Portrait photography also known as portraiture is capturing a person or a group of people with the help of photography where the emphasis is on the expression present on the faces. Thus, since the entire focus is on the face, the subject is often seen to be directly looking at the camera. The aim is to portray likeness, personality and also the mood of the subject. Also, another interesting fact about portrait photography is that here the subjects are often non-professional models. This particular form of photography began since the invention of the camera and its popularization in the 19^th century. It is also known as the oldest type of photography.

The Early Beginnings of Portrait Photography

In early times, people often resorted to portrait painting which has been used by distinguished figures and eminent personalities before camera became popular. However, when photography as art had become popular people also find out that portrait photography was much cheaper and more easily accessible than portrait painting. With this realization and with the advent of the commercially successful cheap photographic process ‘daguerreotype’, portraiture gained prominence. With time as more photographic techniques developed, photographer ventured out of the known and tested their talents outside studio in battlefields, across oceans and in remote places. The most prominent of the portraits are William Shew’s ‘Daguerreotype Saloon’, Roger Fenton’s ‘Photographic Van’ and Mathew Brad’s What-is-it? Set the milestones in this field.

The nuances of Portraiture

Portrait photography has many branches. A portrait becomes popular or draws attention only when it tries to convey something powerful, better than what words can say. Thus, to get the desired effects in a particular photo a photographer can change the light sources, background, the focal length of the lenses and the shutter etc.

To begin with portrait photography can be classified into two main sections.

Based on Shots

The first is the ‘Facial Shot or Close-ups’. This type of photography style is applied when you wish to take a shot of children or a baby, or one particular person. Here, the expressions of the face are taken into account along with the angle of the heads and position of hands. The combination of shadows and lights come into play here to highlight varied expressions. The second comes the ‘Upper Body Shots’. In this type the torso of the subject is taken into consideration apart from the head. In these photos the photographer can experiment and create a story. The subject need not look directly at the camera.

Based on Approaches

Apart from the above there are four varied approaches taken to portraiture and the reasons for which can also vary. It may be artistic, technical or cultural. They are-

The Constructionist approach is when the photographer while clicking a portrait builds an idea around the subject. It could be a happy couple, a romantic gesture or a trustworthy executive.  This approach is mostly used in social photography. Its usage is also found in advertising and marketing when an idea has to be communicated. Environmental approach is that in which the subjects are found to be in their usual environments like work, home, school or playgrounds. The environment provides us information on the person being photographed. It tells us about their likings, class, work etc. These portraits carry a lot of social and historical significance as sources of information. Candid is another approach to portraits where people are photographed without them knowing about it and thus these photos tend to project the natural, spontaneous and impromptu moment which every photographer loves to capture. While this technique is often criticized, this style has given the world some excellent, important images of people in various situations over the ages. The last of all is the Creative approach, where digital manipulation comes into play. Thus, the resultant picture is a wonderful product with the flaws removed to near perfection.

The other variations one can bring about to portraiture are by making changes to the poses, proper positioning of your subjects, or photographing from different angles. Also, you can experiment with the various photo settings, light, exposure, white balance and focusing to capture the best shot. So, if you are a novice or a professional when you set out for portrait photography keep the above details in mind as they are essential to making your photos eye-catching and appealing!

The Outram

This ghat has a colonial history to be linked with. It has been built and dedicated to Sir James Outram who was a foot soldier in the army of the British East India Company and later rose to the rank of a general because of his bravery and commitment. Located to the south of Babughat this ghat is known to be one of Kolkata’s premier riverside entertainment spots. A multipurpose ghat, one can use it for bathing, conducting ceremonies of birth and death and also immerse idols during the festive season. Its importance is highlighted specially during the Durga Puja when mass idols are immersed here. The nearby tourist attractions which you can also take a trip to from here are Maidan, Race Course, Victoria Memorial andMillenniumPark.

The Princep Ghat

This ghat was built under the beautification drive undertaken by the British East India Company during the British rule. It has been built in the memory of the famous British scholar James Prinsep. He was the honorable secretary of the Asiatic Society. His role in deciphering Emperor Akbar’s Brahminical script is worth appreciating. His untimely death at the age of forty let the Kolkatans to pay a tribute to this great man by opening this ghat to the public in 1843. This is a charming recreational spot where tourists can spend hours sitting on benches and have a glimpse of the large stretch ofHooghlyRiver. One can also while away the time watching the boatmen work and sing. The boats made available can offer you a tempting voyage to visit the majestic Belur Math and Dakhshineswar temple. The boat ride is the most pleasing way to discover the subtle charms of the city.

