“Close Encounters of Photographic Kind”

International Women's Day March
“Close Encounters of Photographic Kind”

On March 8, I went with my friend Alfredo to take photos at the march for International Women's Day, on Avenida 18 de Julio. We met in a bar near one of the points of the call, to have a coffee and chat about street photography, while the time for the march approached.

While waiting for my friend, I had my first close encounter.

I saw two identical old ladies drinking coffee at the table in the corner. I had an irresistible urge to photograph them, so I asked permission to sit with them, and I told them so.
One of them, quite reticent, said that the waiter had just taken a photo of them.
"But I didn't take any of them and I'd love to," I told them and added that I was a retired doctor, passionate about street photography, who had lived in the neighbourhood, and that my parents had lived near there and I mentioned the name of the building.
"That's where we live," one of them told me, with whom I continued the conversation cheerfully and she agreed to be photographed.
I asked them if they were related because I saw them as identical, and she told me that they are sisters, but I don't know if they are twins. I didn't want to insist on that and I took the photo of her taking advantage of the reflection in the mirror, where you can see that the sister had chosen to look to her side, but she wasn't upset.
I showed them the photos that they liked, we said goodbye kindly and then they quickly went home, because they didn't want the march to complicate crossing the avenue.
Then Alfredo arrived and while we were talking, a young woman came in with a "mate and thermos" under her arm, which contrasted with her foreign appearance, and even more so when she ordered a quince tart to accompany the mate.
She was my second close encounter.
Since I wanted to take a picture of her, I went up to her table to ask her permission and it turns out that it was Jana, a young German woman who works in tourism and who was on vacation in Uruguay. She told me that she liked the country a lot and when I asked him about the mate, which she had very well prepared and that she fed it very well, she told me that, since everyone carried the mate and thermos under their arms, she wanted to try it and do the same as the others. the rest.
She wasn't too convinced when she told me that she liked the beverage.
When I told her that she was an OB-GYN (currently retired) and that my last name is Storch, she was very amused, like all those who understand German and know that my last name means stork.
While I was talking to her, through the window, I saw a very interesting man passing by, with a wide-brimmed hat, who also seemed foreign from his appearance, and who was holding a cell phone mounted on a sophisticated cell phone stick.

He was my third close encounter
Having reached Liberty Square, which was one of the meeting places, I saw him again sitting next to one of the stairs that go down to Rondeau street.
I approached him and told him that I liked his phone holder, to which he responded in English telling me that he spoke very little Spanish.
Then he told me that he was from Toronto and that he spent about 5 months a year in Uruguay, during the harsh Canadian winter, especially in the northwest, where he currently lived.
His name is Benny and we talked animatedly about the cell phone support, the photos he took and also about Canada and Uruguay, where he said he felt very comfortable.
He had gone to the march and had a T-shirt claiming for those who disappeared during the dictatorship. We said goodbye, and I crossed to the small square where the Statue of Liberty stands.
There were many young women with banners, clothing and graffiti alluding to 8M.
When I went closer to take some photos, my attention was caught by a very cheerful young woman, with big sunglasses and bright lipstick.
She was my fourth close encounter

When she saw me with the camera in hand walking towards her, she smiled and also took a picture of me.
I asked her name, but I didn't understand it and given her accent I asked her where she was from.
She said that she was Iranian and that she had been in Uruguay for 5 months. She looked happy and enjoying a lot with her friends, who were calling for her from the sidewalk, so she said goodbye and she ran towards them.
I was left thinking that here she would be wonderful, given the difficulties and limitations of women in that country.
In reality, most of the meetings were close, because, although the number of people who went to the march was huge, and I took group and general photos, but I highlight those four meetings that were really different
I always try to be as close to people as possible when taking photos of them.
We even exchange a few words, smiles and many later follow me on the networks.
Close encounters with people is something I really enjoy about street photography.

Montevideo. Uruguay. March, 2023

Eduardo Storch

Taking my time with films

Since April 2022, I’m back to analogue photography.

At that time, I asked my father for his old camera: A Minolta XD5 with a 50 mm / f1.7 fixed lens from 1979 (just one year younger than me). The camera he used when I was a child.

In my practice and in my production I have a rather precise taste for a certain form of aesthetics, ambience, or atmosphere that I would like to be able to approach and I shoot a lot at night. I find inspiration in many photographers’ work and in many movies.

I had already noticed the inimitable rendering of certain films, especially for night shots and cold or neon lights. In particular the Cinestill 800 T (made with Tungsten) which produces all those red halos around the white artificial lights.

So I already knew I had to move in that direction and when my father gave me his Minolta, I engaged in an analogue street photo practice.

At the very beginning, I was a bit impressed and I was afraid that the pictures would be messed up as the films cost a bit of money (between six and twenty Euros for a roll of Thirty-six exposures in 135 format, on average of 10 Euros). But very quickly, after I developed my first roll, I felt much more comfortable and I took a liking to this practice. I then shot almost frantically during the early days to learn and familiarise myself with the camera.

I love to test the renditions of the different B&W or colour films.

Some of my favourite films, for the moment, are the Cinestill 800 T, the Kodak Vision 3 500 T and the Kodak Portra 400 for colour, and the Ilford HP5 Plus 400 and Washi S 50 for B&W.

At the moment I am particularly fascinated by film photography because of its texture, its grain, its materiality, its substance and I am looking to experiment with new films to discover their rendering!

I’d like to test the Kodak Gold for colour and Kodak Tri X for B&W and many other films. But some films are hard to find, out of stock or even not produced anymore.

I learn a lot with analogue photography. What I learn from this is useful for both analogue and digital, as I also continue to take digital photos.

In B&W, I develop films and make the prints myself with a close friend. For colour, I ask for a professional lab.

My practice is also changing, as it is a less immediate process where you don't know the result right away, you learn to be less sure of yourself and also to trust yourself without certainty, without the possibility of checking. It's a very different relationship to time. And as the films and the process cost a bit of money, we apply ourselves more to the placement, the composition and the adjustments before releasing the shutter.

For digital, I choose colour or B&W in post-production. It is the composition and the intensity of the photo that will make me decide, depending on what I want to say. Sometimes it is because a series is more coherent this way that I decide to switch to B&W. For analogue photography, it is very different. I don’t do any post-processing. The choice (of Color/BW and of sensitivity/ film speed) has to be made beforehand when you decide which film to load into the camera. So you don’t load a 50 or 100 ASA for the night and conversely not an 800 ASA for the daytime. It is therefore also necessary to plan the type of photos to be taken according to the film.

The best would be to have two cameras; One loaded with colour and the other with B&W or with two different film speeds to be able to shoot in different conditions!

Thus, I learn that if on one hand, one must learn to use the camera, on the other hand, one must also learn not to use it! Not to take it out, or even to decide not to take it and to allow yourself time when you are not going to photograph (this is often when you regret not having taken it! but never mind! The photos we never took will continue to exist in us and will guide us the next time).

Knowing how not to use it is also a way of specifying one's choices, intention and position, a point of view!

My objective is to continue to learn, discover and create images with a certain freedom, according to the encounters I can make. This approach implies allowing the unexpected, the unforeseen, and the surprise. It is also a question of not foreseeing too much, and not programming too much.

