Photography is undoubtedly one of the fastest growing art forms of the century, and never in the history of man has a newly invented art shown such tremendous evolution in its expression and in the application of new techniques. It is a fields that has witnessed some exciting developments, new innovations and at the same time- kept its artistic roots intact.

In fact, Photography is one of those creative intersection where art meets science and reasoning – two contrasting life dimensions. A photographer needs to think technically along with balancing it aesthetics that go beyond the rationale. No matter how many technological developments happen in gadgetry, lighting techniques and the types of material used to capture images, the aesthetic value of capturing an image has been evolving to greater and greater heights.

India, in particular, has witnessed interesting and significant breakthroughs with the advent of British rule, the rule of princely states and various other cultural amalgamations. These cultural diversities brought not just a technological difference but also a great aesthetic impact to the way pictures were captured.

Let us journey through this wonderful art form which brings us both pride and great anticipation for a brighter future.

It all dates back to “Camera obscura” that marked the very beginning of photography in India. It was a box of variable size with a lens which produced an image of what appeared in front of it on an inclined mirror which in turn reflected it on to thin paper placed on the base or glass top of the box. The outlines of the image could be traced on the paper and used as the basis for a more finished drawing. The topographical artists, Thomas and William Danieli, working in India in the late 18th Century could not have achieved their high output without its aid. The camera obscura was also used by W H Fox Talbot, who experimented with light-sensitive paper in the 1830s in an attempt to preserve its fugitive image.

Fox Talbot’s insistence on the observance of his patent rights to the calotype process and the punitive fees he charged for its commercial use effectively delayed the expansion of photography in this country. Travel photography was especially popular and Francis Frith with his views of Egypt and the Holy Land was its most successful exponent. The public demand for photographs of exotic places and people prompted the Reverend Joseph Mullins to expatiate on the charms of India. “India presents to us perhaps as fine a field as any single country in the world. It contains . . . all the varieties of Oriental Life, of Oriental Scenery, Oriental Nations and Oriental Manners, and it is open to us to explore these peculiarities to the last degree while enjoying a perfectly European security. There was a deep and growing interest felt in Europe in ‘everything Indian.”

With the spread of photography on the Indian subcontinent, it was obvious that enthusiasts would get together to discuss and display photographs. The first such group was the Bombay Photographic Society, established in October 1854 with the Governor, Lord Elphinstone, as patron. With commendable speed, the first issue of its Journal appeared the following year. A meeting at the Town Hall in Calcutta on 2nd January 1856 resolved to form the Photographic Society of Bengal and, emulating Bombay, it also produced a Journal. Lady Canning, who was its patroness, performed a similar function for the Photographic Society of Madras, also established in 1856. The membership of the Photographic Society of Bengal, which numbered 88, including four women, in 1857, had reached nearly 250 by 1863. This momentum in membership was not maintained and the Photographic News for 13th October 1876 announced that unless members and income increased the Society would have to be dissolved.

Courses in Photography were also available at some technical colleges and by the mid-1850s there were Indians sufficiently skilled to set themselves up in business in Calcutta and Bombay.

Readers of the British Journal of Photography were assured that ‘the wealthier native inhabitants have taken to the study of photography. But their enthusiastic acceptance of photography did not impress the art critic, T N Mukharji, who maintained that Indians ‘do not bestow on their work the necessary amount of patience and care. The best photographs turned out by a native of India are the Indian views executed by Lala Din Dayal of Indore.

Lala Deen Dayal, an employee of the Department of Works, became seriously interested in photography when he was about thirty. In 1865 he was made court photographer to the Nizam of Hyderabad and before the century was out he had his own studios in Bombay, Indore and Secunderabad. His zenana studio in Hyderabad was in the charge of Mrs Kenny-Levick, the wife of the editor of the Deccan Times. Here Indian women in purdah could be photographed protected ‘from the gaze of the profane and the stern’. Deen Dayal recorded with a shrewd but sympathetic eye the feudal splendour of princely India.

RAJA DEEN DAYAL

Raja Deen Dayal, one of India’s most celebrated 19th-century photographers, was an appointed court photographer to the sixth Nizam of Hyderabad who allowed him unique access to the inner circles of aristocratic life.

