Yashica Mat, f/5.6, 1/125, Fuji Neopan 100 ISO – 120mm film.

I shot this portrait during my visit to Goa in the November of 2009. At about 6 ‘o clock in the evening, he was on his way home after a hard day in the seas, fishing. He reminds me of a gentleman I’d shot in Maharashtra, half a decade ago. I see many similarities in indigenous people from the west coast of India.

Canon AE-1P, f/1.8, 1/60, Kodak T400CN – 35mm film.

Shot from the 6th floor of a residential building.

November in 2009 brought unseasonable thundershowers, pleasant weather and overcast but beautiful skies.

Canon AE-1P 50mm f/1.4 lens.

FIN

I’d posted it a few weeks ago. And only yesterday, I got a high-resolution scan done. Check out a couple of details:

All of the fables here. Limited edition archival prints available. If you’d like to purchase one, mention it in a comment and I’ll get back to you.

FIN

I bought a Yashica Mat TLR camera having a Yashinon 80mm viewing lens +Yashinon 80mm 3.5 taking lens last evening, the 30th of September, 2009.

I found a manual online.

I’d have blasted a dozen rolls by now except that 120mm film is completely out of stock. Rajubhai has assured me that he’ll get me some in a weeks time.

The Yashica Mat isn’t equipped with an in-built light meter. So it’ll take me a roll or two to get the hang of it. If the camera functions as it must, these could be exciting times ahead.

FIN

Some student volunteers take time off to shake a leg on stage in between events at St. Xavier’s auditorium during Malhar on the 30th of August, 2009.

In Bombay, the cinema, the mall etc. prohibit photography within the premises. Government buildings &the railway station, the post office etc. Inside buses &trains too.

&the rationale: political &commercial insecurities.

&at concerts too. Cameras are not allowed into gigs at MMRDA Grounds unlike Wembley &Madison Square Garden.

&the auditorium too. NCPA etc.

&the rationale: political &commercial insecurities.

I spent a Sunday at Malhar in the midst of some 2000 odd juveniles.

Every now &again Malhar volunteers sporting Malhar Tees &chuddies expressed concern:

Are you press?
You are not allowed to make pictures from here.
Only the PRESS is allowed to photograph this event.
No taking photos from the audience area.

Such restrictions coming from the organisers of a popular youth festival are disturbing.

In 1964, Mario Savio &his contemporaries led fellow students at the University of California against universities in America, demanding their right to free speech on campus &this free speech movement is the most significant &successful youth protest in all of history.

&fables about student organisers imposing such restrictions at cultural festivals in as far ahead as 2009 must make poor old Mario roll in his grave.

It is the age of Social media. Of blogs &facebook. Access to photo equipment is less of a hassle. &photography is my right. &yours too.

Cultural youth festivals &the government must encourage the Social media.

Political &commercial insecurities have ruined Bombay’s ancient &contemporary cultural heritage.

&blog posts tagged bombay &mumbai have been on the decline.

&just the odd post about Malhar in 2009.

FIN

A bunch of juveniles engage in outdoor sports whilst high tide during the monsoons at Juhu Beach in Bombay. 2009 brought the tallest tides in over one hundred years.

In this day and age, I can recommend only the one professional film lab that processes black and white film in Bombay – Studio Mull Herr. It wasn’t the case five years ago. I had options. 4 or 5 of them. I’d use Mazda most oft.

Contact prints are expensive &indecisive. I prefer low resolution scans instead. I can then check focus, composition etc. &get the better frames scanned at a high resolution thereafter.

Studio Mull Herr’s best deal is Rs. 400 for 36 exposures at a resolution of 4 x 6 inches at 300 dpi. Instead, I get this preliminary scan done from Mazda. Mazda charge Rs. 100 for the 36 exposures at 72 dpi.

I’d shot some film a month and a half ago &haven’t had the time to go to back to Mull Herr to do the high-resolution scans.

FIN

Ganesa is coming to town.

Pre digital photography times, the one-room-kitchen apartment at Prabhadevi served as shop. Or should I say, darkroom and waiting area. Prabhadevi isn’t the cheapest neighborhood in Bombay. But Paritosh and his brother could afford the rent. Just about. Give thanks to the Rent-Control Act.

Everybody loves Paritosh. And his brother.

Digital cameras. Hmpf. A set back for Paritosh. And his brother. Paritosh and his brother have but this one skill. Black and White film. Processing and prints. Good job. Comparable to the best photo labs in the city.

No capital to invest in a digital lab. Digital media. Hmpf. A set back for Paritosh. And his brother. Profits declined. Customers too.

Paritosh and his brother moved shop. Into a ‘Pigeon-hole’ like block, at a slum, in Mahim. Everybody loves Paritosh. And his brother.

But numbers trickled down further.

I remember patronising them, at the slum, in Mahim in 2005. Paritosh and his brother were desperate.

Paritosh and his brother have but this one skill. No capital to invest in a digital lab. Digital media. Hmpf. A set back for Paritosh. And his brother. Losses in business. No customers.

Almost every lab discontinued Black and White film services at the end of 2006.

Digital cameras in all shapes and sizes. And cheap.

Paritosh and his brother shut shop. For good.

But God is Great.

Paritosh got an offer. He accepted. With both hands. Paritosh is these days, a salaried employee at a popular conventional & digital imaging centre in Prabhadevi, close to his shop of old. Paritosh does black and white.

His brother got an offer. He accepted. With both hands. He is these days, a salaried employee at a popular conventional & digital imaging centre, at Opera House.

I met Paritosh this afternoon. At the conventional & digital imaging centre, at Prabhadevi, close to his shop of old. I had five rolls of black and white film to be processed.

“Hello! How are you! Do you still do black and white? Or no?”

“Yes, Paritosh, these are some black and white rolls that I have brought to you.”

FIN

These were to be the tallest waves in over one hundred years.

“..stay indoors if you can. Stay back at the office, should things get out of control. Avoid outings during the 23rd, 24th and 25th, of July, 2009.”

“WOW! High tides! Waves! Let’s go!”

Crowds of people assembled, in anticipation, along Marine Drive. Numbers grew. Bombayites, old &young, fat &thin, healthy &unhealthy and uncle &aunty. Some 5,000 of them.

Close to 13:00 hours, the tides got taller and stronger. Strong winds blowing.

“Do not stand along the edges. Step down. Down, sir, not along the edge.. Yes, you.. you too.. and you.. don’t you understand Marathi?”, pleaded the cops via public announcement arrangements from their Toyota Qualis. Nobody bothered. Hooligans. Someone is going to die.

Soon, these waves – strong and over ten meters tall hit the coast hard and some distance into shore! Bombayites, old &young, fat &thin, healthy &unhealthy and uncle &aunty availed of the free entertainment that the polluted seas had to offer. Some 5,000 of them.

“HA HA HA HA HA HA AAAAAAAAAA HA HA HA”

Big smiles. It was an awesome feeling. Crowds of Bombayites along the western waterfront, drenched and smiling and having a great time. Some 5,000 of them.

It takes a tragedy to bring the people of this city together. This was different. Joyous festivities not affiliated to history or religion.

Also see the high-resolution scan.

FIN