Picture Perfect

Qn. 1 How does a photograph "elevate the ordinary to the extraordinary"? Relate this to your current task of communication.

The world is beautiful. And most of the time, we forget that. Our thoughts are so transfixed to the beauty defined by social culture that we pay no attention to nature and it's wonders. That's what we hoped to capture in our current task.

There are times when we think an ordinary event or a specific 'moment' in our life is extraordinary. Instead of seeing and remembering these special moments, imagine how powerful these moments could impact others if they could be 'frozen' in time and shared to those who have unfortunately missed it?

If we were to start breaking down the definitions of what 'ordinary' and 'extraordinary' could mean, we'd get dozens of responses. Simplicity, uniqueness or something spectacular could either be ordinary or extraordinary in different perspectives; one person's perspective differs from the other another.

We have chosen 'clouds' as our subject, predominantly for its two-faced personality. On a good day, the fluffy white clouds invoke a feeling of innocence, something we take for granted growing up. But when a storm hits up, we run from it, cowering under its might, fearful of the destruction it might cause. But above all, clouds are open to interpretation. Check out our collection in the sidebar.

To some people, these clouds could well be non-existent but to others, they could be something as important as the whole composition. It's perspective.

"You don’t really understand human nature unless you know why a child on a merry-go-round will wave at his parents every time around — and why his parents will always wave back." (Journalist William D. Tammeus)

The key is passion, how passionate do we see life as it is? How passionate could we be to see every moments as our life goes by? If we have the passion in everything that we do, we could turn it into an inspiration. We could turn something unimaginable to something mind-blowing.

Through eyes of the lens, we are capable of seeing beyond those fluffy white clouds.


Qn. 2 How is the photograph part of our (or your) vernacular? Examples?

In-built cameras are available on our electronic devices - mostly the vital ones, such as phones, iPads, etc. We are no longer constrained to carrying bulky cameras around our necks though tourists have a fascination with that fashion statement. Anyone can take pictures. Even the most un-technologically savvy person is capable of managing the fundamental aspects of photo-taking. In a way, it's all been prepared. It's been made easy - enough that we've made it a part of our vernacular.

Social sites such as tumblr, instagrm, flickr, photobucket, picasa and many others, focuses on sharing images, or video content across their platforms. Because of the ease in access to a camera, even the ones with built-in applications for filtering and colour grading, EVERYBODY IS DOING IT.

It's basically a hipster's nightmare. No longer are we expected to be professional photographers and take mind-blowing, never-before-seen angle shots or elements that push the boundaries of art and science. With a snap, I can take a picture of the ant that's been harassing me for the past half hour. No fumbling with lenses or focus, just SNAP.

Photography has become an extension of our lives, and in a way, an extension of us, to help us see what we don't normally take notice and to keep physical copies of our memories before they fade away.


"Which of my photographs is my favorite? The one I’m going to take tomorrow."
– Imogen Cunningham