B (142)

Better PhotograPhy march 2015

8

Better PhotograPhy

K Madhavan Pillai

[email protected]

editorial the Pros and Cons of Photographic decadence

“In the impersonal

melee of getting a

picture, a dialogue

with the subject,

and with oneself,

and a critical

sense of judgement

is often lost.”

Another Self Portrait

by Stanley Kubrick

The fact that Kubrick

was an accomplished

photographer is not as well

known as his cinematic

technique. But this self

portrait tells the tale.

Perfect edge-to-edge

framing without looking

into the viewfinder, at a

time when there were no

180 O tilting LCDs, is rather

telling of his prowess with a

camera... And so is the ‘one

point perspective’ in this

portrait, that he employed

brilliantly well in his visually

stunning movie scenes.

To know more about

Stanley Kubrick’s life and

thoughts about photography

as a powerful medium —

Turn to page 106

With all the choices in digital photography available today, and

all the wonderful possibilities it opens up, I often wonder if we

are living in an age of enlightenment or decadence. An unlimited

number of options, be it in the number of frames that can be shot in

a few hours, the high ISO possibilities that make night into day, or

the unparalleled level of control over certain minutiae... all of these

have let photographers move to another level of thinking. It used to

take years for a photographer to learn to make a good exposure, which now can be spent on

exploration and learning to make a better image. Just the fact that it is easier for a thoughtful

photographer to produce good work, is indeed quite wonderful to behold.

And yet, so many things have been lost in the rush of it all. How many now remember the

magical detail and quality of a large format contact printed image? Silver halide is considered

unfriendly to the environment now. But what about the massive amounts of e-waste

generated by a use-and-discard digital world. A camera would last two generations. Now we

consider ourselves lucky if it lasts five years. Despite how delicate photographic gear has

become, there is so little concern in maintaining equipment, using it right and being careful.

And if a camera just happens to die in a few years... a certain disregard is almost fashionable

these days. Newer, faster, more efficient cameras are always just around the corner.

And what about luck? A photograph was all about slowing down, romanticising the

work as a form of art on its own, and enjoying the process. Now it is about speeding up and,

perhaps, even getting lucky. And in the impersonal melee of getting a picture, a dialogue with

the subject, and with oneself, and a critical sense of judgement is often lost.

What seems to be badly lost is a sense of purpose. There was always a powerful reason to

make a picture in the not so recent past. The greatest of legends were idealists with a mission.

Now, there needs to be no greater purpose to the act of releasing the shutter because the costs

associated with it is so little and means nothing.

We need to look back, and reconnect with at least some of the sensibilities of the past to

truly be better photographers.