I am... Only Human
Better Photography|February 2022
Priyanka Chharia reimagines what it means to be a photographer during a time of chaos and uncertainty.
Priyanka Chharia
I am... Only Human
Have you ever met a photographer without a camera? For most of us, it is unthinkable to imagine photography without its visual paraphernalia. What we often forget is its ingenious past, when the medium was closely interconnected with a variety of disciplines such as painting and printmaking, along with hard sciences like physics and chemistry. From curious anthropologists and journalists to wayward travellers and aesthete nobility, photography attracted an eclectic bunch of people, and flourished in the early centuries after its invention, as a medium ripe with promise.

However, fast-forward to the present and the twenty-first-century photographic landscape is vastly different. Many of the erstwhile processes have been relegated to the background and stamped as “alternative” or “creative.” Meanwhile, photographers too have become coerced by the ebbs and flows of the mainstream media industry. It seems to me that what we have gained in accessibility and technological elevation, we have lost in complexity and craftsmanship.

Shifting Beliefs and Practises

But, the last two years have affected creative practitioners in uncommon ways, disrupting livelihoods and artistic development alike. As a photographer, I sat for weeks and perhaps months wondering how to “work from home.” At a time when my peers were zooming their way to productivity, I struggled to keep my photographic practice from becoming a relic. This sense of loss and uncertainty were my constant, yet unwanted companions since the beginning of the pandemic. Surrounded by an endless cacophony of speeding ambulances and social media timelines crying for help, I patted my back simply to survive the day.

Denne historien er fra February 2022-utgaven av Better Photography.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra February 2022-utgaven av Better Photography.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA BETTER PHOTOGRAPHYSe alt
Nikon Unveils Its Compact Super Telephoto Lens
Better Photography

Nikon Unveils Its Compact Super Telephoto Lens

Nike ikon revealed a lens for the full frames line-up-the Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S. It is roughly 48% lighter and 16% shorter than its F-mount, weighing in at 2385g and measuring 5.6in x 15.2in.

time-read
1 min  |
May 2022
OnePlus 10 Pro 5G A Versatile Performer
Better Photography

OnePlus 10 Pro 5G A Versatile Performer

Will the OnePlus 10 Pro 5G surpass its predecessor, the 9 Pro 5G? Nilofer Khan finds out.

time-read
6 mins  |
May 2022
One Nation Indivisible
Better Photography

One Nation Indivisible

Dorothea Lange is best known for the work she carried out for the Farm Security Administration, the Migrant Mother being one of the most iconic portraits to have come out of the Great Depression in the 1930s.

time-read
1 min  |
May 2022
Debdatta Chakraborty Wins Pink Lady Food Awards 2022
Better Photography

Debdatta Chakraborty Wins Pink Lady Food Awards 2022

The Pink Lady Food Photographer Year recently concluded its eleventh edition of the contest.

time-read
1 min  |
May 2022
GoPro Unveils the Lightweight Hero10 Black Bones
Better Photography

GoPro Unveils the Lightweight Hero10 Black Bones

Gilbert oPro's latest addition to their line-up is Hero 10 Black Bones, a lightweight camera built to be mounted on FPV drones.

time-read
1 min  |
May 2022
Camera Breakdown of the World Press Photo Winners
Better Photography

Camera Breakdown of the World Press Photo Winners

For those who are keen to know the cameras award-winning photojournalists use, Photolari and The Phoblographer have shared a breakdown of their list.

time-read
1 min  |
May 2022
Canon Launches Cinema Excellence Suite
Better Photography

Canon Launches Cinema Excellence Suite

Саnon India announced the Cinema Excellence Suite, a unique platform to showcase its range of cinema imaging technology to cinematographers, DOPs, filmmakers, and production houses in Mumbai.

time-read
1 min  |
May 2022
Sony World Photography Awards Unveils its Winners
Better Photography

Sony World Photography Awards Unveils its Winners

Sony World Photography Awards 2022 recently concluded its 16th edition. The grand title winner is Adam Ferguson from Australia for Migrantes, a series of black and white self-portraits of migrants in Mexico, taken as they waited to cross the border into the United States. He will be bestowed with a cash prize of USD 25,000 (approx. Rs. 19,13,082).

time-read
1 min  |
May 2022
Photojournalist Dirck Halstead Passes Away
Better Photography

Photojournalist Dirck Halstead Passes Away

Colie elebrated American photojournalist pivotal moments in U.S history, passed away at the age of 85, on 25 March.

time-read
1 min  |
May 2022
Photomontage Pioneer Jerry Uelsmann Passes Away
Better Photography

Photomontage Pioneer Jerry Uelsmann Passes Away

Jenaerry Uelsmann, a surrealist photographer and photomontage pioneer passed away on 4 April, at the age of 87.

time-read
1 min  |
May 2022