What type of photog am I?

A question has been often posed at me, what kind of photographer am I? Today, I ll try to answer it.

I am in pursuit of photography with some seriousness, for the past two and a half years now. My peers, who had started along at the similar time, have become specialized. Some shoot only portraits, some are landscape guys while some are wildlife fellows. They have expanded their arsenal with better bodies and lens…and then there is me.
I have not managed to settle down to just one genre yet.
I like shooting portraits.

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Also enjoy shooting landscapes.
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I am not averse to shooting macro

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And even the streets appeal to me just fine.

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And sometimes, I do shoot purely technical shots too.

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I guess, I am just not cut for the strict regime of just one type of photography. Some might say that I am straying and that I must stick to a certain genre, but I’d rather shoot things that appeal to me,even if they belong for different genre. It brings out the me in the photos. This my calling, whats yours?

If things go according to plan, as they rarely do, next week, I shall be travelling to Velas, Maharashtra, to visit the tiny turtles hatch and make their maiden journey to the sea. Stay tuned.

Cheers!!

A Bulb’s story

This is a standard bulb.

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Nothing remarkable about it. It does its daily job of getting shocked and lighting up in awe. Simple, standard bulb. So what was so remarkable done to it, and what led to the doing, that it received wide fame? If you are curious, about the bulb and the photographs contained within, read on.
It all began on a winter morning when I was bored at home. Without much of chores to attend to, and college being some time away, I had ample time to utilize it in persuing random thoughts. The outcome of one such thought trail were these, the shell and the filament.

While I  was shooting them, couple of my  friends were certain that i had gone nuts. Cmon, honestly, how many people in your knowledge buy bulbs to open them up and shoot the filament burn? In my part of the world, the number is very limited. Anyway, I was too bored to even bother about his judgements and went ahead. Post the shots, i was in total awe with the burning filament shots ( in case you didnt see the posts, go see them, they do have good shots). I put them up for some competitions too, didnt yeild much results though. Anyway, forgot about them and they were filed away.
Skip forward couple of months. There comes along a contest of sorts where I had to write about letting go of the past and rising up. That was the first time, the rest of the bulb, the shell came into view and consideration. I liked the idea of rising up, depicted by the photo, and hence, that is what it got called since then. Fast forward, a few more months, IIT Chennai hosts an annual fest, Saarang in January. Rise up, was my entry for the online photo competition. And, it was a winner.
I ended up with a 500px upgrade code and one more piece of serious enviable stuff. But, before that, a few glimpses of chennai.

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And now, here is the original photo and a sketch of the same, my prize, the thing in which the original photo is visible… Apple Ipad Mini4.

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Am I happy? Yup. Am i grinning and bragging? Hell yes!!
So, as a thank you note, I am thankful to the ones who made fun of the effort I had put in for the shots and the ones who made me think in a creative representation of the photo.
Assignments and exams have me buried under a pile of homeworks, new posts shall be coming up soon.
Cheers.

TTL: Mumbai

A couple of weekends earlier, with an amazing group of photographers from Pune, under the banner of Pune Photo Lovers, we went to Mumbai for a photowalk for a day.

The route was simple, from the CST to Gateway of India and back via the Leopold Cafe.

The 50 mm prime being the only lens with me, it was an amazing experience to restrict myself and work. Here are how the things looked once I came back and processed the photos.

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The thing about street photography is that you need to keep the eyes wide open and be able to handle the camera fast enough. Missing a shot because the camera was not set right, is honestly a shame.

Keep shooting and keep practicing.
Cheers!!

TTL: Panchghani and Mahabaleshwar

What do you do when you have a whole day to yourself and are itching to take a break….you go on a trip.
Thats what we, 5 of us, did. We booked a car from a local self drive car rent company and off we went to a local hill station named Panchghani and then from there on to another station, Mahabaleshwar.

We started at the dead of the night at about 0200h and reached the vast table top expanses of Panchghani right on time for the sunrise.