So I say to myself « Be patient! Take your time! There is always something to learn! »

To be continued…

Here are some of the photos I took with the different films :

BW

- Ilford HP5 plus 400:

- Foma Pan 100:

- Washi S 50 (unfortunatly this film with hight contrasts won’t be produced anymore):

Color

- Kodak Portra 400 (The finest grain film with great color grading)

- Kodak Pro Image 100

- Kodak Vision 3 - 500 T (500 ASA Tungsten 135 film used in cinema movies, reels reconditioned in 36 exp. Rolls, developpement with a special chimical process ECN-2)

- Cinestill 800 T (Tungsten film)

And now a few photos of the Bw printing work at the lab

Aurélien Bomy

Desafío by Bernardo Tomé

“Yo, que vivo en una ciudad pequeña y no existe el metro, cada vez que voy a una ciudad en la cual este medio de transporte es esencial para la movilidad, no dudo en coger la cámara y pasarme horas fotografiando a la gente en ese ambiente. Amo las estaciones, las idas y venidas, el rio de gestos, pensamientos que llevan en el rostro, desentrañar conversaciones e ilusiones. Las historias que esconden tras la mirada afable o hosca.En fin que la variedad de fauna humana que se puede observar y retratar es inmensa, por lo que para mi es un día que disfruto como el niño que sube por primera vez a un tiovivo.”

"I, who live in a small city and there is no subway, every time I go to a city in which this means of transport is essential for mobility, I do not hesitate to take the camera and spend hours photographing people in that environment. I love the seasons, the comings and goings, the river of gestures, and thoughts that are on my face, unravelling conversations and illusions. The stories they hide behind the affable or sullen look.
In short, the variety of human fauna that can be observed and portrayed is immense, so for me it is a day that I enjoy as the child who climbs for the first time to a merry-go-round."

.

Bernardo Tomé

Yegna by Jeanmichel Randrianarivelo

I'm a young street photographer based in Addis Ababa Ethiopia.

I have always been amazed by the randomness and sheer chaos of Addis, and have been documenting it since I was very little.

1. This photo captures a man walking quickly, but with a surreal feeling due to the slow shutter speed. He is blurred out of focus and almost appears to be moving in slow motion, creating an abstract sense of movement that stands out against the still environment around him.

2. A mother and her grown son walking side-by-side down a city street. Her encouraging presence provides guidance for the uncertain road ahead.

3. A candid photo of my mother on sunny summer day.

4. This photo features a woman drying a traditional Ethiopian spice called "berbere," which is composed of several spices, chili peppers, and herbs. She has carefully sorted through her ingredients, arranging them into neat piles in front of her. The sun shines brightly from an open window above, illuminating the vibrant colors of each piece in the berbere mix.

5. This bustling market in the Gerji area of Addis Ababa is full of vibrant colors, sounds, and energy. Vendors sell everything from food and spices to clothes and housewares, while haggling shoppers from near and far fill the aisles. These streets come alive every day with shoppers trying to find the best deals and vendors doing whatever it takes to make their mark.

6. A photo of a children returning from school on a sunny after-noon.

7. An aged man in his late 80s wearing a wide-brimmed hat, squinting in the bright midday sun. He is standing with his hand on a cane and looking off into the horizon.

8. A young child crouches down behind a wall, eyes wide with anticipation, eagerly waiting to be found while playing hide and seek.

9. A taylor is seen working at a small table in the street side, using a sewing machine to create clothing items. Various rolls of fabric and small tools are spread around her table as she diligently works on her latest project. He sits in front of a colourful wall mural watching his every move while a passerby walks behind him, further adding to the vibrant atmosphere.

10. A photo of an senior man holding a colorful umbrella.

11. In this photo, a young boy stands proud in front of his family's used furniture shop. He stares into the camera with a smile, proud of the hard work he has put in to ensure his family's business is successful. The store has several pieces of furniture on display.

12. An old lady sits behind a small wooden cart filled with an array of colourful spices. She is wearing a traditional headscarf and has a smile on her face as she greets customers. Her wrinkled hands are carefully measuring out the spices into small bags for purchase. The aroma of the spices fills the air around her cart, drawing in curious shoppers.

13. In the photo, a young boy is seen carrying multiple plastic bags in his hands. He appears to be working. He has a determined look on his face, suggesting he is focused on completing his task. The plastic bags likely contain various items, and the boy seems to be carrying a heavy load.

14. Two mothers selling vegetables at a local market. The women in brightly-coloured attire sit at the back of their stall, surrounded by tubs of fresh vegetables. They smile brightly, looking proud of the vegetables they have to offer. The vibrant colours of the vegetables, the mothers’ clothing and the lively atmosphere of the market give the scene a serene and inviting feel.

15. In this image, two-day labourers wait in an open-air market, hoping to be hired by passersby. They are both wearing old clothes and have the same determined expression on their faces- a look of determination and hope, to find an opportunity and make a living. Despite their worn clothes and probably difficult day-to-day lives, they remain strong in their spirit and are confident they will find work.

16. A vibrant photo capturing a mother and her child, while they stroll through the bustling market holding hands. Their stylish clothing highlights the loving relationship between them and their contentment as they enjoy a day together.

17. A young boy stands in the middle of his backyard, gazing out over the open fields and trees beyond. He looks out at the world around him with a sense of wonder and curiosity, dreaming of what could be out there.

18. A young man is riding his bicycle along a road, engrossed in checking his phone with one hand as he pedals with the other. With the sun setting in the background.

19. In the photo, a mother and her daughter are seen selling clothes by the side of a road, displaying various items of clothing such as shirts, dresses, and pants. The daughter, who looks to be around 10 years old, is sitting next to her mother, helping to arrange the clothes and possibly assisting customers. Both the mother and daughter have smiles on their faces, indicating that they are happy and content with their work.

20. A group of women are seen crossing a busy street, each holding a colourful umbrella to shield themselves from the hot sun. The umbrellas add a pop of colour to the otherwise grey and damp scene. The women appear to be in a hurry, as they briskly make their way across the road.

21. This photo shows a busy junction. Cars, buses, and other vehicles are seen moving along in all directions. Pedestrians wait at crosswalks and traffic light signals for drivers to take turns entering and leaving the junction. In the background, busy buildings exhibit the hustle and bustle of the urban landscape.

22. An elderly man in Ethiopia is stepping into a traditional taxi a brightly coloured mini-bus-style taxi. This is a common sight in many parts of the country, providing an affordable transport option for locals and visitors alike.

22a. A smiling boy

23. Two little girls laugh and smile, eyes twinkling and faces beaming with joy as they enjoy a moment of fun and happiness.

23 a. Two little girls laugh and smile, eyes twinkling and faces beaming with joy as they enjoy a moment of fun and happiness.

24. A woman displaying various trinkets and souvenirs for sale. The scene takes place on a road side.

25.A man in a white T-shirt and blue jeans pushes an orange trolley full of green peas along a dusty road.

26.A man lies in the back of an old pickup, which is filled with avocados, a striped shirt, and he smiles contentedly at the camera

27. This busy street in Megenagna, Addis Ababa shows a dense concentration of honking vehicles and people going about their daily activities. You can see stores, restaurants, and vendors bustling around. The street is filled with bicycles, motorcycles, and cars manoeuvring through the crowded street. The buildings are colourful and the air is filled with the smells of food and the bustle of the city.

Jeanmichel Randrianarivelo

Al ritmo de "candombe"

Llamadas de San Baltasar - The “Calls” of San Baltasar

The Uruguayan carnival is a very important part of popular culture and has its own characteristics, typically centred on "Candombe".

"Candombe" was the most important and significant dance and musical-religious expression of the Afro-collective, and it continues to be one of the most eloquent musical expressions, having spread to such an extent throughout society that it is one of the cultural elements that identify the country.

It is synonymous with Uruguay to such an extent that it has been declared "Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity" by UNESCO.

The slaves that were brought to the country, as well as their descendants, maintained the traditions of Africa, with their dances and drums that, over time, acquired the current rhythm of “Candombe”

Of the many carnival activities, the "San Baltasar Parade" takes place every year on January 6th, Three Kings Day, and pays tribute to Baltasar, the black king, and in my opinion, is the most authentic expression of that heritage.