Annapurna Ghat

This ghat was previously known as Raghu Mitra’s Ghat whose father Govindo Ram Mitra was ranked as ‘black deputee’ by the British during the British Rule. Bishnu Ram Chakraborty of Bag Bazaar was appointed as the ‘Ameen’ of Kolkata during the same time when Warren Hastings was the Governor General. BeforeHastingsset off forEnglandhe presented 52 acres of land to Bishnu Ram Chakraborty. He then built four Shiva temples on Raghu Mitra’s ghat in 1776 and devoted himself to the worshipping of goddessAnnapurnaevery day. Thus, the ghat then came to be known as Annapurna Ghat.

Armenian Ghat

This is a ghat that has stood the test of time. The Armenians were among the most earliest foreign immigrants to have settled in Kolkata. The Armenian who took the responsibility of constructing this ghat was Manvel Hazaar Maliyan. The centre of all attention is the flower market here with its variety of rare beautiful blossoms that come from varied districts of West Bengal andIndia. Flowers like Lilies, Dutch rose, Gladioli, Dahlias are displayed on a huge scale and you have to pitch the right bargain if you wish to lay your hands on them. The other treat to the eyes is the open air wrestling amphitheatre with budding wrestlers competing with one another. Also, the riverside massage therapist is another delightful thing when you want a quick massage to relax your tired muscles.

The above ghats form a fascinating place for tourists and also for the ordinary citizens. The romanticism and history associated with these ghats stay immortal through the years as people continue to appreciate their beauty and charm.       

Kolkata is proud to be known all over the world for its cultural, historic, artistic, and scientific blend in every layer of its existence. The city is exceptionally gifted with supposedly one of the best combinations of aesthetic and creative varieties in India and is known for its intelligent, creative, art-loving as well as researched book lovers. Among all other bright and interesting aspects of the city the culture of book reading among its people is a prominent facet of this city. This is such a serious and celebrated affair that Kolkata plays host to the world’s largest non-trade book fair which happens to be the most attended book fair in the world every year.

Many Kolkatans consider the Kolkata Book Fair as the inherent part of Kolkata and loves the fact they are well known in the world for their book loving nature. Books have become an integral part in the life of Kolkatans just like their favourite morning cup of cha. But what are the books that every Kolkatan must read? Here is my opinion…

The City of Joy- This is one of the most talked about books in Kolkata and it captures the feel and rhythm of this city. Written by Dominique Lapierre in 1985 the novel was later made into a film in 1992 and it had Patrick Swayze in its lead role.

Second enlarged and revised edition of Bangiya Sabarna Katha/Kalishetra Kalikatah by Bhabani Roy Choudhury (a translated version is available)– this is a delightful read and depicts details of Sabarna Roy Choudhury who was a zamindar of Kolkata prior to the arrival of British in Indian soil. The book talks about the metamorphosis of Kolkata from a small hamlet to the empire of the British Raj.

Biography of Mother Teresa: A Complete Authorized Biography by Katherine Sprink is the best option here.  It details life of this self less angel who made the city her home.

 ”A portrait is not a likeness. The moment an emotion or fact is transformed into a photograph it is no longer a fact but an opinion. There is no such thing as inaccuracy in a photograph. All photographs are accurate. None of them is the truth.”      

Now you have always wanted to have a photographic portrait but were never quite confident about the reason. You have always wondered why would you go for a photographic portrait and why would not a snap in your friendly Nikon camera be enough? Well here are some thoughts for you to ponder…

Portrait photography is an art that captures the true expression of a person to reflect his individuality. In a lay man’s words, a photographic portrait is a superior quality picture of a person that not only focuses on capturing his physical presence but also captures that special expression which tells a lot about him as a person.

While usually clicking pictures we tell our subjects, to ‘say cheese’ and focus on getting that smile which would qualify that picture to be a happy one. This cannot be done when you are doing portrait photography for in portrait photography you need to have an expert eye to capture the real persona of the individual and frame it for immortality. A good portrait photographer needs to be a great judge of human character. He needs to put his subject at ease and bring out his true self.  At the same time he/she should have a rare intuitiveness to decipher the real persona of a person. Finally he/she should have the skill to click the button at the right time and get the desired result.

Now all these skills are not achieved by a professional photographer in a single day- rather they are created after years of practice that helps one to develop an eye for details. So naturally a photographic portrait by a professional photographer would manage to capture that special aspect in you which might even be unknown to you; at the least it would bring out the real you and frame you for immortality.

In my next blog I would discuss further how a portrait photographer manages to capture that rare mood which reflects the persona of an individual – but here I would like to rest my case by saying that a good portrait photograph is worth every penny spent for it manages to bring before you your true self that might have remained unknown unless you had opted for portrait photography.

