Photographing places of interest.(post no.106).

There are lot of festivals in India and more of tourist places and picnic spots, which will excite to the capture them in ur camera, may be compacts,camphones or others.

2) If it is a place of diversity, just tell a story in two or three pictures. As in the above picture there is a huge temple made by Raja Bhoj some one thousand years back. Till 25 years back, it was in dilapidated condition. However, the govt took steps to get it renovated and made it a national heritage.

3) There is importance of majestic appearance of the temple and inside is a great Shiv-ling, 2.03 metre high, which is shown here in the inset....As people throng the gate, which is covered with wooden steps, it is not possible to merge both in one picture. Besides, there is contrast in lighting, outside and inside. To show the public is one especial aspect of photography depicting the importance of the place and the devotion of the people.....Cover it pictorially, framing it with side trees,rocks, people etc.....Nikon 18-55 kit lens....Expo. outside Aperture Priority Auto....1/500, f16....The inside Shiv-ling is captured by Canon compact on auto mode............................to continue.

Planning to improve shooting skills.(post no.105).

Shooting is easy but better after knowing the place. Though sometimes it happens that u go to a tourist place and that is new to u, u go on clicking, whatever comes before u.  No doubt, u got a good record of the place...But have u understood that how many pictures are good from an artist's point of view. Even when you sit on PC or Laptop, you have to view each picture and how many you will have to delete from your at random shooting...wasting lot of precious time...However, if the place is visited for the first and last time, that is worth doing the labour. But if you have visited the place and have a second chance to visit, it would be better to have a planning for spectacular places you will shoot from....As may have happened in ur first visit, most of the time you wudn't have realised but just jumped for shot after shots.....Here important is PLANNING. This may take some of your time but ultimately save lot of it to return with  perfect shots with better results in exposure setting on Aperture Priority, Prog mode or Manual mode, having correct shutter speed, aperture and ISO setting. Why ISO setting? As the evening sets in the light goes down and you do not have tripod, the HIGHER ISO SETTING WILL help you to capture sharp pictures...That is why to plan 'when,where,how,what,who' (the 5 w) will be helpful in holiday shoots. This will help u to visualise the composition before you have clicked the camera.....THE above place,in picture, I saw before, but next time the two gals helped me in scaling the composition to the boat and sky..............to continue.

Preparing for Photography Competition--5 (post no.104)

THE THEME:  The theme is generally categorised as Colour Prints, B&W Prints, Nature Prints(flowers,birds,raptiles,macro of these etc), Wildlife Prints(Animals of jungle, birds, crocodile etc), Travel Prints, Photojournalism, Digital Imaging etc. Digital Imaging is the new category included in the competitions. However, the organisers specify that the print shd have originality of the subject with few tools of photoshop used. They need the sanctity of the image, not a mutilated image.

2) Check the lighting of your picture. It shd look realistic...Avoid snapshot camera flash look. While outside or inside, make the light works well according to a competition category. This can be decided while shooting, the angles of lighting, harshness,softness of lighting. It shd not kill the subject. If necessary use reflectors, like a white towel, cloth, newspaper. thermocol, wall etc. To slightly darken the subject, use of black reflectors may also help,like black cloth,card sheet etc.

3) PRESENTATION OF PRINT IS ALSO AN IMPORTANT POINT....Care shd be taken when sending the print to lab...U shd personally instruct the lab technician to further crop image and the tonal range,colours u want in the final print,if u get a proof first. Poor quality of prints have no excuse before a judge and ur print may see a corner of the table......The competitions generally need unmounted prints. But still some photographers send their prints duly mounted. If u think so, use proper mounting, clean cut cardsheets, masks, cardboards...Check the prints of any spots. They shd be duly finished.

REMEMBER, PHOTOGRAPHY IS A RECOGNIZED ART....BE AN ARTIST.

Preparing for Photo Competitions--4 (post no.103)

PICTORIAL TOUCH:...This is ur artistic capability in regard to having a good use of balance, colour, composition,cropping and creative use of space. The photo should  have a good use of contrast i.e. neither the effect shd be dull nor the highlights washed out.....In normal terms a correct tonal range, showing details in the highlights and shadow areas, so the judges have the option to give ur pic full marks....There are normally 3 judges so if 2 agree on a print, it is selected for further comparison with more effective photographs. Therefore,keeping in mind the above, your print shd not lag behind.

In the above picture, I used cropping...Since she is a prominent danseuse, she is kept in centre, surrounded by other fellow dancers (u can see around her)....Her pose is diagonal -most important to depict the sense of dynamism-her important dress and the whites of other dancers have the folding details.....that tell the story that they are the part of a troupe and in action....that is the balance. Her eyes not looking into the camera but where her concentration shd be, i.e. immediately to get up for another steps...The colour of her face shows the originality of the make up plus the well saturated colours of her dress, so the viewers' eyer stay there.Important also are ''LEADING LINES'' (AN IMPORTANT PART OF A COMPOSITION)....The hand(of another dancer above), the lyrical designs of other dancers' dresses all account to her. Even if u move to right to another of her colleagues's hand, u will hv to come back to her forceful pose......to continue

Preparing for Photo Competitions--3..(post no.102).

To go further for preparation for photo competitions.....There are simple rules to guide you to be a better photographer to be able to make your name in photo competitions...thus winning the hearts of judges, the audience, the newspapers, magazines and to obtain photographic degrees/diplomas in exams. There are hundreds of schools, colleges having photography as a full time course.