When a book titled Views of H H Nizam’s Dominion: Hyderabad Deccan was published in 1888 in London, a copy was presented to Queen Victoria. Lord Dufferin, Viceroy to India, saw his photographs and decided to appoint Deen Dayal as his official photographer. This exposure led Deen Dayal to become the official photographer of successive Viceroys after Lord Dufferin as well. In 1887, Deen Dayal received a royal warrant of appointment as the photographer to Queen Victoria. In 1900 when she passed away, her son King Edward VII renewed it.

After having received much recognition, Deen Dayal decided to cover other parts of India to complete his architecture photograph series. Hyderabad became his home base shortly after his first trip in 1887 till his death in 1905. He also set up studios in Indore, Secunderabad, and Bombay. During his 18 years stay in Hyderabad, Dayal and his staff creating over 30,000 images recording events, people, places and things related to Nizam’s Dominions.

In 1885, he was introduced to the Nizam of Hyderabad. Deen Dayal accompanied the Nizam to ceremonial parties, receptions and hunting expeditions where he photographed his palaces, rich carpets, marble statues amongst many other riches. In addition, Dayal photographed buildings and monuments of archaeological significance in the Nizam’s territories. He also documented events in the Nizam’s dominions, such as visits by viceroys and rulers of other countries.

He officially became the court photographer in 1894 and was given a salary of Rs 600. The sixth Nizam was so impressed by Deen Dayal that he was given the title of Raja Musavvir Jung Bahadur (Loosely translated as Bold Warrior of Photography); the title allowed him to keep a cavalry of 2,000, a procession of 1,000 horses and a personal pennant. However, Deen Dayal preferred to be called Raja Deen Dayal from that moment.

After he settled in Secunderabad, he set up a studio ‘Raja Deen Dayal & Sons.’At the time, Secunderabad was under British rule and so it functioned as a cantonment. The cosmopolitan city was home to both British and Indian. Deen Dayal’s studio employed around 50 people including two German oil painting artists. In 1892, he opened a zenana studio in Hyderabad. He also employed an Englishwoman, Mrs Kenny Levick as in charge of the ladies’ section of the studio given the prevalent purdah system at the time. She was the wife of The Times correspondent who was also the editor of the Deccan Times. This also allowed the studio to have more exposure. The zenana studio not only encouraged women’s employment but also allowed Indian women to be safely photographed.

Deen Dayal was a talented photographer who kept a varied record of Indian life and moved with ease between the two worlds. He was very skilled with the use of light and the angle of vision at a time when Indian photography was still in its infancy. Both princely India and the British elite, civil and military, gave him work. His positive relationships brought him many patrons who even had their families photographed.

ZENANA STUDIO FOR THE NIZAM

Travelling back in time, down the lanes of the history of photography and turning the spotlight on the lives and times of a people of a bygone era is a voyage of discovery that evokes a sense of wonder and amazement. The year 1840 saw the entry of the camera into India for the first time, in the city of Calcutta. One of the first to set up a photo studio in Calcutta in 1864 was Samuel Bourne, a British photographer. Indian photographers rose to the challenge and very soon Lala Deen Dayal set up hisown studio in the 1870s. Bombay was not far behind. Hurrichand Chintamon, Narayan Daji and William Henderson opened studios and paved the way for commercial photography. These early studios had a secluded area exclusively for women clientele. In spite of this, women had their own inhibitions of being photographed by a strange male. This was the catalyst for the entry of women photographers into the studio, to photograph other women. Deen Dayal was the first to set up a zenana studio for the Nizam of Hyderabad. Likewise,  Sarojini Gosh was the first Indian woman to set up a studio in Calcutta in 1899. In the late 1920s Annapurna Dutta became a household name in the Bengali middle class. However, the increasing social equality and freedom for women saw the gradual decline of the zenana studio. The elaborate studio backdrops reflected the aspirations of the middle class women, who wished to record their rise on the socio-economic ladder. Pastoral scenes, Indian monuments and ornate interiors became an integral part of the photograph. All of us, at one time or other, have seen photographs where rich carpets, curtains, vases and pillars are very much in evidence. These studios also saw the collaboration of painting and photography. The results were of a hybrid nature, interweaving both western and native ideas. The hand of the artist complemented the photographer’s eye.

