REPRISE

By Kartikaya

Life, especially in times of transition or trouble, is often without respite. The senses suffer duress as the mind suffers an acute myopia. I went through such a period some time back and suffered the photographer’s version of a writer’s block.

I shot Bereft a couple of years back and since then incidents and accidents enabled my wading away from photography in rapids. Single pictures emerged as part of my Instagram feed and I moved to monochrome since it hid my inability. Props emerged in form of figurines and stories became force fit. Some got likes – akin to the temporary smile of someone who wins a smaller award than the one he covets.

I had some money to splurge. So I bought an instant camera and lots of film. Mindless shooting followed until one day I put about 8 pictures on the table top. And then I realized my reprise.

Photography pulled me out of a personal crisis eight years back and handed me an aspiration. A part of it realized itself when I shot Bereft. Now as I walk through another rough patch, these photographs come to tell me that my vision needs to evolve, my process needs to be stronger and my effort needs a push.

Reprise is my coming of age. Just as Bereft was my birth.