Photosynthesis

In his apartment in Prashant Vihar,photographer Nagender Chhikara is painstakingly drawing a map of Old Delhi and charting a route that covers its prime attractions.

Written by Vandana Kalra

April 19, 2009 02:30 AM IST

3 min read

This summer,learn the fundamentals of creative photography in a unique workshop

In his apartment in Prashant Vihar,photographer Nagender Chhikara is painstakingly drawing a map of Old Delhi and charting a route that covers its prime attractions. Next weekend he will be in those narrow alleys,accompanied by a group of ten photo enthusiasts,guiding them through the walk. He will acquaint them with the area and give pointers on how to capture every detail in a perfect frame. The location and the surrounding will determine the photographs that we come up with,but we will also discuss the basics of photography, says Chhikara,as he sifts through previous photographs of the area taken by him and prepares for the four-day photography workshop that begins on April 25.

This will be the first in a series of photography workshops conceptualised by art gallery The Fuschia Tree. The six-month programme titled Dilli 6,features six separate workshops,each of which focuses on one aspect of Delhi. If April is dedicated to street photography in Old Delhi,in May the photographers will take a trip across the capitals famous eateries to figure out food photography (making butter chicken look appetizing is no easy task). For fashion enthusiasts,the June workshop will concentrate on portfolio photography during visits to markets like Sarojini Nagar,Lajpat Nagar and designer stores in the malls. The aim is to cover different genres of photography and also the activities that we associate Delhi with, says Chanda Chaudhary Barrai,managing director of The Fuschia Tree,who conceived the workshop after her visit to the Affordable Art Fair in London earlier this year. By imparting knowledge about photography we also hope that people learn to appreciate the medium, she adds.

The participants in each workshop will be divided into groups of ten,each assigned to a team leader. The four-day session will begin with a briefing,followed by an onsite tour where the participants will click photographs. On Day Three these photographs will be analysed by the leaders,and the workshop will end with another visit to the same area that will produce a different set of photographs. There will not be much emphasis on the techniques. The format will be interactive and ultimately one hopes that the workshop will help the participants take better photographs in usual course, says William Chang,freelance photographer,who is one of the team leaders for the workshop on architectural photography,scheduled to be held in August. Chang will begin the workshop with a slide presentation featuring photographs of architectural monuments across the world taken by renowned photographers and the tour will include a visit to India Gate,Humayun Tomb and Jantar Mantar amid others.

Each workshop will be followed by an exhibition of photographs taken by participants and team leaders and in November the gallery will curate an exhibition featuring the best of each workshop. This will encourage the talented and will be a celebration of the medium, says Barrai,as she points to the registration figures that denote a positive response.

To register log on to http://www.thefuschiatree.com.The participating fee for each workshop is Rs 3,500.

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delhi