Homestay with Fruit Orchard
In this age of social media and endless scrolling, there are some things that need to be sorted out and explained. These are simple things, but any photographer will appreciate it if these differences are kept in mind while talking to a photographer. Nothing complicated, but just simple clarifications and the correct terms.
( An abstract or a wasted shot with excessive blur? )
Continue reading Understand the difference!It has been said, ‘Change is the only Constant’. Things change, for better or for worse. This is just a summary of my observations regarding the change around me in the last few months.
(Trishul Peak on a clear morning, after rains)
Continue reading Shifting Perspectives: Evolving Thoughts on Photography and PerceptionOver the past few years, I’ve felt anchored in place. First, there was the pandemic, followed by financial setbacks and ongoing work commitments. These factors have prevented me from traveling to exotic destinations and indulging in photography.
(Macro photography can be enjoyed at home, even with the smallest of gardens. No need to travel overseas for this. )
Continue reading Stuck in One Place?Living in the hills near the forest brings both benefits and challenges. We often find ourselves visited by wild animals; hares delighting in our vegetable garden and wild boars occasionally unearthing potatoes are frequent sights. However, early morning forest walks offer a distinct advantage, allowing us to spot tiny critters and small animals along the way.
Continue reading Forest Walk and The FoxFor the past few days, snow has been falling steadily outside, keeping me indoors with little to occupy my time. Downstairs, a crackling fire attempts to ward off the chill, but its warmth feels insufficient. Wrapped in a cozy blanket, I clutch a steaming cup of hot chocolate, while my feet rest on a comforting hot water bottle. Despite these comforts, my fingers still feel the cold as I type. It’s unmistakably the heart of winter here.
Continue reading Winter WonderlandIn the midst of this frigid winter, I cozied up in layers of warmth this morning and delved into my collection of 1990s National Geographic magazines. The photographs within are profoundly evocative, each telling its own story. It makes me wonder, where have such talented photographers gone?
(Bridge over a mountain stream – About a half minute exposure at f/16, ISO 50, with an ND filter on.)
Continue reading Stop Overdoing Things!A few days ago, I had the opportunity to visit a small mountain stream near my home. A group of friends and I planned a picnic there. I’ve always been drawn to mountain streams with their rugged rocks and cascading waterfalls, and this one didn’t disappoint. It promised a day filled with picnicking by the stream, refreshing dips in the chilly water, and capturing some captivating motion blurs. It was shaping up to be a fantastic day.
During the rainy season, when the skies are perpetually grey and clouds drift through the valley, there are moments when the cloud cover parts, revealing glimpses of the snow-covered Himalayan peaks. For a photographer, these are precious windows of opportunity. I relish capturing the peaks whenever such a scene unfolds.
Coates Kinney wrote these lines more than a century ago, and yet, even today they make sense :
When the humid shadows hover
Over all the starry spheres,
And the melancholy darkness
Gently weeps in rainy tears,
What a joy to press the pillow
Of a cottage-chamber bed,
And to listen to the patter
Of the soft rain overhead!
This afternoon, sitting alone indoors, I watch as dark clouds beautifully envelop the valley outside while the rain drums its soothing rhythm on the roof. I find myself pondering the present and the future. My camera rests on the table to one side, and the calendar displays empty days on the other. Rainy days always evoke a mix of emotions, but today, the sadness feels more profound than the joy.
I came across a beautiful photograph of a statue named ‘The Veiled Virgin’. I was mesmerized by that photograph. Lost in it. The cloth on the face seemed so real. But, was the photograph beautiful?
Continue reading Does photographing a beautiful artwork create beautiful photograph?
On a recent photography assignment, I was capturing numerous smiling faces and street portraits. Later in the evening, while discussing my work with a friend, he suggested that since I was already photographing on the streets, I should also capture moments of sadness and despair. So, here are a few photographs that attempt to convey those emotions. I’ll also try to analyze each photograph to explain why it evokes such feelings.
