Celebrating Cultures through Travel Photography

Cultures can be celebrated in many different ways. CIS Grade 12 student Yashi Gudka, a genuine photography enthusiast, chose to organise a travel photography exhibit to celebrate just this - the many different cultures within the CIS community. Her travel photography exhibit visually enriched the cultural mosaic of the festivities of UN Week (Lakeside) and took Atrium visitors (including students, parents and teachers) on a (virtual) tour around the world.

Yashi wanted to do something she was proud of in her last year before graduation. She wanted to draw attention to different cultures in her own unique way. And UN Week was the inspiration. Yashi wanted to use an exhibition of travel photos to reflect and showcase different cultures, landscapes and peoples. Yashi thought the theme would unite CIS students and reflect the many places we have collectively seen, from India to New York, Kenya to Italy, Indonesia to Switzerland.

The exhibit needed planning, organisation and management. Yashi consulted Ruth Yoneda, UN Week Coordinator about her exhibit idea. Ms. Yoneda guided Yashi through the process, and together they set up submission forms and advertised the exhibit on EdModo to spread the word (among students). Fifty students showed an interest in Yashi’s concept, and shared their photos for the exhibit. Within a few days, Yashi had gathered dozens of interesting photos from students in different grades.

The core message behind the exhibit from Yashi’s perspective was that a theme of commonality runs across cultures, even though we might do things slightly differently. This was what she wanted the exhibit images to portray. There will often be multiple ways to do something. As an example, Yashi’s photo of Dhobi Ghat, a giant open air laundromat in Mumbai, India, is the perfect example of bridging subcultures and the merging of tradition and culture. The image illustrates the multifaceted Indian culture: the new alongside the old and traditional. The photo is full of colourful laundry hanging everywhere, both traditional saris and modern day shirts and jeans.

The age old adage of a picture is worth a thousand words is often true. One of the most heartwarming photos of the exhibit was the photo of two local school boys from the Lamdon School, Ladakh, India. The photographer, Grade 12 student, Ding Gao, took the photo during excursion week in Ladakh. While CIS students were gathering for an orientation meeting at the school, Ding happened to notice these boys staring at them. Ding managed to capture their genuine smiles and the spark of excitement in their eyes.

Yashi got her first SLR camera as a gift on her 13th birthday and has played with many different types of photography, ranging from food to landscape and portraits. When going on holidays, her camera is the very first thing she packs.

For Yashi, the subject of the photograph is what first gets her attention - this is what makes or breaks the shot. The technical aspects come next - lighting, placement, background, etc.

At the end of this school year, Yashi will move to the States to attend university. Whichever degree she pursues, she is sure that she will be off to explore the world around her, and learn about new cultures, with her camera.