CHENNAI: The golden light that embraces the morning sky casting its shadow on the blue sea, the fishermen unleashing the nets and preparing for their day, the vibrant boats aligned after their great catch — scenes from the sea greet us at the 11th edition of Positives, the photography exhibition on Vantage Point, curated by the students of Visual Communication department at MOP Vaishnav College for Women. The biennial exhibition is coming back offline after the pandemic break.
To provide a platform for the skills acquired by the students during their course of study, the exhibition allowed students to also interact and explain their perspectives on clicking a particular picture. At the inauguration of the event, cinematographer Preetha Jayaraman shared, “Each photograph exhibited here tells a story. I am impressed by the work they have put up. This also shows the dedication of the faculties.”
The frames of a rusty yellow door from Mylapore, a vintage rickshaw from the streets of Sowcarpet and the book corners at Pondy Bazaar brimming with old and new collections take us to the less explored corners of Chennai. Reflecting the culture of south India were pictures of pottery-making, kolam art, and tile-making from Athangudi. The students also gave a deep insight into their college trips covering almost the whole of India and countries like Italy, London, Malaysia, Paris, and Turkey.
Highlighting the lives of India’s indigenous communities, the students diverted from displaying portraits and brought out the views of a passionate and curious traveller. Soundarya Srikanth, a second-year student poetically captured the emotions and struggles of tribal women at Araku Valley. Titling her picture as The Peek Valley, she focussed on the millet processing room where they work every day, the process, the traditional ornaments and outfits. “During the trips, we were told to take pictures according to our wish. After that, we send those pictures for the exhibition. Almost 300 photographs were chosen from 5,000 entries. All these are also for sale,” she said, adding that the event gives them a push to explore photography.
Architectural photos from Ethiraj College, the Steps of Marina Beach, Godavari Rail Bridge, Rajahmundry and so on are captured delivering unique perspectives of the landmarks. The perfection in the frames made the chief guest say that she had no constructive criticism for the students as they are already telling stories. Encouraging more women to pursue filmmaking and other technical aspects in the movie industry, Preetha said, “When I started in 2005, there were not a lot of women in the field.
Taking photography and cinematography as a career is also about standing the test of time, as it takes a lot of struggles financially and emotionally to get your break and carry on. Even though the industry is still a male-dominated field, over the years, there has been a healthy change. With organisations like the Indian Women Cinematographer Collective, technical discussions are happening, and we have a space to celebrate our work.”
ON DISPLAY
The frames of a rusty yellow door from Mylapore, a vintage rickshaw from the streets of Sowcarpet and the book corners at Pondy Bazaar brimming with old and new collections take us to the less explored corners of Chennai. Reflecting the culture of south India were pictures of pottery-making, kolam art, and tile-making from Athangudi.