Snap-O-Matic

Rocking Harder Than Ever- By Aneek Mustafa Anwar

noreply@blogger.com (;) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 17:00:00 +0000

Hokay folks, I'm back and this week another talented "Guest Photographer" would be contributing to Snap-O-Matic. Extend your friendly paws & arms towards(*drumrolls) Aneek Mustafa Anwar, a 2nd year student of Mechanical Engineering at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Tech (BUET). He is a specialist on low light, concert photography and today his post would delineate the very same. Until recently, Aneek was a vagrant camera owner who would loan DSLRs here and there ignoring (painfully so) the many unseen connotations and conditions imposed upon him. Thankfully, he now owns his own DSLR and can let the beast off the leash. Let's enjoy his write-up now, shall we?

It was not long ago that Atunu bhai, Shamir and me were coming back from ‘Moo’s Band Fest’ at Banani listening to Crematic X and we were stuck in one of the infamous "Traffic Jams" of Dhaka and it was then that the plan of this blog was revealed to us by Atunu vai...after months of planning and organizing, here I am writing for it. That day NiH told us that the contributors of this blog would be upcoming photographers along with some experts in the trade. Now that I've finally been given the chance, I feel proud writing this short account of my ‘Rocking Hard’ series of photos in flickr. This is a great opportunity for a flickerite like myself as somehow I feel like it strengthens my drive as an emerging photographer on the amateur circuit. The other reason being the fact that I'm being featured in the same place where so many masters have showcased their thoughts about photography (O' rly? - Says NiH)

I would talk about some of my concert photos here, about the moments that I shot them what I felt back then and what I feel now. First I would want to start with a photo that carries a special meaning to me. This particular exposure was shot during the ‘Level Completion’ Concert of our BUET ’07 batch . This was the first time I got the approval and appreciation from master photographer and the canonical "Guru" of all denizens of BUET-PS, A.A.Apu bhai . That is why I consider this shot in particular as the "spark that lit the fire" (how else would a Mechanical Engineer describe an event? w00t )

Now here comes the photo that defines the whole series for me. It’s the first of the rocking hards that came to see the light of the world. The amazingly charismatic Oni Hasan of Warfaze in action, blazing down the stage with untamed energy. This was shot with my beloved ‘Fuji S5800’ point and shoot camera and probably proves the fact that concerts can be well shot with P&S cameras.

Up next, I've decided to include a moment in time frozen in suspended animation as a proof of what rock stars can do on stage. The crowd mesmerized in unison with Tuhin the vocalist of ‘Shironamhin’ another fusion rock band of Bangladesh. This was shot during the civil festival with a Nikon D40 and it's kit lens.

The next photo is something that doesn't quite belong to the rocking hard series. It was titled ‘Beat it’ in the memory of the ‘King of Pop’ the moonwalking-master ‘MJ’. I uploaded it the day he died. This photo is one of my most favourite among all the concert shots that I have taken. The smokes and the lights give us a part-obscure visiton that screams of the drums being set ablaze. If you notice carefully you’ll find the silhouette of Sanjoy Haldar the drummer of our very own part-lounge/part-alternative rock band from BUET ‘Crematic X’ hidden somewhere in the photo.

The next photo is probably a favourite of our in-house conceptual photographer Shucheta. Here Mishu vai from our BUET band Crematic X , once again rocking hard during the Civil Festival Concert a few months back.

I guess I’ll wrap up things here; you guys are probably snoozing out there already with me spurting out all this jibberish. Wall know that us photographers have our own little field of comfort where we feel at home. In a way, a very fitting fashion, concert stages give me that feeling. The music, the lights, the smokes and the Rock stars all provide me with thousands of reasons to go crazy with my camera. Banging head with a camera in your hand is real fun; everyone should try it once in a while (assuming you don't have arthritis or spinal concussions :D ). I just got myself an old 30D and can’t wait for the next concert to come across. I just hope that I will be able to continue to present you with more rocking concert photos.

Ow…..do I hear a drum beat out there……..see ya people next time……till then ‘Rock Hard’
\m/ {-_-} \m/

Yibbiti ...yibbiti...yibbiti..that's it folks...leave your words of wisdom in the comments section. Or alternatively, just enjoy this visual endeavor.

