Imagining a world without any images

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Imagining a world without any images is impossible. Imagining a world without insects is possible, maybe for most of the entomophobs, but it is not for the macro photographers. The world has many wonders hidden in its lap and it is the artists who bring them forward to the outer world. Macro photographers are such artists who explore such unexplored territories of nature. As Murakami talks about the trees, a macro photographer feels that the stars are the small living creatures of the nature, they are alive, breathing and watching the humans. However, it is the macro photographers who reciprocate to those ‘non existing’ beings with equal importance as a fashion photographer does with his model. The backdrop also becomes significant backdrop to capture the right beauty of the subjects. It is not just a green curtain that serves as the backdrop, for any outdoor photographer the nature matters a lot. The photography treats thee nature like its canvas and the strange creatures as their muse. The significant difference from other genres of photography is that here the manipulation with the subject is not desired. The subject acts, reacts in his own natural terms and the real challenge for the photographer is to capture a precious moment and giving it a value of its own.

Sydney has always been an exciting place for the photographers from around the world. The diverse landscape, rich wildlife, artistic architecture and vibrant streets, there is a lot to see, experience and capture in Sydney, said the talented photographer Shivam Sureka. He is a member of The Macquarie Photography Society (MPS) based in Sydney, Australia. Shivam specializes in macro photography. Not many of the readers can get excited with the idea of catching a bug or spider in the jungle and photograph it. However photographic artists like Shivam presents a different aesthetics of photography. The macro images of the jungle or from the domestic may evoke disgust in the superficial perspective but once the spectator sees the close image of the creature he will realize that superficially considered repulsive insect is strangely beautiful. The macro photography is that genre of photography that is capable of raising questions to the preconceived notion of beauty of the viewers. This is echoed in what Shivam states, that macro photography has opened up a new world for him. Capturing the motion of a moving insect is equal to capturing a moment beyond reality as the subtle movements cannot be seen in naked eyes.  

Exploring the wonders of nature through macro photography

Photography is about freezing a moment of reality through the plasticity of the technical medium but it is controlled by the imaginative human mind and experienced technical skills. As an experienced photographer Shivam explains that it is not easy to choose a specific genre of photography at the starting, the forte should be developed gradually through experimentations as he did during his initial phase of photography learning with portrait, landscape and other kinds of photography. When a photographer takes a slice of reality and takes it beyond the realistic implications, he becomes an artist but above that when he establishes his own style through it, he becomes a photo-auteur. Art does not always has to reflect the socio political situations directly all the time. There are certain eternal earthly aspects that has never-ending appeal and nature is one of them. The mysteries, the unexplored territories, the apparently invisible gems hold beauty that are yet to be explored and brought to the surface. The photographic societies with their talented and enthusiastic photographers are devoted in the mission of exploring such areas of hidden beauty. Also often artists forget that the nature and world is not only about humans, there are other smaller creatures who the humans often tend to ignore. The ignorance results in the loss of certain beautiful moments that these macro photographers are determined to capture. As Shivam refers it to the other world. It is the big world of little creatures with their own unique activities. Presenting the diverse images of the different world with aesthetic excellence is drawing significant amount of attention from the industry experts.

Sydney is one the most preferred place for photographers as they get everything at a single place. The nature is attractive enough for the wild life photographers to spend hours or the rich cityscapes are powerful enough for their photographic canvas. The sea side landscapes and the beaches are captured often through their lenses. The daylight is really important for the photographers as it provides them with ample natural light and Sydney offers this benefit to its beauty-capturers. Sydney is a famous and active multicultural place that brings together photographers from around the world. Photography has become a popular media and there are also financial opportunities that can be utilized. Sydney also organizes multiple competitions and exhibitions that can help the future professionals to develop their career. The photography societies in Sydney are great place for any photographer to start his journey. The positive atmosphere in Sydney is extremely inspiring for the photographers to enhance their knowledge and skills.

Sydney: A preferred destination for photographers

The photography society went through a long journey before reaching to its current state. Macquarie Photography Society is photography society mainly run by the students of Macquarie University. The photography society aims to gather enthusiastic students from Macquarie University who are has passion for photography. The photography does not require only professionals and welcomes anyone with love for photography. This is the first photography society of Macquarie University. Photography societies for an amateur to start his or her journey. The fresh minds with the fling for photography are almost like the raw material for future artwork and few can turn out to be masterpieces.  The photography societies at like the mediator between their dream and the destination. The Macquarie University organizes effective workshops for the beginners and encourages the skilled one to participate in the competitions. The outdoor photography is organized as well that to help the photographers nourish their skills. The society encourages the photographers to learn new and different styles and techniques of photography. The photography society utilizes the social networking sites as effective platforms to connect to their members and keep them updated. The society has experienced ups and downs in recent past still it managed to gather 1,585 members. Shivam Sureka is an active member with practical experience in photography field. Shivam Does magic with his macro lenses when he captures the strange and incredible beauties of the little beings. The protagonists of the macro photography’s pictorial narrative could be arthropods, bugs, insects or worms.

