My first harsh learning as a photographer came when I posted this photo (below) in an open photo critique group in facebook. As a photographer I always felt my city Kolkata was a treasure house and had much to offer as subjects.
When I finished editing this photo, I was happy with the output and thought that even if it did not qualify as the perfect shot but atleast I did a job worth appreciation, for being able to capture different heritage elements of Kolkata, all in one frame – the Howrah bridge (behind), the tram car and the people of the city.
But alas, I was severely criticized for an editing not good enough. I was suggested by the experts to edit out the cables and pole in the photo which they thought were misfit in the frame.
While today’s generation of photographers believe in modifying their photographs for the sake of aesthetics, they often overdo this to the extent of damaging the originality of the photo. The final product may not show what was actually photographed and no one would ever know. However, the photographer in me always believed in showing what is REAL with minimal editing. Hence, I certainly disapproved the idea of editing the above photo as suggested by my critiques.
Curious to test my photography skills, I then started this new project in which I moved around the city of Kolkata, trying to capture heritage structures without the hindrance of these cables. The results were disturbing!
During my project, I realized that it was nearly impossible to take a photo of some of the iconic buildings in the city without these cables and wires. You can see it for yourself from the photos below.
It was nearly impossible to click photos of the Kolkata skyline without these wires.
So why is it like this? While the laying of power and telephone lines has been carefully undertaken in most places by the service providers (CESC, BSNL), it was the era of cable TV and private phone operators and internet service providers that contributed to trapping the city’s skyline in the mesh of wires. Unplanned and unregulated operation of these services led to this tragic state of affairs that are a threat to the scenic beauty and heritage of the city.
Ofcourse, the tram cables also add to the city’s skyline but one cannot undo this as trams have always been integral part of the city’s heritage and have been traditionally operated on surface cables.
Da"s"yphered 