Witnessing religious emancipation: Durga Puja ' 09

noreply@blogger.com (;) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 06:25:00 +0000

On friday, a few hours after the Jum'wa prayers, I went to join the TTL-gang in a tour of the auspicious Dhakessori Mandir Durga Puja celebrations. The temple becomes a heaven for devout Hindus, from all over the country, on a pilgrimage to see their favorite deity in a variety of incarnations. This happens during the months leading upto the winter when Durga Puja usually takes place. This year, it wasn't any different either.

I've always been a fan of the range of human emotions that barrages any religious event. There's fear, pride, happiness, and last but not the least the neopolitan "Being half atheist and half theist is just playing it safe"-demography of which I think I might be a member of. Yesterday's "Moha Soptomi" had it's share of colorful characters too.

There was the obvious Brahmin priest, aging, yet proud. Like the Catholic Church their days of influencing the feudal lords is over, in the age of cell phones "Casts" are no longer *that big an issue. The Puja premises were filled with people from all casts, all regligions, Shudro, Brahman,Khyatrias, Muslims, Christians, everyone was swarming in. Like some of his puritanical Mullah/Cardinal brethren, he too was sad at the reduction of his superiority, at the apparent * sacrilege being performed . Lady Durga has blessed her deciples with education and her '3-rd eye'.

There were the worshipper, bowing down their head and extending their paws in appreciation/expectation of their deity's mercy, knowing that religious zealotry, although still a menace, was a dwindling phenomena. Knowing that peaceful co-existence with others of the society is just not a necessity, it's the proper way to "play it cool". Earthly delights are too valuable to sacrifice without knowing for sure that an afterlife exists as a backup.

There were the devout children, their eyes gleaming with the blessed flame of the future. They are, after all, born in an age of emancipation. Their faces signaling a pint of blood, gashing towards their infraorbital artery in a showcase of admiration and respect, not fear. Neither complete thesists, nor godless atheists had the pleasure or the pain to realize this that day. Viva la moderates :) .

Then came the musicians, artisans with their crude, locally crafted 'beat-machines'. Wrapped in a blanket of bokeh, they played on for half an hour whilst the "Arati"-vernaculars were performed. The most religious part of the day? I don't know. But certainly the most colorful and engaging.

All in all, it was a pleasant experience to see so many people mingle, freely, without visual demarcation of non-conformance. Being a mix race has its covets, but is far outnumbered by its merits.

Moral of the story, "Being a moderate kicks major-A". Too hypocritical for your taste? Being smart has never been hypocritical baby.

PS: I'd still give anything to see a Durga Puja celebration in my pseudo-hometown of Mymensingh though. Those in the capital are rather...err...politically crowded.

An engineer's guide to the making of the Bokeh-motive

noreply@blogger.com (;) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 05:17:00 +0000

" The Japanese word Boke derived from the verb "bokase" meaning to smudge or make blurry.It describes the rendition of out-of-focus points of light."- So sayeth the world wide web.

But to many photographers, 'bokeh' signifies a pause from the regularity of photography. In the world of bokeh, not everything needs to be razor sharp. Out of focus, blurred subjects and backgrounds often elevate the indignation of the purist, but to those who love them, "Bokeh"-s are perhaps the sweetest, most intimate frames that can be taken. However, today I won't be talking about bokehs in general. Instead, I'll tell you how the otherday a very bored engineer left with a few LEDs, a 2.35k, a breadboard and lots of time to kill ended up taking a fun "Bokehlicious" photograph. The tale's of this DIY horror won't shock you for sure :) But you, like myself, might find yourself spiraling down the DIY highway towards making your own "Bokeh Motive". Here goes.

Prelude (aka "Geek Talk") :

You remember *the otherday I mentioned before? Well on that significantly other day I was feeling bored beyond reckoning. There were no good movies to watch or anything. The internet was silent and lacking from its usual flurry of sleuth. Suddenly out of desperation, I thought, "Hey you know what, I'm an engineer after all (AHEM) and if I can't go to a place with colorfully lit backgrounds, then I'll bring the lights to me". So started the ~~mis~~adventure to make the "Bokeh-Motive". I had a few LEDs (namely Red, Green and the regular Incandescent ones) lying around. So I hooked 7 of them up in a breadboard in parallel with a 2.35 k just for security and connected them to an AC to DC converter supply cranking up the voltage to 9 volts.

The circuit diagram should be easy to figure out from the picture above. It's as easy as they can get. As an extra, here's a simplified circuit diagram showing how two LED's should be connected in parallel to a circuit (something I had forgotten after my ME 361 course and came to an embarresing realization about that day)

NO Lights, Camera, Action:

After setting the rig up, it was time to place the toy train away from the illuminated LEDs by a distance of around 12 inches. Then I got down and dirty on the floor with my camera and took my made-up DIY shots.

