In Focus

Raymond

The camera is a tool I have slowly become more confident in using. I have learnt multiple tricks, tips and rules that allow my photos to look better and for an easier operation of the camera itself.  So you can imagine my excitement, when I realised I had an opportunity to take photos in India. In some ways, I thought it would like being a bit of a Nat Geo photographer, going into the wild and unknown (yes this is very naïve of me); I can now conclusively say, this is far from the truth.

Anyways, I geared up. Well not really. I left Auckland with only a single camera and a single lens. But a hell of a lot of memory cards. Little did I know, how useless all that storage would be. The camera became a huge inconvenience. It occupied a lot of my bag space. The camera itself was hard to get out of its pack. And the fact sometimes, it did take a while to "get the perfect shot". Oh yeah it was also pretty hard to charge my batteries. However it was less because of these difficulties, I often found it better to not use my camera. Because rather than capturing the moment, it was far better to experience it. To be immersed.

Had I been using my camera, I probably wouldn't have ended up coaching rugby with the Jungle Crows.  If I had a camera in hand, dancing with the children in the slums would've been much more difficult. I wouldn't have been able to read stories at Future Hope if I was too busy taking photos. The Aarti festival (Hindu prayer festival) would've been less spectacular had my eye been behind a set of lenses. You get the point. Anyhow it was just unnecessary to take pictures in many circumstances. I found myself far more involved in the activities we were participating in therefore I found much more enjoyment in what we were doing. I have learnt far more lessons, not from my photos, but rather from participating.

However, my camera has had a bit of a workout in India. The hidden passages of Amber fort. The secluded temples in Darjeeling. An isolated mosque in Agra fort. Sunrise over Kanchenjunga and the River Ganga. Sublime. Sunset at monkey temple over Jaipur-that was unmissable. Stars over the Himalayas were enchanting. Even having the privilege of sharing some tips and tricks with other tour members was fantastic. I've even found that portraits have been more enjoyable to take compared to landscapes simply due to the countless stories behind the faces.

My photos will never be able to tell the full story of my time in India and in reality, I haven't taken photos of everything I've seen. But that's beside the point. As a friend once said, "the mind is like an aperture, the more open it is, the more light comes in."

 

Happy Holidays.