Behind the scenes

My Photo scholarship 2011 entry

Worldwide | Tuesday, October 25, 2011 | 4 photos

My father, when i was 6 years old, used to read to me the-National Geographic magazine and at the end of each story he would turn the article towards me and show me the most brilliantly captured images. They (photos) used to put me under deep thought of how the photographer would have witnessed this magical place/event.
I am Arjun Menon, My dad was in the Army, so i had a wonderful childhood travelling all around my country, i loved it. My dad passed away when i was 13, my only regret is that i just have a handful photos of him. As i grew up my elder brother introduced me to his small camera 2yrs ago, ever since i have been amazed by how a simple instrument like this can produce emotion and thought provoking images.The power of a camera is unlimited. This inspired me to travel throught my country and live every moment as it comes with the camera. It taught me a lot and then it struck me, this is what i want to be, a travel photographer. I would enjoy learning more everyday of my life.
Photos -
Location - Public theatre, interiors of a village near Angamali (Kerala,India).
story - Backstage to a "Kathakali" performance.
Kathakali is a type of Folk Dance-Drama,originated from the vedic age (17th century),its most powerful elements are graceful movements, elaborate gestures, picturesque costumes, grand harmonic make-up to tell stories from religious scripts. They start preparations about 3hours in advance, these artists undergo around 13yrs of training in martial arts, expressions and dance rhythms to be fit to perform. Traditionally, they do thier own makeup sitting down with thin wooden sticks under one source of light using natural dyes and rice pastes.They meditate throught their preparation to stay calm and composed. I tried to capture these moments with images.