Kaushik Chakravorty has been taking his students on new adventures every week. Today, the photographer is set to board the Thane local with his shutterbug entourage gathered at CST station. “There’s no point in teaching photography in a closed room. At my workshops, we look for interesting new places,” says Kaushik.
Ask how he thought of this unique location and he laughs, “The idea was to start by shooting CST station, which is a spectacular subject. But with our cameras, I’m sure we’ll get shunted out in a few minutes. So then we’ll get into the train compartments.”
Kaushik is optimistic that the ride itself could be a photographer’s ideal subject. “Sunday mornings on the trains aren’t so bad,” he says, adding, “The idea is to find quirky subjects — the calligraphy on the train, other travellers or the passing scenery.”
How does he plan to teach his students if they’re all in different bogies? “The train will take an hour to reach Thane, and till then, everyone will take photos. Once in Thane, we will start discussing each other’s work and from there, take the workshop to a café or coffee shop,” he explains. Kaushik’s one-day, 9 am to 11 am schedule includes shooting in morning light, adapting different techniques, selecting and analysing photos, followed by a theory lesson, which inlcudes software like Photoshop.
The price, however, is not as smooth as the train ride. Charging a whopping R 3,500 for a one-day session and R 10,000 for five classes, Kaushik adds that his batch is limited to 10-12 students. “This way you can closely analyse each person’s work,” he insists.
{{/usCountry}}The price, however, is not as smooth as the train ride. Charging a whopping R 3,500 for a one-day session and R 10,000 for five classes, Kaushik adds that his batch is limited to 10-12 students. “This way you can closely analyse each person’s work,” he insists.
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