NSHM School of Media and Communication hosts Y-Click

The NSHM School of Media and Communication, Kolkata, hosted an offline photography festival on December 17 and 18, 2021, in association with Canon India Pvt Ltd.

The festival included a photography competition and exhibition and masterclasses by experts from the industry.

“We try to organise different kinds of workshops, masterclasses, panel discussions and exhibitions. After the lockdown, this was an opportunity to reunite with the help of photography. The aim of these masterclasses and exhibitions is to inspire students to exchange knowledge. We tried to give opportunities to the students to observe different photography works respective of genre and ages. The students also got a chance to learn from mentors in the masterclasses,” said Suman Bandyopadhyay, assistant professor, Media Science, NSHM Knowledge Campus.

Exhibition on campus

From wildlife to fashion, the photography competition was based on the theme Colors of Life. More than 800 entries were submitted from all across the globe; 100 entries were shortlisted for the final round and showcased.

Chetan Sharma, a 27-year-old BCom graduate from Delhi University, won the photography competition.

“The tagline of my photograph is Colours in my Soul. One can see a lot of colours and people in the frame are happily enjoying the festival of Holi. I clicked this picture on my phone in March 2020 in Jodhpur. I realised one has to be confident about what one clicks and also that one should travel for good pictures. This gives different perspectives and ideas,” Chetan said.

Saptadip Raychaudhuri, a Class IX student of Vivekananda Mission School, took home the Under 18 Jury Award.

“I took this photograph of festivities on Deepawali at Airitola Ghat. I used a phone to take it. This competition made me realise that I need to improve my technique and photography skills,” said Saptadip.

Sannidh Raychaudhuri, a second-year Media Science student of NSHM Knowledge Campus, submitted a photograph that was part of a documentary he shot on Bhatora Island in West Midnapore.

“I wanted to show the lack of economic and educational knowledge in society and its effect on children,” Sannidh said.

Apratim Majumder’s entry was a capture from Santiniketan.

“I had gone there to click some pictures of Chhath Puja in the Goalpara area of Santiniketan. I noticed a father showing his child the beauty of nature, that is the morning fog,” said Apratim, a first-year Media Science student of NSHM Knowledge Campus.

Masterclasses

The festival hosted Soumya Shankar Ghosal, a Kolkata-based street and documentary photographer, and Kaustav Saikia, a fashion photographer, who gave masterclasses on visual storytelling and fashion photography respectively.

“I attended the masterclass by Soumya Shankar Ghoshal on street and visual photography. One of the many things that I learnt was how to capture the moment keeping the technicalities of photography in mind. This was the first event, which I attended after the pandemic and I really enjoyed it,” said Subhrajyoti Dutta Chowdhury, a second-year bachelor’s student in Media Science of NSHM Knowledge Campus.

Kaustv Saiki’s masterclass taught Soumik Manna, a first-year bachelor’s student in Media Science at NSHM Knowledge Campus, the difference between taking a picture and making a picture. “My favourite genre is fashion photography. Every genre of photography has three main elements — shutter speed, ISO, and aperture. Fashion photography is different from the other genres of photography. In fashion photography, we don't have to wait for the moment, we have to create it,” said Soumik.