Tuesday, March 12, 2024

- Great Masters - A Photographer with Distinct Vision: Normante Ribokaite

- Great Masters -
A Photographer with Distinct Vision
Normante Ribokaite

Normante Ribokaite was born in Dusetos (Lithuania) in 1968.  Photography is her passion. Her favorite photography subjects are nature, man and his environment, horses, photomontage-creation, and in general she photographs everything that interests her. After looking at her works, her inclination appears to be more towards black and white medium, and she seems to do full justice to this medium. Her pictures are unique in regard of strong presentation of subjects and this quality gives her a special identity different from others. Her photography philosophy is to live in harmony with the environment. She has deep respect for each of her photographed objects.

Normante has been awarded in the International Photography contests (FIAP, PSA, MoL, IAAP, GPU, UPI approved) at Serbia, Makedonia,  Bosnia and Herzegovina,  Montenegro, Moldova, Croatia, Albania, Romania, Bulgaria, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Slovakia, Slovenia, Singapore, New Zealand, China, USA, Switzerland, Cuba, Cyprus, Ecuador, Ukraine, Russia,  Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia,  Egypt,  Georgia,  Finland, Turkey, Hungary, Russia, Poland,  Estonia, Lithuania etc.


She has to her credit below mentioned achievemets:

  • The gold medal   of   San Francisco International   Exhibition  GALLERY   PHOTOGRAPHICA -   2013  (USA).
  • Awarded  of  the 1st Edition of the Romantic Landscape  FIER Institute Initiatives 2013 (Australia).
  • EX ARTE EQUINUS  - 2013  Director's Award (USA).
  • Gold  medal at the 71st, 74 st, 76 st  80 st  Japanese International Photography salon  Competition (2011, 2014, 2016, 2020 ).
  • The winner of Lithuania wildlife competition "Amber serpent"  (2011, 2012, 2013).
  • Awarded at  the exhibition-competition „Earth Day“ (2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017 ) – Utena, Lithuania.
  • Granted a diploma established by the Union of Lithuanian Art Photographers for her works displayed at the exhibition, Horse in Photography (2008, 2010 ) - Dusetos Gallery of Art, Lithuania.
  • Granted the Honorary Diploma established by the National Photography Art Foundation for personal shows of artistic photography displayed successfully in Lithuania, in 2000-2006.
  • AFIAP (Artiste FIAP)
  • BRONZE EXHIBITOR (BEPSS)  THE PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY OF SINGAPORE (2016-2019).
  • GENIUS (G.APS) AGILE PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY, BANGLADESH.
  • CAMPINA PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITIONS SOCIETY (ES.CPE) ROMANIA.
  • A-PHOTOART (CREATIVE UNION PHOTOART, RUSSIA).
  • Culture and Art award for professional activities 2019 (Zarasai region, Lithuania).

Normante has organised nineteen personal photography exhibitions till date and has participated in many group shows held both in Lithuania and abroad. Since 2009 she has been a member of the club of photographers of nature Green Umbrella (Lithuania) and AMoL (A member of Photographic Association Master of Light). She is one of the photographers of the Dusetos Art Gallery group (Zarasai Region, Lithuania).

--Dr. Pankaj Sharma

 

 

Sunday, March 3, 2024

-Great Masters- "Conveying Emotions through Photographs" : George Digalakis

 -Great Masters-
Conveying Emotions through Photographs
George Digalakis

 

George Digalakis is an accomplished photographer, specializing in Fine Art, minimal photography, through which he tries to convey the beauty of nature, with his own distinctive, black and white language. His passion for photography is harmoniously combined with his love for travel and the exploration of new landscapes and places, stimuli for the creation of his unique minimalist world.  

 

He was born and raised in Athens, Greece. A medical doctor by profession, he still lives and works in Athens. Although he has been involved in many hobbies, such as chess and diving, it took him forty years to discover his true passion for the art of photography.

 

His first contact with photography was back in 1974, when he received a “Nettar” as a gift from his father. Since then, the camera became an integral part of his daily life. But it was only in 2009 that he found the necessary free time to study photography seriously, under the supervision of Tasos Schizas. He became acquainted with classic and contemporary photographers and realized this medium would offer him a getaway from reality and enable him to express his inner world. Photography proved to be a permanent source of inspiration and life-changing experience.