Winter has almost ended, and over the past few weeks, I managed to get a lot done around the house and garden. The fruit trees are now covered with blossoms, though a few lazy ones are still waking up from their winter hibernation. Today, for the first time in a long while, I woke up early to go on a forest trek and do some bird-watching.
The cold winter has arrived and will linger for a few more months. Thankfully, my fireplace is now repaired, so I can keep myself warm in the evenings. Today, after many weeks, I finally got my hands on my camera. With the repair work done, I can now enjoy the finer things in life, including my passion for photography.
With the festival season in full swing, the village near my home celebrated in its own unique way. Although the celebrations were toned down due to Covid-19, the festive spirit remained. Masks adorned nearly every face, and people avoided gathering in large crowds, yet the season retained its joyous atmosphere.
One of the major attractions in the region is ‘Ramlila,’ a dramatic reenactment of the Ramayana. This ten-day spectacle provided a wonderful opportunity to capture some intriguing scenes, both on stage and behind the scenes.
Coo..coo…coo…tweet…tweet…coo…coo…
It’s 5:45 AM, and I’m gently awakened by the melodious song of a Blue Whistling Thrush. This particular bird made a nest near my roof last year. Its call is perfectly timed to wake me for the early morning light on the Himalayan peaks.
A few days ago, one of my readers suggested that, in addition to covering the basics of capturing night landscapes, star trails, and the Milky Way, I should also discuss the challenges and common mistakes involved. Each time I venture out to photograph nightscapes, something memorable happens. From simple mistakes to unforgettable incidents, every photo shoot is unique and offers valuable lessons.
I’ve been taking a lot of nightscapes and star trails lately. Just a few days ago, I saw a photograph of the Milky Way shared in a WhatsApp group. More than the photograph itself, what intrigued me was the statement from the photographer, who mentioned spending many months, possibly years, and countless failed attempts to capture that perfect shot. While the photograph was impressive, the statement felt like something out of a reality show, aiming to tug at the emotional chords of some gullible readers. I thought, why not try capturing some Milky Way shots myself the next time I’m out photographing star trails? They are not difficult. The pictures here are from an inexpensive camera and done up in a hurry.
(The faint colors in Nebulae can be seen even in simple Milky-Way snapshots. Someday, I’ll get myself a powerful telescope to enjoy all these)
Continue reading Aiming for the Milky WayDepth of Field – a term that describes how much of the scene in front of and behind your subject appears sharp and in focus. Achieving the desired depth of field can be challenging for many photographers, but understanding its principles is essential for creating compelling images.
Continue reading Depth of Field – Aperture, Hyper-focal Focusing, Focus StackingJust a few days ago, I was treated to a delicious apple pie baked by my better half. However, as is the trend nowadays, I had to photograph it before I could take a bite. Here’s how the photograph came about: it was captured to share on Instagram and promote our homestay.
In continuation with the earlier article – Have you overdone it?, here, I’ll be pointing out some more very obvious errors. If you are committing these mistakes, try to avoid them in the future. If you are not, well and good, don’t go overboard with photo-editing or post-processing.
Remember, this article is to train your eyes to observe. So, stare at these images and see the flaws. Don’t try to skimp through it. Read this only if you have time and patience. Once you learn to see the flaws in photographs that would otherwise go unnoticed, you’ll start seeing the obvious darkroom flaws everywhere. Remember, you have been warned!
This evening, as I wrapped up my work, the sky was blanketed with clouds, and a light fog had settled in. I had completed all my farming and gardening tasks for the day. The rain had come and gone in bursts throughout, leaving the atmosphere heavy and overcast. With the day’s chores behind me, the evening was perfect for photography.
(Distant trees through a gap in floating clouds)
Continue reading An Evening With CloudsLockdowns have cleared the atmosphere a lot. Even in cities, now, the night skies can be seen dotted with stars. Earlier, I had written about creating star-trails. Here, I will write about how to photograph starry skies (and not create star-trails).
