Photography Workshop
Photography is not mere pressing the click button of the camera. It is an art and science experience that demands skill and technique. To learn that from a master photo artist, Selvaprakash Lakshmanan, was an enjoyable and invigorating experience as the Volunteers found out. Selvaprakash taught them not only the trade, but its finer nuances as well. The article may inspire shutterbugs
Selva Prakash Lakshmanan- The Photographer
On Friday, the 18th November, Projects Abroad Volunteers were visited by Selvaprakash Lakshmanan, a professional photographer from Bangalore. The purpose of the visit was to educate and provide the volunteers with tips and teach tricks of the trade. I honestly think it covered more than that. It was more of ‘how to turn a good picture into a great picture’ or ‘how to escape the genre of holiday snaps’.
I think we all had our own idea of what we were to expect from the sessions. The journalism course includes a whole spectrum of different photographic abilities, ranging from those who need to double check if their camera is on and facing the right direction and those who class themselves as ‘die hard camera enthusiasts’. Leonie, one of the volunteers, said, “The workshop was very complicated at first but became very interesting as it progressed. The technical side was a bit boring for me because I don’t have a high spec camera and it is inapplicable to me. However, I really enjoyed the practical side of the day.”
Personally, I felt the workshop would have been better, had it been divided into basic and advanced courses, covering aspects such as techniques to stop motion blur and how to naturally frame a photograph for the beginners. Then, in the afternoon, we could have covered more in-depth aspects, such as automatic depth field etc.
While some students may have felt that some of the points were not relevant to them, there definitely was something for all to learn. After speaking to the rest of the group, most agreed that they enjoyed the fact the workshop was interactive. We were asked to go to the markets and surrounding areas near the Meenakshi Amman temple and take photographs. We then showed Selvaprakash our photos and got his feedback. I think this was good, because it was ‘on-the-job learning’ and getting experience, which is always better than sitting in a classroom.
Selvaprakash and his style of photography:
Selvaprakash shoots in what’s known as a RAW format, the out put from each of the original red, green and blue sensitive pixels of the image sensor, after being accustomed to an array of electronics and passing through an analog to digital converter. This was shown to us when we had the privilege of seeing his work. He showed us two projects that he had done. One project was about a fishing community and the other about immigrants moving from villages to cities and mainly to work in building sites for wages. The photos taken were particularly poignant as Selvaprakash managed to show the human suffering in just one photo, with the perfect balance of light.
A Breathtaking picture clicked by the photographer
“The workshop was very complicated at first but became very interesting as it progressed. The technical side was a bit boring for me because I don’t have a hi-tech camera and it is inapplicable to me. However, I really enjoyed the practical side of the day.”
Although Selvaprakash shoots in black and white, this isn’t for everyone. In fact, he told us that we need to find our own style. I, for example, like to work on any project which has something to do with the symmetry of nature. Some people like to shoot portraits and some may just concentrate on shooting wildlife.
Selvaprakash Lakshmanan: A brief biography
Selvaprakash was born in 1978, in Tirunelveli. He got his Master’s degree in Communication from Manonmaniam Sundaranar University. Selvaprakash started his career in photography as a staff photographer for Dinamalar, a Tamil newspaper and later, he was employed in Dinakaran and DNA (Daily News & Analysis). He has taken part in many events such as the Angkor Photography Festival, and has also won the Paris Match Award for ‘The Best Emerging Asian Photographer’, in 2007.
He was awarded a fellowship to attend the TPW Changing Idea Workshop. In 2008, he won the India Press Photo Award and exhibited his images at the PourIInstant 15th Young Visual Artist Residency Programme in Niort-France.
His works were exhibited at the 2008 World Photojournalism Festival (ChinaTOPS), Singapore International Photo Festival 2008 (SIPF), Angkor Photo festival 2010 and Photovisa International Photo festival, Russia 2010.He also plans to exhibit his work at the Noorderlicht International Photo festival 2011, Delhi Photo Festival 2011 and Lagos Photo Festival 2011.
He was the Grant Prix Winner at the MAN AND SEA Photography Competition at the International Festival of Photography Photovisa in Krasnodar, Russia 2010, and his works were displayed at the San Francisco Art Commission Gallery.He won the Robert Bosch Art Grant 2009-2010, and recently bagged the NFI National Media fellowship 2011-2012.
Selvaprakash is now a Chief photographer with TIMEOUT in Bangalore, and his photographs have been published in Asian Geo, New Internationalist, Paris Match, and several leading newspapers and magazines across India.
