MALAYALIKKOOTTAM | മലയാളിക്കൂട്ടം / Discuss

valooran-വാളൂരാന്‍    says:

We are introducing our masters here. This is a unique presentation to showcase the real talented photographers in malayalikkoottam. All of us are eager to know more about these wonderful personalities. This thread will deliver you the most awaited details of our maestros - who, what, why, how..... all the questions are answered here. Every week, we will be presenting each one of our great photographers here in malayalikkoottam. This will be like a "mukhamukham".

This week, we are presenting a “heavy weight” big man. Most of you know this great individual – none other than Dr. DJM. Graduated in Physics, studied fine arts, working as Photographer and a teacher of photography – what a diversity! Read thru the words of DJM, his experiences, advises, dreams, vision and the guidance. We are so lucky to get this invaluable gentleman in our group. Thanks a lot Dr. DJM for sparing some time to share yourself with us.



Name
Dr. Deepak John Mathew

Flickr id
Dr. DJM

Camera/Lens
I use different cameras for different purposes. A Nikon D3 with Nikon 14-24mm 2.8,17-35mm2.8,50mm 1.4, 105macro2.8 and a 70-200 mm 2.8 is what you see in my kit. I use a Hasselblad H3 DII with three lenses for my professional shoots. Earlier I used to shoot with Sinar P2. It is a 4x5 view camera. I use a Minolta light meter and manfretto tripod

Job
Head of the Department of Photography Design at National Institute of Design. Ahmedabad, India.

Location
Ahmedabad. But I am from Thekkady, Idukki, Kerala.

Family
Married. Have two kids, elder one is a six year old girl and the younger one is a one year old boy.

Studies
I have done my degree in Physics and while I was doing my Masters, suddenly I thought this is not what I wanted to do, so I joined faculty of fine arts for painting in Trivandrum. From Trivandrum, I went to Baroda for studying masters in graphics. Once I had finished it I had some scholarships, and I continued working as an artist in Baroda and I was teaching art in many institutes as a visiting faculty before I joined NID as a faculty member. Almost for ten years (this includes my education time also), I was traveling all over India (mainly by bus or unreserved compartments) and stayed with all kinds of people .This I consider as my major education. By this time I became very keen on education especially design teaching, that is when I did my PhD in Education. My PhD thesis was on teaching learning methods. In another words, I have no formal education in photography. But during my masters I have encroached the photography department at faculty of fine arts and spent at least 6 to 8 months (nights) in the dark room. I also converted an abandoned room in to my studio and temporary dark room during the day. Now for the past 18 years I am a student of photography

Hobbies other than Photography
I don’t call it a hobby but the other area of work I do is painting and printmaking. And I also cook, listen to Carnatic and Hindustani vocals.

How did you came to Photography?
As I took a detour from Physics, I took a decision to support my self for my studies. I did a lot of odd jobs and photography was one of them. But I never thought that I would take photography so seriously. I used to go to a studio near my house in my village and watch the photographers doing this magic of photography and darkroom work. Finally I bought a pentax K1000 for two thousand rupees from them. I started experimenting with it, used to shoot for friends, I used to get pain in terms of chai, dinner or a cinema ticket. I graduated to a Minolta with two lenses. Once the camera collapsed during the shoot, that is the time I bought my first new camera (Nikon FM2 with 3 lenses)

Can you enlighten us with your experiences in Photography
When I traveled all over India, I never had a camera. Some times I used to feel so bad for not having a camera in Himalayas or in some villages in Nepal. But sketching was the only tool for documentation that time. In a way I used to photography with my mind and pencil.
Once I had the luxury of the camera, the problem was film, that is where I started shooting for others. I used to save the last frames for my self and shoot what ever I wanted. Many times it end up as a street photography because I was on the way to the lab. In Baroda I found a lab who make very bad prints, but they were very cheap. I used to sit with the operator and see how he was printing. My suggestions and test printing techniques improved his printing quality. So used to get the best print for the cheapest price (leaving me an extra margin on my prints I made for my clients). I tried shooting wedding to earn some money. But I got retired from it after my second wedding assignment (I realized this is what I never wanted to do for a living)

Which is your favourite area in Photography (like wild life, tabletop, fashion etc.)
Being a self taught I had no choice. I used to do everything that came on my way. But I slowly got focused to fashion, product and industrial photography in the commercial assignments and I am practicing fine art photography as my profession

Who is your favourite photographer in Malayalikkoottam, why?
It is a difficult decision to make if I have to choose. I like almost every body’s work. I am always surprised by the quality of composition, colors and the technical perfection of the people at malayalikkoottam. And the motivation factor also.

Who is your favourite photographer in Flickr, why?
Flickr is a platform to see and share the works and almost every body is putting their best work. I learn something or the other from each and every photograph. My favourite photographers are the ones in malayalikkoottam and PCA and I find them very serious about their work. What I like about malayalikkoottam is that they could go beyond the net and form a group who is living in the physical world.

Advise to newcomers
You are as good as your last photograph.
Hard work is the only secret to success (this one fact every body knows but tries to over ride all the time...some how we are always tempted by shortcuts to success). Self critiquing and reviewing one’s own work is very important for development. The comments we receive on flickr should not flatter us (or any other photo sharing platform on net, every thing is goody goody on net. People never make any constructive criticism on these platforms.) Shoot what you want, not what you see. Try to visualize the picture before you shoot. Strengthen the basics. Digital cameras are very flattering as it can produce pictures even if you shoot with your eyes closed. Believe in your ability to make pictures not the brand of the camera.

