Everyone has a camera at hand these days, be it a point-and-shoot, an SLR or with the smart phone. “But people use barely 10 per cent features of the equipment. And that includes a large section of the professional photographers too,” says Sounak Banerjee, who has opened the Calcutta School of Contemporary Photography at City Centre this March.
“Technical knowhow is limited in India. The approach here is to get the job done without bothering much about the camera’s capabilities. But photographers in other countries know the ins and outs of the gadget. A camera is an expensive instrument which can yield more if handled efficiently,” he argues.
The school, which was inaugurated by actor and wildlife photography enthusiast Sabyasachi Chakraborty on March 19, therefore would stress on getting students acquainted with the camera.
Banerjee, who grew up in CD Block and now stays in Rosedale Apartment, New Town, is offering three courses — professional, standard and for young learners. The school is open every day and classes for a course are held once a week. Courses last for two and half months to three and half months.
While for the standard course, he plans to teach composition tricks, product photography and low light photography, he plans to take professionals on photo walks and make them participate in international tournaments as well.
Banerjee himself has won 145 awards from 40 countries in less than a year since he started sending entries to contests. “My guru Subhasish Banerjee of Light & Shadow used to ask me not to let pictures rot in the computer. Posting some shots on Facebook to get some ‘likes’ is not enough. I would encourage my students also to send pictures out in contests. Nothing gives more satisfaction than to get recognised by the fraternity,” says the 38-year-old.
A computer engineer by profession for 14 years, Banerjee discovered himself as a photographer during his three-year stint in Zurich. “I had a lot of time in hand which I spent with photographers there. On my return to Calcutta, I did a one-year course which made me realise my true calling.”
His chamber is dotted with the medals, pins and certificates he has won. He points to the Federation Internationale de l’Art Photographique, Global Photographic Union, International Union Of Photographers and Image Colleague Society medals with a lot of pride. But what catches the eye more are the award-winning photographs themselves, mounted on the wall.
A book gifted to him by Raghu Rai, with whom he was chosen to go on a photography trip to Punjab, opened his eyes to the possibilities of mobile photography. This has made him include mobile photography as a component in his courses.
With the Boards exams over, he hopes to start his young learners’ course soon. “This is meant for 13 to 18-year-olds. I am also planning to hold a summer camp. This will be a short workshop aimed to make photography interesting to youngsters. I want to teach them the basics of product photography by which they can also shoot at home using available material like curtains and bedsheets to create the right light.”
