Time to stand, stare and shoot

Updated - March 17, 2021 at 12:42 PM.

Looking back at a pandemic-induced lockdown — announced in March 2020 — with stark images of isolation captured from an apartment window

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Wait until dark: The evening skyline sets a solemn mood
Monsoon moment: A rain-washed neighbourhood
Here comes the sun: Shades of golden and orange announce the arrival of morning
Full circle: The moon on the night of Sharad Poornima, also known as Kojagori Poornima in parts of East India
Life’s like that: A maze of human habitation
Tunnel of light: A room fills up with the sun

With my smartphone, I turned the lens of the camera on the world outside my windows sometime last year. The purpose behind taking these images was twofold. First, I wanted to test how much I could achieve through the limited options offered by this everyday modern gadget. Second, I wanted to overcome the isolation that the Covid-19 pandemic had imposed on me — an 83-year-old semi-bedridden photographer living in a small third floor flat.

My involvement with the art of craft of photography — a passion that I have nurtured for over six decades — compelled me to view this unusual situation through the lens of the camera.

To look out for the images I had only three windows in my room: One facing the east and the others facing the south, with one of the latter presenting a hint of the west.

It will be most gratifying if these images can enthuse people to explore the beauty of life that is always present around us.

Arun Ganguly, a retired ad industry professional and photographer, is based in Kolkata

Published on May 3, 2024 18:51