Just before my final exams for an accounting degree, I went on a
stress-busting trip to the Himalayas with my friend Abhay Mathur. I had
no particular interest in photography, but I did want to take some
pictures. I borrowed my dad's Zeiss Super Ikonta, and bought ten rolls
of Kodak film. The salesman showed me how to load the film. We had a
great trip, visiting the Valley of Flowers, Hemkund, Rishikesh,
Badrinath, Jyotirmath and many other wonderful places. On the way back,
we saw the Taj Mahal, Fatehpur Sikri and Old Delhi.
Back home in Bombay, I sent the film for processing and printing. A week later, (yes, it did take that much time back then), the salesman handed me ten wallets of processed film, but only ten prints. When I asked for the remaining prints, he said those were the only pictures that were good enough to print. Only ten prints out of the hundred and twenty magnificent pictures I had taken?? Surely there must be some mistake! Hadn't Kodak told me to press the button, and they'd take care of the rest?? I'd pressed the button a hundred and twenty times, so why were there only ten prints? The lab owner came out and looking at my crestfallen face, took me into the studio. There, over a cup of chai, he showed me what was wrong with my photos - underexposed, overexposed, blurred, out of focus... I'd made almost every possible mistake!
I've come quite a way since then. Accounting has long been forgotten. I now create images for architects, interior designers and real estate developers, helping them create their own portfolios, win awards, and sell apartments and office buildings.
In Japan, where we now live, I am rediscovering the joys of black and white landscape photography with a large format digital system.
And I continue to enjoy photography as much as those early days, though with somewhat more success!
Back home in Bombay, I sent the film for processing and printing. A week later, (yes, it did take that much time back then), the salesman handed me ten wallets of processed film, but only ten prints. When I asked for the remaining prints, he said those were the only pictures that were good enough to print. Only ten prints out of the hundred and twenty magnificent pictures I had taken?? Surely there must be some mistake! Hadn't Kodak told me to press the button, and they'd take care of the rest?? I'd pressed the button a hundred and twenty times, so why were there only ten prints? The lab owner came out and looking at my crestfallen face, took me into the studio. There, over a cup of chai, he showed me what was wrong with my photos - underexposed, overexposed, blurred, out of focus... I'd made almost every possible mistake!
I've come quite a way since then. Accounting has long been forgotten. I now create images for architects, interior designers and real estate developers, helping them create their own portfolios, win awards, and sell apartments and office buildings.
In Japan, where we now live, I am rediscovering the joys of black and white landscape photography with a large format digital system.
And I continue to enjoy photography as much as those early days, though with somewhat more success!