Visit the Flickr set to see a few more shots taken that day.

...wait, I've left the most important parts out. Here are a few pointers that if followed will greatly aid you in making your own Bokeh-motive:

1) Use a "Prime" lens if possibly with aperture values below 2.8 to get that smooth bokeh. P&S and regular kit/zoom lenses can also work out when stopped down.

2) Make sure your ISO is as low as possible before taking the shot.

3) To get a perfect focus even in darkness, you might want to follow a few steps. Here's what to do, turn your room's light on first, focus on the subject with your camera, once the focus point is locked switch over to manual focus (so that the point stays locked), now turn the light off, half-press the shutter button to feed the metering data to your camera (without this, you'll end up having a very underexposed photograph as your camera still has the metering data from when the light was on), now recompose without actually moving the camera to the front or to the back (side by side is ok) and shoot.

4) Finally, although I've mentioned that these shots were taken during the day, it was a big white lie :) The whole incident took place in the night when distracting, ambient lights are at their lowest (dOh).

Now have fun setting up a Bokeh-motive of your own. I know this might be an overkill, still no better way to spent a boring evening. Leave your questions/suggestions in the comment section.

A stroll through Old Dhaka's Iftar Banquet

noreply@blogger.com (;) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 16:32:00 +0000

Its that time of the year again. The lunar cycle has brought us yet another Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of Sawm or abstinance from all forms of inappropriate, overdrawn, "human"-indulgence, one of which undoubtedly is "food".

Like millions of Muslims around the world, those in Bangladesh are also observing the month of Ramadan through the religious doctrine of "Sehri" and "Iftar", two vital perquisites to a successful day of Sawm which marks the beginning and the end of abstinence for that specific day. As always, the capital city of Dhaka has taken a whole new guise this year with Iftar stalls and kiosks being set-up on every corner of the street. No where in the city is this 'new look' more prominent than in Chawk Bazar, Old Dhaka. The narrow strip of roads that connect the Lalbag subsection with the innards of Old Dhaka is a traditional place for people from all over the city to flock to...and with good reasons. Chawk (as it is locally designated), is the Mecca of Iftar delicacies. You'll find more unique items in its every gauge stretch than anywhere else in the country. The Iftar sellers have also coined 'nick names' for their trademark dishes, these names turn out to be downright ridiculous sometimes (like "Boro Baper Polay Khay"). I've been a local of Old Dhaka for the last 5~6 years or so, and everyear I make the same mistake of stepping into the hustle of Chawk during some eventful afternoon. This time, there was no exception, as I took yet another stroll through the mangy stretches of Chawk with the crew from BUET-PS.

First up, " Hossaini Kabab ", or Shashlik Sticks as they are more traditionally known the world over. The locals name them after the nearby Holy Shi'a shrine "Hossaini Dalan".

Further on, I bump into a few Jelebi/Jilapi makers practicing their age old art of making this traditional sweet with swift motions of the wrist. This is what the before and after photos looked like.

Before After

As I shifted deeper through the puddle of man and man-trampled-mud (guess when the latest downpour happened?) in Chawk, an aged "Bihari" seller came into my view. The locals told me that he was famous for his secret Shish Kebab receipe. When asked, Monnu Miyan told me that he had been cooking Kebabs in the month of Ramadan for over 42 years. Perhaps out of my perverse curiosity I asked him which political party does he support and he vehemently called out "None ! I want Ayub Khan back". Perhaps the East Pakistan era Martial Law administrator's suave still runs rampant in the old timer's memory banks ;)

While struggling through the debauchery of passerbys in the streets below, I had lost all account of the time. So when the Asr prayer was called for, I suddenly remembered that like many others practicing Sawm today (and unlike many others doing the opposite), I had to go legitimize my vow of abstinence from indulgence through a superior form of good deed "Salat". So I entered into the 110 year or so old (now largely refurbished) "Chawkbazar Shahi Masjid" to say my Asr prayers. Not to my amazement though, there were few people out there who had gathered for the Asr prayers. It seemed my assumption that human beings are driven far more to exhibitionism than doing good deeds in solitude, alone from the public eye was right. However, even amidst myriad of faux "Muslims" who don't understand the meaning of "Standard Protocol", there are a few who do...and this guy was one of them that I found praying without applauds or gasps from the crowd.