Those parades are called “llamadas” (the call) and this is due to the fact that originally, a group of “candomberos” (a group of drummers) would go out on the street playing their drums "calling and encouraging" others to join them in the celebration.

The “comparsas” have several components, with a large group of drums, preceded by dancers and typical characters from the time of slavery, such as the old mother, the healer or sorcerer and the broom, accompanied by banners and flags.

Currently, this joyful and contagious popular expression, with the roar of drums and full of people of all ages, has become quite touristy.

However, "The Calls of San Baltasar" continues to maintain the essence and identity of “the calls”, and constitutes the first event that takes place throughout the carnival.

For me, the public is part of the show, whether it is the neighbours from the windows, balconies and roof terraces of their houses, or the people who celebrate and dance in the street to the rhythm of the very loud sound of the drums, that as they pass by, resound into your chest, beating together with the rhythm of the heart.

My name is Eduardo Storch, I am 76 years old.
I was born and I live in Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay.
I am an OBGYN and have been practising Obstetrics and Gynecology since 1973. I retired from clinical practice 3 years ago.
I am an amateur photographer and about 10 years ago I began to face it more seriously. I went to a Photography School where I did basic courses and workshops and continued attending other workshops in order to have a more complete vision. In all of them, I participated in collective exhibitions. I am currently participating in a workshop of Street Photography and Photojournalism, which is what I am most interested in. In the last three years, since my retirement, I have dedicated more seriously to photography. In 2020 I obtained the second prize in the Photography Contests of the Uruguayan Medical Association (CMU) and in the Uruguayan Medical Labor Union (SMU). In 2021 I obtained a National Award from the Ministry of Culture and Education and first prize at SMU. In 2022 I won the first prize of SMU again I have done a couple of projects about "street work", and another about "people over 90 years old" - "Nonagenarians" and I am looking forward to improving my work

Eduardo Storch

THE SERIES.... by Sey Rosen

The SERIES is the blurring of the lines between Photo-Reportage, Documentary and Candid Street Photography. The Series tells a story. It is a sequence of images depicting any of the following, and more: an event, a place, a travelogue, a description of an Ethnic group and/or its traditions, idiosyncrasies of people, a conversation, simple daily life, religious festivals, etc., The main difference between the 3 genres is the spontaneous candidness of the street images without words. The street photographer uses their instincts to make their images which are usually unplanned, spur of the moment decisions. Both photo-reportage and documentary photography are more planned, often staged or set-up photo-ops, such as at political rallies, socio-economic conditions, demonstrations, celebrities, or weddings and the images are used to illustrate an article, whilst the candid street images are the instinctive, spontaneous, one-off, unrepeatable, never again fleeting-moment short picture stories.

At times the street photographer may get lucky and have the time to candidly work an evolving scene (such as my example below, they were totally unaware of me as I moved slowly around them for about 5 mins.) and thus produce this story with a number of images. Other times the series may be built on images taken at different times and/or locales, but based on the same common theme that links the images into a story. Like writers who build their stories with beginnings, middles and ends, so should a photo-story be made. The street photographer must hone their awareness and anticipation for possible developing short picture stories.

The series needs to be visually cohesive. A mix of monochrome and colour images breaks the visual flow and thus the story falls apart. Similarly, the tonal values and format/size should be close from image to image as this too affects the visual flow of the story. A series is not a collection of random shots with little or no connection. In the series, the story has to be clear to the viewer what the photographer is feeling, saying and expressing.

Another important thing to remember is that each image in the series should be a strong one, able to be a stand-alone. A collection of mediocre images will never create a strong, story-telling series. To prepare the series each image has to be carefully tweaked and then the selection and order of the images carefully decided. Again just as in writing the work needs careful editing, tweaking and correction to enable the strong story-telling to flow. It can be a simple story or it can be a strong message-carrying story, but it must always be a flowing, visually interesting story.

I believe that a successful candid series needs a very short caption, if any at all. Perhaps just naming the locale and/or the event or festival. The minute the series is introduced by a long written explanation it becomes a photo-reportage or documentary, even though it's meant to be candid. The whole thing about the candid street is the photographer attempting to immediately record and clearly transmit their feelings, heart and soul, of that split second to their viewers. Succeeding in that, they have successfully told the story visually whether it's a single shot or a series with a more detailed story. For us, the images are our words.

Sey Rosen

The nature of societies is located in the looks.

En realidad, la naturaleza de las sociedades se ubica en las miradas.

Las cosas, las personas, el ritual de lo cotidiano y de lo extraordinario, aparecen y desaparecen con un click de la cámara. Reseteando los escenarios, en apariencia externos a mi, con el anhelo de verme reflejado en las fotografías, y así poder entender la vida, el Yo, no el psicológico, sino el cultural.

Actually, the nature of societies is located in the looks.

Things, people, the ritual of every day and the extraordinary, appear and disappear with a click of the camera. I reset the scenarios, apparently external to me, with the desire to see myself reflected in the photographs, and thus be able to understand life, the Self, not the psychological Self, but the cultural Self.

Buenas tardes,

Tras pensar sobre la propuesta de Batsceba Hardy, en la cual se invita a remitir una pequeña serie de fotografías, acompañadas de texto, me atrevo a remitir este correo a Progressive Street.

Espero que las fotografías sean de vuestro agrado. Rafael Ibáñez Tejero

Our Challenge: if you’ve got a story you can tell in just a few shots, send it to us at Progressive: (progressivestreetphotography@gmail.com) This is a great chance to express yourself in a special way. You must have had sessions or days where you’ve got a real good feeling about how a story has played out. Could be people you tracked for a while or a day at an event. Your call. Let your pictures tell the story. Share it with us, no less than 5. We’ll share the best on our Website! But remember that words are also important for communicating sensations and your thoughts

A throbbing tribal market

The throbbing tribal market at Mardum, Chattisgarh, India.

When I entered a colourful arena of a sprawling market complex, as it should be termed not keeping in mind the rural backdrop, I was greeted by the jingle of glass bangles shimmering in the morning light. The tribal women folk of the Bastar district buzzed over the bangles and other pieces of jewellery that are sold along with an endless list of commodities. As I made my way through the meandering muddy pathway flaunting with men and women busy buying and selling wares from books and copies to dried tamarinds, i was struck by the wide range of goods. Fresh vegetables, seeds for the field, dried and fresh fishes, metal and earthen utensils, umbrellas, cloth materials, sarees, chappals, rice, cane baskets, perfumes, oils, cosmetics, samosas, jalebis and whatnot. Reaching an open space at one end of the market I found a considerable number of villagers making themselves happy with the drink from the Mahuya flower and fermented rice. At ₹10 per glass ( 50ml ) served in a typically folded leaf of the shaal tree, I was enthralled by the freshness and sweetness of the drink so cherished by the local people in this Saturday haat. The beats of the drum added much to the mood that the overcast July sky had set in as the day unravelled and the hustle and bustle of the weekly market enhanced. Cocks with resplendent crests won adorations as their masters proudly roamed the market with the handsome birds. The tribal village market witnessing many locals with android phones grasped in their hands suddenly burst out into a primitive milieu as the cock fight reached the zenith. I was convinced that I have left my urban life far behind and was once more reliving my early instincts.

Kimsuk Ray

Hyde Park Sunday by Sey Rosen

During my 55+ years of dabbling in Photography and shooting in both Analogue and Digital, I have concluded that I still am a great fan of ‘old school’ Analogue photography. Thus I find myself, more often than not, grabbing my Nikon F100 & a roll or two of film, rather than the D750 when I go out to shoot. There are many reasons for this decision, mainly technical, which lead to aesthetic differences between the techniques.

