Sunday, January 18, 2015

-Above Ordinary- The Insightful : Chandan D. N. Gaonkar

-Above Ordinary-
............................................................................................................
The Insightful
Chandan D. N. Gaonkar

Chandan D. N. Gaonkar of Panaji (Goa-India) is an insightful photo artist. He has expertise in visualising the surroundings around him in artistic way. He portrays the ordinary subjects in such an exclusive way that a viewer’s eyes stop at his images spontaneously.

His Perception: He thinks that the beauty lies in our eyes. This is important for an artist that how does he/she visualizes the world around him/her. He further adds, “The things in this word are same for all, but the persons with extraordinary vision prove themselves as artists.” He believes in originality of vision and so he always tries to depict the subjects in his own way.

A Hard Worker: Chandan remembers the day when he could not get admission in the course with specialisation in photography in Goa College of Arts in the year, 2002. This happened due to some unavoidable circumstances. After this incident he got disappointed. But soon he conquered his distress. He started reading photography books and magazines. A very close relative gifted him a camera. This boosted his courage. He started clicking the world around him. He did not bind him with any conservative style and clicked in whatever way he liked. Meanwhile he had opportunity to read the book of ace photographer Mr. O. P. Sharma. This book helped him satisfying his queries. He got fascinated by Mr. Sharma’s freshness of approach. Now Chandan never looked back and forwarded ahead on the path of creativity.

Achievements: He has to his credit a number of reputed awards. Few of his recent achievements are being mentioned here.
Horsebridge Arts & Community Centre of England exhibited his images in its reputed exhibition in 2014.
He got 2nd Award in All Goa Photography Contest in 2014. This contest was co-organised by Photo Journalists Association, Directorate of Information & Publicity and Goa Kala Academy.
His photographs have been part of Goa State Art Exhibition organised by Goa Kala Academy.
The India International Photographic Council, Delhi has honoured him with its prestigious Licentiateship.
Chandan is a promising lens man. He thinks, he has to contribute a lot to the world of creative photography.  

--Dr. Pankaj Sharma



Sunday, January 4, 2015

From the Archive......... -My View- Success into the field of Photography

From the Archive.........
-My View-
 Success into the field of Photography
Reaching excellence in different fields of creativity has always been a penchant of artists. But this is not a thing which can be gained by any short cut. After going through the life history of many distinguished photo artists we notice that they achieved heights in their fields by the dint of certain qualities and principles.

There should be a precise goal before us. We have to aim at a particular field of photography (like travel, photo journalism, fashion/advertising, industrial, wild life, under water etc.) according to our taste, caliber and convenience. Once a particular aim is fixed, our life becomes significant. Further, this aim is closely associated with hard work.  We can not imagine of success without this asset.  Hard work with single minded dedication brings success within our approach. Our past and present are full of many such examples where we witness the great photo artists gaining success through their hard work and dedication, and of course, with certain goals in their mind.

Since nothing is above well-built vision, we should always try to develop our  visualization. This is possible through constant observation of different subjects with our own point of view and regular practice. In addition we have to avoid replicating the art works of other photo artists. Originality of work is always appreciated.

Many changes are taking place in photography-technology every day. Thus keeping our knowledge updated is a vital factor for achieving success in modern age.  Diverse means, like internet, latest books and magazines work as our true friends in order to renew our knowhow. The workshops conducted by the experts are also good source of knowledge.

Constant effort is another important factor to reach our target. We often don’t succeed in single attempt. This does not prove us incompetent at all.  Our failure at all times indicates towards our lacking.  Serious evaluation of our lacking and subsequently its proper rectification ensures our bright future.

Appropriate tools are essential to give shape to our vision and ideas. For this, we should firstly analyze our requirement and then acquire the accessories accordingly. Unnecessary collection of tools should be avoided. Additionally we should have proper understanding of the features of our equipment.
Our senior artists possess many experiences. Their guidance can be of great help at every step of our career. We should never fail to obtain it.

--Dr. Pankaj Sharma