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Post admiring the sunrise, we had a photo session, kinda expected right, when there are two photogs in the same car :p

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From there, the next stop was the Mapro Farms on the way to Mahabaleshwar. Strawberries and pizzas and chocolates, that was our brunch.

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As we were about to leave, there was a rumble, a thunder and sets of gleaming chrome made their way  into the cafe and we were all awestruck.

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Next up, was the Mahabaleshwar temple, and the surrounding viewpoints and finally the famous fort of Pratapgarh.

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Finally, we were on our way back in the evening. In about ₹1000/person, we had an amazing trip.

Next trip….lets see 🙂

Cheers!!

The colony of gulls

Anyone, who has visited the ghats of Varanasi, during the sunrise and the early morning, they might have seen the colony of gulls swimming flying and frolicking about. For the ones, who haven’t had the opportunity yet, have a look here.

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Whats amazing is that these gulls respond to being called at for food.  For more shots of Varanasi, including some amazing evening Arati shots, click here.

With exams approaching at speeds faster than I would like them to, its time for me to scale back on the blogging and get studying….but not before I post the most recent trip I had to Lonavala. Night shots, shooting stars, blinking aeroplane lights and some more. Stay tuned.

Cheers!!

Chasing the sun

There are some people out there who manage to greet the sun often, not me though. I wake up by the first rays of the sun, not before it though. So, when the plan to go greet the sun came up, it was too good to be passed over.

Before I tell you where I went to catch the sunrise, let me share some photos.
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Now, honestly, tell me, what do you think, where am I? I ll share some more…

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I can put a safe bet that a lot of you think that these have been shot at a hill station. Instead, the location is about 30 kms away from Pune. These shots are from the Singhagadh fort.
Located at the hill top at an altitude of about 1400mts above sea level, this served as a fort for the Maratha rulers. Now its a popular spot for weekend trips. Light treks and amazing natural beauty. Have a look at the rest.

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Immense thanks to Aishwarya for waking up at 0500 and joining me for the trip along with his bike 🙂
Next up, some of the best portrait photos I have shot till date. Stay tuned. They ll be up shortly 🙂

Cheers!!

The Road ahead…

Success and victory, are two terms, which are often used in very close combination, and often synonymous too. The path to victory, and the path to success, are riddled with rocky terrain


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and uncertain path and risks and dead ends.

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Yet, with encouraging views

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and a proper means to conquer,

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we cross the long, twisty road, and reach our destination.

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Here’s to success, here’s to victory.

The shots had been shot over the previous week on a trip with friends and family to a nearby holy shiva site, Bhimashankar. The road is breathtakingly beautiful and treacherously dangerous too. But, it was absolutely worth the risks.

Cheers!!

TTL: Pawna Dam, Lohagarh and Bhaja Caves

After a trisem of studies followed by a week of intense exam schedule, a need for a break was dearly felt. So, off we went. 4 of us, boys, in a Ford Eco Sport hired from Zoomcar.

The trip was taken via the scenic route, through the villages and wilderness. We went to Pawna Dam, climbed a hill to the Lohagarh fort, wen down the hill to the 1st century A. D Buddhist Bhaja caves, touched Lonavala and returned via the expressway. All in one day. It was hectic but strangely refreshing. It felt good, to us, it was a breath of fresh air 🙂

Here are some of the glimpses.

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Our Ride!
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Kaas Flowers Enroute

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At Pawna Dam
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Just before the Lonavala-Pawna Dam-Lohagarh junction
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Local Fauna at Lohagarh
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Socializing
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Lohagarh

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Bhaja Caves
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Mumbai – Pune Expressway

Till the next trip…
Cheers!!

My Muse

It has happened to me before, and I know it shall happen again. The feeling that I have had enough of taking photos and now its time to throw in the towel and give up, but then, my muse keeps me ticking.

Muse, when used as a noun is defined as a person, especially a lady, who inspires creative talent. If I go by that, then this is that lady right here.

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But then, extrapolating the definition a bit more, the extraordinary sights during my travel, maybe they make me creative, so, these too are my muse.

