Sunny
12-15-2009, 05:42 AM
How do you get to be a legend like Raghu Rai and the recently expired TS Satyan?
A cursory glance at their biography might give you the hint. For example in TS Satyan's case:
Satyan's interest in photography began when he was in high school in the year 1937. He had found some classmates taking pictures with a box camera and when he passed his 11th standard, his father permitted him to buy one.
Satyan had said in one of his interviews that getting published in the print media was his sole ambition. "There was no formal transition though I got my break when I joined the Deccan Herald in 1950 as a staffer. Having seen my work regularly getting published in the Illustrated Weekly of India and other magazines, C G K Reddy and news editor Eric Scott invited me to join them. I worked in Bangalore only for two years before moving to Bombay to join the Illustrated Weekly as feature writer," he said.
The very first picture clicked by him with his box camera was of his mother and her friend during their morning Tulsi puja . His mother was anxious to see it published in the Illustrated Weekly, but the editor rejected it. The negative was frilled at the edges and overexposed. His second attempt with the box camera was a success and this picture of a child using the abacus went on to win the first prize in the Weekly's Snapshots competition.
Satyan always had this great approach towards life and was always optimisitic. He had said last year that he had no complaints about anything. "Starting some 60 years ago from scratch when photo-journalism was almost non-existent, I have travelled into unknown territory crossing many hurdles. I am happy with what little I have been able to do," he said.
Source: http://news.rediff.com/slide-show/2009/dec/14/slide-show-1-photojournalist-ts-satyan-passes-away.htm#contentTop
This tells us that he started when there was almost *NO* competetion in India. A handful of photographers roamed the 3.27 million sq kms of India clicking things which the world hadnt seen - the real India.
This is even how Raghu Rai had his break.
BUT, there was one more important thing : they CAPITALIZED on this fact and of course WORKED HARD too.
So let us fast forward to the present day.
Millions of people have access to a camera which is capable of clicking 100 times better photos that what they could back in the day and everyone has an equal chance of publicizing themselves through various mediums. So basically even a bus driver can click an award winning photo with his cell cam provided he is at the right place and the right time. And then he can simply email it to the best newspapers in the world and get published.
Not even the best photo journalist can match this if he is not present to capture the moment. This wasnt true back when accessing equipment was a problem and media was not penetrating enough.
The playground has been levelled.
So how do you make a mark today? How do you prove you are a good photographer, how do you get the name and the money?
In a few words: Its VERY difficult.
But here are some pointers:
You must of course know how to click pictures
Good camera equipment matters
You must be very active and participate in competetions
You must strive to do something different with our pictures.
Publicize yourself and you must be able to sell yourself.
Have the right contacts
Of there is no magic formula for anything, but once you get a break, you must capitalize on it and build something over it rather than being complacent. This goes for every thing in life, not just photography.
A cursory glance at their biography might give you the hint. For example in TS Satyan's case:
Satyan's interest in photography began when he was in high school in the year 1937. He had found some classmates taking pictures with a box camera and when he passed his 11th standard, his father permitted him to buy one.
Satyan had said in one of his interviews that getting published in the print media was his sole ambition. "There was no formal transition though I got my break when I joined the Deccan Herald in 1950 as a staffer. Having seen my work regularly getting published in the Illustrated Weekly of India and other magazines, C G K Reddy and news editor Eric Scott invited me to join them. I worked in Bangalore only for two years before moving to Bombay to join the Illustrated Weekly as feature writer," he said.
The very first picture clicked by him with his box camera was of his mother and her friend during their morning Tulsi puja . His mother was anxious to see it published in the Illustrated Weekly, but the editor rejected it. The negative was frilled at the edges and overexposed. His second attempt with the box camera was a success and this picture of a child using the abacus went on to win the first prize in the Weekly's Snapshots competition.
Satyan always had this great approach towards life and was always optimisitic. He had said last year that he had no complaints about anything. "Starting some 60 years ago from scratch when photo-journalism was almost non-existent, I have travelled into unknown territory crossing many hurdles. I am happy with what little I have been able to do," he said.
Source: http://news.rediff.com/slide-show/2009/dec/14/slide-show-1-photojournalist-ts-satyan-passes-away.htm#contentTop
This tells us that he started when there was almost *NO* competetion in India. A handful of photographers roamed the 3.27 million sq kms of India clicking things which the world hadnt seen - the real India.
This is even how Raghu Rai had his break.
BUT, there was one more important thing : they CAPITALIZED on this fact and of course WORKED HARD too.
So let us fast forward to the present day.
Millions of people have access to a camera which is capable of clicking 100 times better photos that what they could back in the day and everyone has an equal chance of publicizing themselves through various mediums. So basically even a bus driver can click an award winning photo with his cell cam provided he is at the right place and the right time. And then he can simply email it to the best newspapers in the world and get published.
Not even the best photo journalist can match this if he is not present to capture the moment. This wasnt true back when accessing equipment was a problem and media was not penetrating enough.
The playground has been levelled.
So how do you make a mark today? How do you prove you are a good photographer, how do you get the name and the money?
In a few words: Its VERY difficult.
But here are some pointers:
You must of course know how to click pictures
Good camera equipment matters
You must be very active and participate in competetions
You must strive to do something different with our pictures.
Publicize yourself and you must be able to sell yourself.
Have the right contacts
Of there is no magic formula for anything, but once you get a break, you must capitalize on it and build something over it rather than being complacent. This goes for every thing in life, not just photography.