This was one instance when I quietly borrowed this photograph – from its surroundings that had an old Kolkata charm intrinsically woven. This is not a Kolkata of Mainland Chinas, Flurys or South City Malls. In the northern fringes of Kolkata still exists a city that once was and in this pic my old lady buying the old Kolkata popular snack (telebhaja) captures that era.

Here it is as if the time has come to a stand still – you drive more central or south to enter a new Kolkata. Kolkata – as  have said in my East City Collection is a city that is a juxtaposition of diverse times and culture.

I surely cannot define the exact nature of my emotion toward Lolita, or why I felt so strongly about a girl and how she molded a man’s fate, but perhaps the seed lies in my own experience of growing up in a family where there was only two daughters. And by two daughters, I particularly mean, “No Sons.” Never in our lives we were made to feel undesirable by our parents, but whenever anyone enquired about my family, and I answered that we were two sisters only, I was immediately faced with the most hated question of “no brother at all?” This had always made me squirm with anger and frustration, and I had always wanted to answer back saying. “No, we don’t have one, do you have a problem?”

Why The Social Bias?

May be it is my inability, or maybe it is my upbringing, but I had always failed to understand what great deed a son can do for the society and for his parents that a daughter cannot. I also could not fathom why a child has to be demarcated as a girl child and a boy child, and not loved unconditionally. Recently,  I was shocked to hear that the quest for a male child is so much that even a woman in her 70s had put her health on stake and taken the help of artificial reproductive technology to have a male “heir,” despite having two grown up daughters!

A random check on how undesirable a girl child is can be very heart breaking. In India, the ridiculous desperation and the terrible yearning for a male child is reaching the level of abnormality. Foeticides and infanticides are well known, and the victims are always girls. Amidst all modernization and globalization, till today in the villages of India, and even in big cities sometimes, while the male child of the family is welcomed with the sound of conch shells and much rejoicing, their female counterparts are looked down with sympathy and sometimes even disgust and frustration.

 The Finger’s Upon Us

The roots of this age-old fondness for males over females in the family line is driven by a mixture of ethnic, social, religious, as well as economic conditions. Though the actual scenario has changed considerably in the present days, still the society expects sons to look after the parents in their old age. They are the ones who would take the family name forward and bring prosperity to the household. Daughters though referred to as the Laxmi of the house, is considered to be the one that will drain out the wealth and property by means of dowry.  A girl child is to brought up to be given away to another family to help carry on their family line, she is to be denied her ancestral property, and she is even to be denied her right of performing the last rites of her parents.

Is it worth being a girl even now in India?

A good photograph of an elderly person captures that grace, the experience, and the knowledge gained over the years, rather than just the wrinkles.    Photographing elderly people can seem like a challenge to the inexperienced photographer, but if he/she can go beyond what is obvious, can look beyond the wrinkles and sagging skin, and capture the very essence of the subject, the photographer will have created a work of art.

As Ken Rockwell says, “photography is the power of observation, not the application of technology.”  But how does one observe beyond the obvious, and capture the essence of a person.  Well, good ‘people photography’ is about getting to know your subject.  And that can be done only if you keep your camera down.

Top Tips for Photographing Elderly

Talk to your elderly subjects to make them comfortable, and do not forget to make accommodations for their special needs.  Talk to them about their lives, their youth, their family, and especially their grandchildren (if they have any).  Start clicking only when they are relaxed and chatting with you.  Try to capture some photojournalistic images of them interacting with their family, with their favourite possessions, or when they are talking, laughing or crying about their life experiences.  Do not make a big deal about the photography session itself, rather just shoot casually, so that they are relaxed, and your camera can capture an image of their eyes, their smile, and their profile.

Be Aware of Technicalities : Precision Is A Must

Do not neglect the technical aspect of photography either.  An understanding of lighting, its direction, quality and colour, will be your most important tool and vital asset.  The direction of the light will emphasize or conceal the lines and wrinkles of the skin. While side light which enhances texture, shape and form, can highlight the features, many subjects will not take too kindly to being portrayed with all the signs of age.  Back lighting that is reflected on the subject’s face with white reflectors, can capture a more flattering image.  On the other hand, natural lighting can often show the depth and dimension of the elderly person’s face, hands, lines and wrinkles, and can be less intimidating than the bigger equipments.

Setting and props are also important, especially if they show the subject in their natural environment.  If you are taking portraits of more than one person per photograph, remember to position everybody’s heads at different levels, and have them tilt their heads slightly towards one another.  Don’t position the hands with straight with open fingers, and if sitting, have them cross their ankles.  And remember, they do not have to smile to make good photographs.  And you can also use technology and photo-edit to soften the lines.