Suffice it to say that because of the totally different technologies the images created by both are totally different. The main difference being between FILM GRAIN and DIGITAL NOISE (GRAIN), without going into a deep technical explanation, which is a huge subject in itself, let’s just understand that Analogue is a chemical process whereby the light reacts with different light-collecting materials coated on the film, whilst allowing for the gentle changes in tone mood and texture, as well as covering the whole frame so as to bring the composition together. There are an abundance of films that produce different strengths of grain from the finest to the grittiest.
Digital is a totally electronic system. Digital cameras are basically tiny computers programmed by technicians and no two Digital cameras produce the same results. The Digital pixel is usually composed of 3 square layers sandwiched one on top of the other. Each layer is sensitive to one of the three colours, Red, Green, Blue and then the computer organizes the tones and colour values, according to the algorithms and mathematics programmed in by the engineers, thus the colours produced by the camera are dependent on the engineer’s colour perception.

Today, with the advent of all the new hardware & software available as well as the explosion of the Internet and the ‘new’ way of displaying images, I’ve adapted myself to a hybrid workflow of scanning my negatives + slides and lightly retouching them on my computer. I also, because of the untold differences in monitors/screens that we use to view the vast majority of our images today, I prepare my images differently, those for screen viewing and those that will be printed. For screens 72 ppi is very good but for printing 300 dpi or higher is required depending on the size of the print to be made.

I never plan projects, as I am Candid People photographer, instinctive and spontaneous, but I do have my favourite places to shoot e.g. The Jerusalem Mahane Yehuda Market or Zion Square/Ben Yehuda Pedestrian Mall, Jerusalem, The Tel Aviv Artist's Market, etc. Because I make so many images in these areas, they automatically turn themselves into projects. The only planning I ever do is to go out and make images whenever/wherever takes my fancy. The projects start when sorting the images.

One of my long term 'projects' which lasted over +/-40 years and included about 16 trips to London specifically to see exhibitions and photograph, was to photograph the people of Hyde Park Sundays. It never was my intention to do ‘a project’ but since my first visit to London in 1970, it simply grew itself, (un)intentionally. For me this is the Mecca or Holy Grail for Candid People Photographers, the observation and recording of the actions, reactions, interactions of both speakers and their audiences, I don’t believe can be found anywhere else in the world.

Being The High Court of Freedom of Speech, there are no subjects that are taboo. From Religion, Politics, Sexuality or any other subject that may cause one to feel the need to vent one’s spleen. Anyone and everyone is entitled to say their piece and are either applauded or heckled vigorously. Whether it’s an Evangelist preaching The Wrath of God, or the armchair politician bemoaning the ruling party and the state of the nation, or the dark complexioned gentleman explaining in great detail to the embarrassed paler locals why their ladies prefer the darker complexioned fellows.

To me, having been, since early childhood inquisitive and nosey, I always was and still am fascinated by the Human Race, so “Speaker's Corner” is the diamond in the crown of “The Greatest Show on Earth”.

I’m Sey Rosen, a retired Industrial Designer and Interior Architect, but remain an active passionate Photographer. Since my early childhood, I’ve always been ”fascinated by the human race”. People and their behaviour always intrigued me. I would sit for hours simply watching people going about their daily life at work, at play, at rest, at prayer. Their actions, reactions, interactions, idiosyncrasies, expressions, to me has always been intriguing. This ‘people curiosity’ was invaluable in my Design research.

As a Design Student (1966-1971), one of the courses was Photography and like the majority of my Photographic contemporaries, the minute I walked into a darkroom I was seduced by the stringent acetic acid ‘aroma’ of the fixer, the romantic red light and the real magic of the image appearing on a blank sheet of white paper. My passionate love affair with Photography had begun. I had found the outlet for my “people fascination”, but this wasn’t a conscious thought process, it was the natural merging of my two passions that was never consciously made. It was something that I just did, long before Nike told me to. I only started thinking about the ‘what/why’ a few years ago, when I had to prepare a brief resume of my Photographic history.

I consider myself as a “People” photographer and thus my portfolio consists of people and not only the In-Public Street. I shoot Fine Art Glamour/Nude in the studio, Live Dance performances, Portraits, and of course, my grandsons. An image without a human in it does not excite me, no matter how good it is. I greatly admire the work and skill of Ansel Adams, Charlie Waite, the National Geographic and all other great landscape and nature Photography, but the images don’t light my fire.

My technique is the same and has grown with me, no matter which genre I happen to be shooting. I'm an instinctive, spontaneous, available light, hand-held candid photographer. In the studio I let the model do her own thing, I never adjust the lighting and never direct. When shooting a live dance performance, these limitations are a given, so that's it. I don't own a tripod and my monopod is lost somewhere in the closet. I shoot both film and digital in equal amounts. My curent cameras are Nikon F100, Nikon D750 and Nikon Coolpix P7000. I have a smallish assortment of Nikkor lenses and today when I go out to shoot, it's just me, camera and 1 lens. The days of schlepping a bulging camera bag containing 2 SLR bodies, a load of film, and 3 prime lenses are long past. I hate being distracted from my concentration on the subject by equipment decisions. I never use a flash. My preferred film for b/w is Ilford, as are the chemicals and paper. The colour slides are Kodak Ektachrome, professionally processed. My negatives/slides are scanned on my Epson Perfection V700 flat-bed scanner and from there go into my Adobe Lightroom with it's specialised plug-ins from DxO, NIK, OnOne and Topaz. My workflow is camera > film(scanner)/memory card > editing software.

My Photo-Guru from the start has been the late Sam Haskins (1926-2008). Of 'Cowboy Kate', 'Five Girls', 'November Girl', 'Haskins Photographics', ‘African Image’, etc., fame. I was lucky enough to meet and be able to discuss his work with him, which, from the early 1960ies, he was doing in-camera and with darkroom editing, that which expert Photoshoppers are trying to do today. My other influences over the years are, obviously, the long list of Photo-Journalists, Documentary Photographers, Street Photographers, Portraitists, etc., A list of "People" photographers that is too long to mention each by name, and includes many 'new' Photographers who are now coming to the fore. The list also includes Artists of all sorts. The truth is I learn, to this day, from every image I see, no matter who the photographer/artist is. The Photographers I would like to spend the day with are again many, but Sam Haskins, Henri Cartier-Bresson, James Nachtwey top the list. I don't think I would shoot much, I'd be simply gawking in awe watching them work.

My goal is to broadcast visually my emotions, my feelings, heart and soul, of the split second, of 'the moment'. 'The moment' cannot be verbalised sufficiently, because it has passed and will never be repeated, but when recorded on an image and successfully translated visually, it is there for at least 100 years or more. 'The Moment', for me, can never be planned for, it suddenly is there and needs to be instinctively recorded. That to me is the making of a strong image which, I hope, speaks to the viewer and causes a moment of reflection, empathy/antipathy, a smile, a tear of joy or sadness. An image that the viewer can relate to. To achieve that goal, I need to be able to mingle freely with confidence, respect, and humility to be accepted by my quarry, so I'm never aggressive in my approach. The Jerusalem Mahane-Yehuda market is one of my favourite places to shoot. In the beginning, it wasn’t easy in the hostile environment of the ‘anti-photo’ vendors, so my first few visits were a ‘getting to know each other’ experience with my camera slung around my neck, but not shooting. By the third visit, as I walked through the entrance, the first vendor cried out in his deep baritone ‘town crier’s’ voice, “everybody tremble with fear, the photographer is here!” and that’s when I knew that I was able to start photographing freely, accepted as part of the scenery, and most importantly ironically unnoticed.

If I had to start photography again, I would go exactly the same route that I have from the start. A very good grounding in History of Art and Photography. An even deeper grounding in all the processes of photography, the tools and all the ABC, without which one cannot learn to read. Most importantly, I keep on learning. I have no problem in sharing my knowledge and experience with those who ask for it.

Sey Rosen

Shadow.....The Mystery of Light

Series Light & Shadow

Light, the main source of creating a frame, is better to say it is the backbone of Photography. The contrast of Light & Shadow is important for the proper balance of images. Light makes an image seen brighter while shadow can draw drama to a specific part of an image's composition.

In 2020, I started the journey of Photography with my Sony DSC H400 gear ( primarily with all kinds of frames). Gradually I started taking interest in the street moment and raw sense of daily life. And now for the last 1 year, I have been completely concentrating on Street Photography genre.

During my Street Photography journey, the most beautiful thing which attracts me is colour, light and shadow. Especially the magic of light and shadow is one of my favourite subjects.

That’s why from mid in 2021, I started to capture these Light & Shadow frames and the journey still continues. Here in this ongoing series, I am trying to showcase my best 14 frames. Among them, 7 frames are in daylight ( Sun is the universal light source) and 7 frames are in artificial light (evening time). But all are strictly candid moments for capturing the actual emotions.

|| Senior Manager Operation Apollo Pharmacy (Retail) H.O-Estn Rgn

Arin Dutta

A migraine patient

I am a migraine patient. Most of the time I am suffering from headaches. But I have a keen interest in Street Photography and for this reason, to satisfy my thirst, recently I went to Bansberia – which was one of the main cities of ancient Saptagram in Hooghly, West Bengal – to observe the celebration of “Kartik Puja” with one of my friends. Here the Kartik Puja festival is celebrated like the Durga puja of Kolkata.

But again my ailment did not spare me for that day also.

When my migraine becomes severe, I couldn’t tolerate much light, sound or chaos. Everything becomes so messy in front of my eyes as it seems to me that every noise, every light and chaos gives me more and more headaches and for that, my eyes could not tolerate that thing and do not want to remain open and I start to feel very dizzy.

But still I wanted to escape from my sickness for that day by taking photographs. And after that day when I was looking through my pics, I found some ones of that day which I think are exact interpretations of my situation on that day.

I think those pictures can best depict how I was feeling, my mood, and my physical situation on that day at that place.

Thus these pictures become my close-to-heart photographs of the street for that day.

I am Agnimitra Banerjee, from Madanpur village in Nadia district in West Bengal, India. I am taking up photography from my deep interest in art and I want to express myself through my photographs. I also want to show the audience what I actually see or feel at any given moment. For these photographs, I used my mobile phone Asuszenfone Max Pro M2.

Chasing the Fog by Dipanjan Chakraborty

I have been chasing the fog for the last few years. Fog is such a gallant thing which mesmerizes me the most. After welcoming winter, I get up early in the morning and go out with my camera to capture the mystic and foggy Kolkata maidan. People's activity, horses, and sunrise through dense fog attract me again and again.

Mist and fog are wonderfully atmospheric and dreamy phenomena to photograph. They can be poetic, romantic, haunting, and quietly spectacular. But they can also be challenging and unpredictable.

Mist and fog move constantly can disappear in an instant, and have a very ephemeral quality that can easily result in flat, bland images. Capturing them perfectly takes a lot of practice and experimentation, which is why the process can be so rewarding for the photographer willing to study their qualities and adopt a patient, exploratory mindset.

So what are the most helpful techniques photographers can use to capture great images of mist and fog? Well, here, we will cover the basic conditions in which mist and fog differ and go through some key aesthetic considerations, illustrating each point with inspiring imagery.

1. Understand mist and fog

Mist and fog are both clouds that are less dense than the ones you see in the sky. While many tend to interchange the terms, they actually differ in density and longevity and, most importantly, visibility. Because mist is less dense than fog, it lasts shorter and allows visibility as far as 2 km. Meanwhile, you might be able to see only as far as 1 km in fog.

2. Plan Your Shoot

As with other genres of photography, planning your shoot is important in capturing mist and fog. Without a plan, time and effort could be wasted. Weather, location, camera settings, and gear are especially important factors to consider in your shoot.

Weather

Because mist and fog can quickly dissipate, timing is important to get right. Weather forecasts are excellent for planning purposes. Most weather sites specifically predict mist, but if the one you’re using doesn't, just keep an eye on the predicted visibility.

Exposure

Conditions may change very quickly, and a camera will often be confused by the diffused light, so you need to know how to manually set exposure. Familiarize yourself before the shoot by trying out different exposure settings in varied light conditions.

Gear

Aside from your camera, a long lens, a tripod, and wet-weather gear will be useful in capturing mist and fog. Those using an SLR camera will find a wider angle useful. Otherwise, bring a long lens to emphasize the depth of the image. A tripod, meanwhile, will come in handy if you want to play around with exposure settings. And you will need wet-weather gear, including something to clean the lens with, when it gets wet.

3. Enhance colours and details

Mist and fog act as giant diffusers, so contrast and colour will often be quite low, and this can easily make images look a bit lifeless. You need to look at the things that you can adjust to liven them up.

Weather

Colour

Further, there is precious little colour in many misty scenes, so it’s important to keep an eye on the auto colour balance. Auto white balance (AWB) is best when trying to capture the cool blue of an early morning. If unsure, just try out different settings. The best bet, however, is to shoot in RAW, so you can post-process your photos without losing too much detail.

Lighting

In fog and mist, you can also expect to find only little light, which will consequently soften contrast—sometimes, a little too much. To add contrast, shoot in a location with the light in or near the edge of the frame.

Note that mist and fog look particularly good when illuminated from behind, and one of the most spectacular lighting effects can be seen when the sunlight is strong enough to peek through a thin mist and create shadows. In cityscapes, street lights and advertising boards can be used as great sources of color and light.

4. Compose the image creatively

It is all too easy to get caught up in the technical demands of shooting mist. In creative terms, the most exciting part often lies in composing the image. The primary challenge here is to avoid a flat or washed out look in the image, which you can do by exploring some of the following:

Layering

The strongest images of mist and fog usually have a strong sense of depth, which is created by thinking of the image in terms of layers. This layered effect can be created by including elements of interest very close to the camera, in the middle ground, and in the background. A long lens can also be used to strengthen this impression.

Silhouetting

Mist and fog will often reduce the color, details, and textures of objects to mere outlines. This is why misty images can often look dull, but this effect can also be used to introduce a lot of drama and contrast to the image. Just expose for the highlights and create pin-sharp dark silhouettes. Have a look at the surfers in this image, for example.

Contrasting

Subjects with contrasting textures can also add a flair to your photos. For example, including rough edged cliffs or even boulders within the frame will emphasize the soft, watery texture of mist and fog.

Simplifying

Finally, a misty scene doesn’t need to be crammed with information. In fact, the best thing about mist and fog is that they force the photographer to use large areas of white space and embrace the delicate power of a minimalist aesthetic. A misty scene may even provide inspiration for a semi-abstract image.

5. Post process photos

Despite all best efforts, most images will still need some post-production work to increase contrast and color. If using Lightroom, work with the sharpening and dehaze filter. Also try playing around with saturation, contrast, and sharpness. No matter what program or app you use, it’s best to work on a duplicate version of the original image because it’s far too easy to overwork the image. After all, the most appealing thing about mist is that it’s a delicate, subtle subject.

Much of the time photographing mist and fog involves venturing out in the early hours of dawn, patiently fiddling around with your camera, and accepting unpredictable results, and for some, that’s what makes photography so much fun anyway—the real magic of the process.

