Sandhya Vasudev
Multiple photographs get generated within seconds nowadays, whereas golden history saw the maharajahs and noble men hire renowned artists to make their portraits. They needed to have the time and patience to sit still for long hours for the artist to produce a magnificent life-like image on canvas. Generations of research and trials finally led to the
making of the first known photographic image from a camera in the early nineteenth century in Paris.
Many decades ago, the process of getting a photo clicked was tantamount to a ritual with the professional photographer being contacted and a date and time fixed for it.
The jasmine bud plait was a seasonal tradition which would be specially ordered and brought home early evening. It was fixed on my normal plait and more strands of jasmine were rolled on the crown. A silk “lehanga-choli” (a long skirt with a matching blouse) would be the attire along with suitable ornaments like a linear trinket dangling from the crown to the forehead, a waistband and necklaces, apart from dazzling bangles. It was a festive occasion and my trusted maid would take me, an eight-year-old, dressed up in such finery, in a hooded cycle rickshaw to the popular studio in town. A brief wait until the photographer signalled and I would excitedly move to another brightly lit room. Our friendly photographer had a few makeup items, like talcum powder and a comb, for last minute touch-ups, although we made sure to carry all these from home. A mirror was placed at an angle behind to capture the beautifully woven braid. Such a framed photo took a vantage position on the wall of our home.
When a high-speed camera was purchased for my brother, clicking turned into a hobby for him.
He would capture umpteen photos of mine as a teen in different dresses and poses atop our spacious home balcony. I was his favourite model and the camera would capture me in unique poses, one of them as a mere seven year old sporting my father’s reading glasses holding the Gita in my hand and sitting on an armchair. The black and white photos were affixed in an album of thick black sheets, each separated by a thin butter paper. Our house had a cupboard full of such family photo albums holding nostalgic memories.
The cell phone pushed out the personal camera and taking a picture became a sleight of hand even for a child! While previously the roll was given for developing before printing, the digitized pictures could be printed instantly, offering gloss, matte and other types of finish. Vistas, selfies, and group pictures have turned into a passion, nay, obsession with a few.
Group photos see unique personality traits surfacing, with a few pushing others aside to stand right in front, whilst a few hide behind taller others to avoid being captured.
Instant plastic smiles have become rampant and “ready, smile, say cheese!” seem redundant! Photos are shared instantly on social media.
But nothing can beat the old fashioned photo album that one can thumb through leisurely, savouring the nostalgic moments, without the necessity of any electronic gadget. My daughter Prithvi regularly makes such albums for me and I decorate each photo beneath with a refreshing comment that brings a smile each time.