The art of taking a picture
A professional team of photographers held weeklong course for 20 students
Jan 20, 2014 | By Tshering Norbu Uden
Workshop: There’s more to photography than just clicking. It’s about being able to tell a story, something that should come from the heart and comprise a good composition.
This is what, Lakdil Dema, 17, a high-school student, learnt during the weeklong workshop led by renowned photographer, Fredric Roberts, and a team of five world-class photographers in Thimphu and Paro.
“I feel privileged to have known the important basics of photography,” Lakdil Dema said. “Now I want to take it further from what I’ve learnt so far.”
Twenty students from various schools in Thimphu attended the workshop, coordinated by Save the Children with USD 30,000 sponsored by Fredric Roberts, who was once a top Wall Street banker in the US.
Describing the past week as probably the best time of his winter vacation, another student, Dorji Wangdi, 15, said he could now take more meaningful pictures.
Themed, “The importance of early education”, the workshop, which began on January 12, taught students how to use professional cameras and capture pictures that tell a story.
Fredric Roberts and his team are travelling around the world with Save the Children to teach underprivileged youth the power of expression through photography, said officials.
Fredric Roberts was into the investment business during the 1960s. “By 80s, it became far less interesting to me and I realised there was much more to life than running on a treadmill every day,” he said, adding that was why he took up photography lessons.
“Now I spend most of my time travelling around the world, taking pictures that tell stories,” Fredric Roberts said, adding he wants to inspire people with his work.
Fredric Roberts said a camera is a means of expression. “It’s a means of saying something,” he said. “If the picture isn’t beautiful, people tend to look at it less.”
While it’s important that a photographer has to be good at what he does, the pictures should be expressive. “Photography is a language through which you express yourself,” he added.
Showcasing the photographs of the students, the photography workshop ended on January 18 with the education secretary as the chief guest.