Photography Students Tour to Rajasthan 2017 @ ICAT, Bangalore

ICAT, being a design and media college, is a home to creativity and diversity on all scales. The students are exposed to a variety of different fields to strengthen their skills in the mass media and to make them ready to face an ever-growing competitive market. They are prepared with an intense curriculum, to shape them as professionals in their chosen fields and also to motivate them to excel in them.

For the students pursuing Photography at the college, they are trained from day one to be masters of the stream. The modules are designed to provide them an insight into the field of Photography, with an intention to help them put together a portfolio that reveals their skills and techniques to an ever-growing market. These skills are developed by creating different opportunities for them to come out of their shells and experience a different world. One such opportunity is the study trip that is planned every year to the students to enrich their knowledge in travel and street photography. The trip works as an intense workshop in molding their creative skills along with their people skills to make them street smart to embrace the idea of travel photography.

This year, the tour that was organised by ICAT for the students pursuing UG course in Photography, was to the beautiful city of Rajasthan, also famously known as the ‘City of Royalty’. The students were exposed to a cultural and heritage change that helped them grow as photographers and strengthened their skills as creators for the long run. 14 students from ICAT Bangalore embarked on this journey of a lifetime, experiencing firsthand the very nature of travel photography and this also helped mold them to some extent as individuals.

During the fifteen-day adventure, the students enjoyed the change in scenes from a busy metropolitan city to a breathtaking view of the golden desert sands of Rajasthan. They relished the beauty of the lakes and palaces of Udaipur. They captured the sandy streets of Pushkar as they travelled through the state. The enthusiasm of seeing a new world was clear in their eyes with a dash of excitement and curiosity. The students captured wonderful landscapes and portraits of the people they crossed paths with making memories on the go. They experienced a breathtaking view of the Blue city, ‘Jodhpur’ and the marvels of the forts that surrounded this beautiful empire. The excitement had just begun for this bunch of curious photographers as there was so much more to their journey. They later hit the road to reach the most awaited destination, ‘Jaisalmer’. This golden city is a true sight for the sore eyes. Amidst this beautiful city are the sand dunes of the Sam desert, which provided the perfect sunset of a lifetime. The students were half frozen with the desert winds and yet they lit up as the desert sun itself; the camel ride into the desert was the highlight of their entire trip. The students then went on to visit the Pink City ‘Jaipur’ that glows with its glorious palaces and monuments that have stood the challenges of time and never seizes to mesmerize its viewers. As the trip came to its end, the students proceeded to the last destination, the beautiful and green forests of Ranthambore Wildlife Sanctuary.

The students had the opportunity to experience firsthand as to what wildlife is all about and with that memory still lingering on, they were soon back to tell their stories to the world they departed from. Overall, they sought a memorable experience that they will cherish for a lifetime.

Through the entire journey, the students had the opportunity to learn what it truly means to be a travel photographer and the challenges one would face when they take up a job in the field. It moulded their people skills and helped them with better interaction abilities. This was a hands-on experience for the students to learn how to use different gadgets and equipments as travel photographers.