There are lots of pictures to come from my fellow BUET-PS members folks. So hold your horses and keep on visiting :)

*Update: Other gems from the BUET-PS gang

Excellent slow shutter work by Aneek. Just to give you an idea about the influx of people through Chawk today.

The Usual Vir- by Aneek Mustafa Anwar

The Shahi Jilapi ( 'Amriti'- in local dialect) captured by Anik no 2

The Shahi Jilapi- Samiul Anik

.... and finally, the gang itself (a few attendees including the photographer is missing from the frame)

Thats it folks. Also, if you have time to spare, check out the post from photographer extraordinaire Ahmed Sharif bhai elaborating his own experience in Chawk in vivid details.

"Survivors"- A visual treat for the savage eyes from G.M.B Akash

noreply@blogger.com (;) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 16:03:00 +0000

Back in 2005~06, when I was just drooling on my baby-steps into the world of blogging and the internet, a contact of mine on Livejournal (a hip blogging site back then) posted a few photographs taken by a somewhat little known Bangladeshi photographer on the roof of a running locomotive ! The set of 5 or so photographs were hypnotic in their sheer level of energy, vibrance and quality of composition. Offcourse, back then, I had little or no idea about composition, character or IQ, but what is a delicatessen in one's eyes stays that way for eternity to come. These days, I consider myself a bit more mature in the judgment of quality photographs, and G.M.B Akash, the photographer who's works inspired me at the very beginning continues to amaze me in ways no other Bangladeshi photographer has. So when he opened his solo photography exhibition "Survivors" in Alliance Française I knew I just had to go check it out.

Survivors is a silky, radiant journey through the eyes of Mr Akash, documenting life and its hardship, sorrows, happiness, emotions, comradeship & strength in full color. Unlike the most traditional of documentary photographs, Akash's works are not entangled in the stereotypical web of dark, intangible Black and White frames. They are just the way I like it; thorough, colorful and expressive without the need to obscure underlying details with shadows and highlights. In the world of photography, "Black and White" is often overestimated, appreciated without realizing that reality is not in Black and White. Blood, flesh, mucus, sunrise, sunset, trees, flowers, humming birds, meteors, clothing, books, oppression, communism, Mc Donald, swine flue everything we see is in color. So why not depict it the way it is? Fortunately, there are still a few photographers left in this forsaken world like G.M.B Akash who realizes this and complies accordingly.

"Survivors" has on display a brilliant set of large ( sometimes even 30''x25''), elegantly framed, picturesque prints that will surely sway you on your feet. On one moment , you'll be taking "a stroll through the ship breaking yard in Pakistan", on the next you'll come face to face with the "Vigilantes in Pink" ( God, this guy even knows how to really title his photographs) who took up arms to protect their sanctity from masochist husbands and local thugs. So go on, get lost in Akash's works, you won't regret it :)

Photo Credit: G.M.B Akash

If you are even mildly passionate about photography and are anywhere near Dhaka, be sure check out the exhibition taking place in the ground floor gallery of Alliance Française from Aug 14-27th . Details of this exhibition are available on its facebook page. Take my words for it , "You better not miss out on this one".

Who is G.M.B Akash ?

Akash’s passion for photography began in 1996. He attended the World Press Photo seminar in Dhaka for 3 years and graduated with a BA in Photojournalism from Pathshala, Dhaka. He has received more than 35 international awards from all around the world and his work has been featured in over 50 major international publications including: Time, Sunday Times, Newsweek, Geo, Stern, Der Spiegel, The Guardian, Marie Claire,Colors, The Economist, The New Internationalist, Kontinente, Amnesty Journal, Courier International, PDN, Die Zeit, Days Japan, and Sunday Telegraph of London.

In 2002 he became the first Bangladeshi to be selected for the World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass in the Netherlands. In 2004 he received the Young Reporters Award from the Scope Photo Festival in Paris, again being the first Bangladeshi to receive the honour. In 2005 he was awarded Best of Show at the Center for Fine Art Photography’s international competition in Colorado, USA. In 2006 he was awarded World Press Photo award and released his first book “First Light”.

In 2007 again he became the first Bangladeshi to be selected for the 30 Emerging Photographers (PDN 30) by Photo District News Magazine, USA.

He won the 7th Vevey international photography grant from Switzerland in 2009

- Quoted from the personal website of G.M.B Akash.

