Apart from pounding the pavements of Chor Bazaar

Apart from pounding the pavements of Chor Bazaar, the photographer keeps coming to the city for workshops. "When I started photographing, there were no digital cameras. Once a person gets acquainted with this process, it is hard to not https://www.dpiflex.com/product/cotton-canvas.html to fall in love with it," he smiles. Participants will load photo paper into the portable darkroom and learn to develop prints. "Having a darkroom is not as complicated as you think. His curiosity about cameras belonging to bygone eras has turned him into a collector of sorts and he is a proud owner of 300 cameras, some new, many old. Although from Rajkot, Siddharth travels frequently to Mumbai to visit Chor Bazaar, from where he has sourced many of his cameras. This is precisely why photographer Siddharth Kaneria has an almost unshakeable fondness for cameras of the past. Explaining why he chose to focus on this aspect, Siddharth says, "Once we understand the camera’s technical aspects, taking photographs becomes easy. This experience with using an analogue camera, combined with his curious nature, made him go in search of landmark cameras from the past.When asked if he has anything on the digital front, the 35-year-old says, "I like exploring things from the past, and I like to stick to that.Siddharth is also fascinated with developing photographs and has studied historical printing processes, like cyanotype and salt printing, which are both processes from the 1800s. If you keep an eye out, you will stumble upon an old camera on ebay, or Chor Bazaar. One such camera is the pinhole camera that will also be taught to the participants. His fascination with developing photographs led him to fashion his own makeshift darkroom, which he will carry to both workshops. And for his upcoming workshop, Siddharth has invited participants to try their hand at a few cameras from his collection, like the box camera, which was the earliest camera ever used, medium format SLRs, the Yashica twin-lens reflex camera and others.And not only does Siddharth collect cameras, he also makes his own cameras.Photographer Siddharth Kaneria talks about his obsession with collecting vintage cameras, and the interesting workshops he will be conducting in the city. He also aims to teach the basics of photography by making highlighting the evolution of the camera." With a background in interior designing, one wonders how this obsession with old cameras took over. When asked if collecting old cameras is difficult, he says, "If you’re willing to invest time, you can do it. Acknowledging the hard work gone into creating his priceless collection, Siddharth says, "I spend a considerable amount of time researching the model I am going to buy. Chor Bazaar is the best place for antique objects," laughs the photographer. I got comfortable using a roll and developing my own photographs. It’s a completely manual process," he explains. They can be made from ordinary objects, like a soap or a cigarette box," he says. Any normal box can be converted into a darkroom."A participant holds a hand-made pinhole cameraRaking up a collection like this can in no way be an easy feat.While the saying ‘old is gold’ might be a cliché, one cannot deny the truth behind the statement." Well, if you are a photographer and share the same interest as Siddharth, you know what to do next!Today, Pinhole Camera workshop, At Bombay Connect, BKCEvolution of Camera workshop, On May 16, at ARTISANS Gallery, Kalaghoda.Many of his cameras come from his visits to street markets. Even the Kodak Brownie, a camera from the 1900s, has over 20 versions. "Making a camera is not that difficult. The workshop will also show us that, in all these years, the camera hasn’t changed much, its principles remain the same