Unusual in the ordinary

His current exhibition Vertical Horizon on at the Time and Space is a series of black and white images that are compelling in their starkness lending themselves to multiple interpretations and flights of fancy. They include a picture of sugarcane flowers, their feathery heads lined up against a stark white background contrast with the towers of an unfinished building that look like the skeleton of a urban dinosaur, their ribs and spine boldly highlighted against the skyline.

Now based in Bangalore, Pallon is especially known for his work in architecture and fine art photography. “I had plans to become an architect although art and photography were my passion. My cousin introduced me to his photographer friends in America who suggested I visit the Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara.That was it, my defining moment when I realised what I wanted to do with the rest of my life,” he says.

Pallon sees the unusual in the ordinary and uses his skill to interpret and change everyday images into a work of art. Stephen Hawking and Carl Sagan move him and he sees a challenge in bringing out the inherent beauty in form and structure using techniques that are both novel and inspired. “The devil is in the details, the quality of paper and the printing as as important as the lines, textures and play of light. Having said that, I also believe that while technology is important so is the balance of composition and whether I’m photographing the tallest building in India or an exposed piece of scaffolding from the basement, there is a connection that comes alive in the camera itself and plays itself out in print,” he adds.

That's what turns Pallon’s picture of a row of bicycles lined up against a wall into a piece of abstract art or empty billboards outlined against a cloudless sky into a life-like painting. The exhibition is on till August 14 at the Time and Space, Lavelle Road.