Gurinder Osan speaks to Tanvi Dhulia about taking life in its stride with an eagerness to learn, and maintaining harmony while pursuing both photojournalism and landscape photography.
Every once in a while, a concerned school teacher would ask before the class, “Gurinder, tumhara kya hoga?” (Gurinder, what will become of you?) Osan, who is now the Photo Editor at the Press Trust of India, would smile to himself, confident in the choices he would make. He had discovered his love for photography at a young age, and while his schoolmates prepared diligently for their board examinations, a young Gurinder Osan toiled in a dark room making prints for his friends with a homemade enlarger. “Obviously I got very bad marks,” he says with a chuckle, not a hint of regret on his face.
A Keen Learner
“In those days, since there was no internet, you were fending for yourself,” he reminisces about the early years of his photographic learning. “In a way, it’s good because people made their own discoveries and developed their own perceptions of the world.” Although situations were far more challenging at the time, Osan and his peers who shared the same interest would persevere and find a way.
He recounts how, while still learning to develop film, the local photographer helped out by providing him with small pudiyas of chemicals which could last him for week of printing. Since film was expensive, he would buy a hundred foot roll along with his friends, then proceed to sit in a dark room or duck beneath a cloth to re-spool it into cartridges, measuring them on the basis of guesswork and instinct. Such zealous efforts lead him to grow into a creature of technique.
Overcoming Hurdles
Osan’s frames are precise. His practiced eye has a knack for capturing moments that encompass the human experience. He cultivated his way of seeing by constantly studying from books, making endless pictures, and observing senior photographers in their element.
This story is from the April 2018 edition of Better Photography.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the April 2018 edition of Better Photography.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Nikon Unveils Its Compact Super Telephoto Lens
Nike ikon revealed a lens for the full frames line-up-the Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S. It is roughly 48% lighter and 16% shorter than its F-mount, weighing in at 2385g and measuring 5.6in x 15.2in.
OnePlus 10 Pro 5G A Versatile Performer
Will the OnePlus 10 Pro 5G surpass its predecessor, the 9 Pro 5G? Nilofer Khan finds out.
One Nation Indivisible
Dorothea Lange is best known for the work she carried out for the Farm Security Administration, the Migrant Mother being one of the most iconic portraits to have come out of the Great Depression in the 1930s.
Debdatta Chakraborty Wins Pink Lady Food Awards 2022
The Pink Lady Food Photographer Year recently concluded its eleventh edition of the contest.
Sony World Photography Awards Unveils its Winners
Sony World Photography Awards 2022 recently concluded its 16th edition. The grand title winner is Adam Ferguson from Australia for Migrantes, a series of black and white self-portraits of migrants in Mexico, taken as they waited to cross the border into the United States. He will be bestowed with a cash prize of USD 25,000 (approx. Rs. 19,13,082).
Photojournalist Dirck Halstead Passes Away
Colie elebrated American photojournalist pivotal moments in U.S history, passed away at the age of 85, on 25 March.
Photomontage Pioneer Jerry Uelsmann Passes Away
Jenaerry Uelsmann, a surrealist photographer and photomontage pioneer passed away on 4 April, at the age of 87.
Sony Launches its Lightest f/2.8 GM Lens
Sony announced the second generation of its popular zoom lens, the FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II.
Fujinon XF 23 f/1.4 R LM WR Exceeded 'Xpectations
With the Fujinon XF 23 f/1.4 RLM WR, Fujifilm has yet again set a new benchmark for optical perfromance.
Asus 8Z - A Pocketable Smartphone
The Asus 8z is the newest flagship phone from the company. Conchita Fernandes puts it to the test.