Thursday, July 27, 2006

20. AUTOBIO(PHOTO)GRAPHY - 3

Once some recognition came on my way, I was dragged more and more into the whirlpool of photography. Started to spend more time and money on the hobby. Mostly my elder daughter who was then a toddler was my model. She was quite cooperative and very understanding. Even in ‘b’ exposure, she would be patiently waiting for the final click, knowing the difference from the first and the final sound of the shutter. For long I wanted to take a picture of my daughter with side-lighting, preferably the light source from a ‘kuthuvilakku’ or a candle. Wasted many frames for long. The simple idea that I should have an extra light out of the frame as the major source of light while having a kuthuvilakku or candle inside the frame did not strike me at all. The idea came after so many miserable mishaps and finally I got a frame with the effect I very much wanted. By this time I had the privilege of having a dark-room for myself in the college, a help extended to me by another Prof. Dr. James who himself was interested in photography.

In this second dark-room I made the first “blow-up”. Don’t imagine the blow up was anything quite big. It was only a 10 x 12. But for me that was a big picture then since till that time I was making prints of at the most postcard size. So this was a big moment for me in my autobio(photo)graphy. I still remember the moments when I made the first large print and what sort of tension I had when I saw the emerging picture in red light. Tense moments. That would be after making so many test bits for an appropriate exposure. For my surprise the picture came out alright – at least to my satisfaction – in the very first attempt.

Though I made some bigger prints – really large prints – later, this “blow-up” has a special place in my memory. Here it is.



5 comments:

இயற்கை நேசி|Oruni said...

Sam,

wow, just an awesome and mesmerizing shot.

//I still remember the moments when I made the first large print and what sort of tension I had when I saw the emerging picture in red light.//

The way you explained it as though, a mommy is giving a birth to her first baby amidst her excitement and pain.

And here, I see your pain is not in vain. Nice shot, I enjoyed seeing it, and by the way, sharing your secret (chidampara) helps other people to try out their skills.

Thanks for sharing, sam!

தாணு said...

You have got a style to eloborate things in a nice way. Ur daughter is so cute

தருமி said...

cannt you add at least just as a joke (!!!) .......like her father!!!!!!!!!

இயற்கை நேசி|Oruni said...

//cannt you add at least just as a joke (!!!) .......like her father!!!!!!!!! //

:-)))

Well, needless to say! Poor girl, I understand her feeling, how she could have felt when you tortured her to sit still for posing until you get away with what you wanted ;-))

She looks just like her mom ;-)))

தருமி said...

Done with the foto-biography//
dont be "doen with: !! keep visiting!

//I hope your grand daughter will make you a (role)model ...// i recod the past here and you make me 'go' into future. thanks.

//But the (foto-biography)posts seems to be too short!?// ha! i am just waiting for guys like you. your favorietes - long articles - are there in my english blog: http://sixth-finger.blogspot.com/ again some autobiographical ones!