It is a ‘subject matter’..!

I have heard people saying that they had not found anything interesting when they went on a wild life photography tour. Yes, we aim at spotting ‘wild animals’ like, big cats, tuskers, hyenas and wild boar in a wild life sanctuary and return disappointed because we didn’t find any. But, the truth is other way round. A real wild life photographer transforms everything that he/she sees into an interesting subject.

A dew drop, a wild flower, a rough earth pattern, dried-up trees without even a single leaf, a small lizard, a fallen leaf, a rare butterfly, a multicoloured moth, a wild spider in its well spread web, a peculiar shaped leaf, a small cascade, a country dog, family of monkeys, mynas, the uphill ghat roads, tall trees, a road side tea stall, local fruit vendor are some of the interesting subjects for photography and the list is almost endless.

What is a ‘subject’ for a photographer? How important is a ‘subject’ in a photograph? 

Well for a common man, a subject is what is shown in a picture. It may be a flower, a mountain, a water fall, an animal, a bird, people or anything you relate as interesting to capture in your camera. You generally like to shoot something because it is good, beautiful, interesting, strange, important or funny. But, a creative photographer shoots to "make a subject look" good, beautiful, interesting, strange, important or funny. The ‘subject for photography’ lies only in the eyes of the photographer.

Sometimes, we travel to take good pictures or we shoot good pictures when we are out on a travel. This is because we think that the ‘subject’ for photography is always few miles away from us. When we plan an outdoor trip or a vacation, we suddenly remember about our cameras and add that in our check-list with an intention of finding ‘some interesting subjects’ to shoot.

Let us not have any preconceived idea about what we want to shoot. Our imagination is limited when we search for a particular subject. Hence, try converting anything in your balcony or courtyard as your subject. When you cannot find a ‘subject’ in your own domain, how would you find it elsewhere?

- KL.Raja