Shukraditya Bose, BJ Block

I want to thank The Telegraph Salt Lake and the judges for deeming my photograph to be worthy of a winner’s title. It was a great honour to find my photograph picked for recognition from amongst many others. It ushered in a sense of great joy in such trying times.

I would like to thank my parents who supported me and everyone who believed in me and motivated me to keep getting better. My parents gifted me the Nikon D5100 in 2014 which enabled me to start off on this captivating journey and overtime as my interest grew, I explored new avenues and learnt a lot from friends, reading up guides and observing the work of many great photographers. I still use the same D5100 with an 18-140 which serves my purpose. I plan on getting a better body in the future to allow me to click even better images. I use Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop for post-production and subtle retouching.

Peter McKinnon, an eminent Canadian YouTuber, photographer and filmmaker, has been an inspiration and a role model and it is from him that I’ve learnt how to hone my skills. He has received many awards and honours, including his photograph appearing on Canadian currency. It is my dream to match up to the lofty standards that he has established and this prize is going to be a great push in that direction.

Abhijit Dutta, DA Block

I thank The Telegraph Salt Lake for declaring me a winner for the year-long photography contest for 2019.

Let me say a few words about the photograph that has been awarded. It was a shot of the partial solar eclipse visible from Salt Lake. It was not very easy to shoot on that day as the sky was partially cloudy. I had to wait for a long time to shoot the eclipse. Honestly, in spite of the cloudy sky, I shot quite a number of photographs using tele lens and captured the sun in a much bigger dimension. Then I thought of sending a photograph to The Telegraph Salt Lake and used a different lens so I could get the picture of our neighbourhood along with the sun. This photograph was specially taken for The Telegraph Salt Lake.

The inclusion of camera in the mobile phone has increased the affinity towards photography for the common people. Of course, there is a limitation, though the quality of the cameras is improving. Now a days, there are options of even multiple cameras for different photographic moments. However, mobile phone cameras are mostly used like using a DSLR camera in the auto mode, which, I believe, is just a waste of money. It is not difficult to learn the techniques of good photography. The key is to keep on shooting.

Saachi Saha, HB Block

I am a software engineer and currently a homemaker with a five-year-old lovely daughter Alisha. I am overwhelmed and extremely thankful to The Telegraph Salt Lake for adjudging me a winner of the Click Your Township contest. Photography is my passion and in between my schedule, I nurture this hobby of mine.

On a leisurely rainy afternoon from my balcony, I spotted a pair of drenched crows huddling together and perched atop a dish antenna below a sunshade trying to shelter themselves from the downpour. I immediately captured this moment with my OnePlus6. I was surprised beyond belief when I received a call from The Telegraph Salt Lake congratulating me on my snapshot being adjudged a winner for the year. Since the award ceremony for this year is withheld due to the pandemic, I requested to personally visit The Telegraph office to receive my certificate as a fond memory to cherish forever.