Bitter Photography

The importance of a Guru in Photography.
Originally uploaded by flickr photographerno1

Posted at Better Photography Forum Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 10:26 am



When a child is born he is totally vulnerable , at the mercy of his parents who nurture him, make him aware of his social environment , teach him to take his first step, toilet training and other forms of behavioral etiquette .Later as he grows goes to school, you all know that.
Now to photography, the enthusiasm of newbie framez, his cry for Help on the forum, he knows none of us we respond, taking cue from Gopal, my own inputs.
None of us unless our fathers are photographers really know the depth and range of a passion called Photography .Each of us expect a certain pecuniary benefit from photography, this is the Indian school of a selfish thought, of getting something out of nothing.,. Why cant we just attain knowledge at the feet of the Goddess of Photography .Yes I know we all are under financial constrains , and photography is not a poor mans hobby..at PSI Mumbai the older lot of washed out photographers hate my talks or views, you can write a poetry on an empty stomach but you need money to buy a roll, develop it
photography demands money, and once you hone your skills it showers you with money.
Atul Kasbekar and I am not just dropping names, listen to his talks , he talks sense this illumine of Brookes Institute of Photography, there was a time he detested the 35mm format it was medium format for him, and than came the digital boom and he switched over to Canon Mach II .
I never miss his talks that he gives as a Canon Pro, we don’t need to be swallowed up in the footsteps of old masters we have to learn to create our own.
Atul is more than photography his sheer knowledge, his anecdotes, yes he is a Master and he defied the system and pushed his way up with sheer grit and determination..
I went to another Canon lecture just to listen to Prabhudas Gupta he used to shoot B/W and process and blow them himself till he saw the work of Pallon Daruwalla digital stuff and he switched from a wet lab to a dry one on the computer. He said if he put his manual print by the side of his digital you will never know the difference..
Today there are lot of us eager to learn but Masters are in short supply. Masters are a dying race, we don’t respect them when they are alive and on 19th August Photography Day we remember them, is one big joke.
The Mitter Bedis, Bhardwaj, Phanibandas, Unwallas, Sam Tata all forgotten..the living ones well the celebrity ones are unavailable.
I am not a magazine writer now you know what I mean by a Blogger words flow in the direction of an ocean called human consciousness
.My first Guru Shreekanth Malushte teaches at Vivekananda Classes Dadar , I joined his Rapid one week course. The ABC Basics whatever you call it, I knew nothing, I hate classroom stuff and writing notes, I am a field man, but I strove ,picked up knowledge. It was his trip to National Park with Venay Paralkar his brilliant student and now Mumbais finest, who gave us tips, and this is shooting with a B /W roll in the camera..
I was given a certificate, and Mr Malushte made me join PSI Mumbai Photographic Society of India as a regular member. He taught me to shoot Bullock Cart Races at Alibagh Murud and the art of Panning.
Here at PSI I met Professor BW Jatkar a man with a baritone voice who was a faculty at JJ School of Arts and when I met him President of PSI Mumbai
They all took to me not because I could shoot well but because I dressed well exotic, filmy, rings on my hands, turbans.,silver sticks the works.
I don’t think I will ever get a more colorful or photogenic model than me, those days I dressed three times in a day. This was attitude unbound.
Mr Jatakar took me to shoot Seagulls off Mumbai coast lying stretched on my back with the sun filtering through wings I shot Seagulls , he taught me portraiture, he introduced me to Mr KG Maheshwari , I touched his feet the rest his history.
So a good environment of a photography Club, outings, competitions within the Club, are healthy attributes. We three Jatkar Saab Maheshwariji were a Troika , they made me join
AIPC Delhi, and FIP Kolkatta , I began under them my steward ship as a Salon Exhibitor, we missed none we took home Acceptances Merits and Awards National International. But the high was not the Awards but my pictures went in the same package with these stalwarts,, their heart beat and mine in resonance.
So back to my premise, don’t search to hard for a Guru he will search you out..
There is no Gyan without a Guru..
This is my first heart rendering that after posting at the Forum becomes my latest Blog Post at Flickr, Word Press Bloggerspot..
Normally my Intros at the Forum are not recorded anywhere else..
So coming to the Forum to sell my cameras because of a sudden cash crunch I became a part of all you in body and soul.
Now don’t ever ask me is Photoblogging better than Print Media..?
I am far too opinionated to answer in the favor of Main Stream Media..
And photobloggers don’t need to kiss editorial you know what.
We give, we are paid through the kindness of a comment by the person who reads us from his heart and not through his wallet.
Take Care
Firoze Shakir