What’s your best shot of your city? These kids won a contest for theirs

The competition was open to youngsters aged 9 to 18, and was judged by artist, photographer and curator Ram Rahman.

The Jehangir Nicholson Art Foundation hit upon an unusual idea to mark the popularity of their photo exhibition, Gedney In India, this June. The show of black-and-white images shot by American street photographer William Gedney in the 1970s and 1980s, opened at the Jehangir Nicholson gallery at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj museum, Mumbai, in March and runs until the end of June.

Dhairya Suresh Mehta, an 18-year-old student from Bhuj, Gujarat, bagged first prize for this shot of scaffolding material on a pavement. “This was an unusual angle to shoot from, interesting composition and captured the idea of street photography well,” says photographer Ram Rahman, who judged the contest. (Image courtesy Jehangir Nicholson Art Foundation)

The Foundation held a contest, asking kids aged 9 to 18 to send in their street photography, and roped in Ram Rahman, a noted photographer, curator and social activist, to pick three winners.

Entries for Street Talk poured in not just from Mumbai but across the country. Rahman sorted through close to 150 images to select his top picks.

“I had my hands full, and curating something like this was not easy,” he says. “There were so many age groups, some first-timers, some who had experience and access to a better camera and guidance. I wanted to be fair.”

Many kids misunderstood the idea of street photography and sent in shots of pavements!

Rahman ended up selecting three winners and three special mentions too. “I looked for images that depicted the essence of street photography,” he says. “There had to be some logic to the composition, and show how the children understood the medium.”

Artist and photographer Ram Rahman, who judged the contest, at the Jehangir Nicholson gallery of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj museum.

Carl Soonawala, 17, received special mention for this shot, taken of Cloud Gate, Anish Kapoor’s reflective public sculpture in Chicago. Carl, a student of the Cathedra & John Connon School in Mumbai says larger-than-life artworks tend to catch his attention. ‘I hadn’t seen a lot of images from this perspective,’ he adds. ‘I think a good picture should possess some unique or interesting quality and should be able to stand on its own.’

Mangesh Mahajan, a 17-year-old student at TP Bhatia Junior College of Science, won special mention for this shot of an ear-cleaner on the streets of Mumbai. “I chose it because he managed to capture a moment,” says Rahman. “Both his subjects have an interesting expression.”

Mihika Vijay Khadloya, 9, took this picture as she was rushing past a construction site to get to her dance class in Churchgate. “I like the natural environment ,” she says. “This view appealed to me because of the colours.” Mihika managed to keep her composition aligned to the frame, something even adult photographers struggle with. She’s been learning about photography from her uncle Yash Keshan, who isn’t very old either. He’s only 20.