Perceptions play a phenomenal role in our daily lives – They could be false or they could be true nevertheless, they will continue to influence our lives and actions pertinently. Humans have the habit of creating perceptions around anyone and anything they are associated with, without which there’ll be any “significant” growth in their lives. They are so vital that even to identify who’s a true friend and whose not, you need a strong sense of intelligent perception. To understand your parent’s needs, to fulfill your friend’s expectations, to meet your professional obligations, to express your love and to understand how the world defines you, perception is mandatory. A perceptive mind will be far ahead of “time” and would attract people with ease, for it could read perfectly their minds and fulfill them with utmost care. I acknowledge this is not possible all the time but, a perceptive mind is powerful enough to push back the ordinary and shine with success and acceptance. Likewise, perception in Photography is a powerful element capable of pushing a photographer’s capability and resulting in some of the stunning shots mankind could rave over. There are photographs, produced through our long history, which make us – look with awe, smile instantly, forget our pains, forget time, get lost into it, salute the guy who produced it, save as our desktop etc. Iam influenced significantly by all these too but, the kind of photographs which influence me with overwhelming power are those which make my eyes wet without a reason – Just brilliant timing and perception – Yes, and that’s what I call a “Powerful photograph” in my world of photography, a world dominated by darkness and dampness. There have been instances when my eyes were unreasonably wet for looking at a photograph and their creators range from Vincent Munier to an Unknown guy who’s creation get’s known to the world through the daily paper or a “Forward mail”. My personal favorite in the world of photography is Mr. Vincent Munier and right from day one I peeped into his works, he has had a significant influence over my thoughts and actions. I also tremendously love the works of Ami Vitale, whose creations are as powerful as a fission reaction – “Just speechless” would be the outcome when you look at her creations. And the one close to my heart as my best friend is Mr. Kalyan Verma, who quit his lucrative job, pursued his dream, spent months in remote jungles, fortified his skills and forgot the world, only to make the world look back at him. These are the people who see what we don’t but that exists – that’s visible to a perceptive mind, a mind free from restrictions, haste, hate and greed. Our lives are bounded with immense collection of beauty and events which we fail to honor or recognize, as they pass by to be never exposed to the world. So much so that when we begin to slow ourselves down and watch with curiosity, the quantum of creativity that gets generated is unbelievable. Right from the domestic cat that mews at you with love to the crow that stares through your kitchen window, there’s something hidden behind and when caught at the perfect moment – It’s a creation. Then, it’s only appropriate to wonder about the potential of “Hidden moments” prevailing through the world, through our daily lives, at every corner and in every form. It’s upto you to identify, understand, capture, process and cherish the moment with your conscience first and then, with the world. If the world speaks about you, ignore, and if the world speaks about your creation, thank them. There have been few such moments in my life when I managed to capture the hidden meaning, and more such instances when I reacted slowly as the “hidden moment” perished with time. Missed opportunities are a valuable learning and they need to be written down in your memory for ever, to help capture when they recur. Through the past 6 years, I have written down such wonderful “missed instances” in my memory and it remains to be seen if Mr. Luck would permit a second chance. Till then, I would be staring into my personal collection of photographs to understand the “moment” I was standing through when they were captured – they convey a meaning and they need to be learnt…..
The fact that Canon has now launched the EOS 5D Mark 3, successor to my favorite DSLR – the brilliant 5D Mark 2, only revitalizes the hopes of enlarging my “perception” through its ground breaking capabilities. My bank balance would dehydrate in the coming months, as my life begins to revolve around the “Mighty Mark 3”…….Hope I get to own one soon and when I do, I would be thankful to who ever were responsible for that.
PERCEPTION LEADS TO?? WHO KNOWS… – K.D, CIRCA 2012