The Lens Nickname marathon

noreply@blogger.com (;) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 16:20:00 +0000

Everyone knows that good glass (aka Lenses) are what makes the real difference when it comes to photography. The wise ones always keep an eye out for great glasses while arguing fools like us hunt for higher end camera bodies. Over the years a *few great lenses have entered into the pages of history having secure their own, unique nicknames when in operation; names that often exaggerate certain features or outputs that come bundled with these lenses. Some are named for their swell bokeh, while some simply garner respect for their rare price to quality ratio. I've tried to collect as many nicknames as I've come across so far. Most of them were take from Jinternets with some addition and subtractions done. So lets see what the roster contains, shall we?

The "Nifty-fifty/Fantastic Plastic" :

The first entry is a must have for hobbyist/amateur DSLR users everywhere. Almost all the major brands make a 50mm f/1.8. But the one by Nikon and Canon in particular with their distinctive plastic built have secured a nickname of their own. They are probably the cheapest lenses available and outputs are better than expected for the price paid; sharp and smooth at the same time.

The "Cream Machine" :

This nickname is reserved for the Nikon 85mm f/1.4-D IF lens. At $1000+ , this behemoth is known for its almost magical ability to completely separate backgrounds from the subject in a creamy , bokelicious goodness. Must have for pros, amateurs like myself short on the "green stuff" can stay satisfied with the nifty-fifty for the time being.

The Wigma:

Currently the lens I'm saving up for, the Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM ultra-wideangle lens is perfect for landscape shots. The increasing popularity of this lens among landscape enthusiasts have bought it the nickname "Wigma".

The "Bigma" :

Wigma's big-brethern, the "big-sigma" or the "bigma" is nothing but the titular Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3. A favourite of wild-life photographers and sports shooters around the world who are a little short on budget, but still far richer than you or me.

The "Beast" and The "Brick":

I've paired these two together because a) They have similar focal-range b) They are used for about the same purpose by both Canon and Nikon users, to shoot Blogger: Snap-O-Matic - Edit Post "The Lens Nickname marathon"high profile events and fashion-ops. The one by Nikon (Nikon 28-70mm f/2.8D ED-IF ) goes by the nom de guerre "The Beast", whereas Canonites call theirs ( Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L ) "The Brick"

The Nikon "Holy Trinity":

The father, the son and virgin Mary from left to right, the AF-S 28-70mm f/2.8 the AF-S 17-35mm f/2.8 & the AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 VR . I wonder where they get these analogies

The Canon "Holy Trinity":

If Nikon has one, Canon has to have one too...or is it the otherway round ? (*goes to pay his debts to the deity of malice). However, their "Trinity" is made up entirely off "primes", luxurious ones :( From left to right the 85mm 5/1.2 L, the 35mm f/1.4 L & the 135mm f/1.2 L

The Four Riders of the Apocalypse:

EF 300 mm f/2.8L EF 200 f/1.8 L

EF 400mm f/2.8 EF 600mm f/4

Blech, those white lenses and their arrogance. Damn their world class weather sealing and esoteric market niche/target consumer demography.

Note that this is not the definitive list of lens nicknames. There may me many out there that I've missed. I'd be more than delighted if you would like to add/suggest any nickname you know of. Infact, share what secret nickname you've give to the lenses *you own. That would be a fun thing to know

Of nickels and dimes - by Tawfik Mohammed

noreply@blogger.com (;) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 05:02:00 +0000

The first (ever) guest article on this blog is by Tawfik Mohammed, a flickr contact of mine and a passionate photographer. He also happens to be a student of Electrical Engineering from McGill university. In his post he talks about how and why he started the whole "Photography" shindig and goes onto describe his new found love for the Nikon D90 that he recently purchased after complex deliberation :) Why not hear it in his own words then?

Hokay..so I had to wake up in the morning a bit earlier than the alarm went off because my bladder was set too early. Half asleep, I answered nature's call and dropped myself in front of the laptop on the table and impulsively started checking my emails and such. There was one email that seemed to have come from a nickel-hydrogen compound..but one that hadn't completely satisfied Ni's bivalent nature. As I read the mail with one of my eyes still asleep and the other taking a nap it seemed like I was reading an invite to read a blog of some sort about automatic passport photo booths.. I went on to the next few emails and then dropped back to my bed (i don't really have one - it's just a mattress) and fell asleep for the next hour when the alarm finally went off.

Jump, shower, brush, change for work - in a few minutes I was at the laptop again. Going through the emails from earlier, I finally realized that the photo booth thing was really an invite to share some posts here; and that interested me quite a bit - especially because I was planning on starting a photo-blog myself.

