A trip with my mother...

As a family, we've travelled extensively in India and around the world. But this trip was quite special from any of my earlier trips. The first time mom and daughter pair set out on their own to explore the United Kingdom. We booked our tickets, packed our bags and the desi-ladies were off to explore. We had an amazing experience meeting new people from different walks of life, interacting with them and understanding their stories. I've always wondered if a photographer can fight the temptation to take out the camera and be on a holiday. Well, I decided to wear my daughter's hat through the trip. We did a few touristy things, did some shopping, lazed around in our beautiful accommodation, watched a marathon of movies, did a lake tour from Windermere, enjoyed the sceneries and even had ice-creams in the freezing weather. A perfect holiday as I would call it.

I couldn't resist but to take a couple of shots of the beautiful landscapes.

So, just sit and enjoy a few photographs from our Edinburgh and Lake District trip.

It didn't quite end with Lake District... there's more to come...

Right now I'm going to go have some delicious Indian food, perks of having your mother in town! ;)

Have an amazing week!!!

Click away!

MOVE IT 2016

MOVE IT was the glorious celebration of dance and performing arts in London. About 22,000 dancers and dance enthusiasts participated in this event spread across three days, on the 18th, 19th and 20th of March 2016. Dancers had the opportunity to showcase their performances on the main stage, take part in various dance classes and discover new dance career options, one can even shop all their dance wear and needs at the event itself. It seemed like a little world of dancers and anything and everything to do with dance.

When I first walked into the venue, ExCel London, I stood there just absorbing everything around me. Thousands of dancers under one roof and their passion and energy was beyond anything. Being a professional dancer, I could understand and relate to the heights of passion prevailing in that room and the orderly chaos. It was quite evident from the energy, that for every performer present there, in that very moment, dance was everything, dance was what was driving them, dance was their way of existence and dancing was life.

Every single person there had a story to share varying from sad and painful to fun and silly, a story that the rest of us could learn from.

The arena was filled with people of all ages, not just watching but performing as well. The commitment each of them had for dance was inspiring.

Fighting my way through the enthusiastic crowd I managed to reach the media area. I jumped here and there between photographers, trying to find a place with the right angle until I found a nice spot to capture the action on stage. Performances after performances were so amazing, that sometimes I stood there frozen in awe, just staring at the dance forgetting to take photographs. The impeccable performances made me want to capture the action both through the lens and live with my eyes. The energy and enthusiasm was absolutely exhilarating and maddening. I didn't want to leave the place, I was contemplating whether to miss my flight to Edinburgh late that evening or stay back.

I made up my mind to leave, but not before capturing as many photographs as I could before I left. Though I left very hesitantly, the thought of the landscapes in Edinburgh and Lake District brought back my lost energy. In a few hours, I was en route to the capital of Scotland.

Next blog  post coming soon...

Sapnay's London Thumakda

In my collaboration with Sapnay Bollywood dance company, I had the opportunity to photograph their workshop at MOVE IT 2016. Dancers, dance choreographers, dance enthusiasts and everybody who has an interest in dance attended their Bollywood workshop. People from different age groups enjoyed a little bit of hip shake called 'tumkhas' in Hindi. Everybody danced to a number of Bollywood's latest hit numbers, they sang along and absolutely loved the energy. They all tried to understand the lyrics of the song, the steps and were deeply interested in the Indian culture.  

Here are some photographs from the workshop,

The Face of 'Sapnay', Bollywood Dance Company

As mentioned in my last post, I decided to photograph the Oberoi family and proposed to them the idea of a family portrait. The Oberois were more than welcoming to be photographed. In fact, the very evening we had a long conversation about their life in the United Kingdom. I was invited to come to their house to click pictures of the family. Unfortunately, as they were rehearsing for a big show, it was impossible to get all the four together at their house. During the day, it was impossible to find all of them at their house as they would be rehearsing at the studio and late night shoot was ruled out as they were all very tired after their back to back rehearsal sessions. However, Prabhleen, the future and the face of the company did squeeze an hour for a quick photo session at her residence.

The face of Sapnay, Bollywood dance company, Prabhleen is fondly known as Prabs. Though her roots are from Punjab, India she was born and brought in London. Sapnay, meaning dreams in Hindi, will not just be a dream to carry forward for this 18-year-old girl but also to transform the company with her innocent yet powerful British desi-ness.