During the days of the black and white and also sepia prints, studios hired artists to tint, paint and add jewellery to women’s photographs. This was a natural consequence of the widespread popularity of portrait painting by artists such as Raja Ravi Varma. Our ideas of Maharajas and Maharanis were shaped not just through those ornate, gilt-edged portrait paintings. With the advent of the camera, portrait photographs began to adorn palace walls and history books. These photographs are seen as socio-historical records of their time. Maharanis are seen in smart and comfortable riding clothes due to the influence of the British Raj. Photography records royals in western wear when in Europe, in their attempt to integrate into society. And a session in photography was reason enough to show off their exclusive jewellery – precious stones of India reset in the latest western techniques and designs.

A significant development in India from the late 19th century was the appointment of court photographers. These studios also went one step ahead and employed lady photographers to frame royal women in the confines of the royal household. Time brings change. And now, when a young woman steps into a studio for a passport-size photograph or photographs for matrimonial purposes, she is greeted by a paradigm shift in the studio settings. No more monuments and palaces as backdrops. No more theatrical costumes. Only advanced lighting and digital techniques to enhance the physical beauty of the subject. Photographs are a source of recorded history and reflect the lives and personalities of women and their increasing role in a growing nation.

During the last century, photographs of Kasturba Gandhi, Sarojini Naidu, Lakshmi Sehgal and a host of other women who were involved in the freedom movement continue to remind us of the courage, sacrifice and struggle of these remarkable women. Pictures of Mother Theresa’s life, a spiritual journey documented by both Indian and foreign photographers, have come to symbolise charity and adorn millions of homes the world over. Mrs. Indira Gandhi, one of the most powerful women of her time, was a photographer’s delight. Raghu Rai, whose camera had followed Mrs. Gandhi for nineteen years, saw the “transformation from a woman to a Prime Minister ….. Photographing her was like capturing the varied moods of a massive river.” Maharani Gayatri Devi – history books chronicle her as a politician who opposed Mrs. Indira Gandhi and as an activist whose work abolished the purdah system in Jaipur. But it is photography that records her as a fashion icon in her youth, celebrated for her classical beauty. Her photographs were included in Vogue magazine’s list of Ten Most Beautiful Women. India’s first woman photo-journalist, Homai Vyarawalla, was recognized for her outstanding work when she was awarded the Padma Vibhushan. Her work as a press photographer included photographing many political and national leaders in the pre-independence period. The high point was 1956 – she recorded for Life Magazine the arrival of the 14th Dalai Lama when he entered India for the first time through the Nathu La. Photographs of women in the 19th and 20th century India are a record for posterity of the social and cultural changes that were slowly sweeping across India, on an unprecedented scale. Photography reflected this transformation in attire, traditions and history of Indian women.

Photography brought women of accomplishment in various fields into the public eye, acknowledging their contributions to a nation on the path of innovation, discovery and growth.

NERUSHWALIA BHAGWANDAS

Nerushwalia Bhagwandas Hon, EFIAP, ESFIAP,  was  born on 29th March 1919, in Kasargode, put in 39 years of distinguished service – six years in the Air Force, 30 years in the Indian Administrative Service, with the Government of Andhra Pradesh including four years as Chief Secretary to the Government of A.P. and after retirement three years as Vigilance Commissioner.

Photography had been a very vital and integral part of his life. He was the Past President of the Federation of Indian Photography (FIP)- the National Body of Photographers. As the Founder President of A.P State Akademi of Photography, the first Academy to be established in India, he was also responsible for the formation of various Camera Clubs and Associations in Andhra Pradesh. By sheer proficiency of a rare order in photography he won the A.F.I.A.P(Artiste FIAP) in 1965. He was the first Indian on whom the International Body of Photographers conferred the honour of E.S.F.I.A.P.(Excellence Service Federation International De La Arts Photographique) in 1967; in recognition of his sustained and distinguished service in the development of the art and science of photography in India.  Again in 1970, he was conferred the coveted HON.EFIAP (Honoraria Federation Internationale De la Arts Photographique). In the International Club Bulletin Contest organised by the PSA (Photographic Society of America) the photographic magazine “the Lenslight”  edited by him won 11 top awards. He was an Organiser, Exhibitor and Judge for many National and International Salons in Andhra Pradesh. It was on his initiative and under his guidance that a two-year Diploma Course in Photography was introduced in the College of Fine Arts and Architecture, Hyderabad.

