Author - Monika
It's not how you are imagining right now that I picked up the camera and accidentally found that I was good at it. It's a real story not a Bollywood drama.
I met with an accident and tore my ankle ligaments. The pain was so excruciating that I could barely stand up on my feet and had to take a few days off from work. I clearly remember that day - I was lying on my bed staring at the wall which had abstract designs with sunlight & shadow of curtain. A millennial me was confused about the web series to watch. So I started exploring YouTube to see trailers and decide. It was so frustrating to not even find a good option. But suddenly I saw a video suggestion - 'How to use a DSLR' (PS: I didn't own a DSLR at this point).
Little did I know that this could be the moment which will take me out of my blues. Maybe because there was nothing else to do, I didn't watch the video with great enthusiasm and concentration. Yet somehow I understood shutter speed, IOS and aperture. This made me watch another video and things started to get interesting with each new video. By the time I realized, the whole day was spent on watching videos on lenses, golden hour, perspective, when and why to use a tripod, gimbal etc. I was so indulged in this, thanks to YouTube, that I completely forgot about my pain, depression, and my lunch as well 🤷🏻♀️. However, none of that mattered, because at that moment I was going through an ecstatic feeling of butterflies in my stomach, like I had discovered something new and to shout out - Eureka! Late night (yes, he usually comes late) when my husband returned home, he hugged me expecting a story of a difficult day at home all alone. But he had no idea what was coming his way. With the excitement of a kid, I started telling that I wanna buy this model of camera with these accessories and this additional lens. He was shocked, perplexed (she is from Venus). 'Atul, when are we buying these?' I took a deep breath after this breathless talking as he made the perfect puzzled face and uttered the one required golden word "what??". I then walked him through my entire day - how I learned about DSLR, desire to practice it and this was something I can start off being at home as well. After a little convincing, my husband finally gave in to the request. And from there this journey took off...
So I started off taking pictures of all the small decor stuff I bought to decorate my home. Then I moved on to birds, clouds, sky and flowers. Best thing about them is they don't get tired being in one pose and never complain to you about anything (haha). They patiently wait for their perfect snap to be clicked. Well that's my take on it. The journey with beautiful places was not easy, later I'd click 50-60 pictures just to delete all of them because it didn't turn out to be as per expectations. I started feeling frustrated with it imagining it as a time pass boyfriend and moving ahead with my usual life. But something in me kept on telling that it's not the end, you are not done yet. I kept experimenting and with each vacation trip the composition started to improve and I became better than last time. I learnt that photography is not about you seeing something and just clicking a snap but the question should be - is the picture able to express the same emotion as yours? That art of expressing your emotions when words are limited is called photography. I then started experimenting heavily - from capturing sunset to silhouette in bright light and once I captured the moon and sun as a star. I learned not just to click but to embrace and enjoy the moment. Also to embrace yourself, be alive, don't care what someone is gonna think of you, especially if you are lying on middle of the road. Many times those pictures which I took lying on the ground were not even worth it but I did it just for fun (Aise hi sexy lag raha tha!).
One day in office, I bumped into my friend at office who shared a picture on Whats App - it was my click "Mufasa" a lion from Bannerghatta National Park which was published in Times Mirror, Bangalore edition on 23rd August 2019. I was so thrilled, and was on top of my toes the entire day as it felt like I have got nominated for an Oscar or a Nobel Prize. The smile on my face was not going off at all. Later, I experienced even a higher level of ecstasy when a world famous wildlife photographer, Alan Mc Fadyen, liked many of my Instagram posts. I had a big fanboy moment when I DM'ed him and he responded back! Can you imagine a person I adore responded to my message and yes we did discuss those 720,000 shots and pressing the shutter button for 15 hours for a perfect reflection of a kingfisher bird diving in water.
Whenever I revisit those lively pictures it just takes me back to the moment. Roaming around the city, hiking on mountain ranges or just chilling at the beach. With all these adventures I never realized when I started doing pre-wedding & baby shower photo shoots. Each vacation is now patiently waited to experience and capture another round of breathtaking travel pictures. It is so magical how just a right click changes everything and how one YouTube video changed so many things around me.
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I hope you too find your Eureka moment in life soon!
