As we begin to communicate more in images than words, it wouldn’t be hard to agree with French lensman Bruno Barbey, that “photography is the only language that can be understood anywhere in the world.”
The camera has gone beyond being the eye of the beholder, to being a recorder of the rapidly passing moment.
Muhil Aananth is one of the many photographers on the daily quest for the perfect image. The Tiruchi-born engineer, who works for a multinational company in Coimbatore, started clicking away on the early generation Nokia mobile phone cameras in school.
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“We didn’t own a camera in those days. When my uncle bought a digital camera, he handed me his old camera that used photographic film,” recalls Muhil.
As his interest grew, a family friend, Mamta Devi, gifted him a point-and-shoot digital camera. Around a year and half ago, his friends in Tiruchi got together and presented him a digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera for his birthday.
Thousands of snaps later, Muhil is still engaged in the pursuit of making his work stand apart in a world filled with imagery.
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“A camera is not just for selfies, there’s a whole science to taking memorable pictures,” says Muhil. “Most of us prefer to take photos on auto mode; the camera’s default settings ensure a perfect result every time. But if we learn the manual settings and make them work for us, cameras become an artist’s tool,” he adds.
Muhil’s own artistry comes alive in the pictures he showcases on his blog and Facebook page (www.facebook.com/muhilaananthphotography/). Subjects include the trivial – his sister’s accessories – to the natural – wildlife, flowers and panoramic landscapes of southern India.
“Of late, I have been trying to take photos of social occasions like weddings,” says Muhil. Which sets him off on the travails of function photography. “There is a certain etiquette that the guests must observe when the host has employed a photographer to take pictures,” he says. “But in addition to not obliging the photographer with the right pose, most people whip out their own phones and take selfies. Then why do they expect the photographer to work wonders in the final product?”
Though he hasn’t gone commercial yet, Muhil finds himself spending a lot of time watermarking his photographs. “Copyright protection is a big problem on the internet,” he says. “It defeats the purpose if I place my logo right in the middle of the shot, but there is no other way to stop the online thieves,” he says.
As he continues to learn the ropes with the help of his mentor and friend, Raj Kumar, an accomplished wildlife photographer, Muhil’s foray into the world of images has led him to make a short film with a social message with a group of friends.
“I want to be become a better photographer in the days to come. This is the only dream I have,” he signs off.