(Starry Sky – Photographed using a 25mm lens. The photographs in this article have been processed to appear realistic. They look better on large screen displays than on mobile phones.)
The lock-down is terrible and as per the authorities, this is the only way out. So, I started off with various tasks to keep me busy. Most of them were the tasks that I had been postponing for a long time. Creating Back-Ups, cleaning up the storage, post-processing some old files again, polishing my photo-editing skills, and catching up on lots of reading. Still, there are times when I miss going out and photographing. Today, I took out my camera and started clicking whatever I could.
There’s bird-photography and then there is bird-photography! Which group do you prefer? How can a simple activity like bird photography be not ethical? What is it that should be avoided in bird-photography?
Social Distancing! Home Quarantine! Isolation! Janta Curfew! Lockdown!
When you are to stay at home, what is it that you can do as a photographer? Here is a list of things that I have planned to do over the next few days. Some of these are tasks that I had been putting off for a very long time. Apart from spending some quality time with my family, catching up on some old books and trying my hand in the kitchen, this is what I intend to do –
Just a few days back, a couple of photographers came to stay at Maini’s Hill Cottages, our homestay. They were old friends. They came on a family vacation and had their photography gear with them. A photographer will always remain a photographer after all. What followed were two days of great photography and photo-walks and some beautiful moments spent together.
What does photography do for me? It makes me happy. If it is supposed to always do so, why do I feel discontented with photography at times? This was a thought that has been at the back of my mind for many years. Recently, I thought of analyzing this. Why does photography not make me happy always?
(Nanda Kot peak in the late evening)
It has been a few days since I last clicked some photographs. I have been busy with marketing activities and some finance-related matters. However, my camera is now calling me. It’s raining outside with occasional wet snow, but I do hope that the weather should improve soon.
While planning to write a better title, I thought and thought, but then I just wrote down the three words that came to my mind. Why waste time on a title when I have so much more to say? This article is just about these three words and how I got around to creating some panoramas.
(Himalayan peaks after snow-fall – captured just a few days earlier)
Hills have always drawn me in, but there’s something especially captivating about the sight of distant snow-covered peaks. Every winter, these glimmering white summits become my favorite photography subjects. With each peak, varying weather conditions, and different times of day, the landscape is constantly changing. Every day offers a fresh perspective and a new subject to capture.
(Is that an early morning snow storm on the peak that I just captured?)
Continue reading On trail of snow-capped peaksAnything that can go wrong, goes wrong. I have seen it happening in photography very often. Here is a small compilation-
(First few rays of light on Trishul)
After spending a few years with just the essentials, I’ve decided it’s time to move everything to my new place. Although it’s a small house, it boasts a stunning view of the hills. While packing, I discovered a drawer full of 35mm slides and transparencies, accompanied by a small portable slide viewer. This discovery was quite nostalgic and prompted me to take a moment to reminisce. Surrounded by these priceless memories, I let packing tape and cartons sit for a few extra minutes.
Today, as the rain pours outside, I’m lounging at home, reflecting on some of the recent photographs I’ve seen. A few common mistakes in composition come to mind. Are you making any of these errors? If so, they might be holding your images back from reaching their full potential. Discover these mistakes and learn how to avoid them in your future compositions.
The rains had been relentless for days, but there was finally a brief pause. It felt like the perfect moment to tend to the garden, gather some fruit, and take leisurely walks beneath the towering trees. My friend says I’m in love with this place. Maybe he’s right, after all.
Follow the Leader was a game I often played as a child. The goal was simple: follow the chosen leader. If I didn’t, I’d be out of the game. Quite frequently, I was left standing while the other kids went on playing. Now that I have grown up, I still fail to follow the leader.
Continue reading Moving in a herd?