How do you rate yourself as a photographer?
I am still learning. There is some thing to learn in every shot I take (some times good many times bad).

How do you feel others' comments on your image?
I feel “ampada njane”…!!!

Do you think the camera does a lot than the eyes behind it?
I believe that the mind (I mean the brain in technical terms) is the most important factor. Then comes the eye. And last but not the least is the camera. If you are doing a commercial assignment then you may require using specialist equipments to achieve the result you want. And in most of the cases the client (being ignorant) looks at your camera and other equipment to judge how good you are. So, as a marketing point of view, show off pays. But it has nothing to do with the aesthetic quality of the picture you produce. There are very good photographers who uses mobile camera.
“Photography is in the mind not in the tools”

How do you feel Malayalikkoottam?
This is a wonderful group. Last time when I came to Kerala I met some members of the malayalikkoottam (NO, Bob and Oam ). And there was absolutely no communication gap. I felt as if I knew these guys for ages. And I believe that is the sprit. You all make sure that there is a sense of belonging.

Your choice in your stream
I post the photographs in flickr (in most of the times) to discuss something specific to somebody (in most of the times to some learners). So they are not the best photographs I ever took. Not that I shoot better. My personal preference is my fine art work (photographs). In flickr I have not posted my fine art work. There is one on my invitation card. I will post it to the net and send the link for all you to see and critique.

Why do you take photos?
For two reasons:
One - I am doing it as an expression. It is just like painting for me. I have an idea and I want to express it. Every person who has an idea and if he/she want to express it, he/she will need a medium for the same. People write, draw, sing, act, dance, talk and I prefer to photograph.
Reason two - I do it to earn some money. Photography gives me my food and accommodation (bread, butter and some chicken too plus a house).
Also it is my hobby. What else I can dream of if I am earning when I am doing my hobby. So it is a win win situation I get paid for my enjoyment.

Most important / touching / memorable incident that happened to you while you were photographing
Every shoot has something or the other happy/sad to remember. One bad one I can tell which was shooting a machine from a top angle. I was between two fans and before shooting I planned my position between the fans. But while on the top of the ladder I just forgot it and moved a bit. One of the fans hit me and I have fallen down (with a nice cut on my forehead) I was bleeding. But the workers were telling that I am a strange guy. Because while falling also I was trying to save my camera (nothing happened to the camera. but I got a permanent mark on my head). It was not conscious, but it became a habit. May be brain accepted camera as part of my body. So it was part of the reflux to save the vital part.
Another one is climbing a chimney of a factory (almost as high as a 10 storied building) with all equipments like a monkey at five o clock in the morning to shoot a top view of the factory. My assistants and the art director could not climb. I had thigh pain for one week.
But the most happy moment is when you see the image coming out from the developer (when I used to make my own prints). Or when I goof up a shoot and when the result comes, it looks better than what I expected.
I have done all the mistakes possible and imaginable by a photographer (part of the learning). I did one fashion shoot without loading the film (when I realized.. chup chap film load kiya..!) and the camera stopped working in the middle of a product shoot (from that day onwards I keep a back up camera) shot zakkir hussains concert in black and white and my friend put it in the wrong developer (I learned never to trust people who offers to help in your work). Picked my camera bag in a hurry without putting the zip and dropped all the lenses.

Did you achieve what you wanted to achieve with photography? What all are left to achieve?
No.
A lot.
I want my students to be the leading lights of photography in India. That is my ultimate achievement.
One of my dreams was to start a place for learning photography (the reason is when I wanted to study photography there were no places in India) which I a have started. We at NID started a post graduate program in photography. It is a combination of theory and practical lessons. Look at www.nid.edu for more details.

What provoked you to start photography?
Need. I started photography to support my life as an artist (those days it was difficult to sell painting and make living)

Is there any shot you missed and still worrying you? What was it? Do you have a dream shot in your mind?
Nothing like it. But I always dream about a different kind of shots once I finish my shot. I am never satisfied with my past work. But very hopeful about my future work. And I love my present work.

Do you have a dream shot in your mind?
What I am shooting now was my dream shot. But once I finish the shoot it is no more a dream shot (I am not talking about my assignments but fine art work). Mind is faster than hand so dream shot remains as a dream shot because the dream keeps changing.

Who is your favorite photographer?
Not anybody in particular. I look at picture not at photographer. I don’t have a role model. But I like Candida hoffer‘s work. Sebastio Salgado’s and Bresson’s documentaries. Martin Parr’s new approach, Ansal Adams for his zone system, Man Ray for his development of photography as a language independent of painting. David Hockney for his collages and jerry Ulesmann for his dark room magic, Willian Klein for his street experiments with mirrors. Richard Avdon and Irving Penn for their fashion and still life works .The list goes on.


Dear friends, now here is a chance for you to tell about Dr. DJM. Do you know him, have you seen his photos, how do you rate him, how do you feel his photographs, do you know his career, how influencing he is, how do you feel his caliber. Flood this thread with your comments. Expect some more master personalities soon.

See some stunners from his stream….. but don’t rate him with these bcoz he didn’t upload any of his good works to flickr.










Originally posted at 9:23AM, 30 November 2008 PDT (permalink)
valooran-വാളൂരാന്‍ edited this topic 42 months ago.