In view of the services rendered by N. Bhagwandas to the development of photography in India, the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad conferred on him the Degree of Doctor of Science in February 1976. Scouting was another field in which he distinguished himself. He served as Vice President of the Andhra Pradesh Bharath Scouts and Guides for over two decades. – He actively participated in theIndianRed Crossand served as the Vice President of the IRC.  A Keen enthusiast of Archaeology, he was appointed the Honorary Correspondent of the Madras Museum, by the erstwhile Government of Madras. He had to his credit the construction of two District Museums – on at Guntur and another at Anantpur in A.P. As an Administrator, as a Photographer and as a fine human being he lived his life with dignity, simplicity and grace.

Photography was officially accepted as an art form in February 1965, at the instance of Dr. N. Bhagwandas, IAS at the all India Cultural Ministers Conference held at Hyderabad, which was attended by Ministers for Cultural Affairs from the centre and states as well as the representatives of various cultural Aakademies and prominent persons in the field of arts. The conference has unanimously adopted a resolution as “this conference concedes the art in photography and appreciates the need for developing photography as an art. However, in view of the fact that the medium of photography is so much different from the other arts, this conference unanimously recommends the formation of separate Akademi both at the centre and the state to develop photography as an art.”

As a stop gap arrangement, an idea of forming a “Federation of Photography” as a regional body in A.P. was first mooted at Guntur. Then, with the active initiative of Dr. N. Bhagwandas, Founder President of Guntur Camera Club, The A.P. Federation of Photographers as an apex body for the development of art in photography was established in 1963 and enrolled different camera clubs of various districts of the state. Within a span of three years, with the concerted efforts of Dr. N. Bhagawandas, the A.P. Federation of Photographers has attained the strength and stability of a full grown and well established organisation and did yeomen service in the development of photography, both in Andhra Pradesh and in India.

The Federation was mostly responsible for the establishment of a number of camera clubs throughout the state and soon came up to be recognised as one of the most active and efficient photographic organisations in India.  It conducted regularly conducted International Photographic Exhibition maintaining high standards of art in photography. With necessary guidance and financial assistance, the Federation started 28 clubs in the state which is a rare achievement for any state in country. Apart from continuous efforts of Dr. N. Bhagawands, other stalwarts in photography i.e. Sri Raja Triambak Raj Bhadur ARPS, P.N.Mehra,  EFIAP, ARPS, APSA,  Sri V.Bapi Raju, EFLAP, FAPSAP, Sri.S.N. Achanta, AFAPA, Sri.L. Malakondaiah AFAPA, M.Hassan, AFIAP, were guiding the Federation in pursuit of the development of art. The Federation helped to bring together photographers from all over India by organising All India Photographic Salons, State Conventions of Photography as also regional and all India Conventions, thereby contributing immensely for the promotion and improvement of art in photography.   

The Federation successfully conducted 5 international salons. ‘Lenslight’ first started in 1964 by the Federation as a modest 4 page newsletter and edited by Dr.N.Bhagwandas soon developed into a full fledged photographic magazine. It also launched  for the first time in the year 1966 the Camera Club Magazine contest organised by the Photographic Society of America,  contributed by Camera Clubs, Associations and Federations all over the world and created history by winning 2nd prize and Green Ribbon of Honourable mention. Thereafter, every year it not only won the top awards but also Ribbons of Honorable mention for production values. In all, Lenslight has won Awards for 9 years, putting Andhra Pradesh and India in the photographic map of the world.