The above photographs were captured using a 5D Mark iii and a 50mm prime lens with 1.4f. The reason I chose this particular lens is to bring the subject in absolute focus and blur out the background completely. The shallow depth of field draws the readers attention to Prabs (the subject in the picture). This is to emphasize the importance of Prabs, her vision and her identity as the future of 'Sapnay'.

The Highlands of Scotland!

My first trip in the United Kingdom in 2016 was to this tiny little town called Inverness on the Highlands of Scotland. This place really takes you by surprise by what it can offer you. I was lucky enough to experience the best of the place and its people. All the five days in Inverness was so different and unique from one another. I got to experience the sun, the rain, the sleet and the snow on the last day of my trip which was literally the icing on the cake. Travelling helps you realize and understand everything different from you and that contributes to your growth as a person. It surely did to me. I'm taking back so much from this place and its people. When I travel and meet people from different walks of life I not only experience a completely new culture but also learn new things about myself that I never knew existed in me. Inverness will always have a special place in my heart, for the love and affection of the people and the mind-boggling landscapes.

RIVER NESS

I happened to stay in a house by the river bank, its backyard light is seen reflected on the river in this photograph. After a long tiring journey from London, I thought I would retire to bed, but the serene sight of this river took all the tiredness away.

FORT WILLIAM

This place is known to be one of the wildest landscapes in Scotland. I took the first bus out from Inverness at 5:20 am for a two-hour travel to Fort William. The clouds looked gloomy which made me wonder if I would get any photographs at all.

I walked by the river that led me to the Glen Nevis visitors centre. A lady at the desk directed me to a spot with spectacular view at the top of Cow hill. The Cow hill trek was quite an experience, fighting the cold wind and the steep path.

CULLODEN BATTLEFIELD

The Culloden battle was the last hand-to-hand battle, between the Jacobites and the government in 1746. The battlefield now is a place of pilgrimage for people from Scotland and throughout the world. The history and the extensive area of empty land leaves you with a chill.

Far away is the Memorial Cairn

GLEN LIATH, INVERFARIGAIG

I was lucky to meet the Hope family, who were kind enough to take me around Inverness and show me the beautiful landscapes. The first time I experienced snowfall was here. The sleet didn't stop me from managing to photograph the vast landscapes covered with snow. Even with 8 layers of clothing on me, I couldn't feel neither my toes nor my fingers. Both I and my camera were cold, looking for some warmth.

There was a beautiful cafe right in the middle of the mountains called the Camerons. Just as a hot bowl of Scottish lentil soup was placed on the table, the sun peeped out a little. Of course, I was confused, if I should run out to catch the sun or to have the hot bowl of delicious soup. You can guess what I would have done. :P

After a lovely lunch at the cafe, we were off to the Foyers fall.

LOCHNESS

Very many years ago the earths crust fractured and moved which resulted in the formation of the Great Glen of which Lochness is a part. It is also the origin of the famous lochness monster. The day I was leaving for London I spent the evening watching the sun go down right in between the Great Glen. It was the perfect end to the perfect trip.

As a photographer, the photographs from my trip to Inverness were more than just capturing with the right exposure. Weathering out the extreme conditions to get my camera to see what I see was definitely a challenge.

The Highlands of Scotland is undoubtedly a must visit place. When you are there, you feel like you are at the end of the world and the people there make you feel alive.

More pictures to come.

Stay tuned and happy clicking. :)

London Fashion Weekend, Feb 2016

Last Friday, I had the opportunity to photograph two shows at the London Fashion Weekend. The event was held at the beautiful Saatchi Gallery. We had a small briefing by Canon company, telling us what we must and must not do at the fashion event. One might think that it's pretty simple to shoot a ramp walk, but it's not. The change in lighting setups and fast movement by the models make it quite a challenge. Well at the same time, what differentiates you from the photographer sitting beside you in the same photographers pit is something to think about. Catching the right moment and angle of the legs of the model and dress is important. Photographers are expected to post-process and mail the photographs during the short period between shows. These are my pictures at my first ever fashion event. I had to place myself on the spot with the right view in the photographer's pit with 50 others and stay there for the whole show. This was such a new experience for me, opening up creativity through restricted time and movement.

I'd like to thank Canon and London College of Communication, the University of the Arts London for giving me this wonderful opportunity.