My parents recently came to visit, and we went on a couple of outings together. While I was busy composing my shots, they were happily snapping away with their phones. I couldn’t help but notice their photos lacked clarity—poor composition, bad lighting, and sometimes the faces weren’t even recognizable. When I mentioned this, their response took me by surprise: ‘The photos may not be perfect, but they’ll help keep our memories clear!’ It was a simple, yet powerful reminder that sometimes the meaning behind a photo matters more than technical perfection.
Johannes Vermeer was a Dutch painter known for his limited but exquisite body of work. Despite painting only a few pieces and never traveling far from home, he remained relatively obscure until some prominent figures recognized his talent. For photographers, Vermeer’s paintings serve as both inspiration and a valuable source of learning.
KISS… Keep It Simple, Stupid!
A girl-friend had once told this to me. Quite a famous line and I don’t even know where it originated initially. Little did I know that after so many years, this will become the opening line of this article.
Keeping compositions simple is one of the most effective ways to make them powerful. A strong composition that is easy to understand and conveys its message clearly is the best gift you can offer your viewer. This embodies the essence of minimalism in photography.
A few weeks ago, a friend and I spent a few relaxing days at our homestay. We planned on some night photography on one of the evenings. It was a cool, moonless night, perfect for capturing some night shots of the cottages. We switched on all the lights and set up at the far end of the driveway. With the tripod in place, camera settings dialed in, and exposure checked, we began shooting the scene.
Continue reading Star TrailsA motivational speaker and a friend of mine once told me, “feedback is the breakfast of champions”. This is especially true when it comes to learning photography. It sounds obvious but very few of the photographers actually make use of it. If you are a photographer trying to improve your skills, do try to get some artists and photographers to critique your work.
With the heat of summer settling in, nothing compares to the cool embrace of the hills—a perfect retreat for relaxation. Last weekend, that’s exactly what I did. Joined by a few close friends, we spent our time in a lazy rhythm, the evening slipping away as we chatted under the starlit sky. The next morning promised adventure, as we had planned a nature walk with our resident guide. The anticipation made it hard to sleep. As the first light kissed the snow-capped peaks, I was already up, camera in hand, ready to capture the beauty of the morning.
There are some special places that we like to visit again and again. That beautiful cottage on the hills with a view, that roadside cafe selling your favorite coffee, that corner store with its oddball collections, that winding road on the hills… the list goes on. There are our favorite songs that we never get tired of hearing or the movie that can always entertain us. For me, my old photographs are also a precious treasure, which I love to visit again and again. However, this time, I thought of revisiting the raw files!
(The photograph on the left is processed from an old file that I had used for one of my articles here, few years back. On the right is the image that I could get from its raw file 10 years back. Notice the lack of information in the overexposed area in the photograph.)
Continue reading Revisiting raw filesLately, I have been asked the same question in many different ways –
… and so on! First and foremost let me clarify, there is nothing special that tells who is a beginner and who is not. Second, the fact that a person is a beginner or has been in the field for donkey years, does not correlate to photography skills.
Lately, whenever I check out any photography groups, I always end up seeing many bird photographs. With the easy availability of cost-effective and sharp long-teles, this is now within reach of many. Everyone who had a passion for bird photography is now able to indulge in that. Get an advanced camera, mount a telephoto lens, switch to auto and start clicking! That’s what most photographers clicking birds do. Sounds easy, does it not?
Do you recall the sketches from your childhood? Recently, my parents shared with me some of the sketches that I had drawn as a kid. The most common sketch was a landscape done with crayons. It seems I was quite fond of it. There was a row of mountains, a river flowing down from the mountains dividing the foreground into two parts. One of these had a simple house and the other part had a tree growing. Behind the hills, on one side was the sun and on the other side were birds flying. I am sure many of you created similar sketches. Now even my daughter creates similar sketches.
Following up on those days, this is how I have started to balance out my compositions. Now I am learning to let the creative side of my mind, loose. The results seem more pleasing to me now.
