Photography

During IIT days I along with Rajiv Agarwal (of Gittak fame) were very actively pursuing photography. Later, with life following a beaten track of career this hobby became one of the many casualties.

My son, Samarth, has shown an eye for moments and situations which appear very ordinary on first sight but show a depth to a discerning eye. (By the way, all these pictures have been taken with a mobile cam).

Here are a few examples.

15 March 2009

I received an email from my son Samarth Bhatia. I am annexing this mail verbatim here:

PHoTOGRAPHY..In My Words
-Samarth Bhatia
This article is a collection of my thoughts. Zoom Out, Zoom In.
I am more comfortable with photography rather than writing. But this idea just, well, 'clicked'.
All of humanity is struggling to just zoom out of the problems that the world faces today. Specifics just make it harder.
Many of us have used digital cameras. The following is a passage of how things are, and how we look at them.
My best friend's father had recently been diagnosed with a terminal illness. He went to the hospital with a regularailment. I got the news of the illness one day. Four days later I got the news that it was terminal. 6 months was themaximum that the disease would allow the person to live.One week later, I go the news that a person I have known my whole life as my father's closest friend, the fatherof my sister's best friend, the best neighbor we had since i was about a year old, died. Of a heart atack. He wasn't even a heart patient.
Zoom out a little. I came to know of the last terrorist attacks in busy market places in Delhi. I called up all the people I cared about. They were all fine. I was relieved. The news continued, and it was shown that people died. Zoom out a bit more and its evident that the world is affected by terror today. I, and I suspect many of the readers, were relieved that their loved ones were alright, be it any city, any country. See how things seem to get more comfortable,not necessarily better, as we zoom out and see things in a bigger light?
Now how about zooming in a little. Let's say a parade. Brings out the best in every participant. Its a click on my camera.Going in further, the smile on a person's face, the posture of a dog relaxing on a pile of sand in a busy street. My personal favorite, the details on a well designed automobile. The dew drops on a flower.
I guess its for each one of us to zoom in to the things that matter most. And then, and only then, will the picture be good, and not just comfortable to look at, when we zoom out.