“I suddenly understood that a photograph could fix eternity in an instant,” once quoted French photographer Henri Cartier Bresson, the father of modern photojournalism. The histori-an Peter Galassi stated, “The surrealists recognized, in plain photographic fact, and essential quality that had been excluded from the prior theories of photographic realism. They saw that ordinary photographs, especially when uprooted from their practical functions, contained a wealth of unintended, unpredictable meanings.
For most people ignorant to the field of photography, merely rearranging a point of view is what the profession is all about a practice that, needless to say, is quick to discount photography as a creative process. This is an untrue fact, as there are a host of photographic elements that may take years to master, such as the effect of timing, lighting, composition, depth of field, shutter speed and more.
In fact, it is only recently that photography, as an art form, has taken root and gained prominence in Pakistan. Islamabad’s Tehzeeb Art and design cafe and gallery recently exhibited photographs titled, ‘personal encounters on the journey of life’ by the photography duo, Mickey and money. Viewing each of these unprecedented photographs signifies and understanding of creating dialogue, for each image speaks to its onlookers in a pleasingly intimate fashion.
Glance quickly at the exhibition, and it becomes quite apparent that the dyad has chosen to photograph people, landscapes, architecture and faces in their immediate or actualized spaces. Hence, the space in which their subjects are shot captures the essence of their lives, whereas moods of solitude and serenity are effectively captured in their landscape photographs. Themes such as ‘M.girl’ (girl in the news), ‘Christian bridal’ and bohemian rhapsody’, in addition to the vast array of faces and places, are also an integral part of the display.
The images can be categorized into three groups: fashion photography, photojournalism and fine art photography. Quite interestingly, they all stand in contrast to each other; in the last group, the photographs are created in accordance with the vision of the photographer whereas in the former two, it is the visual account of faces, locations and gestural movements that is deeply focused on.
‘Morning glory’ is a splendidly simple yet powerful shot, showing the sun rising over the plains whereas ‘Maid of honor’, taken at the Abdullah Ghazi Mazaar in Karachi, sensitively portrays an elderly woman with a nostalgic yet critical gaze there is enough detail present in this photograph for one the sense both the texture of her skin and the worries in her life. In contrast, Mickey and Momey’s ‘M.girl’ series is trendy, modish and voguish. The images have their own aesthetic appeal, with the catchy assortment of clothes and poses being enhanced by the unique backdrop of newspapers, arranged in every possible direction.
Mickey and Momey have exhibited their work in Islamabad after eight years, and this diverse collection is an acclamation of their expertise in the complex field of photography.
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