With its widespread branches spread like arms ready to embrace everything that is around, it looks like a human being, strong enough to brave climatic odds and yet gentle and courteous. It has no stories to be told but yet if you will look at this tree, it responds with a certain energy. Ace photographer Raghu Rai’s latest exhibition at Art Alive Gallery, Trees, is all about this energy. For many people, these images of trees are a departure from his signature style, but ask Raghu Rai and he would tell you that that these are actually the “soul” of his style. While this one is a set of colour images, over two years ago the lensman came up with an exhibition and a book of his black and white shots of trees. “These images were taken over a period of time, while travelling from one place to another or while I was out to shoot any political or social issue. These shots have happened by the way and on the way. Whenever I was out to shoot, I always made trees a part of my frame because I believe that we are children of nature. We can only exist in harmony with nature. So even when I am telling stories through my pictures, trees have been a part of it,” says Rai.
He adds that shooting trees and other elements of nature has always been an intuitive experience, therefore, he says that these images are all about experiences and energy. “I believe that when you assign yourself to any particular subject, you have certain parameters to be met. But while you are travelling, your mind is free from such parameters. It is only when you encounter a moment when trees whisper a “hello” in your ears, like making an attempt to reach out to you, or nudge you, that you want to capture them. Best creative works are only possible when there are no parameters to be met. Every picture here has its own relevance,” shares Rai.
Ask him, if there are any fond memories he can recollect of his travels or an experience of shooting trees, he replies, “We are the product of all the good, bad and ugly experiences that we have. All these experiences make us what we are. So I am a product of every moment that I encounter. The best photographs are not those that share stories, as people believe, stories can become boring and repetitive. The best picture is the one that invokes some feeling or emotion in you, a feeling so strong that there is a moment of silence when you look at it. Silence is another kind of experience, not every emotion or feeling is explained the best when spoken. If an artist looks at his images, years after they were clicked, and if it can still make him quiet and invoke a thought, they are the best images and he as a creative person has succeeded in his mission.” In the career spanning more than 40 years, the photographer has accomplished different milestones and he still feels there is much to be done.
“life and nature are always on the move. That energy that is in nature is ever-challenging. If you are a good student of life, you observe everything and more you try to understand, more challenging it becomes. Nothing is insignificant in this world and I want to connect with every element in this world. When you are able to do so, you can experience the world in its truest form. This is an ongoing process,” he explains. The exhibition will continue till April 30.