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 24, 2009 01:38 AM IST

3 min read

This summer,you can visit Delhi to 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.

Vandana Kalra

Vandana Kalra is an art critic and Deputy Associate Editor with The Indian Express. She has spent more than two decades chronicling arts, culture and everyday life, with modern and contemporary art at the heart of her practice. With a sustained engagement in the arts and a deep understanding of India’s cultural ecosystem, she is regarded as a distinctive and authoritative voice in contemporary art journalism in India. Vandana Kalra's career has unfolded in step with the shifting contours of India’s cultural landscape, from the rise of the Indian art market to the growing prominence of global biennales and fairs. Closely tracking its ebbs and surges, she reports from studios, galleries, museums and exhibition spaces and has covered major Indian and international art fairs, museum exhibitions and biennales, including the Venice Biennale, Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Documenta, Islamic Arts Biennale. She has also been invited to cover landmark moments in modern Indian art, including SH Raza’s exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the opening of the MF Husain Museum in Doha, reflecting her long engagement with the legacies of India’s modern masters. Alongside her writing, she applies a keen editorial sensibility, shaping and editing art and cultural coverage into informed, cohesive narratives. Through incisive features, interviews and critical reviews, she brings clarity to complex artistic conversations, foregrounding questions of process, patronage, craft, identity and cultural memory. The Global Art Circuit: She provides extensive coverage of major events like the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Serendipity Arts Festival, and high-profile international auctions. Artist Spotlights: She writes in-depth features on modern masters (like M.F. Husain) and contemporary performance artists (like Marina Abramović). Art and Labor: A recurring theme in her writing is how art reflects the lives of the marginalized, including migrants, farmers, and labourers. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent portfolio is dominated by the coverage of the 2025 art season in India: 1. Kochi-Muziris Biennale & Serendipity Arts Festival "At Serendipity Arts Festival, a 'Shark Tank' of sorts for art and crafts startups" (Dec 20, 2025): On how a new incubator is helping artisans pitch products to investors. "Artist Birender Yadav's work gives voice to the migrant self" (Dec 17, 2025): A profile of an artist whose decade-long practice focuses on brick kiln workers. "At Kochi-Muziris Biennale, a farmer’s son from Patiala uses his art to draw attention to Delhi’s polluted air" (Dec 16, 2025). "Kochi Biennale showstopper Marina Abramović, a pioneer in performance art" (Dec 7, 2025): An interview with the world-renowned artist on the power of reinvention. 2. M.F. Husain & Modernism "Inside the new MF Husain Museum in Qatar" (Nov 29, 2025): A three-part series on the opening of Lawh Wa Qalam in Doha, exploring how a 2008 sketch became the architectural core of the museum. "Doha opens Lawh Wa Qalam: Celebrating the modernist's global legacy" (Nov 29, 2025). 3. Art Market & Records "Frida Kahlo sets record for the most expensive work by a female artist" (Nov 21, 2025): On Kahlo's canvas The Dream (The Bed) selling for $54.7 million. "All you need to know about Klimt’s canvas that is now the most expensive modern artwork" (Nov 19, 2025). "What’s special about a $12.1 million gold toilet?" (Nov 19, 2025): A quirky look at a flushable 18-karat gold artwork. 4. Art Education & History "Art as play: How process-driven activities are changing the way children learn art in India" (Nov 23, 2025). "A glimpse of Goa's layered history at Serendipity Arts Festival" (Dec 9, 2025): Exploring historical landmarks as venues for contemporary art. Signature Beats Vandana is known for her investigative approach to the art economy, having recently written about "Who funds the Kochi-Muziris Biennale?" (Dec 11, 2025), detailing the role of "Platinum Benefactors." She also explores the spiritual and geometric aspects of art, as seen in her retrospective on artist Akkitham Narayanan and the history of the Cholamandal Artists' Village (Nov 22, 2025). ... Read More

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram

Tags:

Kolkata talk