 

Born in a country with more than 1000 islands, he developed a close relationship with the sea, and he feels that this connection is the driving force behind his love for seascapes. George rarely tries to capture the moment and finds that by ignoring reality he can best convey his inner vision and underlying emotions. Subjects that convey feelings of loneliness, isolation, and melancholy are his preferred themes, with bare trees in the water, old piers, and interesting rocks being recurring themes. Purity of space and thought, vast waterscapes, sense of echoing space, and the removal of the distracting elements, characterize his work.


He does not try to tell stories, but to convey emotions. For him the point of art has never been to make a truthful copy of reality, but to create art that could help the viewer to escape the surface of reality we everyday live in and discover emotions and feelings. He sees the use of black and white as a step away from reality, and with the use of the long exposure technique, introduces the sense of passing time, eliminating the details from the background, thus highlighting his subjects.

 Minimalism, both as an art movement and a philosophy of life, has influenced his work. The influence from minimalist photographers, such as Michael Kenna can be clearly seen in his seascapes. On the other hand, the street photography of Harry Callahan and Giacomo Bruneli, with the extensive use of dark tones, highlighting the melancholic mood of their work, has clearly left an imprint on his urban imagery.

 Currently, he has been involved as an educator, teaching the techniques of long exposure, landscape photography to photographers from all over the world. He is organizing workshops in some of the most interesting locations around Greece and has published the tutorial “The Essential Guide to Fine Art Photography”. Educational articles have been published on LEMAG Magazine, Dejavu Magazine, Minimalism Magazine, etc.

George has won many awards, but the most important moment in his career was his distinction in the Px3 Paris competition, back in 2014. This award helped him realize that his work has the quality and uniqueness to stand in the international photography scene.

 

He had five solo exhibitions in Ioannina 2015, Athens 2018, Thessaloniki 2018, Athens 2022, and Sofia (Bulgaria) 2022, and has participated in more than fifty group exhibitions around the world. His work has been recognized in Greece, winning the prestigious "Hermes" Award of the Hellenic Photographic Society and in many international competitions, such as Px3, Sony World Photography Award, Siena Awards, TIFA Foto Awards, APOY, Minimalist Photography Awards, FAPA, SITTP, ND Awards, BnW Photo Awards. He has been published in various magazines and sites, including LensWork magazine, Zoom Magazine, LEMAG magazine, FEM, 1x.com, Digital Camera, Shot Magazine, Blur Magazine, Dodho Magazine, Yatzer, My Modern Met, B&W Minimalism Magazine, Schwarzweiss Magazine. His site has been Listed on the "Top 25 Black and White Photography Blogs & Websites for Black & White Lovers" by Feedspot.

In 2020 George was one of the 6 photographers included in the documentary series “Hunters of Eternity” for the Greek television, while in 2021 he has been awarded the title “Photographer of the Year” at Visions International Photo Awards, Toulouse, France.

 

www.digalakisphotography.com

(Text and photographs courtesy: George Digalakis)


--Dr. Pankaj Sharma


 

 

Monday, September 18, 2023

-Tribute- Amit Sah, An Eminent Lensman Passes Away

-Tribute-
Amit Sah, An Eminent Lensman Passes Away

Promising photographer Amit Sah is no more. He left to the heavenly abode today morning (18.09.2023). His demise is a great loss to the world of photography. He will always be remembered due to his beautiful pictures of Uttarakhand.

Born in Nainital (India), Amit Sah was a dedicated photographer. Since he grew up in a town which was surrounded by magnificent nature, he had an inborn desire to capture the scenic beauty of his native place. He initially used to click with his mobile phone camera. This was July, 2013 when one of his pictures was published in a reputed News Paper. Amit got a big appreciation from photographers’ fraternity for this picture. Hereafter he started photography seriously. Very soon he participated in a photography contest and he received first prize from the Finance Minister of Uttarakhand State. This added wings to Amit’s passion.

Amit had got many awards in photography competitions. Around 200 pictures clicked by him got place in esteemed publications. One of his pictures was printed on a poster of United Nations on the occasion of International Mountain Day. His pictures portray the beauty of nature so truthfully that the viewers get spellbound. Amit believed, “This is our vision which results into good pictures, and everybody possesses his/her own vision”

 Amit was fond of trekking and biking. He had visited many beautiful places of India. He was a good actor as well and had acted in two shot films.

