AnuragBhateja.com Blog

Ethics in photography? Where is the line?

Written by Anurag Bhateja on March 21, 2009 – 9:10 pm -

I am fed up of the comments on my photographs or my fellow photographers’ photographs who have ever clicked a photograph of a poor and publish it on public domain. First of all I want to point out what I heard during a lecture of Mr.Raghu Rai. A person from public asked Raghu ji that isn’t this a bad side of photographer to click during riots or epidemic or earth quake etc. rather than help the victims? He answered that we are photographers and clicking photographs is our work. If there are people to help then we should concentrate on our work.

I want to know if I were a professional photographer and got an assignment to click some shots of poor people around my city, should I yell for ethics and sentiments? I don’t think so. I should do what I asked to. I do not understand why people do comment on other person’s work if they can not digest the work done on poor or people in pain?

As per my thoughts when you are clicking something you should keep your emotions in a suitcase, lock it and throw it in sea. There are so many fields in photography where you have to kill your emotions to complete the assignment. There are some lines though. Clicking a burning national flag, Holy books or figures, currency note or nude shot without his/her knowledge or some situations like this should not be clicked in any case.

Why a photograph clicked by some well known photograph is always a good photograph no matter it is of rich or poor but if same is clicked by a amateur it is against “ethics”?

If we are in this field just to click rich and happening places then we should open a studio and click “Marriage Photographs” and should be happy.

I know I am rude but this is a truth that to be a photographer you have to pinch your emotions a lot of time. So stop yelling for ethics and enjoy every mood. Remember we all feel proud on winning “OSCAR FOR SLUMDOG”!!

Tags: Anurag Bhateja, ethics, photographer, photography
Posted in Freak Is Updating | 3 Comments »

From Newstand to food plates — CFC Rocks!!

Written by Anurag Bhateja on March 12, 2009 – 5:31 pm -

Confused by the title? Hehe I was laughing for atleast 10 minutes after receiving the call!!! Actually what happened, few days back a Dainik Bhaskar (Hindi Daily) covered our photographers’ group CFC a.k.a. Chandigarh Flickr Club which can be seen here on Kaustabh’s Flickr Page. Till today, all was fine and I am still receiving calls and mails as people are interested in joining.

But amuzingly today, I recieved a call which was disconnected by the caller. Unintentionally, I called back but he didn’t answered so I sent a message asking who is he. In return I received his call. What he told me, I am writing word to word.

He: Aapne Dainik Bhaskar mein koi article diya tha? (Have you given article in newspaper?)
Me: Nahin unhone group cover kiya tha… (No. Newspaper covered the group)
He: Achcha.. (Ok)
Me: Hanji bataiye. (Yes, tell me)
He: Woh main khana khane aaya hua tha to jis akhbar mein yeh article aaya hua hai usmein dhabe wale ne roti lapet k de di. Abhi main pad hi rha tha ki aapka call aagaya. Main aapko pad k call karta hun. (Oh, I was having lunch and Dhaba people have given me the roti in the same paper in which your article was there. I will call you back after reading it.)

Shocked and amused by the way he came to know about the group, I am still laughing while writing this! Now I wonder what next will come!

Tags: Anurag Bhateja, CFC, Chandigarh Flickr Club, Dainik Bhaskar, Photographers, photography
Posted in Freak Is Updating | 4 Comments »

Wow I saw Abhinav Bindra Face To Face!

Written by Anurag Bhateja on August 17, 2008 – 11:46 pm -

Well Sunday starts with a hectic schedule as I have to reach Chandigarh Railway station on 7:00 AM as didi was going back to Delhi (She came to meet me for rakhi which was a BIG SURPRISE for me). Then I got scolded by Capt. Sir as I forgot to buy newspapers’ copies which was ordered by him yesterday night (BAD OF ME. I SHOULD REMEMBER IF I PROMISE). Anyways I bought them and read whole tremendously good article on him in Dainik Jaagran. Till now the day was ok and sort of normal but then the game begins… I got ready and went for the talk show for NDTV with my arena mates.

We reached Bindra Farm at around 2:05 PM. As the set was not ready we had to wait for a while and spent our time in a road side dhaba. After having fun in field and getting some good memorable photographs, we went inside Bindra farms where my 1st surprise came in front of me in form of Bhagwant Mann, a famous comedian. I got some of his shots and went inside.

Then horror came in form of heavy rainfall which made us feel that we will miss the opportunity. But after getting wet from every mm of the body, the rain stops and “Lord Sun” gave us his prestigious Darshan.

After whole bunch of bad experience the talk show started. It was like living on high sky watching Abhinav Bindra and Nagma (The anchor) in front of me. I really admire Abhinav for his deeds for Country and also Nagma as I like her a lot as an anchor. After that Nikhil came which was totally unexpected for me. I was one of some lucky people who got chance to have individual photographs with all three of them!!

Overall day was full of good and bad things but I really enjoyed the feel of having cameras around and people telling you what to do and watching them shout on each other for getting everything on track. Abhinav is no doubt totally down to earth guy and his parents deserve to be proud of him. Now following are the most memorable shots of mine for today.

Tags: Abhinav Bindra, Anurag Bhateja, Memories, Nagma, NDTV, Nikhil, Photographs, photography, Sunday, Talk Show
Posted in My Life My Thoughts | 6 Comments »