SenK – Page 11 – TRAVELOGUES AND TREASURES

We went shooting…

I don’t recall what suddenly came on to us, and four of us clambered on two bikes and made our way to a nearby coffee shop. I had my camera on me, and the other three were quite happy to be my lab rats, I mean, my wonderful models.

The day was glum, wanted to have a shot of someone brooding, retrospecting….thinking… quite like this..

We managed some though…

But what we got mostly, was pure fun.

Did I get good shots? Absolutely. Was it a fun time, hell yes! This is the advantage of shooting with friends, you can talk, laugh and fool around to your heart’s content and still get lovely photos!

This time, next year, we all would in places which are worlds apart. Each pursuing our career, chasing life goals, being happy. So, I ll take this opportunity, in my last post for 2016, to thank each one of you. You, my friends, my followers here and all my readers who have visited my site, Thank You, you are amazing!

Take care all, see you in the new year.

Cheers!!

December 31, 2016December 31, 2016 by SenK Categories: PhotographyTags: beanie cap, Black and white, brooding, cigarette, Coffee, Friends, girl, guys, Happy, laughter, Photo Shoot, smile Leave a comment

TTL: Ahmedabad over the weekend

A couple of weeks back, I was at Institute of Management, Nirma University, to take part in their annual fest. The location was at Ahmedabad, Gujarat. I had never been to Ahmedabad, so I grabbed the opportunity and made my way there with a lot of anticipation.

My trip was for just a couple of days hence the exploration was negligible. What I did manage to do was take some shot at the fest and at a nearby temple.

The university had a stunt show organized a Delhi based group, Mototycoonz were performing. Good show I must say. Wheelies, stoppies, handle bar stands, burnouts…you get the drift. Have a look 🙂

The next day, we were headed to the famous Swaminarayan Temple to shoot around the locality. A quite and clean locality and a well maintained temple premise. Abundance of Langoors, who are quite well behaved.

This event taught me a simple thing, either we win, or we learn. I learnt that at times, having a a good shot is not enough, I must also learn how to weave that good shot into a story too. This gave rise to the concept of starting a new series of my shots, The Ones That Didnt Win.

Next up, something closer to home. Four of us spend an afternoon shooting portraits in a couple of coffee shops in the search of the elusive perfect DP. Keep an eye out, the photos shall be here shortly.

Cheers!!

December 21, 2016December 21, 2016 by SenK Categories: TravellingTags: ahmedabad, Apache, Apache RTR 180, Bikes, Burnout, Dogs, Eagle, Gujarat, Handstand, India, Langoor, Langoors eating biscuits, Langoors eating brinjal, Langoors eating potato, Lots of photos, Mototycoonz, Nirma University, Puppies, Stoppie, Stunt, Swaminarayan, Swaminarayan Temple, Temple, theonesthatdidntwin, Vibrant Gujarat, Wheelie Leave a comment

The ones that didn’t win – II

The minute you put a face in a photograph, you put a story to the photo. One must, maybe for just that one instance of the shutter click, relate to the face on the other side, know that person, know the story; this is my opinion while making portraits.

This old lady said shes been in business for the past 30 years and is quite happy with the income. She isn’t camera shy, just dedicated to her work. We managed to have a conversation in two different languages, she cant speak Hindi, and I, Gujarati, so the conversation was quite animated. Just out of frame is, who appeared to be her grand daughter, helping her with the rest of the vegetables. Oh yes, before I left, she gifted me a carrot 🙂
-Ahmedabad, 12/2016

This is a part of an ongoing series, posts of which can be viewed here.

Till the next story..
Cheers!!

December 10, 2016 by SenK Categories: OCOL, PhotographyTags: 50mm f1.8, ahmedabad, Carrots, Gujarat, India, Lady, Nikon D5200, OCOL, Old, theonesthatdidntwin, Vegetable Seller 2 Comments

The ones that didn’t win – I

I have, till date, taken part in quite a few photography competition. Some I have won, some I haven’t. The ones in which I won, or at least got the photos exhibited, those photos got some of the limelight that I would have wanted them to get. But what about the ones that didn’t win? When I made those photos, I made them as dearly as the ones who won, so why should they not be shared ? They ought to be.
With this thought in mind, here begins another series of photos. One photo per post. Let me know dear readers about your take on the photos.

This photo here is of a man working on the kite strings. He has been in the profession since he was 16 years old and now he’s close to 50. What do his kids do? The daughter goes to school, and the son helps him with the business – Ahmedabad, 12/2016.

