Its a vertical shot of a tree on a hillock. One half of its foliage is lush green and the other half is brown and dry. Right beneath the withered half stands a man. The metaphor is so clear and stunning. It is one of 96 photographs that was on display at the ‘Shutter Bug’ photo exhibition, which showcased the works of students of the recently concluded three-month photojournalism certificate course of the Institute of Journalism, Press Club Trivandrum. The photographer of the aforementioned shot is Mohammed Mazhar, one of the 16 students who were exhibiting their works.
It’s hard to believe that Mohammed is a new hand at photography.“When I joined the course, I didn’t even know the basics of photography and I had never used a DSLR camera. But now I am confident enough to try my hand at professional photography,” a beaming Mohammed, a native of Lakshadweep, says. In fact, seven students of the batch had no serious background in photography.
Mohammed Mazhar shot this photo of a tree on a trip to Koonthankulam
Arun Vinay, one of Mohammed’s classmates who already had some experience working behind the lens, says: “I think the beginners produced the most impressive works among the final project photographs.” His pictures, meanwhile, were equally impressive shots of Kathakali artistes.
The photographs on display were not just pretty pictures; there were snaps that made their way into newspapers as well. Prasanth Puliyarakonam, a hobbyist who have had several of his photos published, some with considerable impact, says he had no knowledge of photography other than the fact that he enjoyed capturing decisive moments in daily life. Among his most striking photos was a picture of a rusty KSRTC bus parked in a depot, and another of a tourist taking a picture of fishermen in Kovalam that made it to the front page of a Malayalam daily.
“I used to shoot with a small point and shoot digital camera and had no idea about terms such as shutter speed, aperture or ISO number. I am now planning to seriously pursue photojournalism.”
The exhibition was also a tribute to the late lensman S.S. Ram.
