Photo Story

The Art of Black and White


Photography is both an art and a science. It allows us to express our feelings and emotions, but to do so we need to master the scientific part of the medium. Unlike a painter, who is in direct contact with his subject and his canvas, a photographer is separated from his subject by the camera and from his "canvas" by computers and printers today and in the past by darkroom equipment. The scientific aspects of photography can be both overwhelming and fascinating, so much so that for some photographers photography comes to be just that: a scientific process that they attempt to master over their lifetime. However, to achieve mastery of the technical side of photography is to address only one of the two aspects of photography. The result is often technically excellent photographs that lack emotion and "seeing" qualities. Barin's third photography exhibition on the theatre icon Selim Al Deen combines both the emotion and the aesthetic quality of photography.

With his curious and appreciating eyes Barin Ghose has captured the spirit of Selim Al Deen at his most candid moments. Within these black-and-white frames, we not only find the silhouette of a larger than life artist but also the rainbow of millions of colour, the colours that have touched and changed the lives of so many.

Photographs: Barin Ghose
Text: Rubayet Chowdhury

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