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I am Dipanjan Chakrborty. I am a Kolkata-based street and documentary photographer. I have been documenting Kolkata for the last few years. As a photographer, my perspective remains to explore street photography as a key to reaching the common people and their lives. I love to tell stories through my lens. Every frame tells a story but when we create a story within a frame, it makes the frame more beautiful. After being a street and documentary photographer my course of life has entirely changed. I started photography in my childhood. But I have had a craze for photography since my childhood, whenever I could get a mobile or camera from anyone I would always try to capture my surrounding people and their daily life. I love to see photos daily, in social media I used to watch various kinds of pictures from different countries and different photographers that helped me to increase my knowledge. When I make a plan to go out for a shoot at first I used to make research that particular subject or project on which I am going to do my work, then I used to make a plan on that particular place and time when my shoot takes place, because time is more important in street photography. But sometimes when I go out with my equipment I capture various candid moments on the street I am using a Sony A6000 mirrorless camera right now. I have used a DSLR earlier but mirrorless is giving me such a great output, especially in low light mirrorless is a revolution.

I think a picture is captured in our brain, a camera is just a device to print that image which has been captured in my brain. That's why many times I make plans for my shots and I make the composition in my mind. But sometimes the picture comes out without any plan because there are lots of candid moments in the street which are constantly creating. I like both colour and black & white pictures. But I feel that colour image portrays the nature and colourful clothes of people but black and white image portrays the soul of the people. I do not give much time to post-processing, I do post-processing a little bit like retouching but nothing more than that.

The Festival Of Durga Puja by Tanmoy Chatterjee

Bengal is considered to be one of the richest states in India, in terms of culture, tradition, fairs, and festivals. The colourful festivals of the state are full of joyous ceremonies, abundant fun, and mouth-watering cuisines. In Bengal, there is a festival for every season and every kind of celebration. There is a popular Bengali proverb, ‘Baro Mase Tero Parban’, which means 'thirteen festivals in twelve months.

This signifies the umpteen number of fairs and festivals that are celebrated in this state. These celebrations reflect the hearty and composite cultural culture of India. Fairs and festivals form an inseparable part of the life of people in West Bengal. A Bengali calendar is embellished with celebrations throughout the year, with innumerable festivals for each season.

Today I am going to introduce my readers to the biggest and the grandest festival of all, The festival of Durga Puja.

The Indian state of West Bengal comes alive in the festival of Durga Puja. Being the most prominent festival of the region, Durga Puja is the soul and pride of West Bengal. Every year in Kolkata, the capital city, the festival of Durga Puja brings great enthusiasm, joyous moments, and a chance to get together with families and friends in the most amazing manner like never before.

Durga Puja is never celebrated in the same manner every year. According to Hindu Mythology, Goddess Durga emerged from the collective energy of all the Kings and Gods (devas) as an embodiment of Shakti or divine feminine power, to destroy the demon Mahishasura; who was blessed to not be defeated by any man or god.

The name Durga in Sanskrit means 'the impenetrable'; she exists in a state of self-sufficiency and ultimate power. This powerful form of Mother Goddess is highly revered in Kolkata which is why her return is celebrated with much grandeur and ceremonies.

Generally overlooked by the Pandal hoppers are the Durga Pujas held privately in several families some of whom were affluent and stalwarts in yesteryear, especially during the Colonial Regime. Although the financial condition is not affluent as it was in earlier days (mainly because the Zamindari system was abolished post-independence), yet these families till date perform Durga Puja with dedication maintaining all the rituals. The Pujas are all 100+ years, some even 200+ and 300+ years old.

Every one of the families gathers to celebrate Durga Puja with pomp and show as an annual get-together.

It is not just a festival but an emotional and colourful celebration of the daughter Goddess Durga visiting her paternal home along with her four children. I consider myself lucky to witness this grand festival in my own house since my birth. Along with the “Barowari” or community celebration of the festival, the Durga Puja celebration in the Bondi Barir Durga Puja in Kolkata and other parts of West Bengal is indeed a very unique and extravagant affair.

Many families in Kolkata do traditional Durga Puja in their houses. These families do Durga Puja with a strong dedication to maintaining all the rituals. These Pujas are older than 100 years or even more.

Bonedi Bari Durga Puja is one of the most important aspects of Durga Puja. Durga puja took birth in the palaces of erstwhile kings, Maharajahs, and the affluent. Credit goes to them for elevating this religious festival into the status of a social extravaganza.

This year, UNESCO inscribed Durga Puja on the List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

However, today, most of these ancestral pujas have disappeared completely, or are on the brink of extinction. With the termination of modernisation and lack of manpower and enthusiasm, these pujas face an uncertain future.

As a photographer, I found it my prime responsibility to document the celebration, the emotion, the colours, and the furore of Durga Puja at my own ancestral home, a celebration which takes place since 7 generations of my family.

I am Tanmoy Chatterjee a National Award Winning (Government of India), travel and documentary photographer based in Kolkata, India. With an experience of more than 20 years in this field, I have travelled across India, documenting various festivals, cultures and historical places.

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Strangely Familiar

Festival INTERCELTIQUE Lorient 2022 (This year the festival attracted over 900,000 people over a 10-day period).

This annual festival takes place in the heart of the city of Lorient Breton every August and is dedicated to the cultural traditions of the Celtic nations, highlighting Celtic music and dance and also including other arts such as painting, photography, theatre, sculpture, traditional artisanry as well as sport and gastronomy.

Participants come from Brittany, Ireland, Scotland, Cornwall, Wales, Cumbria, the Isle of Man, Cape Breton Island, Galicia, Asturias, Acadia, and the entire Celtic diaspora.

I was invited to represent Ireland with my solo photographic exposition, while I was there, I wanted to capture with my camera the traditional costumes that were been worn by the various participants.

I was amazed at the detail and the passion along with pride that each and every one had wearing there costumes.

Durga Puja by Kuntal Biswas

Durga Puja, also known as Durgotsava or Sharodotsava, is an annual Hindu festival originating in the Indian subcontinent which reveres and pays homage to the Hindu goddess Durga and is also celebrated because of Durga's victory over Mahishasur. It is particularly popular and traditionally celebrated in the Indian states of West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Odisha, Tripura, and the country of Bangladesh. The festival is observed in the Indian calendar month of Ashwin, which corresponds to September–October in the Gregorian calendar. Durga Puja, is a ten-day festival, of which the last five are of the most significance. The puja is performed in homes and in public, the latter featuring a temporary stage and structural decorations (known as pandals). The festival is also marked by scripture recitations, performance arts, revelry, gift-giving, family visits, feasting, and public processions. Durga puja is an important festival in the Shaktism tradition of Hinduism. Durga puja in Kolkata has been inscribed on the Intangible cultural heritage list of UNESCO in December of 2021.

The mythology behind this festival:

Rama's 'Akal Bodhan'

Durga Puja is celebrated every year in the Hindu month of Ashwin (September-October) and commemorates Prince Rama's invocation of the goddess before going to war with the demon king Ravana. This autumnal ritual was different from the conventional Durga Puja, which is usually celebrated in the springtime. So, this Puja is also known as 'akal-bodhan' or out-of-season ('akal') worship ('bodhan'). Thus goes the story of Lord Rama, who first worshipped the 'Mahishasura Mardini' or the slayer of the buffalo-demon, by offering 108 blue lotuses and lighting 108 lamps, at this time of the year.

This year we will celebrate this festival from 1st to 4th October.

