Kartikey Sehgal

Depth and Outline

I went to the sea and the waves were eager to meet me.

A Marathi television channel crew was shooting an entertainment program near the sea. A crowd of men had gathered to look at the shoot and the girl in green who is the anchor of the program.

The anchor sat on a rock.

The director of photography (D.O.P) placed the girl on the right side of the camera screen adjacent to the rocks on the left side. He should have done the reverse; placed the girl on the left side and kept the rocks as a distant background; given the anchor an outline, space and power in the frame.

The D.O.P also tilted the camera during the shoot. He shouldn’t have, considering that the edges of the rocks were uneven, jagged and already provided the frame with a positive disturbance. If the anchor is straight, and the rock edges make crosses in the background, then why tilt the camera to spoil the effect?

The anchor was wearing green and should have shared space with the sea. Dark green and black don’t always make an ideal photograph. The D.O.P could have considered a high angle shot with the girl and the sea in the same frame. This would have also matched the casual approach of the anchor and the program.

Perhaps the crew considered taking another shot of the anchor after raising her to another rock. This would have added depth and space to the frame (see photo below) but they dropped the idea.

The anchor laughed and asked the people to disperse. The shot was taken and they could see her in television.

Click to enlarge

Photographs: Kartikey Sehgal