E Is For Eyesight

Never Let An Opportunity Go A-Begging

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

In October 2006, I was briefly in Calcutta, the Indian city where I was born. Early one morning, a childhood friend of mine picked me up and drove me around the sprawling city. founded by Job Charnock, just so I could capture familiar scenes.

We had been out for almost three hours when he suddenly stopped without warning. It was not one of the spots where we had planned to stop – and I could not see anything that I might want to shoot.

Before I could ask him anything, he pointed through the passenger window, telling me this was not a run-of-the-mill scene. He explained that a group of four beggars frequented the area, and that they always walked together, chanting as they carried two multi-coloured rugs.

A rug? Why the rug?

He explained that they held the rug in the manner of a fireman’s blanket. It was their practice to walk to a series of apartment buildings early every morning, before the occupants left for work. From the windows and balconies, the residents would throw coins onto the rug. Then, when there was no more money forthcoming, the foursome would carefully turn around and make their way to the next apartment building.

I was fascinated.

But I had a question. Why did the four of them operate together as a team?

His answer floored me. They worked together because they were blind. They shuffled down the streets together, taking smaller steps because they did so in unison and because they were not blessed with normal vision.

"You can travel the world and you’ll never see anything quite like this," he told me.

He was right. The story of the beggars struck me immediately. So too did the bright colours of their clothing and the vivid hues of the rugs they were carrying. I was about to open my door when I decided to take a couple of shots from the passenger seat. So I rolled the window down and pointed my camera at the poignant scene. They were only a few feet away from me.

As I did so, someone called out to the beggars, telling them that a person in a car was about to photograph them. Things suddenly started to happen very quickly.

The four beggars wheeled around rapidly and took three or four steps (very much quicker than I reckoned they were capable of) towards the car. One of them was yelling something that I could not quite catch and the expression on the face of the closest beggar was suddenly hostile.

Before I could say anything, my friend had put his imported European car in drive and accelerated away swiftly. I only had time to shoot one frame before he made his escape.

Just one shot. Taken in a split-second before the opportunity vanished forever.

It was an incident - and a basic lesson in instinctive photography - that was to have an interesting echo, when I was charged by a grizzly recently. (You can see the photo and read the post at G Is For Grizzly.) As in India, one shot was all I had time for on that amazing day in the Yukon - but how many people are lucky enough to hit the shutter on a scene like a grizzly defending its piece of Canadian turf?

Maybe on this Calcutta morning, I was blessed with the understanding of the "Decisive Moment" that the peerless Henri Cartier-Bresson spoke about so eloquently. We have so much to learn from the masters of photography. And so much to be thankful for.

For the home of ABC Wednesday, go to Mrs Nesbitt's Place.

Observe A Minaret’s Silence

S Is For Shahid Minar

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

The Shahid Minar (martyrs’ monument) in Calcutta, India, used to be known as the Ochterlony Monument. I was born in Calcutta - which is now called Kolkata - and because my parents grew up and were educated in British India, they always referred to it as the Ochterlony Monument. It is almost 50 metres high and commemorates the military success of Sir David Ochterlony during a campaign in neighbouring Nepal in the early nineteenth century.

An amateur historian once told me that Ochterlony was well known for taking his family and his retinue for elephant rides near the Strand, but I cannot confirm this story. Maybe there is an Indian history/ trivia scholar out there who can do so.

During my childhood, the Ochterlony Monument literally loomed over me every weekend. My parents were members of the Dalhousie Athletic Club and played tennis on the immaculately maintained grass courts of the club. Too young to play alongside the adults, I used to keep myself busy with the other kids as the Monument stood like a silent sentinel nearby.

I took this shot last year, as I walked shoulder-to-shoulder through the holiday shoppers in the Chowringhee throng. On reflection, I find it curious that it is the only photograph I have ever taken of the Monument – and it was really a snap decision (unintentional pun) because I noticed the late-afternoon sun was creating a memorable sight. You’ll see some light flare in the bottom right-hand quadrant of the frame – but that’s reality for you.

I’m told the Monument is a meld of many styles, a blend of Turkish, Syrian and Egyptian architecture. I was lucky with my timing of this shot. Like I said, I just happened to be walking past, about 400 metres away to the east. I opted for the full extent of my 125mm lens for this shot and took it at 1/500th of a second, F16 and ISO 200. I shot only one frame because I was in a hurry. If I'd noticed the orange Batman-like flare on the bottom right, I would have taken a couple more.

But I'd just like to emphasise what a lucky shot this was. The sun was in just the right spot, giving me almost a grey-brown mosaic pattern across the texture of the image. And because the sky was hazy, as it invariably is over the Hooghly river in mid-October, it created a beautiful monochrome for me.

The story of David Ochterlony doesn't end there. Because of his influence in determining relations between Britain and Nepal, Ochterlony was honoured with the coveted Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath. Interestingly, although he was considered part of the Indian army, he was a British general who was - believe it or not - born in Boston, Massachusetts. I guess there wouldn’t be many Boston natives who are commemorated in India, let alone commemorated in such grand style.

Stare Case

A Place Where Creativity Is Worshipped

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

This shot of a striking decoration to mark the Puja season of Hindu festivities was taken exactly a year ago, on a brief visit to India. The gold-fringed ornament was one of many on the staircase leading to the first-floor offices of Kolkata-based Trisys Communications. I framed this meticulously, because I wanted as much of the reflection as I could get in the shot.

Trisys, specialising in annual reports and corporate presentations, was started by a former colleague of mine, Mudar Patherya. The prince of lateral thinkers, he was only a student when he wrote a letter simply addressed to ``Sir Donald Bradman, Australia'' - and received a reply from The Don, along with a signed photograph.

That attitude shines through the company offices. The staircase in this photograph features some rare Kolkata memorabilia and the walls of the work area carry another surprise. They are decorated with huge cartoon murals by Debashish Deb, another former colleague of mine who is an effervescent artist and designer. As a creative corporate environment, I've never seen anything like it.