Covershot 3 to go on air from Nov 15

One of the picture clicked by the contestants of the third season of NGC’s Covershot

By Priyanka Bhadani

The third installment of National Geographic Channel’s Covershot is set to kick off from November 15. Unlike the last season, which had 10 contestants, this time the photography-based reality show has 16 budding photographers fighting it out for the Covershot trophy. The winner’s photograph will be featured on the cover of National Geographic Traveller India magazine.
After capturing Sri Lanka in the first season and the North-East India in second, the show this time is based in Mumbai as the contestants will cover different aspects of the city. The episodic themes of the series include — Ganpati Visarjan, Malkhamb and Akhada, people who drive Mumbai, Dharavi among others — are unique and typical to Mumbai.
The contestants have been mentored and judged by photographer Samar Singh Jodha and film director Abhinay Deo, while celebrated photographer Raghu Rai joined them in the finale.
Rai, who over the last five decades has been a witness to the changing scene of photography, says that a show like Covershot is “one hell of a great opportunity for young photographers.” While he doesn’t deny that almost all the participants were good, he mentions how the technologically developed cameras have hampered the understanding of the nuances of photography in people.
“With a digital camera in hand, it becomes very easy for a person to get a perfect shot with features like auto-focus etc just a click away. But an excellent photography with the help of these features doesn’t make one a photographer,” he says and adds that it is the understanding of the details and commitment towards the art is what matters the most.
Rai talks about one of the contestants — Sajad Rafiq from Kashmir — who for the love of photography travelled to Mumbai to participate in the show. “His hometown was fighting the gory floods but he left his parents in deluge to be a part of the show that too without having a camera. He rented a camera in Delhi and came to Mumbai. This is the kind of commitment that takes one ahead,” says Rai, who thinks that formats like that of Covershot make it easier to gauge the talent of participants.