Have a great weekend. Keep clicking!

From 'Lightroom' to darkroom.

I spent the whole day today in the darkroom of London College of Communication, University of Arts London. This was very different from my usual days of spending time in front of my laptop working on Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom. The college has the best of faculty and access to top-notch facilities allowing me to try absolutely anything. As a student of photography in the digital era, I must admit, stepping into the the darkroom was exciting as well as scary. A photographer is tuned to look into the details of daily life, the patterns, the colors and much more, and his eye being the most important sense organ of all. When you have finished taking that photograph on film and you step into that darkroom, that very sense is lost, awakening all the other senses.

Today I learnt how the different combinations of yellow, magenta and cyan filters affect a photograph and how the variation of these 3 elements can give solutions to the color printing problems you face.

Things you need to remember to correct a color cast,

• Too magenta - Increase the value of magenta filter
• Too green - Decrease the value of magenta filter
• Too yellow - Increase the value of yellow filter
• Too blue - Decrease the value of yellow filter
• Too cyan - Decrease the value of yellow and magenta filters
• Too red - Increase the value of yellow and magenta filters

Remember,

The higher the value of a particular filter the more the color is filtered out, for example, if a photograph has too much magenta, an increase in the value of the magenta filter increases the amount of magenta that should be filtered out to give the correct color cast in the picture.

Hope you learnt something, because I surely did.

Shoot away. Happy clicking!

My morning walk through Durham.

It's a very funny story and my friends always say these kinds of things happens only to me. So I decided to give myself a treat, a weekend getaway to Newcastle, alone. This was the first time I ever did something like that. I've always travelled with family, friends or Arumugam anna, my driver. I took the night bus from Victoria coach station at 11 pm. I was supposed to reach Newcastle the following morning at 5:45. As everybody would guess I was half asleep on the bus and got off one stop earlier, Durham. Unfortunate for me, it was one of the coldest weekends in the UK. Not even a couple of layers could beat the cold. I must admit, I wanted to go back to my cozy bed in London but the first bus out wasn't for at least another two hours. I stayed at the bus coach station till 6:30 in the morning and then decided to explore the town having already got down there. I walked through the streets of this beautiful little town just as the sun said 'Good Morning'.

The morning sunlight and the empty streets made me succumbed to its beauty. I almost forgot that I hadn't reached my destination yet. As I gazed through the streets, the cold didn't hurt anymore and thought to myself these are moments I would like to seize.

Durham was an unexpected halt, my next blog post will feature my actual planned journey to Newcastle.

Stay tuned.

Happy clicking! :)

Underwater Figure Photography

Over the last couple of months, I have been doing my research on underwater photography and the changes from silver to digital. Analyzing how it all started and why, and where it is taking us in the future. I must say I was hooked on it and wanted to try my hands at underwater photography. Cashing in on the Christmas break, I traveled to a more sunny side of the world, my base, Chennai, India and decided to collaborate with my friend Tanitha Periera, who is a fashion blogger (TEAL). We were both excited to explore how much control we would or would not have underwater, both as a photographer and as a model. I have done all my research, I have all my references, I have theoretically understood the laws of water and its effect on camera... I have my iPhone with a waterproof case (Digital) and a Kodak disposable underwater camera (Analog) that I bought from the Boots store in London which is also available on Amazon. We jumped into the pool in our bathing suits and threw in a bright colored dupatta to break the hue from the blue water. All done and set. Let's shoot and get some amazing pictures, I thought. Ahaaa!!

Not that easy. Hurdles a photographer can expect shooting underwater,

1. You need to find the right model who is comfortable with you and the water. Not everyone is fully aware of their body underwater but Tanitha knew exactly what she was doing. It is quite evident from the output.
2. You and the model have to be in sync, this applies to pretty much all genres of photography, but a little extra emphasis on this point when you shoot underwater.
3. Model's outfit and props, as the water makes clothes seem heavier, choosing the right kind of material is important. You don't want it to weigh you down.
4. Lighting, due to the law of refraction most of the light that passes through the water is dispersed. Shooting when the daylight is at the maximum is important though this problem can be solved with the help of external flashlights.
5. You have the freedom to shoot from literally any angle but the problem arises when water makes the subject seem almost 25% larger than it actually is. This is usually corrected by the use of dome ports.