Kuntal Biswas

The Darjeeling Himalayan Railways

Darjeeling (700 kilometres north of Kolkata) is sometimes called the "Queen of the Hill Station." Located in one of India's most beautiful regions, it was established in the mid-19th century and was originally a sanitarium built by the East India Company. Darjeeling has prospered as the centre of a tea-growing area. Today it is home to around 135,000 people. The town has more of a Nepalese feel than an Indian one. There is even a separatist movement that wants to establish a separate Nepalese state called Gurkaland. There is also a sizable Tibetan community. The name Darjeeling is derived from the Tibetan phrase "Dorje-Ling ("the place of the thunderbolt").

Situated at an elevation of 2042 meters (6,700 feet), Darjeeling is surrounded by lush tea plantations, flower-covered meadows and beautiful Himalayan peaks. Nearby is 8,595-meter (28,208-foot) Kanchenjunga, the third highest mountain in the world, and Buddhist monasteries and convents. Sprawled over a steep mountain ridge, Darjeeling is a quaint hill station with colonial-era buildings and gardens. One of the best ways to reach the city is by riding the 140-year-old Darjeeling Himalayan Railway that meanders through some of the most awe-inspiring landscapes in and around the hill station.

Riding the Toy Train of Darjeeling Himalayan Railways (DHR) has always remained a coveted experience for tourists. Only a few would let go of such an opportunity. And there is a clear reason why so. After all this Toy Train has been accorded UNESCO World Heritage Site status in December 1999 and the site became known as one of the mountain railways of India.

Operating on narrow gauge tracks since the 1880s and providing an important transport link to various parts of Darjeeling hills and lower plains, the toy train is an icon of our heritage since the colonial days and an engineering marvel that was achieved during that period. It also offers a wonderful way of absorbing the picturesque Himalayan scenery as you traverse through the mountains.

It is a journey through the mist. An incredible experience by Darjeeling Himalayan Railways, in short, “Toy Train”.

A beautiful railway track of 2ft (610mm) gauge railway was built between 1879 and 1881. It runs between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling in the Indian state of West Bengal covering a distance of 88 km (55 miles).

This train runs using six zig zags and five loops to gain altitude and climbs from about 100m (328 ft) above sea level at New Jalpaiguri to about 2200 m (7128 ft) at Darjeeling.

After visiting numerous times in Darjeeling, especially a great attraction of Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, I found the craziness on Toy Train (as it is called) as where else can you find a small steam engine pulling mini coaches up the steep mountains through breathtaking landscapes and overcoming almost impossible curves and gradients using sheer engineering ingenuity and creative skills. The snail pace at which the train moves through the hilly terrain is at times so slow that you can often see the local children hopping on and off the train on the move.

Especially after the pandemic due to Covid, this service was disrupted. But now this service is from Darjeeling to Ghoom and people from other sides of the world still visit and enjoy this Journey and I hope it does not fail any time as this is our heritage property.

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Faith – A Quaint Emotions

Faith is not about belief. Faith, in fact, has very little to do with what beliefs you hold, other than that it allows you to hold them. Faith is a sacred, deep, emotionally involved kind of trust. Faith is the kind of trust that you enter into with your whole being. Faith is the kind of trust that, when it has been broken, it hurts deep inside… but faith is the kind of trust that finds a way to trust again despite the hurt.
We are all people of Faith. Faith is a basic aspect of human nature. We live in a universe that is so awe-inspiring, so infinite, so grandly complicated that all of the human knowledge amounts to only a tiny fraction of reality. Indeed, much of human perception about reality is pure construct… because the whole of infinity cannot be understood by finite human minds.
A Religious Faith is not a collection of people who share beliefs, but a community of people who have made the commitment to trust one another to care for each other’s spirits and souls, and who join together for a Faith-filled purpose.
Blind Faith is a trust that is not examined, not understood, and of which requires only body and soul, neglecting the mind and the spirit.
Pure Faith is the kind of trust that you hold even when your rational mind says you should not. This is a two-edged sword, because at times the ability to hold a pure Faith is a blessing, at other times it is simply Blind Faith in disguise.

Nilanjan Ray: (born: 6th January, 1959) has a handful of exposed stock on “HUMAN INTEREST” and keeps stock of other people’s money in a Bank since it is his profession.

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Has received wide appreciation Internationally as well as Nationally. Has received Merit Prize from National Geographic, USA & National Award from Photo Division, Govt. of India. Solo Photography Exhibition on ‘VARANASI - AN ETERNAL CITY’ organized by OXFORD BOOKSTORE, Kolkata, NATIONAL CENTRE FOR PERFORMING ARTS, (NCPA), Mumbai and INDIA INTERNATIONAL CENTRE (IIC), New Delhi. Solo Photography Exhibition on “FAITH – A QUAINT EMOTIONS” was organized by INDIA INTERNATIONAL CENTER, NEW DELHI from 29th Novemvber,2016 to 9th December,2016. Other than above, my photographs are selected for exhibition at British Council, UNICEF, ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS, Calcutta, LALIT KALA ACADEMY, New Delhi etc. Photographs are also selected for a Book” Framed City” – published at Indian Art Festival, New Delhi. Photographs are also selected for a Book “INDIA- 5 Senses “by Roli Books. Photographs & Articles are published regularly in leading daily Newspapers and Magazines. Received letter of appreciation from Maitre Henri Cartier-Bresson. Paris.

Ganesh Festival

Ganesh Chaturthi is a Hindu festival celebrating the arrival of Lord Ganesh to earth from Kailash Parvat with his mother Goddess Parvati/Gauri. It is a 10-day festival.

It is said that Goddess Parvati created Ganesha out of dirt off her body. Mother Parvati once asked this little boy (Ganpati) to stand by the door while she was bathing and not let anyone inside until she finished. Soon after, Lord Shankar arrived at the same place and tried to enter the restricted area where the little boy stood.

Furthermore, Lord Shankar’s (Husband of Godess Parvati) path was barred by the boy, which angered the former and resulted in him beheading the latter’s head. On knowing the incident, Mata Parvati was enraged and soon ordered Lord Shankar to bring back the boy to life. So, Lord Shiva immediately sent his Ganas to bring back the head of the first creature they would find on their way. However, the Ganas found the elephant head, which was then fixed to the child’s body. And this is how Lord Ganesha was brought back to life and was celebrated as the revival of his elephant head form.

Ganesh Chaturthi preparations commence from almost a month before the festival. The celebrations last for around ten days. On the first day a clay idol of Lord Ganesha is installed in homes. Homes are decorated with flowers. Temples witness the visit of large number of devotees. Poojas are performed. Localities organize and arrange for pandals and install large idols of Lord Ganesha to celebrate the festival with friends and family. On the final day of the celebrations, the idol of Lord Ganesha is taken on the streets. People exhibit their enthusiasm and joy in the form of dancing and singing on the streets along with the idol. The idol is finally immersed in the river or sea.

The ritual is done to signify the birth cycle of Lord Ganesha; just as he was created from clay/Earth, his symbolic statue is as well. The idol is immersed in water so that Ganesha may return to his home after his 'stay' at the devotees' home or temple where the Ganesha Chaturthi rituals are conducted. This is the time when Lord Ganesha is seen off with heavy hearts. It is believed that when the idol of the Ganesha is taken out for immersion, it also takes away with it the various obstacles of the house and these obstacles are destroyed along with the visarjan.

Ganesh statues are worshiped for 10 days and then it is immersed in water. It is liking sending a family member away from us and that makes people emotional.

My name is Tejal Mewar. I am primarily a textile merchandiser engaged into international sales of fabrics, living in Gujarat, India. I started photography as a hobby in 2014. I am a self-taught photographer. Observing good photographs on various photography related forums and publications has helped me a lot develop my own style. Every day I am learning something new.