Continue reading Balancing Elements – A Study of Locomotive Parts
On one morning, I ventured out with a couple of my friends. Aim was to photograph some of the rural India. It was a photowalk combined with some quality time with friends. Little did I know that this would let me understand the pains of farmers and help me in my photography-journey.
Some of the photographers asked me about some tips and tricks to capture various emotions. How can they express themselves? What does it mean when mentors say that you should use your photography as a medium to express your own feelings?
(Row of trees – the overgrown forest gives an eerie feeling)
Yesterday, I was reading a philosophical book about actions that can be similar to sins. We, as photographers, also commit some gross mistakes, which in my opinion are no less than sins. Are you committing any of these?
From Ansel Adam’s Zone System to today’s digital algorithms that make the best use of available dynamic range, is there a place for using a limited dynamic range? Using a part of available dynamic range can provide wonderful artistic images. These can be poetic, melancholic, dreamlike, dramatic or even surreal.
Everyone makes mistakes. I make them too. Even the most advanced of photographers make mistakes. The mistakes are usually due to an oversight and sometimes due to tiredness. So, here is a list of common technical mistakes and how to avoid them.
Everyone makes mistakes. I did and still do. From creating film-rolls which were a total waste to present day digital files from which not even a decent image can be recovered. Yes. I do commit mistakes and keep on doing so. Here is a list of non-technical mistakes that I find quite common (by me and my photography colleagues). Some of them are technical whereas others are related to expanding our visualization of photographs.
A very happy new year to all my readers.
Today morning, I got up with a warm inner feeling. It is the first day of the new year after all. What exciting things to do? The best thing, I could think of, was to walk down to a neighborhood kiosk and have a cup of piping hot tea with milk (or better known as masala chai) and enjoy some early morning photography. Packed a camera with a normal lens and I was on the road, striding towards the tea-stall.
Gone are the film days and gone with that is the fixed light sensitivity of films. Now the ISO can be changed with just a turn of the dial or through a simple setting in the menu. How does this help?
A picture is worth a thousand words – so the famous saying goes. How I see it is that pictures have a language of their own. They express feelings. Feelings of joy, love, despair, sadness, pain, happiness, belonging… This language is the language of photography. It is a visual language!
The oldest camera mode is the Manual Mode. It is still found on all the present day cameras on the mode dial. An obsession for some, headache for some more and an unknown dark alley for most, manual mode is an interesting little mode in present day cameras.
With so many beautiful and delicious dishes to savour, that we keep seeing at different places and different times of the day, it is therefore natural for the photographers in us to capture some of these creations. Food photography is flooding the instant messengers and from a professional point of view also, the demand is increasing.
Though photography always takes up the a high place in the list of my priorities, sometimes laziness comes in the way. Getting out of the bed, early in the morning, to catch those wonderful fleeting moments, can sometimes be a task in itself.
On a wet autumn evening, when the clouds are all over the sky and thunderstorms frequent, only a handful of people want to venture out. For photographers, these are opportunities to be encashed. Beautiful photographs can be made. With a plan to capture some beautiful fall pictures, I stepped out with a group of friends. Leaving the comfort of dry place behind, we trekked on a muddy path, with our feet wet, mud everywhere but spirits high! After all, we were in the lap of nature.
A rainy Sunday morning. Four of us gathered up early in the morning for a planned photowalk. Yesterday evening, we had thought of going for an early morning outing. Rain or no-rain, the photowalk was still ‘on’. We were not going to let a few drops downpour spoil our plans. Packed with our photography gear and umbrellas, we all started off for our destination while the day was still breaking out. With an overcast sky, the photography was going to be nice, provided the rains stopped a little. The destination? A mountain stream that should be nicely flooded at this time of the year.
(Cascading mountain stream – this is the place we wanted to visit)
Yesterday, I was listening to a wonderful song by Oscar Hammerstein / Richard Rodgers and performed by Julie Andrews –
Raindrops on roses
And whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things …
Yes, these would be favorite things for most and make anyone feel happy. For the photographer in me, there are a few other favorite things, that never fail to exhilarate me.
