By Alesha Capone
Point Cook photographer and poet Pranay Lodhiya says he enjoys “finding beauty in the worst situation”.
The chief financial officer at the Bureau of Meterology, started going on early-morning runs when working from home during last year’s coronavirus pandemic lockdowns.
Lodhiya said, while on these runs, the feeling of being alone with his thoughts and music was a great way to start the day – like a “meditative space”.
Listening to audio books also inspired him to think about “self-awareness and the internal challenges everyone goes through”.
“It’s been part of the way to centre myself, rather than rushing all the time,” he said.
“I was one of those people who struggled to work from home, at first.”
During his exercise routine, Lodhiya began taking photos of sunrises on his phone.
He later picked up his DSLR camera to catch the morning scenes in all their glory, as well as sunsets and moonscapes during evening walks.
“The photography, post-editing and all that was a very meditative state for me,” Lodhiya said.
The many stunning images he captured of Point Cook and its surrounds during the pandemic showcase the beauty of the lonely landscapes and natural world.
Lodhiya said he started posting his photographs in the Point Cook Residents Facebook group last year, as a way to bring cheer to others during the lockdowns.
“I received a lot of love and encouragement from the group,” Lodhiya said.
He is now publishing a book of the images and his poems, titled Lockdown – A Poetographic Journey Though My Eyes.
Lodhiya says there are more than 100 photographs in the book, alongside about 50 poems.
“For me, it is a way to express what I was thinking in different situations,” he said.
Many of the photos in the book were taken in the Cheetham Wetlands, including views from a bridge in the coastal park.
A particularly striking picture features drops of melting frost, hanging from the bridge’s railings, against the sunrise.
Another image shows tree branches at the Sanctuary Lakes Golf Course silhouetted against a colourful sky.
“Trees that don’t look like anything spectacular on their own, against the sunset, look amazing,” Lodhiya said.
He described other images of weeds and barbed wire as “like finding beauty in the worst situation”.
Lodhiya said the book’s cover photo, of a bench where he would finish his runs, was especially meaningful to him.
“The book was truly a labour of love for me, the fact that people actually appreciate it and have brought it is amazing,” Lodhiya said.
“The fact that I can put a smile on someone’s face, is very humbling.”
He has donated $10 from each of the first 100 copies sold to the Asylum Seekers Resource Centre, where he previously volunteered.
Lodhiya thanked his publisher Samantha and her team for being “fantastic” and helping to find an Australian printer for the book.
The official book launch will be held at Pint Size Indian, 20 Adelphi Boulevard, Point Cook, from 6.30 to 8.30pm on Wednesday, April 21.
Details: bit.ly/2Qm0RyY
‘Lockdown – A Poetographic Journey Though My Eyes’ costs $49.95 plus postage, see creativeleads.com.au/pranay-lodhiya
