Exploring Saurashtra
A photographer’s love is to take photos. Unfortunately, even that love has its trials.
I have been pursuing photography since E4. Apart from learning theories, I have been going around Pondicherry and taking photos. The education system that I have been through believes in the concept of “near to far”. Whichever topic you pick, first try to discover what is available in the immediate vicinity. Therefore, the street of Pondicherry was my point de depart for photography. With the initial vigour and the thirst to take photos, I went around and around capturing moments here and there until finally, I hit a wall of disinterest, boredom and lack of creativity. I was bored taking photos of the same streets, places and subjects. A voice inside constantly tingled me to go to fresh places to create new compositions. By then, I had developed an understanding that a new place might give me the opportunity to create better photographs.
Fortunately, the above theory was put to test in 2021 when I got the opportunity to spend my vacation in Gujrat. During the Covid-19 pandemic, we, a family of three, a son, a daughter, and a mother, embarked on a memorable two-week journey through the state of Gujarat in 2021. Our adventure took us to several cities, including Ahmedabad, Jamnagar, Dwarka, Somnath, and Junagadh, all nestled within the Saurashtra region, surrounded by the Arabian Sea on three sides. After the vacations, when I revisited my album, I saw that I had about 1200 photographs and out of that, there were only 20-30 presentable photographs. Yes, while many of the photographs successfully conveyed a strong sense of place and culture, they didn't rank among the best in terms of composition and technical perfection. Therefore, let me clarify and dispel my initial theory of equating better places to better quality photographs is not the whole truth. It is a rather naive way of looking at things.
Hence, acquiring a better camera or exploring new locations won't necessarily yield superior outcomes; it's the mastery of skills honed over time and consistent practice that will ultimately, I hope, result in improved quality.
Here are some photographs from my Saurashtra trip that I would like to present:
