The masters of street photography #5 : Raghu Rai

India is the setting of this week's column. Though Raghu Rai did shoot extensively in B&W, color is one of the main traits of India, so I'll focus on this side of his extensive body of work..

Abonnez-vous au tableau Raghu Rai de Yanidel sur Pinterest.

Quick facts/observations about Raghu Rai
 
– Indian born (1942-…), Raghu Rai got into photojournalism in 1965.
– impressioned by his talent, Henri Cartier Bresson appointed him to the Magnum agency in 1971.
– Raghu Rai has already published 18 books, quite a prolific amount for a photographer.
– he experimented with various types of cameras, mostly 35mm. Yet some of his best known work was shot with a panoramic film camera.
– his pictures often contain a high amount of details, often not perceived in a first glance. It is the sum of these details that make some of his photographs outstanding.
– though his work as photojournalist led him to produce some tough and violent work, his street photography is often full of poetry and humour.
– on creativity : "To be creative is to be thirsty with the kind of craving that comes from within, to listen to the whispers of life and nature and to walk on the tips of your toes till you have merged with the world around you. Then comes your intuition into play. Your search, your discoveries become a celebration of life."**
 
If I could ask him a question ….
 
– Raghu Rai's India : Color or B&W ?
 
To discover more about Raghu Rai :
 
– Books : Raghu Rai… in His Own Words (Pocket art series)**  A pocket book in B&W.
               Raghu Rai's India: Reflections in Colour   Large size book 100% color
               Raghu Rai's India: Reflections in Black and White  Same format as above, but 100% B&W
– Link: an extensive interview of Raghu Rai by Invisible Photographer Asia.
 
If you missed any of the previous column of "Masters of street photography", I have created a new page where you'll find all the masters featured previously.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *