Teaching Photography To My 2 Year Old Grand Daughter, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.
I dont know how to teach photography, I learnt photography because I was made to see before I shoot ..I shot light with the darkness of my soul.
Marziya is one step on me she shuts her eyes and takes my picture .
So what is photography, according to me it is a lesson in sheer humility, taking from one and giving it to the other.
You need a camera , or photography is not possible , this thought is not a metaphor.
Now comes the second part of my lesson , in Unlearning Photography, photography is about Touch, the way you touch the camera before it touches you, Marziya knows the Nikon D 80 to hold it to shoot with it assisted by me.
This camera in her hand is her first toy, before she began playing with dolls cats and dogs.
This is her inheritance from me ..I dont care if she does not become a photographer , my intention in making her see the world through the lens is simply to get the bigger picture of life and to see it without cropping it, without distortion..without blinkers.
The way Marziya holds the camera should provide ample proof of her ability to shoot pictures with her eyes closed.
You have to close your eyes before you embed a seed which will grow poetically as a plant in another mans eyes.
I was taught photography by three Gurus and teaching Marziya is my tribute to all three of them.
Mr KG Maheshwari, Late Prof BW Jatkar and the robust dynamic Shreekanth Malushte.
These are the three main pillars that infused love for the camera the print and the larger picture of life.
My photography stems from the streets of Pain.,
But I must inform all you guys I was never a photographer , but I met a lot of photographers during my stint with Mudra Communication Court House Dhobi Talao, a very short stint that bought me close to a lot of photographers and the world of photography.I did not even possess a camera at that time.
A few of them are people I will never forgot though I dont know if they are aware that I am a photographer too ..
Pablo Bartholomew ..master of natural light , I accompanied him on a Vimal poster shoot Sweet Memories with Sangita Bijlani, he is a natural born..perhaps in retrospection watching him , hearing his talks with Vinod Manaktala near Ritz hotel where he did his slide processing helped me
Adrian Stevens Chin Win Lee Malvika Tiwari, Suresh Cordo , Mr Oberoi from Daulat building near Usha Sadan, Nadish Nowrojee Chippy, Shantanu Sheorey, were part of my world of optical illusions.
Pankaj Shah and his one time muse now a photographer too Urmilla Deshpande..
There may be others names I have forgotten , Mr Gurav the art director of Mudra was a another person who honed me artistically.
The Bollywood connection with photography began with Harish Daftary , the most human congenial life loving unbitching photographer.
Rakesh Shresta I knew from my stint at Sheraton Treasures his family studio was Colorama at that time..at the Oberois.
Mr RT Chawla is a doyen I met sometimes and Singhal saab to name a few.
Marziya my grand daughter has been aware of the camera since she was only 2 days old.
Here at Flickr I photo shot the story of her life over 9000 pictures while she was growing , she too like me is comfortable observing street life.
Nothing scares her only cockroaches ...
She has met some giant names in photography , Marc De Clercq , Reza Masoudi , Jean Marc Gargantiel.. many more to come..
Though she awaits her god father the one and only street maestro Dr Glenn Losack MD from New York Manhattan.
So this is a short parable of a prodigal photographer and his one and only disciple Marziya Shakir 2 year old..connected bt blood and the Karmic vision of a world outside.. measured as imagery of Gods playfulness ..
Mind you sometimes the photographer is the only person on the planet who shows you God the photographers creations in a more divine light.
