World Photography Day is a day dedicated to those who capture images that evoke thought and emotions. In 1837, Nicephorous Knipek and Louis Daguerre invented the Daguerreo type photographic system. From then on a new chapter in photography began. On August 19, 1839, the first French government declared August 19 as World Photography Day.
In Goa too, there are many photographers who capture the various emotions in life. For several photographers, it has been quite a journey from the times when it was important to learn the techniques of taking a photograph and to the days of today when it is presumed that a digital camera will make life easier. Aatish Naik is a photojournalist but he did not start as one. He started as a photographer at weddings. He joined a course in photography in Mumbai and learned on a film camera and the subtleties involved in making a photo come alive in a dark room. He then studied in the Phil Corporation in Tivim.
He laughs and says whatever he learnt in Mumbai, he did not use. The technology had changed so much, it made his life so much easier. He says earlier in a film roll, you could get a maximum of 36 photos but one would easily waste 6 to 7 shots. At present, thanks to the digital technology, it was possible to gauge the photograph immediately and make the necessary changes. Today, photographers shoot 80-90 shots at an event for one photograph. That he says, is a big difference.
Speaking about the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) he says, it is being used for captions for photographs. He says, “Today it is possible for a photographer to file a story. That was not the case earlier. It is very useful for those especially in the vernacular press who wanted to send something to the English newsroom. Now, photographers are using mobile phones. Editing is very easy. Earlier, we used to use Photoshop, now with AI, we can change colour tone, improve the brightness. In photojournalism, AI is restricted. You cannot change the back ground.” He uses a Nikon Zed 62.
Narain Divkar is a long time practitioner of the art of photography. He has been at his art for 38 years. He has seen it change from 120 format to the digital format. He says that today people think that digital photography is easy but you have to do a lot of hard work. He says, “Digital is easy, you can see what you are doing but it is not. It requires a lot of colour correction, you should know the angles of photography. There is technique that goes into the art. You need an artistic image in your mind. If you see when one uses the analog camera, it is easy. Earlier, we had to wait till the photograph got processed and you then did the changes. Then there were no mobiles. Now with the mobiles people are doing some photography. Nothing wrong with that. There are a few people who take good photographs with mobiles and even compete with professional photographers. They can do photography with a small investment. Our cameras are very expensive. I use a Nikon.”
Speaking about AI, he says it was the future. He reasons and says that when digital came all the senior photographers would be out. That he says did not happen. More apps would come out, however he did not see himself using AI.
Another photographer Adriano Chiquito took a very interesting route to photography. A fan of the film world, he would collect star posters. He would like their poses and their expressions. He liked it immensely. He was always interested in commercial advertising. Photography became his main focus in 1991. He joined the Bachelor of Arts with a focus on photography. He also started taking up part time assignments for weddings. He would take 5 rolls of film and do the entire wedding. There was a competition to take at least 25 photos in one role. People he said started liking his work and he got totally into wedding photography. He has till date done around 1000 weddings and Baptisms. It is all about perfection. One click and you are done. Today, he says with digital, even if someone comes in the frame it can be corrected. He says, “Today it is immediate. Technology is very helpful. Now mirrorless cameras are now the latest and the best for taking photographs. Something new will keep coming”. Speaking about AI, he says he had not used it as yet but was practising it and would definitely use it in the future. It should match the image in your mind.
Pantaleao Fernandes has been clicking photographs since his college days in 1988. It was a hobby then but the shift happened when he was working in construction. He also started experimenting with cameras. He got a great break when he started working on the photography for a book called the ‘Parish Churches of Goa’. This was in 2003 and this book took him all over Goa. He then decided to do another book called ‘100 Goan Experiences’. That book sold around 13,500 copies. He gave up construction. He did not do any weddings. His work was to document and be a work of education for others. These experiences taught him a lot. He met the real Goans living in the hinterland. His knowledge helped him write 8 books. People called him a visual archivist. The change today was that people were not serious. It was all about taking a photo and flashing it on social media. He also says there was a lack of etiquette. Young photographers would get into the lens of another photographer. This he says was a problem with those with the mobile phone and were focused on being present on social media. It was few who did this but it was a trend.
World Photography Day will be celebrated by the Photo Journalists’ Association of Goa (PJAG) felicitating senior photojournalist Dinesh Ramesh Sakhalkar and senior professional photographer Rozendo Pereira. In addition to the felicitation ceremony, PJAG will also organize a Photo Exhibition featuring works by press photographers from Goa. Around 24 photojournalists will showcase their work at the exhibition, which will be open to the general public on August 19 and 20 from 10 am to 6 pm.
The camera will continue to record human emotions well into the future. One hopes these artists behind these cameras retain their principles and not fall prey to artificial trends or apps that could distort their art.