With the advancements in phone cameras, it is now possible to capture beautiful images on the spur of the moment with your phone. Indeed, in recent times, the trend of shooting events and projects entirely with phone cameras has really gained ground.
Joining in on the fun is renowned Scottish born author William Dalrymple, who is all set for his public debut as a photographer with his exhibition 'Writer's Eye' which has been shot entirely with his Samsung cellphone. The exhibition will open on March 18 at Sunaparanta - Goa Centre for the Arts, Altinho. Alongside, a book featuring the images along with an essay will also be published.
Having authored fantastic works like In Xanadu and The Age of Kali and with numerous awards to his name, Dalrymple, has long been considered a noted named in the literature field. Interestingly however it was photography and not writing that was his first love owing largely to the influence of his par Bengali great great aunt Julia Margaret Cameron who was considered as one of the greatest photographers of the 19th century.
Dalrymple himself began experimenting with photography at the age of seven. “I spent much of my time in the school dark room, emerging after several hours stinking of fixer, with water logged hands, and developer splashed all over my clothes, but clutching a precious sheaf of 10 by 8 prints,” he remembers. And although he did go on to win a few photography competitions, with time, his love for writing took over and his camera remained unused.
However it has been only in the last 18 months that Dalrymple has rediscovered his love for photography with the help of his Samsung Note. “ I get a particular pleasure out of the immediacy and the lack of pretension inherent in using a cellphone to record the world around me. For photography should always be about the eye, not the equipment,” he says. With the discovery of Anapseed edit suite, Dalrymple spent hours producing the black and white images that he likes best.
This particular collection is a record of his travels around the world especially in Central Asia like the Hindu Kush and Bamiyan moutains, Ladakh, Yazd and Iran deserts etc.
“ These pictures were clicked more for uploading on Facebook and Instagram. I wasn't thinking of an exhibition at all. However it was Siddarth Shanghvi who bullied me into having turning it into an exhibition,” reveals Dalrymple. After the Goa premiere, the exhibition will then proceed to Delhi and then to London. And Dalrymple is excited about all the buzz it has generated. “ It is something that just came out of the blue and it is wonderful to rediscover this talent again after my 50th birthday,” he says.
