The Better Photographer!

This was his maiden visit to Mumbai, many years ago. Mumbai has so much to offer and take and he wanted to capture as many images as he could on his first DSLR. It was decent camera with 70-300mm lens. His school going son was equally fond of it. 

He checked the battery level. The bars on the indicator were full. The data card was formatted. He slipped an extra battery, the charger as well as two new data cards into the pocket of the camera bag. He had been warned that Mumbai was notorious for pickpocketers. He hid 2000 rupees inside the liners of the camera bag to be on the safer side, lest he is left with no money in case his pocket is indeed picked.

All set to go and explore Mumbai, he stepped out of his hotel, Rosewood to explore Mumbai and capture the images. He had marked all the spots he needs to visit on the map he had taken from the Information Window at the Airport. He signalled a taxi to stop and instructed the driver to take him to Marine Drive.

He had never seen before so many skyscrapers. With the vast Arabian sea as the perfect backdrop, these tall buildings made a perfect picture. However, what caught his eye was the dilapidated building, Riveria which once must have been a residential complex bursting with activity. Today it was in ruins in contrast with the the modern skyscrapers. He adjusted his aperture and clicked. He then increased the shutter speed to capture the speeding cars along the Marine Drive. Young couples sitting on the benches facing the sea offered enough opportunities to click but what stood apart was a young fat lady dragging a reluctant white Pomeranian with a leash. Wonderful image to capture, he thought and clicked.

He walked to the Gateway of India. He had seen many photographs of the fluttering pigeons being fed near the Gateway of India in magazines and on the social platforms. He also took pictures of the scene. He framed the Gateway of India to capture the ships stranded far off. The horses driven carriages reminiscent of the popular Victoria in many Hindi movies also needed to be captured and he clicked with the sprawling Taj Hotel as the backdrop.

Next on the itenerary was the Colaba Causeway that offered enough opportunities for street photography. The area was crowded and elecrtifying. There were endless colourful shops mostly owned by Parsi community adding to the charm for the street photographer. And then there were old-world cafes. After trying his hand at street photography, it was time to move to Chowpatty, the most happening place. Hundreds of vendors were there selling all kinds of food but the colourful bottles of ingredients that go into the mocktails were tempting for the photographer. He clicked and hired a cab for his next destination, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus.

The Victorian-Gothic style of architecture, the railway station is a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO. It is is one of the most famous historic landmark symbolizing the pre-independence British Raj in India. It was time for our photographer to be an architectural photographer and he made most of it.

Next on the iteneray was to go to Haji Ali Dargah. People from all walks of life and religions were there to seek blessings of the Muslim wealthy merchant turned into a sufi Saint. Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus, Christians being together made a wonderful images, especially when society in general was heavily divided on religious lines. He walked to the Mahalaxmi Temple which is dedicated to Goddess Mahalaxmi or the 'Goddess of Wealth'. Mumbai known as the commercial capital, this temple is a must visit if you are visiting Mumbai. However, our photographer friend was hugely disappointed as he was not permitted to take pictures inside the complex. 

He hired a cab to go to Bandra to see the Mount Mary Church. The basilica is a truly grand, yet humble edifice made from nothing but stone. The Church had a calming effect and it was time to go wild.

He hired a cab to Sanjay Gandhi National Park, a wildlife sanctuary habitat to abundance of flora and fauna, in the midst of a busy Mumbai. He spotted couple of leopards, macaques, boars, a Flying fox, plenty of Kingfishers and the tiny sunbirds and many more. He wished he had a macro lens to capture a variety of fluttering butterflies.

It started to drizzle. He knew rains in Mumbai can turn ugly. He rushed out of the park and hired a taxi to go back to the hotel. He kept his camera bag on the seat and took out the map to see what all he had visited and what all he had to visit. He had seen so much and yet so little. He reminded himself that he will start early morning next day.

Once he reached the hotel, he paced inside to his room. He took a quick shower and ordered beer on the intercom. It was time to relax and review hundred of pictures he had taken. But where was the cemera?

To his utter dismay, the camera was nowhere. He realized that he had forgotten the camera in the taxi. All the images gone and so was the camera. He had not noted the number of the taxi. There was no way to retrieve it.

He called home. His son was on the line.

"I have lost the camera?"

"Why? What happened?"

"I forgot it in the taxi."

"It is nothing new. You keep on loosing things."

"In any case, it was time to buy a better camera."

"Do not worry much. It was yours when you had it. Now it belongs to the driver. I hope he takes better pictures of his family with it."

" I had kept some money too in the camera bag."

"Very thoughtful of you. Fantastic. I am sure he will take his family out for a good dinner after he has clicked good pictures of his family."

The line got disconnected.

 He switched on his laptop, connected to the Internet. Googled "How to be a better photographer? " as he tried hard to recall the face of the taxi driver. After all, he has yet another competitor and he must know his competitor .