How She Met Her Cameras !!!

Before starting with my photo stories, I felt I should write about how I got introduced to the world of cameras and photographs. And, it's not just the inspiring learning process, but also the stories of how shortlived the cameras were in my life too. Someway or the other, I was the reason for each of the cameras stopped working at my house. I was the keeper of cameras, but the agency of damaging them was there recurring throughout my life.

The first ever camera on which I had tried my hand was an old model of Kodak (Extralite 10),  the rectangular flat one, owned by my dad. On contrary to today's digital era and hundreds of retakes and editing options, I started my photography lessons in cameras which functioned with negatives with only a limited number of photographs that can be clicked. I remember times when among the 36 possible clicks almost 12-20 of the shots just turned out to be photographs of ships at the Cochin Shipyard from different angles and my dad getting angry at me. But that never stopped him from giving me the camera next time. The Kodak stayed with us for quite some time capturing the memories from the time of my parents' wedding (or a few years before that) and throughout the childhood of both me and my sister. It was during a trip from my 10th Standard, it was exposed to water in Bangalore and stopped working.

 The next was a Samsung (Kenox Fuzzy Zoom Slim) camera with a zoom lens. Quite a good camera I should say this one was. But the life was not so long, as it got damaged after two or three years of travelling with us. It was during a trip to Wayanad in 2005, the first classes my dad had given me on how to frame a frame. How to include the elements present nearby the subject and use them creatively in the frame. I clearly remember that was a sunset shot of my Dad and Mom at the Wayanad Churam. Nevertheless, before stopped functioning, with the limited number of photos, the unlimited memories which it captured are so precious that nothing can replace them. I still remember the excitement I had each time, going to the studio to collect the positives, to see how the photos have turned out to be as you had to wait for days to see the final product.  Since everyone didn't own a camera on those days, a friend of mine took it for her college trip and it came back damaged. 

By the time the second film-reel camera breathed it's last, the digital era of cameras had begun to tighten its clutches among the commons. By the end of the first year in College, some of our friends had digital models of Sony, Canon and Panasonic. With the limitless clicks on the memory card and display screens, we celebrated recording each moment we shared. Our memories were transferred to CDs. And each time we went home, the number of CDs just kept on increasing. Also with the wide-spread of personal computers at all our houses, the discs just filled with our photos. It was in 2007, we got our first digital camera. Canon A-470. And.... within a month's time, it had fallen down from a friend's hand and had to undergo some major repair. Even though I had to lie about the same to my family then, later they found out the truth! The problems kept on recurring, but, the camera still functions and my dad has it with him. 

After this incident, I was reluctant to keep the camera with me. For almost four years, I didn't have a camera for myself. And, frankly, at that time photography was all about taking photos of friends and family and the moments shared during functions and trips. The scopes and dimensions of photography I began to explore through pages of photographers, magazines and the internet only by the end of 2010 or 2011 when we got wifi connections in our hostel rooms and Facebook became popular. That was the beginning of falling in love with the world of photographs. I found poetry in them. By the time, I was introduced to the world of DSLR by my friends and I was already smitten with it. But, the high price always settled me just by dreaming about owning it someday in the future. In 2012, I bought my own camera, a Sony Cybershot DSC-HX20 model, which was one of the best available models of digital point and shoot cameras then. It's after the arrival of this one, my travels also began. In less than a year, we travelled together to many of those destinations. But fate was never fair to me when it was about cameras. History repeated at Sravanabelagola, as my camera had a tragic accident by falling from my friends' hands. It was not even a year old. I felt my world crashing around me. It was then when I realised, how much the camera had become part of my world. I couldn't imagine an existence without one and this one was beyond repair. 

I finally made up my mind to buy another camera within a month or two's time. By the time, my friends who were always encouraging about clicking photographs told me that I have an eye for photography and I shouldn't settle for a Point and Shoot camera now. They are the reason why, even after so much of reluctance, I decided to buy a DSLR camera. And, Canon 1100D enters my life. Even though it took some time for me to adjust with the transition to a DSLR from the  Point and Shoot models and learn the techniques, today I am here, by overcoming all the inhibitions of clicking photos wherever I want. Even though in tiny ways, I could make my own signature in clicking in my small world. And, my third eye is travelling with me for the last 5 years and there's no place we have not seen together so far. It's not that this one has never fallen, but we surpassed all those adversities together. This one is here to stay with me. And, I prefer to believe, all those prior incidents might have been making me ready for this one. By the time, my Moto G phone series has also become a supporting camera.

I know this is a lengthy post. But I thought, at least I should pen it down here. Today when I look back, I realise, even after all those damaging episodes, surely my dad got angry at me, but he never stopped me from owning another one and clicking. He never stopped me from travelling and exploring. Rather he encouraged me not to stop just because I am a girl. It was from him, I got the spark for travelling passionately and clicking photos. My Mom, a co-photographer with my dad from the day she started her journey with him. Even though it's not her passion, I should admit that she handles the camera pretty well. The epic example was, last month while asking her to click on my DSLR with the prime lens. I was apprehensive that she won't be comfortable with the same, as, at times, I myself find it little difficult to click on prime. She clicked a photo of us and it came out really good!!! While appreciating, she gave me a swag reply, "what did you think?! I have been clicking from the Kodak days!" That shut my mouth!  :D She has also been always been in support of my growth as a traveller and a shutterbug.  My sister, again a shutterbug, we carry the legacy. And, last but never the least, my photographers' friends and dearest ones for always and always made sure that I come out of that shell and start taking photographs. I am here because of you all shedding my reluctance and inhibitions to carry the camera around. And, also my friends and everyone who appreciates and criticises my work, thank you so much all of you for being such valuable counterparts in this journey. :)