December 8, 2016December 8, 2016 by SenK Categories: PhotographyTags: 50mm f1.8, ahmedabad, Bokeh, kite, kite strings, maanja, man, Nikon D5200, pink, theonesthatdidntwin 2 Comments

Moments from IAPAR International Theatre Festival 2016

“All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women are merely players”

When Shakespeare wrote these lines as the beginning of As you like it , there is no doubt that he had a theatre stage on his mind, not the blue screen of the movies, not the elaborate sets; just the actors, their voices, their emotions and their connect to the audience.
Ask anyone who has some knowledge of acting, how do you judge a good actor…one of the points that ll invariably come up is, how they perform in front of a live audience. Every single person who has been there on the stage shall agree that between facing the camera and facing the audience, the later is incomparably difficult. There are no retakes, and there are no prompts. When you go on that stage, its all you. Sure, there ll be some lights to set the tone, some music to give a cue, but there are no visuals to distract the audience, no scope for you to get away with a mistake for the audience shall spot you for sure and the finally, the most important, you shall receive your appraisal immediately, whether its a lacklusture clap to signify that the crowd is thankful that the act has come to an end, or a standing ovation to urge you go about it once more, it is completely up to you.

So, when I got an opportunity to work with Monks in Happiness to cover the IAPAR International Theatre Festival 2016, I didnt miss a beat in accepting the offer. My job was simple. Sit right in front of the crowd, blend in and shoot.
Following, are some of the shots:

On the first day I attended, the play that I loved more than any other, Leaving Ziller Valley. A play about the struggle one faces to identify what home is. Julia Rosa Stoeckl being an exceptional artist made sure the play went right straight to the heart.

On my second day, Aditi Venkateshwaran, the head of admin, my point of contact there and an amazing danseuse, and three other wonderful ladies, performed a contemporary dance about rediscovering our own bodies.

The play that followed was an experience that shall stay with me for a long time. Confessions of a Mask by Theatre Russian Stage (Germany), was a Russian play, casting Andre Moschoi and directed by Inna Sokolova-Gordon. The play was visually stunning and for once I felt, language was no barrier at all to the understanding.

On the night of the finale, they had Tom Alter and Zia Nath performing to The Old Man At The Sea: A Whispered Fable by No License Yet (Mumbai). The retelling of the novella by Hemingway was so amazingly done that for once it didnt feel that I wasnt there on the boat with the old fisherman, watching him as he battles to turn his fortunes.

With these, the IAPAR fest 2016 came to an end and all I can say is, it was amazing. So, dear reader, the next time there is a theatre or a theatre festival in your town, please take some time out, and go watch it. Often, you shall not regret spending those 90 minutes in the play.

I ll be off on a trip to Ahmedabad shortly. Hopefully I ll be back with some shots worth sharing. Till then…

Cheers!!

December 1, 2016December 1, 2016 by SenK Categories: PhotographyTags: Dance, IAPAR 2016, International Theatre Festival, Play, Pune, Theater, Theatre 7 Comments

The Supermoon Post

This is a late post about the most recent supermoon that the world saw. I was determined to shoot it.

So, I made my way to a nearby temple, which rests on a hill top to try shoot the moon, and the city underneath, and this is what I got.

Not exactly the way I wanted it to be. The temple, being on elevated ground, was a perfect vantage point for some nice cityscapes though 🙂

So, when a bunch of friends suggested we go the nearby Singhagadh Fort to capture the moon before it sets, I was ready in a snap.

Now, these were more like it. We were there till sunrise, and then made our way back to our daily routines.

Recently, I joined a group of amazing photogs and have covered an event of international fame. Shots from them, shall be up shortly. Stay tuned.

Cheers!!

November 26, 2016 by SenK Categories: PhotographyTags: Baner, Cityscape, Hill, Lighttrails, Long Exposure, moon, Night, Nikon D3100, Nikon D5200, Pune, Singhagadh Fort, Supermoon, Temple 12 Comments

TTL: Dudhsagar – Wrap Up

On the way back, the train was quite empty. The train stopped at SNL for a minute and people all around were getting very excited that the Falls was coming up.
One advantage you may get, if you have a camera and can play the part, is that people would let you have a good spot if you request them just a bit.
So, I secured my spot by the door and waited.

I wasnt too bothered about the falls this time round, for I already knew what I would get to see and that had already been shot in the best possible settings. So, I shot the other way.