I read up the first post on the blog about why NiH started photography and I was rather moved by the power of photography in someone's life. For me, it started with a 1960's Canon FT-QL that my father purchased with his first earning..and a small booklet on photography in an abandoned drawer in some part of our home. I didn't really get to play with it much; I have only been playing around with small digital cameras since the late 1990's. After moving to a rather well equipped mid-range Sony P&S (DSH-H10), I was beginning to feel the need for more for the pictures I had in mind. I tried out a friend's Nikon D90 and covered a few events with it. After delivering a thousand or so pictures with that camera, moving back to the P&S was just..painful.

As a university student, I am still financially dependent on my parents.. And I simply could not burden them with my desire to have a dSLR. I decided to pay for it on my own from my summer earnings, and bought the dSLR on credit. Paid off the debt from parents money (they don't know I bought this monster yet) and am slowly making up for the funds used now. That's the story of my D90..it really is, my precious guilt..."my preciousss".

If there are readers here who are still in the world of point and shoots, and cannot wait for their hands on a dSLR, I feel your pain. But I urge you not to despair. I still have my Sony and it takes some brilliant pictures! Yes, it does have a limited field of view; yes, it does have limited high ISO performance; yes, it's annoying to not have a view-finder; yes, it's terribly slow to auto-focus and record a snap - BUT, it's so light, so small, so portable and simple (It is an amazing feat of engineering by itself!). Yet, it has let me take some of my most favourite pictures.

"New York City Taxi" - By Tawfik Mohammed (Tmab 2003)

There's this other flickr user I happened to have come across who impresses me with his cell phone camera photography:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mmsyfullah/

Here's an idea for those who aren't convinced: Go to http://www.flickr.com/cameras/ and find your camera. Look at the photos that people have managed to take with your very camera! =) Inspiring..isn't it?

Snap away everybody..have fun =)

www.flickr.com/tmab2003.

"60-Shots"- to Kick off from 13th August

noreply@blogger.com (;) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 12:23:00 +0000

"60 shots"- a photography exhibition showcasing the works of almost 50 young, amateur photographers from around Bangladesh is going to kick off from 13th August, 2009 in Chhobir Haat on the Dhaka University premises. The event is being co-ordinated by the young members of "Bangladeshi Photographers", one of the largest online groups for photography enthusiasts in Bangladesh. The exhibition is open for all. This will be the first time an exhibition is taking place where the attendees are mostly amateur artists with a thirst for photography, one of the major and perhaps the most eceletic branches of fine arts. Major media presence is expected during the event

You can RSVP to the event at its designated Facebook page. The event will start on the 13th and carry on for 3 days till 15th August. Haven't been to Chobir Haat before? No worries, here's a Google Map embed to guide you

View "60-shots" Exhibition Location in a larger map

Why Photography?

noreply@blogger.com (;) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 21:34:00 +0000

"Shooter"- By Alison Grippo

I took up on photography about a one and a half year ago after my mother's passing. Before that, I was mostly just another curious shooter in the wild. However, as I came into terms with my orphaned, suffocatingly lonely state of mind, I sought refuge in a brand new medium of expression, "The Play of Lights and Shadows". It was as if I had finally found a niche I can take a few days to explore, something that would keep me occupied and far from the horrors that I had to face. In time, however, I discovered that the world of photography was far more vast than I had ever comprehended. I also realized that perhaps, this was my only good friend at the time..someone who'd listen to my lonely rants and obsecure expressions and reciprocate favorably in return.

I was not wrong.

Photography is what keeps me company these days. Whenever I'm not reading about heat-transfer in boundary layers or turbulence in aerofoil design as part of my Mechanical Engineering course, I take my camera out and shoot me a few seconds of life. This blog will act as a detail account of my journey through the fathoms of photography, news and views about recent happenings, styles and genres that I like, techniques that I'm fond of, hacks/tips/tricks that I employ or sometimes simply a set of exposures that I've captured recently. In the future I plan on inviting guest authors and/or renowned photographers who would contribute a few minutes of their life in this blog to share *their view on photography. Hopefully, all that jazz would come into fruition at the end of the day.

If you would like to get notified whenever this blog is updated, subscribe to the RSS feed or just put down your email address at the box on the sidebar.

Note that, this blog is designed upon a highly modded theme called Arthemia ( thanks to your's truly :D ). If you have any suggestions/comments about its design, feel free to express your views.