Top shot: A glimpse of Mumbai from high up in city physician’s coffee table book

As he went about clicking aerial shots of Mumbai for the third edition of the coffee table book, Sorabjee could see the landscape of Mumbai having changed significantly. “There were also clearer days a decade ago. I have noticed whenever transport workers are on strike, the next day is crystal clear.”

Once, while on rounds at the Bombay Hospital, Sorabjee saw the harbour and the hills through one of the ward’s windows. He went straight to his car, took out his Nikon camera and asked for permission to access the terrace. “Such occasions are rare,” he says. The panorama shot of the eastern coastline, the sea and the distant hills are slated to be featured in the upcoming coffee table book. “The view of Mumbai changes with rampant construction. A lot of pictures are from the same spots but with a completely different view,” he says.

While he captured the Western Express Highway, Versova and Lokhandwala in his previous editions, this time, the renowned physician is attempting an aerial shot of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park from the Kanheri caves. “But suburbs don’t have the character of south Mumbai. The island city has hills, forts, iconic buildings and there are different contours. The suburbs are flat,” he says.

Sorabjee began capturing Mumbai through six cameras that he has used since 1997.

He did not take a chopper ride to get the aerial shots. “The joy ride crash scared me. Also, the helicopter does not go to the exact spot you want to go to.” Sorabjee began capturing Mumbai through six cameras that he has used since 1997. “My mother bribed me with a camera to study medicine and I fell for it,” he laughs. It was a passion that later became a hobby he could afford only on weekends.

Getting that “perfect shot” is often a challenge, he says. Even a mobile camera takes care of technical aspects, helping everyone take a near-perfect picture. “So, I look for a picture that will have an impact, some resonance. I learnt basic Photoshop to edit pictures myself,” he said. “The camera should be my slave. I should not be its slave.”He is now experimenting with street photography and studio portraits.

In his office on the hospital’s first floor, Sorabjee has placed three framed lithographs of ancient Bombay. The doctor’s keen interest in history has led him to experiment with documentaries and photographs of ancient structures, streets and pieces of art. He has already made a two-part documentary on doctors who taught him at JJ Hospital. “But with medicine, it is always difficult to take out time for all this,” he smiles.