(Photographing grapes while they remain untouched by human hands and then tasting a few, fresh off the vines!)
We, the photographers, exist in various forms. There are different levels and types. From beginner hobbyists to the names that the world recognizes, from serious hobbyists to plain professionals, photographers who click only wildlife to ones who capture water droplets… we are a diverse lot.
With the monsoon season, well advanced, rains have taken their hold on the hills of Kumaon. The persistent cloud cover and high humidity gets quite depressing after a time. It also happens to my late grandmother’s birthday, who I was very fond of.
After a week of almost incessant rains, today, the weather cleared up a little. It was not raining but the sky was still overcast. The diffused light from overcast sky is what I needed for a photograph I had in mind. Armed with my camera, I once again set out to photograph some more cascades that appear with the rains.
Old monuments can be quite interesting to photograph. They are stationary. No need to focus in a hurry or set a high shutter speed to freeze the moment properly. On simple handy cameras, all that is required is a good composition, aperture to have enough depth of field and shutter speed to prevent any inadvert hand shake!
Continue reading The Stairs Photograph – Improving Composition
English is rapidly becoming the language of choice even for non-native speakers. Due to the proliferation of the internet (which happens to be mostly in English), English is now the de facto language in many places. English is not my native language and yet I also write these articles in English. So, for the literary bend in the photographer’s mind, here are some phrases every photographer should be aware of. I have compiled this list from various sources and will keep adding to it in the future.
With the onset of monsoons, the nature starts to reinvent itself. The trees turn green. New leaves every where. Mountain streams start filling up and many small cascades and waterfalls appear. Yesterday the incessant rain took a short break. I immediately hit the road with my camera, tripod and a few snacks to munch on.
Eye-sight of individuals varies a lot. Some use spectacles and others don’t. Even those who do not use spectacles, end up with reading glasses after around 40 years of age. Camera manufacturers understand this and therefore they provide ways to incorporate minor adjustments to the camera, in sync with the requirements of the varying eye-sight.
With the onset of the rainy season, the sky gets beautifully covered with clouds. Instead of getting scared by rains and storing away the camera, why not capture their beauty?
Recently, I have been witnessing a huge number of photography competitions being conducted online. Today I sat for many hours visiting all these photography competitions and was shocked. How low is the photography going? It seems that now some people come together, form a group and conduct photography competitions. Some of these are on a daily basis too!
(Photograph to fill the space and break the monotony of text.)
Some of the things that I noticed consistently in most of these photography competitions –
Small insects have their own kind of world which very few are aware of. Photographing small insects is quite pleasing and full of some wonderful surprises. Though quite similar to macro photography and butterfly photography, photographing small insects requires a different kind of skill set and a different way of photographing things.
With the end of summer season round the corner, Natadol, a small laid-back village in Kumaon organized a summer festival. The people of Kumaon are very proud of their heritage and culture and this event was an ideal platform to showcase that. The three day festival had all the villagers coming together, participating and putting forth three days of simple yet engaging performances. I was lucky enough to be a part of this festival and witnessed the culture of Kumaon from within.
Very often, I tell photographers not to overdo photo-editing. So, how does one know when is it overdoing? What are the obvious errors to be on the lookout for when editing the photographs?
Innumerable number of photographs get clicked everyday by snap-shooters and photographers. A very very minuscule number of these photographs are worth taking a second look. What goes into making a photograph is a thought process and visualization of the final image. Here is a ‘behind the scene’ story of making a landscape photograph.
(Pasture in a forest. A very attractive location for photography)
Sometime back I was discussing with a group about spirituality. The discussions went towards how things around us have developed, how people strive to find inner peace and how spirituality is slowly and slowly getting away from the general public, all of whom are involved in a rat-race trying to prove themselves, keep up with the joneses and accumulate all kind of materialistic possessions.
