“For a youngster who was enthusiastic about photography right from his school days, it was no surprise that when a chance to compete in an elite cup came up at my alma mater, I was quick to jump the bandwagon.
With many students interested in participating, the school Principal was forced to conduct a specific field test and to compete in the same, I chose Sports photography, and as it is said, the rest is history”, reveals Dharma Chandru, the Chennai based freelance photographer.
Chandru has been involved with photography for over a decade, out of which sports photography has been the serious emphasis for almost 5 years now. He has managed to capture many of the best and memorable moments in test cricket, one day internationals and also in the shorter version of the game, better known as T20. Apart from cricket, he also shoots track, field events and lawn tennis as well.
Recalling vividly his very first candid shot, which was a silhouetted image of his brother, captured with his Canon camera, was when he realized that he was smitten by photography. Nonetheless, after all the initial excitement subdued, over time what followed was some serious experimentation in various genres of photography. He elucidates, “Gradually, I switched mediums and started working with a Minolta film SLR for the very first time in 2001, and used the same camera till 2005. I knew with time I had to make the transition from film to digital, and in due course of time I picked up my first D-SLR – the Canon EOS 350D. Although I consistently carried out my experiments with the different genres, what garnered my interest was photographing children, landscape and sports.”
Bend it like Yuvi! Camera: Canon 5D Mark II Shutter speed: 1/320sec Aperture: f/4.5 Sensitivity: ISO 250 |
 Shewag takes evasive action Camera: Canon 5D Mark II Shutter speed: 1/2000 sec Aperture: f/5.6 Sensitivity: ISO 200 |
A chance meeting with renowned cinematographer, PC Sriram, a couple of years ago worked as a motivating factor. “As a token of appreciation he presented me with a book on aerial photography. This is one of the most valuable gifts that encouraged the start of my journey”, Chandru recalls.
One of the high points of his career came with Chandru winning the Fanatic Fans Challenge, thanks to his extensive portfolio. He was drafted as a part of the Royal Challengers of Bangalore(RCB) IPL franchise to be with the team members for around 30 days. This gave him an opportunity to shoot with the members of the team at various venues and also conduct private shoots with Manish Pandey, Dale Steyn and Ross Taylor.
Explaining the equipment employed, Chandru says, “For shooting action both on and off the field, my photographic gear consists of two Canon EOS 5D Mark II body, and the Canon EOS 7D. The lenses include the Canon 500 MM F4 and the 70-200 F2.8 L II. I use the 24-70 and 16-35 lens exclusively to cover the wide angle shots, especially while covering the audience in the stadium.”
 A decisive moment! Camera: Canon 5D Mark II Shutter speed: 1/500 sec Aperture: f/4 Sensitivity: ISO 400 |
 Team Camaraderie Camera: Canon 5D Mark II Shutter speed: 1/100sec Aperture: f/3.5 Sensitivity: ISO 400 |
 Wake up call Camera: Canon 5D Mark II Shutter speed: 1/6sec Aperture: f/4 Sensitivity: ISO 200 |