It was an amazing experience. If you get a chance, go give it a shot and you know what to expect. Here are a few pictures from the shoot. Hope you enjoy them. :)

I'd like to thank Tanitha Periera for readily accepting to do this shoot with me. Follow more of her work on Instagram & Facebook.

7 Inspirational Underwater Photographers

Can the laws of gravity be replaced? Photographers answered this question with the invention and evolution of underwater photography. Over the years, the improvement of camera housings and underwater equipment have changed underwater photography. We can also see the ways in which underwater photography has not changed.

Here is a list of underwater photographers who've inspired me.

1. Toni Frissell (1933-1967):

   One of the first photographers to take lifestyle and fashion away from the confines of the studio.

2. Bruce Mozert:

Bruce Mozert took underwater photographs of women performing above ground activities, such as playing golf, peering through a telescope, and barbecuing.

3. Sam Shere:

Photographed an underwater fashion show hosted by the Miami fashion council, that took place in 1947.

4. Emma Critchley:

'In water not only are shape and form suspended, but so is time, words, limbs and breadth float in an eternal present moment, neither past nor future, neither moving nor completely still'

-Emma Critchley, At the still point of the turning world

5. Zena Holloway:

‘Cameras capture too much sometimes and the water takes it back a step, takes it almost being like a painting’, she says.

6. Howard Schatz:

American based ophthalmologist and photographer. One of his many books is "Waterdance" published in 1995.

7. Elena Kalis:

Elena Kalis, the Russian-born who practices underwater photography by the deep blue sea in the Bahamas. Elena’s fine art background has helped her create a unique painting like style in underwater photography.

Coming up next is a blog post of how these photographers have influenced and inspired me. Watch this space for more!!!

When London surprised me.

Leaving home was not easy but was exciting at the same time. The day I got to know that I could do my Masters in London, I had a million thoughts running through my head. It was an opportunity for me to learn the newer technologies and methods of photography. But oh boy, was I in for a surprise.

I landed in London on an early winter morning. The first thing that hit me was the gloomy, uncoloured life. I thought it was just a new calm and a zone outside my chaotic comfort zone. The first week was about what is in and around the university and familiarising myself to the weather and the gloominess. Strangely, I found it beautiful in its own way. It started to sink in and I was enjoying it. As I started settling in, we had our first class on the history of photography and cameras.

During the course of these classes, I familiarised myself with the fellow students and their view on the world of photography. What fascinated me was their method of photography. Kong still uses a film camera and Zhou uses just an iPhone to capture her world. It was different from the world of DSLRs I thought of.

It got exciting when I got the opportunity to try the Pentax. The challenge was to capture a new city, from an outsider’s viewpoint – with an Illford HP5 black and white 36 film roll.

I had one week to capture the moments that got me and just two days away from returning the camera, I had just 7 pictures, because I couldn't wrap my mind around THE 36 shots I'd like to take. I decided to take this as an opportunity to use my day off, to walk around the city and see what would connect to me.

 

With the roll filled with the city, my next task is to bring them to life. The darkroom is my next stop, I'm really looking forward to bring these moments to light. I am looking forward to the experience.

Till then, let the camera keep clicking. :)

My first time : in the darkroom

Developing a picture in the darkroom was a magical experience to me and I think everyone should experience the very same magic at least once in their lifetime. I'm sure many photographers who have shot on film are familiar with the nervousness I felt. The adrenaline rush I felt when I first saw the picture that I shot printed on what was once a blank sheet of paper almost made my heart skip a beat. Of course, I was intimidated by the process and the whole idea of working in the darkroom for the very first time. As much as I was excited, a part of me was skeptical about how it is going to turn out.  Unfortunately, my biggest fear came true for my friend. Only after processing her film did she realise she didn't load the film right and she ended up with a completely blank film.

'Phew'... Crossed half the tunnel!!!!!

In the second half, everything seemed a little more at ease.  For this particular printing session I used light-sensitive resin-coated paper to make the prints. All photographic papers come packaged inside a light-proof black plastic bag inside a cardboard box.

Making contact sheets and deciding the picture to print, setting up enlargers, fixing my lens (50mm) and the print frame, loading the negative and setting the aperture and then making test strips in increasing intervals (2,2,4,8,16,32,64...) It took a couple of test sheets to understand the different exposure times and grades.

And,

Tadaaa!!!!

Finally came to print this picture.