What about photography? Something that starts with more materialistic possessions! Top of the line cameras that people in general stretch their budgets to buy, ultrasharp lenses and camera accessories that can do everything (apart from making coffee). Can photography be a way to spirituality?
Photography has been my passion since a long time, and a profession lately. On some days, when I am unable to take my camera out, blogging on photography helps me remain in touch with what I love. What started as a small website and some basic articles for a handful of friends to read, has now begun to make its presence felt. There are many new things that I learnt about blogging which I never imagined existed.
Every photograph has a story behind it. It means something to the photographer. There would have been incidents, anecdotes or thoughts that led to that image. The gap arises when the photographs fail to convey these stories. This is the medium we have to convey our thought and experiences. So, is it not obvious, that our photographs should also tell these stories?
Some of the best photographs are created when a fleeting moment is captured to convey a story which otherwise can never be said in posed photographs. These spur of the moment scenes are what photographers long to capture. Once captured, these once in a life-time moments become candid shots.
There is a creative fraction of a second when you are taking a picture. Your eye must see a composition or an expression that life itself offers you, and you must know with intuition when to click the camera. That is the moment the photographer is creative. Oop! The Moment! Once you miss it, it is gone forever. – Henri Cartier-Bresson
Photographs were once a treasured possession. Families proudly got photographs clicked on special occasions. First day of the child at school, every birthday, graduation ceremony, marriage, family get together… there was a photograph to celebrate each of these and many more moments. Some families owned a camera and others visited a neighborhood photographer. These were treasured memories.
Forests are beautiful. They are an integral part of the nature’s support system for us to be able to live. How do we pay back? Cutting trees, destroying everything that supports us and wasting away these precious gifts of nature. Why am I writing about this in a site related to photography? I witnessed a forest fire and photographed it. I’ll be writing about the photography aspect too but first let me express how I felt while I photographed the incident.
There are times when the artistic instinct suffers a mental block. Writers don’t know what to write. Sometimes they sit with a blank paper not knowing where to start. Similarly photographers too suffer a mental block. The creative side of our mind stops working. What do the photographers do then? Most photographers end up clicking mediocre images, just for the sake of capturing. A few others don’t use their cameras and end up brooding and even sad.
Silhouette is an old art-form that is used to move emphasis to shapes and outlines. Origin of Silhouettes is a matter of debate, with some theorists going all the way back to vanished civilizations. My first serious encounter with silhouettes was when I saw some photographs by Henri Cartier Bresson where the main subjects were just black shapes. Before writing this article, I discussed the first encounter of silhouettes by some other photographers. I got quite a collection of answers with the top three interesting being – the silhouette of the queen on postal stamps of England, the silhouette of Beethoven in an old painting, the all too cliché photograph of the arch (in silhouette) framing the famous Taj Mahal
(Silhouette of Pines on a hill-top)
With advances in optics and mass adoption of photography in the digital era, high focal length lenses or telephoto lenses have become very affordable. Every enthusiast and many accomplished photographers now venture out into genres like wildlife and birds, and enjoy these long lenses.
Friends come and go. Some stay for long. Others become sweet memories. Some others fade away. Today I was sitting alone in the morning, on a high vantage point, gazing at the rising sun, fog clearing up and a shining river in the center. I was planning to capture some photographs. The time spent with oneself can sometimes be the best. Today while watching the scenes unfold in front of me, I also remembered various incidents with friends and photography.
Sunlight that appears to look like rays in a landscape, is very attractive to look at. These rays can add the magic to even the simplest of landscapes, transforming them into works of fine art.
Cameras are an expensive purchase for most. It is therefore natural for us to worry about the effects of weather. Let me put your mind at rest. The cameras are built to withstand a huge range of weather conditions.
Tripod is one of the best accessories to have if you are interested in stabilizing your camera. Here are some tips to get the most out of your tripod.
