Capturing the nuances of Therukoothu with 50 mm F 1.2 G Master lens

“When Sony India reached out to us to test the amazing capabilities of the new 50 mm F 1.2 G Master lens, we knew right there that we wanted to shoot the art form, “Therukoothu”. We wanted to show the traditional folk art in a completely new light, and test the limits of this 50mm F 1.2 lens. So, we switched the lights off and shot in the dark!”

Therukoothu: A fascinating art form

“As a team, we are always inclined towards meaningful creativity - which leads us to shoot culture and art forms of India. ‘Therukoothu’ is an interesting art form. It is a kind of street theatre predominantly performed in the state of Tamil Nadu. Just like the dance form of Kathakali from Kerala, in ‘Therukoothu’, stories from the Mahabharata, Ramayana and the Puranas are performed by a group of 15-20 artists.”

“These artists, more than anyone out there, truly work for their passion. They have been affected the most in the folk world since the ongoing pandemic. They nearly lost their livelihood and hardly have live shows these days - the art form that was already searching for ways to continue to live. This shoot was more than a personal project that we have worked on with Sony. This project, on a larger scale, is about how we can come together to support and revive the struggling art forms. The problem, most of the time is that we look at an art form in the same way it has been looked at, for the last hundred years. What can we do to make a difference? How can we look at an age-old tradition in a contemporary light?”

Throwing light at the age-old traditional folk art

“What other lens is better out there to test the limits of super low-light situations, if not for the fastest of Sony - 50mm F 1.2 G Master lens.”

“The lens really let us play with neon colours with utmost ease and showcase the amazing details in the eyes, in their intricate makeup and gave the beautiful, buttery bokeh straight out of the camera.”

“If you look closer, you can see how the focus falls off smoothly from the eye to the makeup across the face and the background. The 50 mm F 1.2 G master lens is equipped with bokeh enhancing 11- blade circular aperture and you can easily see how it contributes to beautiful bokeh. Circular highlights are exquisitely rendered too—further enhancing the widely acclaimed beauty of G Master bokeh. Out-of-focus backgrounds are smoother and more pleasing even in such low light.”

“The lens tremendously enhanced the quality of our shots. This was due to its outstanding resolution and contrast throughout the aperture range - right up to the F 1.2.”

The best of 50 mm F 1.2 G Master lens

Appreciating the stunning potential of the 50 mm F 1.2 G Master lens, Amar opens up about how the lens enabled them to shoot dynamic pictures at an amazing shutter speed.

“Shooting with neon lights is very tricky because you cannot have any lights apart from the UV lights switched on. The moment you introduce a flashlight or any other light source into the scene, the whole effect of neon will instantly go away. What this means is that there is very little light in the scene to work with for photography and video. However, with the 50 mm F 1.2 G Master lens along with the Sony Alpha 7R IV, we were able to capture these dynamic pictures at an amazing shutter speed of 1/400 and still get such clear and stunning lighting in the pictures.

“One of the features which I fell in love within the new lens is usually, large-aperture lenses are often large and heavy. But, Sony 50 mm F1.2 GM weighs just 778 grams. In other words, all this stunning technology is surprisingly compact and lightweight. This lens is a joy to carry around and shoot effortlessly.”

“My overall experience with the 50 mm F 1.2 G Master lens has been brilliant. It is both technically and artistically insane how this lens performs.”