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Creativity may not always be original, it may be a tiny trick for the eyes. My muse is inspiring awe.

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My muses belong from far and wide. I met her again recently at Delhi, and the views followed too at Delhi, Jaisalmer and Shankarpur. And the rest, I found near to home. A proof of concept and a bit of patience, they helped me muse my muse. Have a look at what others muse right here.

Cheers!!

TTL: Jodhpur

Finally, the last stop, Jodhpur, and from here, I turned back homewards.  I arrived at Jodhpur in the morning, around 7, and I had my train back in the evening. So, I didnt have a lot of time to spare. I chose to visit the Mehrangarh Fort only.

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Cenotaph of a sentry
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Fort architecture

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Boundary walls and Jaswant Thada
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The Umaid Palace

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The Blue city

I returned back with enough time to get some sleep and then the long train journey back home.

I hope you have enjoyed reading about this trip. Check out the other destinations here: Delhi I and II , Jaipur, Jaisalmer I , II and III.
For my travelogues, check out the category : TTL

The next trip, would be an interesting one, because I shall be shifting base to the western side of the country, to Pune, for pursuing my masters degree. Until the next travel post…

Cheers!!

TTL: Jaisamer – Sam Sand Dunes

Now, for the final point of attraction of my Jaisalmer trip, the Sam Sand Dunes. These sand dunes are a part of the Thar desert, that exists on the western side of India. Dust storms, fine ever-shifting sand, camels and along with them, tourists, all are found in plenty here. Almost all the places to stay in Jaisalmer offer day and/or night trip. The day trip is generally made up of a trip to Bada Baagh, Kuldhara Village and wrapping up with sunset in the dunes. Camel ride charges extra. The camel safari kind, is the overnight type. Here you shall be picked up in the evening and watch the sunset and have a camel ride. Then you shall be escorted to camps set up within the dunes, have local food, enjoy folk dances, and then retire under the stars, within the tents. Next morning, they ll drop you back to your hotel.  The prices are negotiable, and it helps a lot if you have good rapport with your hotel owner.

Now, I give you, Sam Sand Dunes! Enjoy!

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Sunset silhouette

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The shape-shifting sand!

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An advantage of going to this place, this hot, dry desert in the off season is, the lodging and entertainment, namely camel rides are immensely cheap. As per my driver, yes, I had a personal driver and an AC vehicle to myself for two days, the camels now would cost around  ₹200, I paid ₹300 though, while during the season, about August to March, they charge about ₹1500-2000 and still there are shortages for camels. Also, dune bashing on the Mahindra Thar is available. I was tempted, but they wouldn’t let me drive it, so…not interested.

 

My train at the dead of the night would take me to Jodhpur next. See you there, on the next post.

 

TTL: Jaisalmer – Kuldhara Village

Kuldhara, is a village on the outskirts of Jaisalmer which has not been inhabited continuously for more than 300 years at least. The folk lore is that the local king made life unbearable and everyone of the entire village left, along with their belongings and also the deity, all in one night. And since then, the place is abandoned. Some say there are spooky vibes, but for me, I felt sad. Sad, at the thought that this village, once thriving and home to so many people is empty now. There are 2 or 3 standing structures, the photos have been mainly shot from the roof of one of the remaining houses.

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The main road within the village.

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Rooftop view 1
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Rooftop View 2
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Rooftop View 3
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Rooftop View 4

There are at least a hundred houses in the village, and all except for the one I was standing on, are in similar ruined state. It is curious that all the houses are devoid of roofs, where as the roof seems very solidly built.

Within the preserved rooms, the names of many couples have been engraved in the walls in horrible hand writings, nevertheless, one way to let the world know of the undying love. There are signs of vandalism too.

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There must have been an Idol or something of value here

The place is protected under the local authority but is clearly not maintained. With time, Kuldhara would be engulfed by the vegetation and sand.

With a slight feeling of lingering sadness, we hit the road towards Sam Sand dunes. Coming up next.

Cheers!!