The vibrant colours of India fascinated this expat to take up a profession in photography. Having headed a magazine back home in London, Rod Hudson chose to make Chennai his home. He tells Liffy Thomas how he enjoys being a freelance photographer and cataloguing coins.
“I came to India in the mid-70s to become a photographer and the land continues to fascinate me,” says freelance photographer Rod Hudson. Be it Orissa, Chennai or Kodaikanal… every place has a distinct culture where the shutterbug in him gets active.
Tranquebar is one of his recent works. Be it doors and windows of different types, bazaar scenes, candid shots from the Indian streets, Mr. Hudson likes to take up different projects based on a theme. “I don't like to do one kind of photography, I look for colours and textures,” he says, sitting in a cosy room where abstract paintings by his wife Gita adorn the walls.
His collection of photographs of trees native to the city, done as part of a project for a book, was showcased at an exhibition held during Madras Week celebration last year. In another edition of the Madras Week celebration, he was asked to display his collection of Madras Presidency coins. Plus, he does macro photography of coins and catalogues them, one of his challenging assignments.
Cataloguing involves identifying the era; history and value of coin and serious collectors approach him.
“Coinage in India fascinates me because every tiny emperor, how long or short they lived, had their own coinages,” he says, talking about his large collection of coins.
“It is difficult to take photos of coins with a high success rate. It has incredible detailing and the challenge is to capture the minute details. When you have done a fine job, it is like a thumb print,” he says.
Photographs of paintings of renowned artist Achuthan Kudallur for a catalogue are a few other assignments he is proud of. Mr. Hudson is next planning to capture the Big Temple, Thanjavur. “Photography is not that easy, you make many visits to a place and capture different angles,” he says.