In the midst of the spell of cold weather, there was a day with clear sky and good sunshine. What more could a photographer in me ask for? I packed my camera and tripod and visited a nearby mountain stream. My purpose was clear. I wanted to capture some motion blurs.
Learning from Rembrandt has been appreciated by many of my readers and so based on their request here is another similar article.
Oscar Claude Monet was a famous french painter, who is well known as the founder of french impressionist painting movement. He took his painting outdoors from the studio and painted mostly landscapes. The impressionist movement itself consisted of putting across ideas to the viewer more strongly rather than focusing on accuracy of natural elements. As is the case with most painters, even Monet can be great source of learning for photographers too.
(Impression, soleil levant – the hallmark painting of the rising sun which gave its name to the art movement)
Continue reading Learning from MonetYesterday, over a cup of hot coffee, a reporter took a short interview of mine. Her questions were meant for her own audience but she was kind enough to hand me the transcription of the interview. (I have edited the manuscript to adapt it for this site) Here are some of those questions and answers.
How useful is a warranty that comes with the camera? Does the warranty on the camera and lens vary? How about extended warranty, does it make sense to buy it? Read on to answer these questions and many more …
With the advances in digital photography, cameras become old very quickly. Sometimes cameras become outdated even before a user sometimes gets to know them well. Quite frequently new cameras are bought and the old ones just lie unused. Here are some ideas for those old cameras which are not being used now.
Recently I was discussing removing shots from the face of a model using a photo-editor and there came a question – What is the difference between a Clone Stamp Tool and a Healing Tool? These both do seem to work in the same manner.
Reducing the overall brightness of the photograph being captured is what exposure compensation is all about. Apart from this, the exposure compensation can also come in handy for a lot of other interesting techniques as well.
With the easy availability of cameras and at very affordable prices, the number of people clicking photos is at its all time high. Some famous photographers have gone to the extent of saying that anything and everything that can be photographed has already been photographed. So, how do you make your photograph stand out from the crowd?
Since the time photography started, photographers have been trying to capture the maximum possible range of lighting conditions in their photographs. Ansel Adams perfected the zone system and worked on burning & dodging techniques in his darkroom. Film companies researched and came out with films that could capture higher and higher range of exposure values. High Dynamic Range photography was yet another step towards this.
Are you a die-hard Nikon fan? If you are, then here is a compilation of some interesting facts about Nikon. Some of these are just bits of history whereas some others are crazy.
(Nikon F3 camera with some Nikon lenses)
Continue reading Facts about Nikon (which you did not know, or did you?)
Petzval 85mm and 58mm lenses are two focal lengths available presently and both of them are characterized by their immensely swirly bokeh, strong field curvature, and sharp central focus. For lomography lovers and for photographers who long for something different, these happen to be a very attractive lenses.
(Petzval 85mm f/2.2 lenses, in golden and black colors)
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn was a dutch painter whose works are well known and extremely valued across the world. His paintings cover a great deal of subjects starting from portraits, self-portraits (selfies?), landscapes and even biblical scenes. There’s a great deal that painters learn from his works. Rembrandt’s works can also be quite useful for photographers.
(Rembrandt van Rijn – Self Portrait)
When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change! In technical terms of photography, the way various elements in a composition appear to be separated from each other, is called perspective. This is a matter of confusion for many especially with the proliferation of zoom lenses in the market. Now zooms come as standard kit lenses with most DSLRs and so what some of the discussions on perspective and lenses earlier conveyed, is now confusing for many.
Point and Shoot cameras are quite famous with occasional ‘shooters’. I was wondering about the expression of ‘shooting’ a photograph or video. When and how did this term come to be used in photography and cinematography?
After receiving requests from my readers, following the last published article on books for photographers, here is another similar list on the top movies that every photographer should see. There are a good number of documentaries but this is a list of films with a story-line, which you can enjoy with your non-photographer friends too.
