A pretty picture

A photograph speaks a thousand words and each clip is interpreted differently by viewers. And as American essayist and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, ‘Every artist was first an amateur’, there are many bloggers in the City who have progressed to make their blogs more attractive by taking attractive photographs. Now, they run the whole show themselves and are also proving their talent in the field of photography.

Ashwini KN, the blogger of a lifestyle and fashion blog called ‘That Elegant Chic’, says, “I’ve been running my blog for some time now, but I never took the photography part of it very seriously. Only after a couple of months did I realise that it’s as important as the content — maybe even a little more. So I decided to either get someone professional to take my pictures or learn photography myself.” She shares that the reach of her website reach has widened because of this move and hopes to keep getting better at it as time goes. “I own a Canon 1200D, which is a fairly simple camera. I usually get someone to take pictures of me for the posts where I am the model, but otherwise, I take all the pictures myself. I’ve been getting great feedback ever since I made this move and have realised that pictures speak a thousand words,” she adds.

As a popular meme goes, ‘Everyone who owns a camera these days calls themselves a photographer, but only a few are actually good at the art’, there is more to photography than just clicking a button. One has to learn various techniques, composition, how to set the aperture, shutter speed and ISO, what exposure is, and also how to make the final result look great. It is then that bloggers can connect with readers, show them the adventure that they have been on, personal experiences, behind the scenes and of course, the bloggers’ love for photography.

Raksha, the blogger behind ‘Life Thoughts Camera’, says, “It’s not about which camera you own but how you take the picture. Anyone can take a picture, but to be able to tell a story with it is not that easy.” This lifestyle and fashion blogger is one of the top eight fashion bloggers in India according to ‘TopIndiaBlogs’, and the only one from Bengaluru on the list. Sharing her experience about taking pictures for her blog, she says, “Just like everyone else, I was just using a point and shoot camera. After a lot of trial and error, I got better at it and I am proud to see my blog the way it is today. With a little bit of investment, I purchased the Sony Nex 5R that I use for all my pictures now.”

In order to learn the art, many budding photographers take to the streets of the City to perfect the picture. Another fashion blogger (‘The Sonshu’), Sonaksha Iyengar, says, “I take my own pictures on my Canon 550D, using a heightened flat surface or a tripod.

Depending on the outfit that I want to sport, I head out to different parts of the City to see where the product would look the best. With a little bit of graphic designing added to it, my pictures have a touch of me in them that many of my readers appreciate.” She also shares how sometimes it is difficult to photograph herself as it’s not easy to go back and forth with the heavy clothes and accessories. “But working on my own gives me the freedom to take as much time as I want for the detailing. Working with someone is great because they give you that extra push, but it’s not necessary that your time can always match theirs. Being on my own gives me the chance to experiment and learn more in the process,” she adds.

Whether bloggers are learning the art of photography because they actually love it or because they want to increase their page visits, the readers are definitely impressed with the end result.

Sakshi Mukherjee, an avid reader, says, “I like reading blogs as they make it sound very personal. But I don’t think I would enjoy the blog so much if the blogger does not include great pictures to go with the post.”