ABOUT ME

me

BEING BORN AS YOURSELF HAD A PROBABILITY OF ONE IN 400-TRILLION AND THAT MAKES YOU OR ME A MIRACLE. THAT WAY, EVERY CREATION IN THIS WORLD IS THE OUTCOME OF A COINCIDENCE OR A SPECIAL CHANCE.

ACCORDING TO MY PHILOSOPHY, PHOTOGRAPHY IS THE COMBINATION OF ART, TECHNOLOGY & OPPORTUNITY. FROM MY EXPERIENCE, 70% OF SUCCESS IN PHOTOGRAPHY HAPPENS BY CHANCE (OPPORTUNITY),  20% OF THE CREDIT GOES TO THE EQUIPMENT (TECHNOLOGY) & THE PHOTOGRAPHER MAY CLAIM THE REMAINING 10% (ART). GREAT PICTURES JUST HAPPEN, THEY EXIST EVERYWHERE, PERHAPS A FEW LUCKY ONES GET A CHANCE TO CLICK AT THE RIGHT MOMENT.

GOPAN

They say, "To be a successful photographer, one must be at the right place at the right time". Well, in my case..., most of the pictures displayed here are occurrences or coincidences from normal life; perhaps I was lucky enough to carry a camera with me.

I am an Automation Engineer by profession, which primarily earns me my daily bread. Creative Arts and Photography are my past times, though my profession and passion never got along well.

I don't remember who started calling me 'GOPS', but that was my pet-name from school days. My fascination for drawing & painting helped me win a few laurels in school/college days, though no one from my family ever recognized or appreciated that. At least, those starving termites in my ancestral home appreciated the taste in my works and certificates I received !

Sometime in the mid-seventies, an advertisement about a camera in Reader's Digest magazine caught my attention and after several days of begging, pleading, convincing, my dad bought me an Agfa Click-IV camera. That camera costed less than 100 Indian Rupees those days (Close to a US Dollar today). It was a lot of money then, but it opened a much wider horizon in front of me. It used 120mm black & white film rolls that could make 12 exposures. During my school days, I used to assist a local photographer in our village and that acquaintance gave me an insight into handling professional equipment, film processing & printing as well. But owning a professional camera was 'mission impossible' for a child like me and it took several years of hard work to afford my first pro gear. I will always remember those nice people who were kind enough to lend me their equipment without thinking twice.

Over four decades in the field of photography! it was indeed a very long time to witness the changing faces of photography. Those 120mm black & white films in the early days, gradual transition to 35mm color films and transparencies, arrival of computers that transformed the way we watched and edited pictures and then the sudden leap to digital imaging...

Today's younger generation would find this story a bit difficult to digest. Once upon a time, photography was an expensive and time-consuming hobby for most of us. One had to wait until a film-roll gets exposed completely and had to spend several hours in those creepy dark-rooms to make sure we got it right. Hours of hard work and eagerness to see the results; I believe it was really worth that effort and there was joy of creation behind every capture. It was the art of turning the negatives in life to positives. Today, every person boasts about the megapixels in his pocket and makes the soft-ware do the hard-work. From my point of view, the day when they fitted a camera inside the cell-phone, the art of photography died. That also made me realize that the only way to escape from this rat race is to return back to the basics and pick-up my paint & brush again. So, I am more keen on drawing and painting these days, but photography will always remain as an art and passion to cherish a lifetime. 

My on-line venture www.gops.org was initiated in year 2002 just to showcase my works. A number of pictures got published world wide during these years. All my photographs are available for sale. Please do contact me if you fancy any of them.

Being passionate about nature, I never missed a chance to capture the beauty of Mother Earth. Misty mornings, Colorful skies, Green fields, Spiritual moments, Street life and Innocence of adolescence have become the subjects in front of my lens. As an Indian, a major part of my life has been spent traveling across the length and breadth of this country. A land of Mystery & History, Devotion & Despair, Magic & Mythology, Adventure & Spirituality, Festivals & Fanaticism, Beauty & Wilderness, Poverty & Corruption and what not ?!... Truly a land of contrasts and diversity. A country where the bare necessities include a mobile phone, but not a toilet. The more I try to hate her, an intriguing charm in her smile holds me back. A man's life wouldn't suffice to extract the essence of this great country.

If you have reached this sentence, I must appreciate your patience. Please have a look at my galleries and blog pages and send in a comment, if you feel so. Thanks & have a wonderful day !

