Leaving home was not easy but was exciting at the same time. The day I got to know that I could do my Masters in London, I had a million thoughts running through my head. It was an opportunity for me to learn the newer technologies and methods of photography. But oh boy, was I in for a surprise.
I landed in London on an early winter morning. The first thing that hit me was the gloomy, uncoloured life. I thought it was just a new calm and a zone outside my chaotic comfort zone. The first week was about what is in and around the university and familiarising myself to the weather and the gloominess. Strangely, I found it beautiful in its own way. It started to sink in and I was enjoying it. As I started settling in, we had our first class on the history of photography and cameras.
During the course of these classes, I familiarised myself with the fellow students and their view on the world of photography. What fascinated me was their method of photography. Kong still uses a film camera and Zhou uses just an iPhone to capture her world. It was different from the world of DSLRs I thought of.
It got exciting when I got the opportunity to try the Pentax. The challenge was to capture a new city, from an outsider’s viewpoint – with an Illford HP5 black and white 36 film roll.
I had one week to capture the moments that got me and just two days away from returning the camera, I had just 7 pictures, because I couldn't wrap my mind around THE 36 shots I'd like to take. I decided to take this as an opportunity to use my day off, to walk around the city and see what would connect to me.
With the roll filled with the city, my next task is to bring them to life. The darkroom is my next stop, I'm really looking forward to bring these moments to light. I am looking forward to the experience.
Till then, let the camera keep clicking. :)