voice to your work . Your articles are aware of where to stand ! Thanks for sharing such an incredible post . Lov’d it!
A picture is still worth a thousand words….It is an art not all can excel in….I loved some of your pics a lot….
What you feel clearly shows in your pictures… The angle… The colors… The subject… It’s beautiful. One can only teach the technicalities of photography… But if a photographer lacks in ideas and creativity, the photos will never be impressive. It’s an art afterall.
wonderful images. the last one, that is an astronomic site in India, or? i think i’ve been there once. oh, memories! have a lovely word festival week ~~
Really beautiful pictures, Esha! I am a total failure at taking pictures, that’s why I rely on stock photos and edits to add some colour to my blog posts! I admire photographers for their skill 🙂
wow, beautiful pictures Esha
OMG! They are all so beautiful…
Those pictures are amazing. I believe photography is a heart. Everybody can click photos, but not all of them can create an impact on the viewers. Like your title, it is worth a thousand words.
Precious pictures Esha! Lovely post. 🙂
Your photos are worth so many more than a thousand words – stunning, amazing and delicious (yes, a photo can be delicious) come to mind. I’ve loved photography since the first time I picked up my child’s camera at around eight years old. I still consider myself a snapshot taker, but the iPhone is the best thing that ever happened to me.
wooow such beautiful pic! The one with the child takes the cake.. tat pic talks for itself!