What a sight it was! To see a vibrant crew of enthusiastic photographers surrounding the vicinity of the Parthasarathy Temple in the wee hours of dawn, capturing every fleeting moment– from bargains in the flower stall to the stillness of the early morning air.
Madras Frames is an Instagram page that brings together photography enthusiasts every weekend through unique themed photo walks. A new location is assigned every week, but this time, there was a twist—a ‘target colour’. Participants were challenged to hunt for and photograph everything they encountered in that assigned colour, transforming an ordinary walk through the city into a vibrant scavenger hunt through the lens.
Participants register through a link shared on the page before arriving at the designated location, dressed in the assigned colour and ready to photograph the nuances of this vivid and picturesque city through their lenses.
Among the participants was photographer Monica Ramachandran, who reflected on the challenge, the stories behind her photographs, and the beauty of slowing down to observe the city.
Q: Do you think more than the photo itself; it’s the lighting and editing that breathe life into the photograph?
Monica: I don’t really agree. It’s the raw photograph that speaks to the photographer. Every frame has a story behind it. Editing and lighting are only accessories that enhance it—the soul of a photograph lies in the moment the photographer chooses to capture.”
Q: Do you think the colour challenge encourages people to slow down and notice details they would otherwise overlook?
Monica: It was a challenge I must say, but it really does help us slow down and pay attention to nuances which we tend to miss otherwise. This is my first colour challenge. I usually tend to take a lot of photos, but today, I focused less on the number of photographs and more on the experience itself. I talked to so many people, the passers-by, the vendors, and I literally started to notice how colourful the place actually is.
Q: If Chennai itself were a colour, what colour would it be, and why?
Monica: I wouldn’t really point to a particular colour to be honest. No one colour could embody the culmination of cultures, tapestry of traditions and diversity of Chennai. I would think of it to be more of something like a spectrum, each colour speaking for an emotion or a place of its own.
Q: What are some hindrances faced while photographing live surroundings?
Monica: Sometimes, we find a perfect scene to capture, but people would not allow us to take pictures. This is one struggle that I think every photographer can relate to. One more thing I have faced as a girl is that people sometimes begin recording us while we re taking photographs, which can be quite uncomfortable. But the beauty of the art of photography lies in overcoming these challenges and capturing subtleties that otherwise goes unnoticed.
The initiative encourages participants to view familiar neighbourhoods from a fresh perspective, finding beauty in details that often go unnoticed.
Student Intern during April – June 2026