The travails of a photographer

At weddings, professional photographers do their bit and then they take the bride and groom “for location shooting” and finally produce a big album and some CDs (followed by a big fat bill)

I wonder how many people do actually watch those CDs. If you analyse it, the main reason is the length of the CD.
I thought there should be some way by which one does not get bored by the visuals. I took some pictures of a wedding that I attended and made it into a movie which runs for just 7 minutes. (The movie is attached at the end of the post)

It is not very difficult to photograph events and people.

Apart from the bride and the groom it is interesting to click people when they are in their natural best. Take a good close up and you can identify the colours on the eyelids

or may be the sharp stilettos.

It is easy to click when people are relaxed:

For every one good photograph there are about 10 that goes into the thrash can.

For example I spotted a photogenic face and tried to capture her (from long distance of course) The first one was not very complimentary and out of focus too, so lets skip it.

The second , third, fourth and fifth were all partially blocked by people’s back or hand or a waiter passing by with steaming starters…..

Finally I got one right.

Now what is the point in keeping this in my camera or in my computer. The right person who would appreciate it the most is the person in the photograph. Just imagine her joy when she sees herself in a good stance or a good profile. So I send it across to her. (or better still I will send the link of this post to her)

That brings us to the topic of the photographer. He is always behind the camera and he is seldom shot at.

Last month I attended a wedding in which I wore a brand new colourful Kurta with matching jute chappals. But I never got to see how I looked in that Kurta. I am a shy person when it comes to being in front of the camera but still there is always that curiosity to see how that brand new colourful kurta looked on me. No I did not see myself in the mirror at home as the full length mirror was occupied by wifey. (you know the last minute rush to get to the venue in time)

At the venue they had adorned me with a colourful turban and Johnnie said that I looked smashing with the turban and the kurta but I have yet to see how I looked.

May be like this:

Or maybe like this:

Or I could have been like this:

(by the way that is Johnnie dancing away to glory)

I even thought of looking at myself in the mirror of the hotel elevator, but that elevator had no mirrors. It only had see through glasses by which you can see the panoramic view of the traffic jam down as you go up !!

They say that the boy’s side has a particular turban and the girl’s side have a different coloured turban. I don’t know which side I was from, as I have no idea what they tied on my head !!

I am no great fan of the Face Book, but in the recent past I have been scanning the profiles and photographs of all those who attended that wedding to see if I can spot myself in that kurta and turban. Some where by mistake somebody must have clicked me in a crowd or something like that, but no luck so far.

Its been a month now and the search goes on…….. and if I don’t find it, please inscribe on my tombstone “Here lies the man who does not know how smashing he looked in a colourful kurta and turban”