Rahul Shah

 

Last 10 days were quite a experience while attending the Photography workshop by German Photographers Else Gabriel and Andreas Rost, which was organized by Goethe Institute in Chennai.   

The project I chose to work on was "Thirunangai" ( its Tamil word for trans-gender ). The word, 'Thirunangai' means 'most respectful woman' , which is far from reality in india where Trans-genders are objects of discrimination. Through this series I am trying to frame their lifestyle and their relation with the world around them.  

It was a very different and unique experience for me. The story I chose wasnt easy to work on especially being non-tamil guy. But through this workshop,I learnt the process of developing a subject in photography language and to make a visual yet meaningful impact while developing the story. Thanks to the two mentors, Else Gabriel and Andreas Rost, who really taught me to see the subject in different light and changed not only how I photograph but also how I see the world. And I also want to thank you my Rickshaw Driver for helping me with language and dealing with subject delicately.

Rahul Shah