As the light faded, this rock feature came in to view. Probably, this is where Castle Rock derives its name from.

Soon it was nightfall and we retired to our respective berths.

We reached Pune quite on time early morning.

I would term this trip a success, right from the planning stage, to the getting down and walking to the falls, the shots at the falls, the train ride… everything fell right into place. It was good.

The next trip is being planned…will keep you informed.

Cheers!!

November 13, 2016 by SenK Categories: TravellingTags: Castle Rock, Dudhsagar Falls, Rock feature, train, Travelling, Trip, Waterfalls 3 Comments

Light Chaos

In a train, you dont have a lot to shoot, until, you stick the camera out of the window…chaos!!

November 10, 2016 by SenK Categories: Photo Effeccts, PhotographyTags: Chaos, D5200, Green, Long Exposure, Nikon, Red, Signals, train, weekly challenge 3 Comments

TTL: Dudhsagar – The eventful day

The sun rose at about 0615h and so did we. We got busy clicking photos of the fall.

Next we took a safe, albeit a tad scary route to the bottom of the falls where the water makes a pool, before gushing further down. Now, this is a spot where one DOES NOT get in the water. No mater how tempting it may look to be, or how amazing swimmer you may believe yourself to be, DO NOT go into the water.

We lazed around and were nagged by the feeling of being watched constantly, and soon the watchers came into clear view with evil motives. They wanted our chocolates, and we would not part with them without a fight.

So, we had a stand off, 4 of us versus 3 of them. Without incurring any casualty on either side, we climbed back to the top, to the railway tracks.

Here, we waited for at least one train to pass by, so that we could venture into the tunnel and walk on towards Sonalium (LIM) and ultimately towards QLM.

Once the train passed by, we went into the tunnel, only to hear the whistle of the second one approaching from the other side.

With the other one gone, we knew we had a lot of time to walk to the second view point. Its about a kilometer walk to the viewpoint, located directly opposite the falls.

We waited on a cement bench for a train to pass by the falls. We waited for an hour, and then….

Now, we had the following options: one, we walk to LIM, then find transport and go to QLM; two, we walk to QLM; three, we hail the train and take a lift to QLM. We took option three.

Thus, we visited the Dudhsagar Falls and then hitched a ride on a goods train and made it to Kullem. The return trip was scheduled at 1635h from QLM and it was just 1045h yet. So, we went to the town, a tiny one that is and had breakfast. Then we lazed about and made our way to the station and waited for our ride back home.

On the way back, we saw something quite beautiful too…find out in the final part of the trip 🙂

Cheers!!

October 27, 2016August 16, 2017 by SenK Categories: TravellingTags: Dudhsagar Falls, Goods Train, Hike, Monkeys, Pool, train, Travel, Travelling, Tunnel, Waterfall 6 Comments

TTL: Dudhsagar – The night and Dawn

So, with the planning done to the details, we were ready. The Friday arrived and we made our way to the Pune station. Goa express was 1h and 30 minutes late. So, we spent the time lazying around in the station. Then, finally, at about 1800h, the train ambled in. Since tickets were booked already, no hassles, we found and occupied our seats.

We were scheduled to be at QLM at 0435h the next day, and that it would cross Castle Rock (CLR) at 0350h. Now, CLR+10 tunnels, gets us to DDS. That’s the calculation one must follow at pitch darkness.

I dont manage to sleep properly in the train, hence, I was up and about since 0300h. As we reached CLR, I woke up the rest of the team and we got ready. The train made an unscheduled stop at DDS station, and without further ado, we were off. We had arrived at the Dudhsagar station at 0400h in the morning. One must walk on the tracks to reach the falls from the DDS station, and at that time, one must not expect a lot of light. There is also a tunnel en route that one must cross.

With the huge moon above our head, and the torches to light up our paths, we walked to the falls. By about 0430h, we were at the waterfall. We could hear the falls even before we first saw it. It was like a sheet of water tumbling down the slopes, at immense force with a growl.

Since there was not a lot of light around to shoot with, we waited there, enjoying the cool breeze coming from the direction of the fall, which would sometimes spray us with cold water too. A couple of goods trains roared past us.

