Night is the time to sleep, but not everyone can sleep.
Some people like Drew Malhotra are disturbed by what darkness has to offer.
Over the past eight years, Jaipur-
Economics graduate photographers have been shooting at night.
"Noida Monologue" and "Sleeper" were both caused by this battle.
He uses "after the party" to seal the series, which involves the conversion of space.
The artist is now writing a book on these three ways of working. In an e-mail interview, he explained his obsession with night and his process.
Editorial excerpts.
Night has always been a driving force for your work. -
"Noida Monologue", "Sleeper", now "After the Party".
How does tonight's story continue with this program?
I regard these three works -- "Noida Monologue", "Sleeper" and "After Party" as trilogy, which I call "After Darkness".
Noida is my birthplace, so let me find these places in the urban space around me on the border between the city and other cities.
When taking pictures of these spaces, I often see people sleeping outdoors, and I began to photograph these human images in the surrounding urban environment.
I also look for and create images of space, which are often transformed to accommodate various temporal events.
When I finished the "Noida Monologue" with all these elements and started the editing and selection process, I realized that "Sleepers" and "After the Party" were their own projects.
Having completed the monologue on Noida, I was free to roam around the country, creating images for "sleepers" and "after parties" without any geographical restrictions.
After the party, tonight's story ends in a circle at least for the moment.
On the other hand, your photos are also social. -
The cultural exploration of our society?
"Noida is my birthplace. Let me look for these places in the urban space around me on the edge of the border between the city and other cities.
"I think so.
My economic background does creep into the way I look at things.
Being a greedy reader since childhood really helps me keep an open mind, a person who likes to look for things between lines, which is really reflected in my work, I hope!
How do you explain the relationship between the darkness of the night and the consequences of these celebrations?
For me, it is important to observe these rapidly and frequently transformed spaces in order to provide many functions for many events.
I am interested in the space and space included in this project with chameleons. -like quality.
This aspect can only be emphasized through the use of tents, lighting, stage, background and architecture.
I want to see the appearance of these spaces, and the rest of them after the event, what they are built / organized, is over.
How do you use lights at night?
If one knows how to find it and how to deal with it, there will be a lot of light around at night. -
Street lights, house lights, floodlights and intersections, of course, light around the city also reflects back from pollutants in the clouds or the sky.
To take my picture, I used a medium-format film camera mounted on a sturdy tripod with exposure times ranging from 10 minutes to 2 hours.
This really allows me to register all available light on film so that the image doesn't look dark.
It's a bit like how people's eyes expand. They can see more clearly after spending a period of time in the dark, and the action of cameras and movies can enhance this.
How did you do in these places?
At first I'll meet these "after the party"-
Like space, but soon I started actively looking for such space - clubs, Gymkhanas, outdoor parks and other places where activities could be held. I often went to these places late at night to see what was there.
Calling caterers and event managers is another way for me to understand what's happening, just like looking around in news and social media.
Because this work spans many cities, the combination of various methods is the most ideal.
I try to find and take pictures after various activities - weddings, meetings, banquets, religious meetings, business meetings / celebrations, etc.
The nature of the event itself doesn't matter to me. What matters is its space and incarnation. When I take pictures, its appearance often starts to slip.
You're studying economics.
How did you pick up the camera?
I received a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Mumbai.
Photography happens by accident.
That was my last year in college in 2006, when I started taking pictures with a small idea. -and-shoot camera.
This turning point was just before my final exam, when I made some 8 x 10 inch enlargements, which I was very interested in.
I bought a digital SLR and moved to Noida in 2007.
The morning and evening pictures were taken on a SLR camera.
There are obvious limitations in my equipment, as well as obvious limitations in the replacement of mid-range cameras. (using film)
In 2008, a different, more rigorous way of making pictures was allowed, one I liked very much. (
Available at www. photoink. net)