His family claims that he performs all his chores on his own. While he remains independent, he also continues to capture images, no longer with the camera; but with the lens of his eye.
Pranlal Patel’s family claims that he performs all his chores on his own. While he remains independent, he also continues to capture images, no longer with the camera; but with the lens of his eye.
Legendary photographer, Pranlal Patel, born on January 1, 1910, developed photography as a passion and transformed it into his profession when he was 24.
A teacher, when he began his career, Patel left his profession to understand the medium of photography under his teacher, Balwant Bhatt, son of his then landlord. They lived in Maninagar.
Having learnt photography at a time when colour was yet to arrive on the stage, Patel does not evince much interest when handed a digital camera.
Patel though believes that pictures with two-tone colours definitely attract more eyes than pictures with multiple-tones. He used to carry his camera till two years back but digitisation has cut down his interests.
"Fifty percent of my interest dies out as soon as I hold digital camera. While clicking with a digital camera, the mind is not preoccupied with finer nuances such as framing, lights, posture, expressions, composition and more. But during those days, all these aspects were important and each frame had its own cost," Patel said.
Patel continues, "The cost of printing one black and white picture during those days was Rs2 per print and so on. Hence, while clicking photographs, we also calculated the amount that we would spend on developing our negatives and printing them. I can't think how a digital camera could be handled and therefore I don't favour digital photography. Photography was an expensive profession and people use to dismiss it."
Patel used to follow his instincts while clicking pictures. Angles, compositions, subject, expressions come suddenly and therefore he believed in clicking pictures instantly.
"A lot has changed since I clicked Gandhiji's picture near Dilli Darwaja somewhere in 40's and today. The city has witnessed a sea of changes. For instance, when we went for late-night movies, there used to be lanterns as street lights on road and lantern-man with oil and light use to stay awake till dawn. Today they have been replaced by electric poles at every corner," Patel said.
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