 --Dr. Pankaj Sharma


Monday, January 30, 2023

-Great Masters- In Pursuit of Excellence: H. Satish

 -Great Masters-
In Pursuit of Excellence
H. Satish. D.cine

(MFIAP, MICS, ARPS, PPSA, cMoL, GPA.PESGSPC,
Hon.FICS, Hon.CPE, Hon. PESGSPC, Hon.YPS, Hon. ECPA, Hon.FLAS, Hon.FWPAI, 
Hon.FSAP, Hon.PSP, Patron LMG. Hon.GMTPAS, Hon.ADCC , Hon.EUSPA, Hon.FTPAS)

The art of playing with light and presenting things ordinary in extraordinary perspective, the portrayal of nature in its finest detail, and to capture the various human emotions in all its glory is what distinguishes Satish, the urge to play is but natural to any child, but to play with light and bring forth beautiful images at the age of 12 is sheer prodigy. It is this gift of nature that made Satish, to take up cinematography in his academic stint. It was during his graduation that he started to capture nature in all its Glory and with time he was appreciated for his photo works with awards in both nature and pictorial genre of photography contests the world over. Satish has been honored with International Photography Distinctions, from America, Luxembourg, London, etc.


It must be noted that he is the first Indian to be honored with EFIAP and MFIAP (Master of Photography) in Nature color prints. And Youngest Indian to get MFIAP.

He is the first Indian to get Two Masters from world bodies of photography in Nature photography. He has been invited as a judge in many a National and International photography salon. He was one of the Jury Members in national level photography competition organized by Photo Division I & B ministry, New Delhi.  

Many of his pictures have been published in international magazines, catalogs, newspapers, brochures, and books. His pictures have graced all the guidebooks brought out by “Outlook traveler” and “Today- Travel Plus “Magazine.  WWF, BEML, BHEL, MICO, MCF, Canara Bank and many more Calendar spreads.

Satish conducts Nature and Wildlife Photography Workshops for the enthusiasts. He has so far organized 14 workshops in wildlife in the jungles of Bandhavgarh, Kanha, Sattal, Munsiary, Bandipur, Kaziranga and Ranathambore National parks.

Andhra Pradesh Photography Academy has published a book on The Wildlife Photographic journey of Satish. He had lot of interest in Photography since his young age, and this made him to take up Cinematography, and he passed out with a distinction of 3rd Rank.


He is a prolific exhibitor in many National and International Salons, thereby, winning many Top awards, and thus became India’s most famous ‘Wildlife Photographer’. Till date, he has won 978 National and International awards.

During the last Pandemic,2020-2021, in one year, he delivered 23 talks across India, on various topics, and showed his award-winning images, which has become a rage now. He guides Youngsters and share his knowledge on Photography, without any secrecy, is what people like most about Satish.

Currently he is the President of Youth Photographic society of Bangalore. The Karnataka Lalith kala academy has awarded him the title - “state artist” award also. 

 (Text and Photographs Courtesy: H. Satish)

 --Dr. Pankaj Sharma

Monday, January 23, 2023

-Great Masters- In Love with Mountains : Ashok Dilwali, FRPS

 -Great Masters-
In Love with Mountains
Ashok Dilwali, FRPS

Ashok Dilwali, aged 78 years is a Professional Photographer since 1971. He has been immersed in photography since his childhood, since his father late Mr. B K Dilwali owned two premier photographic studios in New Delhi i.e., Kinsey Bros., (established in 1905) and Shimla Studio (estab1ished 1931). After schooling from Modern School, he graduated in Commerce from Shri Ram College of Commerce and then went to join A F Ferguson & Co to qualify as a Chartered Accountant. 

He entered the profession in 1971 and modernized his studio specializing in Studio Portraiture, Outdoor Assignments, Color Laboratory and allied fields of photography like printing and processing. He then developed his hobby of trekking in the Himalayas which has made him a household name for his expertise on landscapes of the Himalayas. 