By this time, we were hungry. Out came the chocolates. We found some spots to sit and lay down, and we waited, for sunrise, which was still a couple of hours away. Honestly, we were desperate to shoot at and the falls, I was, I know for sure 🙂

October 26, 2016 by SenK Categories: TravellingTags: Dudhsagar Falls, Goa, Night, train, Travelling 6 Comments

TTL: Dudhsagar – The Planning

Hi there all,

It has been quite sometime since the last post. In the time lapsed between, some significant changes have taken place in my life. The preparations had kept me too busy and I am happy to share that the results are in the positive.

Now, coming to the matter at hand, Dudhsagar Falls.
Located not far from the border of Goa is this waterfall where the Mandovi river takes a 600ft dive . The river is a rainfed one, hence, during the rainy season, she is a roaring beast, while during the summer, shes way more timid. This is one of the few tourist spots which have not been spoilt yet my heavy commercialization. The falls came into limelight when a scene from the movie, Chennai Express, was shot here.

I wanted to visit the falls since time immemorial and almost always, things would stay just till the planning phase. One fine day, a few months back, me and Ankita, we decided that enough of planning and wishing, this time, we shall make it through. And then, she had an operation done, so the plan was scrapped.

A few weeks ago, the plan was put to motion once more, and the conditions looked favourable. So, the train tickets were booked, from Pune to Kullem. We would board the 12780 H.Nizamuddin-Vasco-Da-Gama Goa Express from Pune (PUNE) station at 1635h on Friday, and reach Kullem (QLM). From Kullem, we would hike back to the Dudhsagar falls using any means available in our budget. The return train from Kullem to Pune was the 12779 Goa Express of Saturday, boarding at 1535h. The distance from Kullem to Dudhsagar (DDS) is about 12kms . So, as per plans, we had a 24 kms hike, and 11 hours time.

I had my own check list ready:

Camera (2) – Nikon D3100 (mine), D5200 (Tanaya’s)
Battery (3)
Lens (2) – 18-55mm on the D5200 primarily, 55-200mm on the D3100
Silica Gel packs
Power Bank
High Power Torch
Knife of a sort
Lighter
Tissue papers (Both dry and wet)
Hand Sanitizer and Face Wash
Dry Food ( Chocolates and Biscuits)
Salt (for the Leeches :p)
Bluetooth Speaker
Tripod
Water Bottles
Extra pair of socks

These fine details of the trip would not have been possible but for the input from the amazing and experienced traveller, Dipanwita.

To an enthusiastic mind, the numbers seemed doable. So, with a plan in place, the tickets were booked and we were waiting for the Friday, 21^st of October, 2016 to come.

There are differences in plans, and executions, we experienced it first hand. Coming up soon 🙂
Cheers!!

October 25, 2016October 25, 2016 by SenK Categories: TravellingTags: Dudhsagar Falls, Goa, Plan, Train Ride, Travel, Travelling, Waterfall 5 Comments

LUXE – The Luxury (Mainly Auto) Expo – The Westin, Pune

Another weekend, another expo, again at Westin. This time, it was different though.
This time, I had guest invitation from one of the participating teams, OhSoGood Tech for the event. And, the event was basically an auto expo. Pune Fashion Week was also going on next door too, and I ll be honest, I found the 911 way sexier!

So, OhSoGoodTech, better known as OSGTech is a startup who have managed to make a name for themselves in the niche market of nano crystal coatings on cars and bikes and everything shiny to make sure that the shiny surface, stays shiny. They market hydrophobic and oleo-phobic surface coating which is scratch resistant too. So, if you own something that you want to be protected from the elements of nature, and want it done good, you know where to find them. I ll show you how a hydro oleo phobic surface looks like when you spray it with water.

Moving on, to the other attractions of the place. I ll let the photos do the talking….Ogle on, dear readers!!

I was thoroughly satisfied with the show. The peace of the exhibition would be disrupted by the grunts of the Mustang and the whine of the 911 GTS quite often. Once a while the Multistrada would join the fray.

I consider it a quest to expand my horizons, and this is me, taking the steps towards fulfilling the quest.

And yes, this time, if you would like to use any of the photos here, as a wallpaper, go ahead, use it. If you would want to use it commercially, or repost it, kindly let me know before you use it, the photos are copyrighted, and the copyright belongs to me \m/

Cheers!!

September 25, 2016September 25, 2016 by SenK Categories: PhotographyTags: Aprilla, Auto Exhibition, BMW, BMW i8, Ducati, Ford Mustang, Lamborghini, LUXE Expo, Mercedes, Moto Guzzi, Nano Coatings, OhSoGoodTech, Porsche, Pune, S Class, Triumph, Vespa 1 Comment

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: