When I began my tryst with photography , I was not much into theory , at all.. I read great books on photography , I still have them, I went for trips to Konkan.. but landscape was not really my forte and mostly I shot BW using Delta Ilford 100 ASA ..
Other Kodak BW films i tried but I was a sworn follower of Ilford Delta .
I shot Velvia 50 and Provia but I played with Fuji color I liked it better than Kodak
Than came the digital and after selling my Nikon F100
I wish I had kept it for my grand daughters , I only used digital.. the Nikon D70 and later the Nikon D80
I was gifted the Canon D 70 and my grand daughter Marziya was gifted the Canon 60 D in 2011 .. we have been using the same camera now .. it serves our purpose ,,
We accidentally became street enthusiasts , I instilled the love of the camera in both Marziya and Nerjis at a very early age ,,, and they are not intimidated by photographers or their glitzy cameras.
And photography has been a textbook of life shooting the poetry of pain on the wrinkles barefeet of poor beggars , hijras and the people I shoot voraciously.
And these are very old images getting a face lift another look , earlier I shot pictures and uploaded them on Flickr title description and moved ahead to the next set .. but after meeting Boaz my guru from Hong Kong I am avidly assiduously trying to become selective ,, I still shoot prolifically .
At the Holy Name High School 75 year celebrations all were interested in shooting the dancers I shot happy faces of my school mates a younger lot I shot them for posterity , I searched for my teachers i shot them too..these were the main heroes of my pictorial storyboard.
My gurus taught me too see beyond the lens of the camera , and most of all be humble , to use the camera as a holistic healing tool to tell the truth not distort not to shoot porn filth ,, or anything that hurts religious sentiments and to respect Man despite his colossal shortcomings .
The camera put words in my head , allowed me to liberate the poetry of life from the prose of my existence ,, and the camera above all got me great friends like you .. I follow you provided you have a complete profile , pictures on your stream the moment I see you love genitals , hijras , fetish of any kind I simply block you forgive me I have not yet liberated myself from my family values traditions culture .
I got a Whats up message talking about Muslims by a German scholar , that went on a long spree Muslims did not start the World Wars Muslims Muslims Muslims could not be terrorists and more ..it was from a Muslim Sunni friend so I kept my opinion to myself , I wanted to tell him that it was Muslims who killed Imam Ali Muslims who killed murdered Imam Hussain and it was Muslims who created this uncalled for Sunni Shia rift ,, but fuck does it really matter .
And I have to rush for a meeting so read me as a nutshell..
Behind the Camera I was the religion I shot ,, so I shot it truthfully , I was not a hijra behind the camera mind you but I shot them with grace dignity humanity .
But yes I reiterate I am always a beggar behind the camera hoping my luck changes before i hit the bucket pay off a few friends who helped me in my bad times , clear my home loan and leave this message to my family before they take my corpse and hand it over to the Hospital for the greeter good to those who need body parts .. my not so drunken liver my lousy love ridden heart , my cosmic camera eyes , my fucked opinionated bilious brain my kidneys ever pissing on the soul of my fucked cosmic fate .. my thick skin .
I dont have anything left .. but my fragmented genius ,, ha ha
Alex and Meld stop laughing i will follow you ..no not from my grave ha ha lol