However, the attraction towards the unconventional beauty generally comes naturally to the artists. The passion is spontaneous as Shivam felt at early age that for expressing his thoughts photographic medium is most suitable. The photograph demands costly macro lenses to perfectly capture the beauty and experimentation often prove to be expensive. The digital camera like the Fujifilm Superzoom model with its external flash section and macro lens made the moments more accessible to the photographers. The focus stacking is the next revolution that changed the scenario of the macro photography, there come the contribution of the photography societies. Without proper technical training the macro photography can prove to be difficult so the workshops, master classes, first hand experiences and knowledge sharing offer the photographers with deep insight that guide the photographers to the right direction. They photography societies also help the photographers with licensing which often becomes a hurdle for the outdoor photographers.

The Macquarie Photography Society: Encouraging new talent

Macro photography is also attractive to the photographers because it never lacks the subjects. The subjects are available everywhere especially in a place like Sydney where the geographical and environmental diversity work in favor of that. This compelling aspect of macro photography is truly appealing for the photo enthusiasts as they can find a luring exotic subject in his front yard garden.  Jacky Parker, Thomas Shahan and Nordin Seruyan are few of the world famous macro photographers.The photographers can take shelter in the wilderness or take a stroll on the Bondi beach and discover his muse for the day. Shivam explored the Bondi Beach and his few dedicated hours resulted in some breathtaking images of apparently insignificant creatures.

Photography requires technical skills but whether the technical skills should be acquired through institutional learning or self-study that needs discussion. Extended research is required before choosing the field of study as every field is different from the others. The primary difference is the learning based on film photography and digital photography. The photographic institutions provide opportunities to the students to meet likeminded people and share common feelings. The connections they build up during this period help them in their career in future. The film based fashion photography course are limited in Australia. The qualification helps the photographers to refine their skills and gain knowledge on supporting software like Photoshop that help them redefine their styles. At the same time the courses might not really help to build the perfect portfolio. A student photographer can create his or her portfolio independently away from the curriculum. The fashion photography does not offer much knowledge about the commercial aspects but learn more about the legalities and contracts. On the other side of the fashion photography there are photojournalism, travel and landscape photography. Though the qualification certificate will not be helping the photographers or the employers to select the candidate but the skills will definitely enhance the photographer’s capability. Photography can be a fulfilling career if the photographer can combine his artistic knowledge with technical skills, but the administrative knowledge like registering with states and setting up tax IDs are also required to develop the brand. If the photographer is passionate enough it is not impossible for him to establish a successful photography business. The authoritative power gives immense pleasure to the photographer and he can indulge more into the creative realm. The independent photographers get to visit places wherever they want. Going full time in the photography will help the photographer to not only develop as an artist or creative person but he or she will be developed as a human being. Finally, the photographer gets to do what he loves and the satisfaction is what any creative person lives for. The photographer must consider the ethics while photographing in the public places. In places like beach people’s privacy might get affected by the photographing. Now a day a lot issues are coming regarding the ethical issues of the photographer as certain images display that the subject’s permission might not have been taken during the process.

Photography has always been subject of interest to most people irrespective of their intellectual capability. It is undeniable that with the coming of digital media and the availability of camera in various ranges of personal devices from mobile phones to tabs have increased the tendency of photography of most people. Everyone has taken a photo or two in his life time. Now the question is whether those images became pieces of art or not.  The survey shows that most of the people knows about the photography through the images they see every day in various modes from newspaper to social media. The survey also highlights that most of the people keep a secret interest of photography, even if they are not being unable to pursue it professionally. However, a significant number of the respondents feel they lack the skills to become a professional photographer and might not choose a character of full time photography. As insignificant as the sand particles become so expensive in those digital images that the photographer took. The photo of an alive unknown bug on the sand of Bondi Beach taken by Shivam tells so many stories. The photographer should engage in art and commercial both aspects in order to sustain for a longer period. Traditional photography was losing its glory but genres like macro photography is bringing it back successfully with its aesthetical and technical strength. There are few macro photographers like Shivam who are engaged in an underexplored arena of photography that must be appreciated more. The contribution of the photography society in this mission is as indispensable as the small creatures to the nature.