DSLR Photos of the Parents #NAINAxRanikhet

The more time I spend photographing with my smartphone, the more I want to get rid of my DSLR. But I doubt I will – at least not anytime soon. With the correct lens and lighting, the damn thing produces magical pictures. Smartphone photos are great too but the devices have different use cases, much to the detriment of my shoulders and back. DSLR equipment is just too darn heavy.

These were photographed in August 2017 in Ranikhet, Uttarakhand. My blog has a LOT of photographs, photo stories and writing from Ranikhet. All can be found under the #NAINAxRanikhet tag. I’ve done a fair bit of traveling since Ranikhet too, each trip made my resolve to not carry the DSLR, stronger. I carried it to Paris, barely used it – except for photographing street style at the Biennale. Carried it to San Francisco and used it even less. Carried it to Singapore and barely used it. Didn’t carry the DSLR to Vietnam at all and did not miss it. My first vacation ever when I didn’t carry a DSLR! I think the only thing I am not prepared to shoot with a smartphone is my #EyesForStreetStyle series. I find it much more comfortable to shoot with a long lens.

As my parents have gotten older, I have gotten more and more worried about getting older myself. I love photographing them but each time I sit down to edit and publish the pictures, it hurts. To see them grow old. It’s too hard to even write about it without getting incoherent. For example, I don’t understand how they are ok with me posting pictures of their old faces online. Don’t they feel “old” even more so when I post these images for the whole world to see? I scrutinize my own face so much whenever I have to post something online, my parents are human too, what are they thinking? On the positive side, it has made me less critical of my appearance. I am slowly coming to terms with the fact that everything’s going to sag soon enough. The trick is, I suppose, to not let it get to you.

Who would’ve thunk that photographing my parents would lead me down the rabbit hole of thinking about my own death and mortality. ( Actually I think pretty much everyone thinks that but I still hate it. )

The panel of three photos of my Mom above – I was telling her how to pose her face so we can show her best side – you do a bit of a “chin down” and bring your face a little bit forward without moving your body – just a little smidge though else it looks awkward – like in the first photo. Almost ALL the people I’ve instructed, most of whom are not professional camera posers, laugh. It can be a great way to get some lovely smiles and natural laughter faces.

My Dad doesn’t seem all that comfortable in front of the camera. Unless I catch him unawares. He’ll either pose like a retired Fauji, which he is, or he’ll pretend smile.

I haven’t photographed them as much as I would have liked to.