I like capturing candid moments on streets of the people and their life. For me, anything I find unique or amazing for my vision can make me stop and click.

Photography has brought quite a lot of changes in my life. My attitude towards life has changed. It has brought lot of positivity in my life. My self-confidence has increased a lot. I have become more patient. And more over I have also realized that, all the people in this world are good, only they have different points of view.

I really love photography. It is keeping me happy from inside and taking me away from every worry of my life. It takes me somewhere that I have never been to. It helps me preserve these beautiful moments of life. All I want to say is: Camera is a wondrous tool that you may freeze beautiful moments of life with. And I am so glad I learned this.

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THE STARS ARE HIS BONES

by Debiprasad Mukherjee and Gabriel Rosenstock

THE STARS ARE HIS BONES is a hybrid East-West Project which juxtaposes a wide variety of black and white images of people and places in India with 'found haiku', extrapolated from an early translation of the Upanishads, considered widely to be one of the world's great fountains of wisdom.

Bilingual poet and haiku master Gabriel Rosenstock, author of Haiku Enlightenment and co-editor of The Awakened One: Buddha-themed Haiku from Around the World, both volumes published by Poetry Chaikhana, says, 'Haiku became popular in the West as a literary and spiritual phenomenon during the heyday of the Beat Generation and in particular the haiku of Jack Kerouac, J W Hackett, Richard Wright and Allen Ginsberg, many of whom Rosenstock has translated into Irish.' Not all modern haikuists derive their inspiration from the Beats. Today, haiku is a world phenomenon; not only is it still hugely popular in Japan, it has found deep roots all over the world, including India and Ireland.

THE STARS ARE HIS BONES offers itself to audiences as a unique experience in which image and text can be contemplated separately and together. In a world that is still troubled by political and religious tensions, this work suggests an alternative transcendental vision of the shared Self, beyond borders, beyond class and all ethnic, political and religious differences. Far from being fuzzy or ethereal, the images and 'found haiku' in THE STARS ARE HIS BONES yield their flesh-and-blood reality, their here and now clarity, to those who linger in their aura.

The Stars Are His Bones is the result of their creative, spontaneous and joyous collaboration, carefully honed and polished over a three-year period. Not a coffee-table book to dip into for visual and poetic delight, but a new 'edition' of an ancient text which, miraculously, allows us to dip into the Self.

Gabriel says: "Annie Besant, a legendary supporter of both Irish and Indian self-rule, had an insight into this ancient wisdom: 'According to the Vedantic view the Self is one, omnipresent, all-permeating, the one reality . . . The Self is everywhere conscious, the Self is everywhere existent, the Self is everywhere blissful . . .' " (An Introduction to Yoga, 1908).

The Stars Are His Bones is not a proselytising project, either as a book, concept or exhibition. Nevertheless, both photographer and author recognise that their work is inspired by the One inexhaustible Self – the core teachings of the Upanishads – and that their combined creative energies have produced something that surprised themselves, initially, and continues to surprise them. For this is a story – like the Self – which has no beginning, no end.

"THE STARS ARE HIS BONES" - an atmospheric photo-haiku monograph infused with the wisdom of Upanishadic extracts, configured as 'found haiku'. Text conceived and arranged by Gabriel Rosenstock, Ireland, in Irish and English, complemented by photography by Debiprasad Mukherjee, Kolkata, India.

Book Published By: Cross-Cultural Communications. NY.USA.

ISBN: 978-0-89304-708-5

Debiprasad Mukherjee is an independent documentary photographer based out of Kolkata, India. He strongly believes that as a documentary photographer, it is his responsibility to showcase the social changes and its impact on human race and he is committed to leverage photography as the most powerful tool to capture the social changes & behaviors across the globe over the years. He was the first Convener of Kolkata International Photography Festival 2019 & played role of Global Carbon Ambassador at World Climate Summit Spain 2019. Debiprasad has visited 15+ countries for photo documentary & photojournalism, published his works on 30+ magazines/articles, exhibited photographic works at 35+ exhibitions, got awarded from 40+ countries.

Website: www.debiprasadmukherjee.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/debiprasad.mukherjee/

Email: debiprasad.mukherjee@gmail.com

Gabriel Rosenstock was born in postcolonial Ireland. He is a bilingual poet, tankaist, haikuist, translator, short story writer, novelist, playwright, essayist and, to borrow a phrase from Hugh MacDiarmid, 'a champion of forlorn causes'. Previous collaborative work with Debiprasad Mukherjee has appeared in The Irish Times, The Culturium and Margutte. Rosenstock is a member of Aosdána (The Irish academy of Arts & Letters), a Lineage Holder of Celtic Buddhism and a recipient of the Tamgha-i-Khidmat medal for services to literature. He has edited and contributed to books of haiku in Irish, English, Scots and Japanese. He is a prolific translator into Irish of international poetry, plays & songs.

https://www.rosenstockandrosenstock.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriel_Rosenstock

Carnwath Agricultural Show 2022

Carnwath is a small village in rural South Lanarkshire, Scotland, about 10 minutes’ drive from where I live. The lands of Carnwath were granted to Lord John Somerville in 1508 by King James IV of Scotland, and this part of the country is comprised of rolling green uplands where agriculture is the dominant industry, a million miles away from the hustle of Glasgow and Edinburgh where my street photography usually takes place, but in actuality only 30 minutes’ drive to both.

Each year, in common with many rural communities an annual show takes place which consists of livestock competitions, craft fayres, a funfair, dog and pet shows, and not forgetting home baking and a beer tent. The show also hosts what is believed to be the oldest foot race in Britain (some say the world!) – The Red Hose Race. A modest cash prize attracts runners from afar, but only those from the immediate surrounding parishes are eligible to compete for the coveted Red Hose. The hose on this occasion are of the lower leg covering variety, in other words the winner takes home a pair of long red socks.

In years gone by events such as this have been the happy hunting grounds of many British documentary photographers. I have been in attendance many times in the past, always finding something of interest to point the camera at. Back then I was more interested in competition photography, so I was looking for that single shot, the killer that would see another salon acceptance and possibly a prize. But times change as have I, and this year, being the first full edition post pandemic, I decided to approach one particular event within the show from a documentary perspective – the Sheep Champion of Champions.

The sheep pens and competition rings sit at the bottom end of the upward sloping show field. Various breeds such as Texel, Border Leicester, Bluefaced Leicester and Blackface are judged in classes, these including individual males and females (known as Tups and Yows in the local Scots dialect), pairs and family groups. After being herded into the judging pen the contestants are allowed to wander around while the Judge, dressed in timeless countryside tweeds, watches their movement with a keen eye. Onlookers, mostly those in the business going by the weather-beaten complexions, take notes and pass comments amongst themselves.

After the contestants have been herded around the judging pen, the next part of the process involves them being arranged in a straight line for closer inspection, and this is where the fun begins. Unlike the competitors who are assembling further up the field for the dog show, obedience does not come naturally to these animals. In fact, it does not come at all. Having once rescued a stranded sheep from a steep mountainside, I know from first-hand experience just how powerful and stubborn they are. Each sheep has a handler whose purpose it is to ensure that they hold the line. This can become a wrestling match, a sheep rodeo, or a strange bout of WWF – man against mutton. After much struggling an uneasy compromise is reached, and the hands-on judging can begin. This involves a lot of poking, prodding and more grappling, all while the animals become ever more restless and the truce increases in fragility. Occasionally an inspiring bid for freedom is successful and the line has to be regained. Eventually a winner is selected, indicated by a gesture from the judge using his crook and a nod in the winning entrant’s direction. Ribbons change hands, more notes are taken, and the handlers get a well-earned short rest before the whole process to select another Champion starts again.

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