Teeming with myriad faces and figures, the very picture of Chalai market warming up for a day’s business should be any photographer’s goldmine. This every-day slices of life at the bustling trade centre is exactly what a bunch of shutterbugs are gearing up to capture as part of the Trivandrum chapter of Scott Kelby’s worldwide photowalk on Saturday.
Organised by CET Shutterbugs, a photography club of College of Engineering, the photowalk marks the second edition of the Trivandrum chapter of the worldwide event held on the first Saturday of October each year. “In Chalai market, one can see a lot faces at the same time. The images are not static. There’s infinite variety in the subjects naturally available from a lensman’s perspective. Moreover, the busy place offers a fitting street vibe for such a photowalk,” says Mohammed Rizwan, Chairman of CET Shutterbugs, about the choice of place.
To capture the best of frames in the best natural light, the event, slated to start around 7 am, aims to harness the “golden hours” for the photography session. Participants would meet at an entrance to the Chalai market near Sree Padmanabha movie theatre, before fanning out to separate locations within the market zone after a brief introductory session. “With the market as the common location, the idea is to let each shutterbug find his/her own spaces and frames with freedom. This way, the focus remains on the individual perspective,” adds Mohammed, a Civil Engineering student, who uses a Canon 700D. After a two-hour stroll, the participants would gather at Methan Mani to share “their stories through the frames.”
Open for all, the photowalk is not just for those with “professional” cameras. “It doesn’t matter whether you possess a DSLR or a point and shoot or just a mobile phone camera. It’s not the tool but the craft that’s in focus,” says Reshmi A.C, a Civil Engineering student and a member of CET Shutterbugs. Though “officially” limited to 50 registered persons, Reshmi says participation is not restricted, keeping in mind the growing community of aspiring photographers in the city. However, eligibility for certain category prizes organised by Scott Kelby’s official website would be restricted to only registered participants.
Last year’s photowalk explored life and architecture at Brahmin agraharams in and around East Fort. Rohit Punnen, a CET Shutterbug member who led the event, cherishes vivid memories about the session that witnessed a good turnout. “Looking for photogenic slices of life in the heritage neighbourhood, we felt a sense of the serenity about the place that we had failed to notice before. It offered a great opportunity for some true-to-life portraits. But the highlight probably were the intricate artworks of kolam (rice powder drawing) that were a photographer’s delight,” recounts Rohit, a student of mechanical engineering.
For Rahul Rakhav, a professional photographer and a CET alumnus from Kozhikode who has been a part of the photography club since 2011, it’s the exchange of ideas too facilitated by such an event that attracts him the most. Rahul, who participated in last year’s photowalk, is eagerly looking forward to Saturday. “I have been to Chalai market many times during my college days in the capital city but never before could I observe the place with the eyes of photographer. So it’ll something different this time and that’s the excitement!” he says.
Now, whip out your cameras, it’s time to click away.
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The big picture
American photographer and author Scott Kelby started the worldwide photowalk event in 2008 to bring together a community of photographers. Today, it’s organised in over 1,300 cities around the world on the first Saturday of October each year