Inside My Camera Bag | Madhur Dhingra

I was born an only child in Delhi into a family that was torn apart by the aftermath of the India-Pakistan partition. I completed my schooling at St.Xavier’s High School in Delhi then I attended Delhi University, studying English Honors as my subject.

The India-Pakistan partition and bloodbath resulted in my then affluent family moving to New Delhi, completely penniless and shattered. This resulted in massive insecurities between my family members. Although I was born much later in Delhi after this move I was forced to inherit all those insecurities.

Photography came to me as a fulfilment to escape these feelings of inadequacy and uncertainty. The emptiness resulting from that trauma you will find reflected in most of my images.

I am a Fine Art Photographer, passionate about shooting random happenings and unknown faces on the streets. I keep experimenting with new techniques and styles to make my images unique.

I shoot both in the studio and on the streets, aiming to handle the ambient light artistically. I am a strong believer in photography, it’s a lifelong affair with learning and experimenting. Personally, I tend to get bored shooting the same or similar images all the time.

As a photographer, I have an inherent urge to continuously evolve both in style and technique.

As a result of the isolation caused by the pandemic, I have searched and experimented rigorously for my unique style. My current work is a result of this search, with many of my images having been published in magazines and galleries.

Shooting people on the streets has always fascinated me. Those strange and unknown faces with their uncharted expressions and emotions enthral me to my very core. I get closer and closer to the chaos on the Indian streets until I become a part of the chaos I want to shoot.

This has led me to capture my most memorable images.

Each of my images needs to tell a story on its own and also be a part of a larger story to make them all coherent. I have never had any interest in singular images no matter how good they might be.

I love spontaneously created moments and real emotions, using them to create strong artistic images that weave into a strong storyline. Words and images then become a formidable pair in conveying what I need to say.

What initially started as stark realism in street photography has now given way to abstract, impressionist and painterly images. Waiting endlessly for the decisive moment does not attract me anymore.

I now like to blur out images, faces, expressions and create movement in my own way. I use the Intentional Camera Movement technique experimenting with varying shutter speeds coupled with a horizontal and vertical movement of the camera.

Cameras

Canon EOS 6 D
Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Lenses

Tokina 16-28mm f/2.8
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L
Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6

Flashes

Light Meter
Minolta 4 Light Meter
Yongnou Flash YN 685

Filters

Cokin Adapter / Holder Set
77* Cokin Adapter for Canon 24-105mm Lens
77 * UV Filter (Spare Filter For Canon 24-105mm Lens )
58* Cokin Adapter for Canon 75-300mm Lens
58* Polarizer Filter for Canon 75-300mm Lens
8 Star Cokin Filter
4 Star Cokin Filter
77 * Cokin Polarizer for Canon 24-105mm Lens

Hardware & Software

DELL Laptop with Adapter / Charger- 1 pcs
Specs
External Mouse -1
Pad -1
External Hard Drive
Drive No 3 – 2TB
Drive No 5 – 2TB

I only use Canon full-frame cameras because their lenses are very good quality and value for money. I also have a Mamiya RZ 67 Camera which I don’t use for photographing people as it is very heavy.

madhurdhingra.com | @madhurdhingra1