He has produced thirty-eight books so far and work is in progress on two new publications. In all these years he has contributed to several newspapers, magazines and journals, both articles as well as photographs. His forte remains landscapes. He is a member of India International Centre, India Habitat Centre, Indian Mountaineering Foundation. He is a member of Royal Photographic Society of UK, and is a Fellow of this Society as well. 


He has also been exhibiting his work at various avenues and has guided many young aspirants and initiated them in this field of landscape work. National Book Trust requested him to write a book for school and college students to acquaint them with basics of photography. The book has met with much acclaim and is titled "All About Photography". He owns a large variety of camera equipment and is now using digital cameras of both Nikon and Canon brands. Today he is very active and is a guide to many who wish to learn the craft and art of his field and shoots for the pure pleasure of photography. His crowning glory was receipt of “Lifetime Achievement Award” by the Govt. of India in 2019. In 2022, he received the Life Award from IIID (Institute of Indian Interior Designers)

(Photographs and Text Courtesy: Mr. Ashok Dilwali)

--Dr. Pankaj Sharma


Tuesday, September 6, 2022

-Profile- A Photographer with Multi-Profile: Archana Deshpande Joshi

 -Profile-
A Multifaceted Photographer
Archana Deshpande Joshi

Archana Deshpande Joshi was 38 when she got her DSLR camera. She says, she wanted one at the age of 18 but her father couldn't buy it then. All these years, while clicking her art work for various publication and NGOs, she used DSLR owned by husband. She also did self-study on rolling, clicking and developing negative photos. Earlier, when she was spreading her art work on FB, she came in touch with Mr Vinayak Puranik who had history of Digital Photography. He had an idea of publishing a book on photography since 1975. Looking at the pics of "Chhandmitra" book, Vinayak offered book writing on photography to Archana. She was interested but was not ready. She took course in Digital Photography, learned the art and then gave it shot on writing. Till date she has written 3 books on Photography. Names ARTOGRAPHY, PHOTOMANTRA & CLICKTRICK in Marathi. All books were her weekly columns in Lokmat Thane; they later got published as books by Diamond books, Pune. With APAC they train artists, assist them, give them platform, and conduct International level Photography and art contests.

Message to Readers: "Don't think anything as small. People told her early in her career that Art would not bring her identity and money. But she proved them wrong. All should encourage the artist within and outside and give them their due respect. You may not know, that artist and his form of art will touch sky one day."


She has to her credit a number of reputed of Awards, Recognitions, Mentions at national and international levels.  Her talent has been recognized by many prominent TV channels (Zee, Mimarathi, Sam Marathi etc.), News papers (Loksatta, Lokmat, Lokprabha, Gruhashobhika, Punyanagari and Saamna, to name a few) and by various renowned national brands. She has been invited to judge many  interschool contests of drawing, painting, art & craft in Mumbai.


She completed her basic academic education from Mumbai, later earned a Diploma in Commercial arts from the reputed Nirmala Niketan College of applied arts in 1994. She has served in the field of art & craft too. Her first activity book "Chhandmitra” was selected for Sarv Shikshan Abhiyan for Maharashtra municipal corporation school syllabus for year 2018-19.  More than 30,000 copies of this book were printed and distributed to local schools of Maharashtra.

(Photographs and Text Courtesy: Archana Deshpande Joshi)

--Dr. Pankaj Sharma

Tuesday, June 14, 2022

-Profile- Master of Vision : Chandan D. Naik Gaonkar, LIIPC

Profile : "Master of  Vision"

Chandan D. Naik Gaonkar, LIIPC


Chandan D. Naik Gaonkar is an outstanding photographer from Panaji, Goa (India). He has expertise in visualising the surroundings around him in his own artistic way. He portrays the ordinary subjects in such an exclusive way that a viewer’s eyes stop at his images spontaneously. The main characteristic of his works is his unique vision which is evident at first sight. The words of O. G. Rejlander seem true after going through the creative pictures of Chandan, “It is the mind of the artist, and not the nature of his materials, which makes his production a work of art." This is worth mentioning that Chandan has clicked his pictures with Asus Zenfone 3 and Poco X3 mobile phone cameras, and has edited them on Snapseed app. He is a source of inspiration for those who lack expensive equipment and have profound desire to do a lot in the field of creativity.

 --Dr. Pankaj Sharma