All Is Well That Ends Well!!

As photographer Philip Dunn says, “the older a person gets the more of their life story will be etched into their features – and this means that older people make natural and fascinating subjects for portraiture.   The sensitive photographer should be able to capture the essence of a person’s personality.”

All rivers, even the most dazzling, those that catch the sun in their course, all rivers go down to the ocean and drown. And life awaits man as the sea awaits the river.
Simone Schwarz-Bart

To a poet’s or a painter’s imagination, the Howrah Bridge stands as a bridge on troubled waters spreading its arms to home denizens of all culture. This colossal structure has witnessed the alternation of cultural, economic, and political color. In the midst of post-modern development and the passé of babu culture, the bridge sighs to embrace all. It is a kind of nurturing that Calcutta has enjoyed through its presence.

This mammoth body has, in fact, aided in giving an identity to the city. The city now cannot even be dreamt sans this historical structure. It was constructed to support the smooth commuting of vehicles from the primary railway terminus to the heart of the city’s commercial hub. The footpath of this connecting unit is a delight to a photographer. The stark mesh of colors, the different activities of people, and a number of vehicles is a treat to your eye. You will be able to find from lean poets to NRIs with their latest model of SLR cannon in the stretch of the bridge.

However, photography of the bridge is strictly prohibited now because of security reasons. Howrah Bridge is also known as Rabindra Setu. The construction of this bridge started in 1937 and it took almost seven years to be ready for usage. It was constructed by Rendel Palmer & Tritton and Cleveland Bridge and Engineering Company. The estimated cost that was incurred for the construction of this bridge is about Rs. 333 crores.

The constructions of this bridge had a military significance too. It was built during World War II, so that the Allied troops could have an easy access to the Burmese front. This hanging bridge supports the weight of a daily traffic of more than a lakh of vehicles. This cantilever bridge has homed shootings of a number films that have won accolades, like Namesake and Yuva. This bridge symbolizes a sense of welcome as well as separation for the people who leave the city and come back to it again.

Howrah Bridge is related to the Bengali culture starting from the homecoming of goddess Durga to her immersion since long. The reflection of the shimmering lights at night on the river Hoogly is a visual delight, while taking a canoe ride. This jam packed bridge has also witnessed successes and losses of many people. It stood test of time during the burning of effigies and political demonstrations during the naxal movement. It has become a part and parcel of a Kolkata-way of life. Sometimes it makes us wonder that a quiet, silent structure has epitomized the living of this once capital of India.

There are a number of sightseeing locations near to the bridge, such as the historical cricket ground Eden Gardens, the wholesale market of Bara Bazaar, Millenium Park, the grand flower market of Mullickghat, and many more.

The early 20th century produced many notable women photographers.  Berenice Abbot started her career in photography as Man Ray’s darkroom assistant, knowing nothing about photography.  Her photographs of New York City in the 1930’s are an excellent depiction of urban life:  the diverse people, the places they work, live and play, and their daily activities.  Abbot also tried to sell her inventions like a distortion easel, telescopic lighting pole, known today as the autopole, and other aids in the “House of Photography”.
 
Diane Arbus, was known for “photographing freaks” because she often portrayed the absurdity with a sense of fatalism.  Elizabeth Alice Austen produced more than 8000 photographs in 40 years, but her photographs became famous a mere two years before she died.  By 1950, then aged 63, she had had to move into the Staten Island’s poorhouse. However, when her glass plate negatives were looked at, many were published in the book Revolt of Women, and her share of the proceeds were enough to move her into a private nursing home where she died in 1952.

The Depression and the two World Wars also brought many women photographers into the forefront.  Dorothea Lange, one of the first woman commercial photographers, was best known for her photographs of the Depression.  Her photographs depict the breadlines, the waterfront strikes, and the sheer desperation of the people.  She also captured images of the Japanese-American relocation camps, which were so critical of the Japanese-American policies that the Army confiscated them.  After the war, Lange co-founded the magazine Aperture.

Margaret Bourke-White was the world’s first woman war correspondent, photographing in the combat zones of Germany, Africa and Italy during WWII.  She was the only American photographer in Russia during the battle of Moscow, and she photographed Mahatma Gandhi a few hours before he was assassinated.  Annie Leibowitz, one the world’s leading entertainment photographers, has been published in Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair.  She was the last person to professionally photograph John Lennon.  Anne Geddes is famous for her photographs of infants with flora and fauna.  There are numerous more notable women photographers, but it is impossible to note them all.

How are women photographers different?  Why do we need to look at photographs through the lens of gender?  Because women have a different outlook to life, which they imprint on the photographs.