He accompanied the sterilization operations and came out with pictures that witnessed an exceptional stage
Ashok Verma ... documents "moments of Corona"
Ashok Verma participates in the festival with works under the title "The UAE Fights COVID-19".
Photography: Ahmed Arditi
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Moments of anticipation, discovery and dread of the unknown, documented by fellow photographer Ashok Verma in his exhibition titled "The UAE Fights Covid-19", which was shown at the International Photography Festival "Xposure" that concludes today.
Verma documented, through the pictures he took while working on journalistic assignments, the first moments of dealing with the Corona virus, which was able to change the reality of life in the world, so his pictures reflected the features of fear in the eyes of workers in the municipality to sterilize the streets, and also monitored the state of silence, calm and emptiness in the streets His images bear witness to a stage that will remain in people's minds.
And about starting this mission and taking pictures in the exhibition, Verma said: “I received a press mission to cover the sterilization procedures that the municipality would undertake in the Emirate of Sharjah.
In fact, the assignment was for a regular journalism assignment, but I felt confused about what would happen during this coverage. Through my work as a photojournalist, I often expected the event because of the experience in dealing with coverage over the years, but with a new event like this, it was difficult to anticipate What will the lens capture ”.
Verma added: “I felt excited to film this mission, because it is one of the events that will not be repeated in my life. That is why I went with two cameras and was supposed to take a video as well. I arrived at the site and the city was completely closed, and the streets were empty of people, with the presence of the sterilization team and the provider. "With equipment we saw it for the first time, along with large cars, and we did not know how the sterilization will be carried out and how the sterilized chemicals will be distributed."
Verma worked on documenting the moments of sterilization with passion, so he started wandering among the workers, and the sterilized materials were reaching him and his camera and eyes, and he did not realize the nature of the materials that reach him, but what he controlled at that hour was documenting the moments.
Verma confirmed that the sterilization mission lasted nearly an hour at night, and many places were moved, explaining that the photos in the exhibition belong to two missions, and that he took them on two different days.
As for the challenges that Verma faced while taking pictures, they were in the unknown that carries the story to be filmed, because events can usually be expected and how he will capture it, while in this case it was very difficult to predict what will happen, as everyone faced frightening moments, including the workers who seemed to be In their eyes, they dread all the event, so it is new to them as well, as Verma pointed out that the sterilization was at night and night lighting brought many challenges in taking the picture clearly, and he had two cameras with two different lenses, and therefore it was necessary to take pictures at the appropriate moments.
Regarding participation in "Xposure", Verma noted that when he took pictures, he posted some of them on his own page on "Instagram", so they contacted him in order to participate in the exhibition due to the importance of the pictures that document an important stage in the face of a small virus that changed the shape of life on the planet, especially since The images were in the beginning of dealing with the pandemic and all the unknowns that accompanied it at the time.
Verma took a lot of pictures that document the Corona pandemic, but he saw that what distinguishes these pictures is that they were a mission that was held for the first time, and they express a historical moment, considering that choosing his photos for the exhibition means a lot to him, and he added: “It is an honor for me to participate in the exhibition Especially since they are the ones who communicated with me, and I did not seek to participate, in the exhibition there are about 54 photographers, and they are all distinguished in everything they do, and being part of the exhibition means a lot to me on the personal and professional levels, it is a recognition of the effort that I make.
Dialogue session
Colleague photojournalist Ashok Verma presented a panel discussion about street photography as part of the dialogue sessions organized in "Xposure". During this session, he talked about what street photography is, which he described as being the inner voice and message that the photographer provides to others.
During the session, he presented the differences in street photography according to places, moment and topic, indicating that the photographer should be provided with patience as well as knowledge to select the correct lens, the type of camera, and the distance from which the photo is taken in order for the photographer to succeed in capturing a moment that tells a complete story.
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