My favorite photographs of the exhibit were those taken from the inside of a car. The car was called the Ambassador car and was part of every photograph in the collection. He not only took pictures looking outside the windows but also through the mirrors of the car and out the door. He managed to include the Indian made car in every picture. This process positioned him in place of a traveler or an outsider. I found this interesting because it made me relate to the photography more. I know very little about India and its culture, but seeing the pictures positioned from a perspective of a passer by (and also emphasized with the inclusion of the car parts) helped me relate more and put me in place of the photographer.
I think due to the colors in Singh’s photography, he wanted to show India in a positive and happy way. There is a lot of human interaction in all of his photographs which gives his pictures a more humane and relatable vibe. Not only are the people in his photographs interacting with their surroundings but you can a lot of times clearly see their relationships with each other. I think a lot of times photography and media de-humanizes people and turn them more into objects rather than people, but Singh did a good job of countering that by capturing people in motion.
Singh’s photography definitely showed a lot of hardships of life and included photographs of natural disasters that would often evoke pity and compassion from the viewer. He also included a lot of pictures of ceremonies and different art aspects of Indian culture. His photographs helped me understand the culture even more and helped me appreciate its beauty. The statues were very interesting and definitely captivated my attention.
I also think a lot of his photography focused on the culture that was retained even post – colonial, rather than focusing on problems. With that being said though, if you look at all of the pictures you can still see some problems high lighted such as; overpopulation, poverty, and pollution. All of the issues are still there in his pictures, but in a way, what is high lighted are the positive. I think this was a very unique way to create photographs. A lot of people, when taking pictures start out with an initial point of view, which they want to relay, whether its negative or positive. Singh managed to combine both but still create pleasant images.
The photos of the Ambassador car were my absolute favorites, just because, like you said, showing a perspective through the parts of the car really added a stylistic element to the photographs which I enjoyed. I also agree with your thoughts on the color schemed of Signhs photographs, because I noticed the vibrant colors and thought the same thing, he was projecting the liveliness and happiness of India which I never fully imagined. I really enjoyed, your blog and comments, thank you!
I also really enjoyed the photos that were taken from the Ambassador car as well.
The collection was unique, not one that I have seen before. The colors that Signh used really represented how he viewed India during that time, which added to the meaning behind the photos. I also liked how the photos that he took were not only focused on the problems. He gave the viewer a range of what was going on in India, which you do not always see when looking at someone else’s photos. Pictures tend to be biased and I think Singh did a great job balancing that out also. Great work!