Capturing unseen elements

Picture Perfect

The exhibition, which featured snapshots taken by expatriates based in Bangalore, tried to provide an insight into how people from outside perceive this country, and highlighted a few aspects that many Indians take for granted.

The best photos under several categories — such as ‘Places’, ‘Faces’, ‘Culture and Festivals’ and ‘Into India’ — were gifted with paid holidays, chocolates and gift coupons. The pictures were judged by Alex Schneider, and the Overseas’ Women’s Club president Beth Chapman.

The collection of photographs was  a sight to behold since they captured certain elements of India that fascinated people who are unfamiliar with this country. ‘Pongal Dancers’, a photograph taken by Victoria Wlaka, from Germany, was one such example.

The picture featured two girls dressed in brightly-coloured clothes, and adorned with plenty of jewelery and bindis. Another such photograph was taken by Antony Walker, and was titled ‘It may be raining, but I still need to deliver the milk’. It was a black-and-white portrayal of a milk man, carrying large cans of milk, and trying to cycle through a heavily flooded street.

Some of the photographs were fascinating simply because of the simplicity of the subjects they were portraying. ‘Independence Day’, a photograph taken by Lukas Graf, a German, is an example of this — it simply included three tri-coloured balloons that were used to adorn the Bangalore Club on August 15.

‘Colours for Festivals’, also by Lukas Graf, also falls into this category. The first prize for the ‘Places’ category went to Victoria Wlaka for her picture called ‘Boat on the Ganges’. The stunning visual portrayed two men rowing a boat, silhouetted against the sunset, with the water around them turning fiery gold because of the rays of the sun.

The first prize in the ‘Faces’ category also went to Victoria Wlaka, this time for her snapshot ‘Traditional Headgear’. The picture was a close-up of two men who were wearing woven straw hats adorned with large horns. The winner of the ‘Culture and Festivals’ category was Anita Mamidi, from Britain.

Her picture, titled ‘Jimmy Choos’, was a depiction of two old-fashioned wooden sandals on a set of steps, presumably leading to a temple. The ‘Into India’ category was won by a picture called ‘Elephant Eye’, taken by Brock Whittaker, an American. The picture was simply a close-up of an elephant’s gnarled skin and golden eye. The award ceremony was followed by a cultural programme organised by the Canadian School. They performed a flash dance, with racy steps.