‘Drop Your Ego to Become Better Photographers’ October 15 ,2018
September Edition, In Conversation The name Vikramjit Kakati is not new in the world of photography in the Northeast. Even though he is an associate professor by profession, yet he is best known for his exploits in the world of photography. His works have been appreciated and loved not just in India, but abroad as well. In conversation with Partha Prawal, Kakati speaks in detail about his life and journey so far… Early Life Kakati’s tryst with the world of photography began at a tender age when his father gifted him an Agfa Click-III camera 1978 and the first photograph that the then 7-year-old young Kakati clicked was that of the gate of the Assam State Zoo-cum-Botanical Garden. “The next photo I clicked was that of the road that we come across after entering the zoo gate. And this gradually increased by interest in photography and I began looking at photography with a more artistic outlook,” recalled a nostalgic Kakati. The budding photographer in Kakati gathered wings once he joined Jorhat Engineering College. Here, his photography found a completely new dimension. “While at the engineering college, I used to take part various photography competitions and also won prizes on several occasions and this boosted my confidence immensely. During the same period, I came in touch with Prasad Chakraborty dada of Jorhat Agriculture College, who was an immensely talented photographer. He used to show me his photographs and give me tips as well. This helped me a lot. Moreover, during my hostel days, I also used to click photographs with the Russian DSLR that our professor Gautam Hazarika used to own. These activities made my interest grow further and gradually photography became an inseparable part of my life,” Kakati said. And when he was employed in the railways, Kakati’s passion for photography became an addiction and he began to click anything and everything that attracted his undivided attention. By then the world was shrinking digitally and Orkut has gained popularity. “I had an Olympus camera then and I began posting my photographs in Orkut. People began liking my photographs and somehow I began gaining popularity and this inspired me to click more and more,” recalls Kakati. A photo by Vikramjit KakatiA photo by Vikramjit Kakati Kakati gradually became interested in photojournalism and came in touch with Utpal Baruah of UB Photos, where he was able to harness his photographic skills further. “Under the guidance, I was able to develop my news photography skills, to which I was introduced by Manash Jyoti Dutta of Sibsagar with whom I came in contact while I was working in the railways,” recalls Kakakti, adding, “A news photographer or a photojournalist must have knowledge about every genre of photography. Photojournalism is immensely challenging.” Speaking about photo manipulation, Kakati says, “In the world of digitization today when photos are digitized, gradually photo manipulation has begun to gain momentum. But in photojournalism, photo manipulation is not acceptable. Even then, people wrongly manipulate photos and even get caught and once they get caught, their career as a photojournalist is ruined.” “HDR images are being constantly used by many magazines in India but as per rules such photographs should not be used in news photography,” he adds on. On Stock Photography An enthusiastic supporter of stock photography, Kakati says, “I support stock photography. Stock photography is such a thing, which brings money. I suggest photographers provide their photographs to stock photo agencies. If you search on Google for stock photography, you can search by Micro Stock Agencies. After you search for Micro-Stock Agencies, there you will get the name of some stock photo agencies, there you if you enter how to contribute photograph in micro-stock agencies, then you will get the details and they take various kinds of photos and in return they pay you.” Message for NET Readers Suggesting people to buy and read Northeast Today, Kakati says, “The habit of reading magazines has decreased nowadays as reading in mobile phones has increased. People should read Northeast Today so that Northeast can be promoted.” He further said that if any reader of Northeast Today needs any guidance regarding photography, then one may contact him on Facebook messenger and he is always available to answer any query. “Drop your ego to become better photographers,” Kakati advised the Northeast Today readers before winding up. https://www.northeasttoday.in/drop-your-ego-to-become-better-photographers/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ সমাজৰ কাৰণে ভাল কাম কৰাজনৰ পৰিচয় ৰাইজৰ আগত দাঙি ধৰিব লাগে আৰু ভাল খবৰবোৰ যিমান পাৰি ৰাইজৰ মাজত বিলাব লাগে। ---- বুলজিৎ বুঢ়াগোহাঁই _______________________________________________ Assam mailing list [email protected] http://lists.assamnet.org/listinfo.cgi/assam-assamnet.org
