Point of view

One of Hyderabad’s most recognised photographers, Arvind Chenji, is on the threshold of re-inventing himself. Sangeetha Devi Dundoo listens in.

December 20, 2012 07:16 pm | Updated 07:28 pm IST

Photographer Arvind Chenji. Photo: Nagara Gopal

Photographer Arvind Chenji. Photo: Nagara Gopal

Some of the most photogenic people are known to freeze in front of the camera. A photo studio brings on a sense of formality and, hence, rigidity.

The onus is on the photographer to turn into a psychologist and friend to put the subject at ease and get the required emotion. Arvind Chenji’s workplace at Sikh Village is not your regular studio. Plenty of light and a gentle breeze come in through the windows.

The interiors are uncluttered and the soothing whites contrast with the red brick walls outside. At once, the studio makes you feel at ease.

It has been a year since Arvind moved to this rented workspace, designed by Baroda-based architect Karan Grover. His first photo studio, in 1985, was a tiny rented space in Panjagutta.

“I began with a working capital of Rs.17.50,” says Arvind. He flicked a bench from his mother’s clinic for the waiting area.

He owned a Minolta and a friend loaned him a Nikon matt, for which Arvind paid up over a few years. “The concept of a studio, those days, was limited to the ones where you get your passport-sized photos clicked,” says Arvind.

A lot has changed in recent years, he points out. He regrets not realising the potential of digital cameras early on. “I was one of those photographers who didn’t believe that a digital camera can match up to film. I wish I had switched over earlier.” Seasoned photographers, after much reluctance, embraced the digital revolution and saw the dark room becoming obsolete. Digital photography made things easier for photography enthusiasts, who were spared the rigmarole of memorising shutter speeds and f stop charts. Trial and error, persistence and focus were enough to make anyone a reasonably good photographer. Arvind looks at this age of Instagram with trepidation. “The earliest photographs I took were quite bad. But I got a high out of seeing the images I had shot. It’s good if new photographers are getting a similar high seeing their work and begin learning the craft. I have a problem with lazy pictures, shot without much thought. You cannot evaluate a photograph based on the number of ‘likes’ on Facebook. That’s how mediocrity creeps in,” he explains. Of the city-based photographers whose works he has observed, he has praise for Suheim Sheik and Sarath Shetty.

Arvind’s repertoire spans food, fashion, cityscapes and people. Now, he feels he is ready for the next stage. “I went through a period of hibernation. There was nothing different coming out of this city. I felt the need to raise the bar and come up with outstanding work,” he says. A book on photography and an academy for budding photographers are among his ideas.

Of all that he has done, he feels editorial work is the toughest. “You need to grab a moment and do it well in an environment where you are not always in control. You need to work according to a brief within a short time,” he says. Last year, he travelled from Goa to Kerala, shooting images for a construction company. “I got to meet a number of down-to-earth people and had the most amazing experience. Some of the best works I’ve done were those commissioned by NGOs, where I had the chance to interact with people who have no connect with the glamour industry.”

Having said that, he emphasises he has had a good rapport with the film and fashion industries. He particularly enjoyed shooting with Nagarjuna and Soundarya. “It takes a lot of intelligence to be a star. They know how to gauge the camera,” he says.

Arvind’s first camera was a Yashica minister D, which he flicked from his father’s cupboard. “I was 14 or 15. My parents would give me some money and entrust me with the task of buying vegetables. I saved some money from that over a period of time, bought a roll of film and shot the first set of images. They were horrible, but I was happy and started shooting often.” He began shooting pictures for his school and earned pocket money.

Arvind’s father was an engineer, mother a gynaecologist and his sister an IIM graduate. “I wasn’t good at studies but managed to finish B.Sc Mathematics,” he says. “I had dreams of joining the Army, then I thought of becoming a dairy farmer, and eventually meandered into photography.” Arvind says he gets his strength from his wife Shipra and four sons and feels blessed for the confidence his parents had in him. “My father once told my mother that no matter in which situation I’m thrown into, I am capable of landing on my feet. I think I’ve landed on my feet.”

Focus on the basics

Arvind teaches aspiring photographers and has this to say:

* When I start teaching a new batch, I start with explaining how a camera works. I first teach them to work with a film camera and then a digital one. In both film and digital cameras, the controls are the same, though how an image is captured and transfer images varies.

* It’s a lot easier for people to do what we used to do 10 years ago. Just like owning a typewriter or a computer doesn’t make you a writer, owning a digital camera doesn’t make you a photographer.

* I’d tolerate a slightly blurred image that brings out a well-composed image with the right emotions rather than an image with good clarity that conveys little.

* Shooting people is like a mind game. While shooting on film, I used to shoot with an empty camera until the person feels relaxed in front of the camera. Now, I talk to people for a while, to understand why they feel tense, if something at home or work is troubling them.

Pedal on

Arvind’s recent passion is cycling. As part of Hyderabad Bicycling Club, he’s discovered the joy of cycling and tries to cycle at an average of 300km per week. Health benefits of cycling apart, he mentions how cycling trips have earned him new friends. “Through HBC, I’ve met people who’ve become dear friends,” he says with a smile.

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