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Primitive Art

My grandfather had an ancient Kodak box camera he had bought second hand in the 1930s. It was his pride and joy. When the season and the slant of the sun was just right he would herd the family up to the terrace to take pictures. There are many shutter bugs in the family with sophisticated equipment but none can rival him as a photographer.

I learnt from him that a good photograph is about perceiving the mundane and commonplace in an extraordinary way. It is about having an artistic slant to life. That a bare terrace with crows perched on clothes-lines is as good a background as any other if your eye is keen and focused on your subject. That a pinhole camera can create lasting works of art.

It would have warmed Grandpa's heart to see the beautiful images one giant and primitive camera has created.

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