Hey!, Don't forget to drop-in, whenever you find time.

 

GOPAN G. NAIR (GOPS)

BANGALORE, SOUTHERN INDIA


AN ADVERTISEMENT THAT CHANGED MY OUTLOOK

AN ADVERTISEMENT THAT CHANGED MY LIFE


EARLY DAYS OF MY WEB PRESENCE

My Web Site at the time of its release in 2002

 

ON-LINE SINCE 2002

My Web Site at the time of its revision in 2004

 


TESTIMONIALS

  • Subir Basak, Professional PHotographer, Kolkata, West Bengal, India

    "What should I say about GOPAN? I know GOPAN for a number of years, to be precise we formed a group in Flickr and looked his sincereness there. I think it comes from his honesty, a very high sense of values toward photography.  I get fascinated by the depth of his expertise, creative skills, the eye for vantage points and compositions. He is a gifted photographer and artist, capturing the essence of nature for over 3 decades."

    August 14th, 2014

  • SUVRANGSHU, IT PROFESSIONAL & PHOTOGRAPHER, CALIFORNIA, USA

    "If you see Gopi's photos , it tells a story, perhaps that's the best part of photography - "Story telling". I enjoy Gopi's photographs and I wish him all the very best. November 27, 2018"

  • GEORGE AUGUSTINE, Dental Surgeon & Photographer, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman

    "Gopan's images are unique. He seems to know what he does. His images are more than just snap shots. His passion for art reflects in his images. His ability to paint has come in handy in his photography. Most of his images are like poems that can be seen. I always felt that his images comes from the heart and not the camera. Keep clicking dear friend." September 10th, 2014

  • S.R. NAIR, Retired Professor, Texas, United States of America

    "We are delighted to write a few words about Gopan Nair. An Instrumentation Engineer & Entrepreneur by profession, an artist & photographer by talent and passion, he has been delighting us with his paintings and photographs on many themes and subjects dear to his heart. He has revealed his concern for environment, people and causes through his lens and his images are a veritable feast for the eyes. He understands light so well and makes use of it like a master photographer, making his images speak unforgettable stories to viewers.

    His style of photography is marvelous and is a model for other photographers aspiring to reach greater heights.

    Further he is a nice friend and always willing to help other photographers with his advice and inputs. We wish him all the best in life and in the field of photography."

  • EZHIL RAMALINGAM, Retd. Bank Officer & Professional Photographer

    "Gopan is one of my special friends in flickr. I always enjoy seeing his pictures. He has an innate ability to present things beautifully. The artist in him (he is a great painter too) is responsible for this ability. Another nice thing about him is that his interests are diverse, vary from zero to infinity !! One can find this by going through his photostream !!! I am fortunate to have wonderful people like Gopan in my friends' list. Dear Gopan, I wish to see more and more of breathtaking pictures from you." August 13th, 2014

  • DR. MALLIKA VEERAMALAI, BIOINFORMATICS SCIENTIST, CA, USA (KAAVIYAM PHOTOGRAPHY)

    "I am following Gopan Nair a multi-talented artist for some years now. Great photographer with wonderful collections of excellent captures. He got a keen eye on finding beauty in ordinary walk of life. Check out his artistic captures of candid moments, street photography and his storytelling portraits which will show you colorful faces of lively India. If you want to know historical and architectural wonders of India then follow his 'http://www.gops.org' website for wonderful captures and beautiful narrations. If you like beauty of silence then checkout his wonderful landscape photography. Oh i forgot to mention...if you are interested in paintings then you must checkout his artwork for some amazing and realistic paintings. I am an admirer of his artistic talents. Dear Gopan it's really great to met you in Flickr thank you very much for your continuos support and comments on my page. Keep it up with your amazing and inspiring artistic work!! :-)"

  • SOUMEN NATH, PROFESSIONAL WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER, NEW DELHI, INDIA

    "I have known Gopan since those days when we were more active on Flickr and Facebook had not taken the world by the storm. Gopan, a pure artist by heart ,leads the way by quality of his work. He never stuck to one genre. From nature to travel, from monuments to people, street photography, painting..... he has shown his artistic creativity in a wide array of possibilities. He has covered his journey from the film times to the digital world without any hitch, and yet evolved with each dawn. I wish him all the success and fame that he deserves."