FORMATION OF  AP STATE AKADEMI OF PHOTOGRAPHY

The ceaseless efforts of Dr. N. Bhagwandas for the formation of a Government sponsored yet autonomous body for development of the art in photography took a shape after 8 years of passing a resolution at the Cultural Ministers conference in  Hyderabad, unanimously accepting photography as art and recommending to set up separate Akademies both at the centre and the state to encourage photography as an art, the Govt, of A.P. taking the lead has constituted “AP State Akademi of Photography” on 15th Nov. 1973 through GO.No. 239. The preamble of the Government order reads … “Government had under their consideration a proposal to set up a separate Akademi for Photography for sometime past. The All India Cultural Conference, at its meeting held in Hyderabad in 1965 has recommended formation of a separate Akademi for development of photography as an art.

Unified Andhra Pradesh had the distinction of having the largest camera clubs in the country. The state has been the venue of a number of All India, International Photographic Exhibitions. The work done by the camera clubs of the state has acquired an eminent place in the field of All India Photography. Government considered the various representations made in this behalf and felt that there is a need for haveing a separate Akademi for photography in the State, to enable in developing the art of photography in an organised manner”. Thus the Govt. of A.P. has become a pioneer in the development of Art and Science of photography, being the first state to form a State Akademi of Photography.

Andhra Pradesh Federation of Photographers was instrumental in the conduct of the first-ever world photography contest in 1967 at Hyderabad. The nomenclature had undergone a change in the year 1973 when the Federation was rechristened as A P State Akademi of Photography, with a sole aim of promoting art, science and technology of photography in all parts of the state. This is the only such Akademi functioning in the entire country. Akademi has till date published around 12 books on photography penned by eminent photographers of the country. Probably this is the first of its kind that any organisation published so many books on photography in the country.

Political developments in the region resulted in the formation of two states in 2014 and this resulted in starting of Telangana Photography Akademi but it was A P State Akademi of Photography being the mother institution. Both the Akademies are non-political, not-for-profit photography organisations, promoting the art of photography among the photo enthusiasts in two Telugu states, especially the Telugu-speaking photographers and also to support the emerging professionals in rural areas.

The aim and noble objective of both the Akademies was to continue the great legacy of a time-tested photography organisation established 50 years ago to posterity.

TELANGANA FEDERATION OF PHOTOGRAPHY

On bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh State into two, on 1st June 2014 as Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the General Council of the AP State Akademi of Photography unanimously approved to bifurcate AP State Akademi of Photography in to ‘Andhra Pradesh Photography Akademi’ and ‘Telangana Photography Akademi.’

Thus, Telangana Photography Akademi was carved out of erstwhile AP State Akademi of Photography on 12 December 2015.

IPF in Hyderabad

Photography has evolved differently in every place with its own expansive dimensions. The impact of strong princely patronage and colonial support added much more value in Hyderabad.

With IPF going into its 6th edition, Hyderabad has become the epicentre and global platform for photography, setting higher standards year on year in the level of conversations worldwide.

Having witnessed IPF for the past 6 years, I feel that the month-long programme of exhibitions, talks and workshops embrace photography in all its forms, supporting photographers around the world, bringing them on a common platform to celebrate and show their work, as well as nurture the medium of photography on a global scale. IPF will be a great place for honouring Photography not just as a skill but also a unique and ever-evolving art-form.

Chandrashekhar Singh

Photographer

Born in 1968 in Hyderabad, he started shooting from an early age of 18 and started his career as a Press Photographer and took up Wedding Photography from the age of 20, developing a flair of his own. Over the years, he was keenly interested in documenting people, lifestyle, fairs and festivals. He travelled extensively on projects especially on Heritage, Agriculture, Farmers and Rural Livelihood. He exhibited his works in group shows at Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad and has three solo shows to his credit in Hyderabad.
He is also the Co-founder of Photowalkers.in, one of the largest photowalking community in India and conducted more than 140 photowalks, workshops and group shows. He enjoys mentoring young enthusiasts and sharing the nuances of Photography. He taught the art of Photography for the visually impaired students in Hyderabad and loves to continue to do on regular basis.
For him Photography is endless and everyday is a new learning. An art lover and believes that Photo Festival is a place to get inspired and come up with a new dimension. He is also the winner of National Geography Moment Award, India 2012, which took him to South Africa. He was the Program Head for Indian Photo Festival and also instrumental in supporting IPF from inception in 2015. He is presently working on his photobook “Mumbai Unseen” and plans to complete very soon.