Just come along to look for things in your photographic entries:::. IMPACT: Your photograph has a main subject with other elements. When the audience view it, they shd stop and say 'vah', but make every effort to give full attention to the main subject avoiding the less important or distracting objects. However, ultimately, they shd have the full picture in mind with good composition...that is ur success.

As in the above photograph, there is impact of boats, creativity of making a triangle, the main centre of interest-- the boatman approaching the halting boats, supporting boats lying vacant, the reflection in water to say 'vah', dull evening light to make mood for boating, leading lines of small ripples take attention to the human element, whole perspective as an artist painted the view etc.

CREATIVITY: Your picture shd make the viewer think how u achieved your photographic image, if he is a photographer, he will think of focal length, the shutter speed and aperture u used, with ISO rating according to ur choice and lightings conditions. ......to continue

Preparing for Photo Competition.......(post no.101).

While submitting a photograph for competition, you may be in the thinking of telling the judges/experts that this is my best work and I can do no better.....haha...Is it true?....No it is not if you seriously believe that it can be further improved....You belie yourself if u say that u cannot improve...Improvement skills are there in your mind, thinking in the direction to make picture much better.

2) In case ur picture is critiqued, try to remake, crop, tint or redo into the style the judge/expert has recommended....Imp: AFTER you have done over the comparing  both photographs, previous one and another made on the lines/guidance suggested by the judge/expert, to understand that you hv a learning experience.If you are confident, then the competitions are for you....However, even during the year, if there is no competition and you make pictures regularly, there is no wait for judging in the competition. Are there no people/experts in you club,vicinity whom you respect for their knowledge and ability? Have advantage of their wisdom. YOU will be surprised, how easily and happily  they agree to offer you help and guidance and eagerly share their skills....That is the battle half won...........to continue.

Pl click on the ads beside and below.

Preparing for Photo Competitions.(post no.100).

Photo competitions are good platform showcasing your art in public....There may be excitement of getting recognition, awards, or to be declared a 'winner'.....Yes, it is there. But still, before taking part in a competition, which is arranged by your local club or outside it should be primarily the purpose to see if your photography is improving and what the judges think about the efforts u made to improve the photograph and observe and learn from the comments they give on your photograph (this is generally for beginners to know from judges the shortcomings, if the competition is held locally or near ur town)...A competition is primarily a learning experience. Yes, the acceptances, awards will certainly increase your popularity amongst the art lovers and the public, which will make you a known figure through newspapers, magazines.

2) Good photography is not difficult but certainly the 'great' photography will need a lot of more efforts, which may compel you to think whether you are really desirous to work at it and learn how to take better pictures....If ur answer is 'yes', then there is no better time to start studying, learning how to take a better picture than from now itself............to continue

Cheer with nature (post no.99).

Is this pic less fiery than the sunset. I am comparing with the vastness of colurs, we have on earth....You need not go to great distances...You can have fun having few flower pots in ur verandah,garden or in balcony and taste these colours....The beauty of nature is unpredictable. This vibrant flower is seen like this during day, but in the evening it shrinks. As u hv experienced with sunflowers, which generally face sun.....I am thinking that the painter did some best strokes of brush and colours in this flower.....This is part of nature photography and can create interest, if you are keen enough to hold the camera to just move out also to a nearby park. The different moods and versatility can help you make brilliant captures...There is always a fresh vision in nature. You hv to open your eyes to capture nature fantasies and magical views.

Shooting nature is like meditation, peace felt in the heart, as if you are celebrating life. Make various canvases of your efforts to have a satisfied way of living with nature beside you...Will never feel monotonous but cheering, cheering self and cheering others too.

Canon...........1/800, f3.4, ISO 100...sunlight.

Food Photography (post no.98).

Good food photography is the demand of the day...As with changing of times, the new recepies are being searched with hundreds of new items added every day. U can use home-made FOOD STUFF, from hotels, shops,bakeries, food competitions held every month here and there. The technique uses some good ideas of exposing eatables, food products.....It is now minimalist photography. That is not many things congested into one.

2) After choosing the item, u may be tempted to take a overhead shot.. That is not to be denied, as u are experimenting with ur techniques to give the best to customers or self-satisfying for further improvements. However, shooting on a level or just a few degrees above will give u a good angle. (As in the above photograph). Select a single item u wish to photograph. U can add props and they are best in the forms of ingrediants used in the foodstuff. (the photo above shows green 'dhania' leaves, tomato, green chillies with 'chutney', a good important part to taste the delicious poha vadas)....These items won't go with sweet dishes.....so using discretion will help getting good photos. There shd be SIMPLICITY in the decoration.

Using long focal lenses will help to emphasize on the subject, may be 200mm/300mm of prime tele or zoom lens, getting bg out of focus. This can be done in P&S cameras using their macro feature.

-A good tripod is always a good bonus, if u cannot manage in low lighting conditions HANDHELD or slow shutter speeds with lower ISO setting, light coming from north or south facing windows, in well lit room, verandah, side lighting, back lighting,even in a shaded balcony will give a diffused light (As I shot above in verandah.). Besides, experiment with differently placing the subject, using various type of lighting.will help u make a good FOOD Photographer.........to continue..(pl check older posts also).

100 Subjects to photograph--still lots r left to explore(post no.97).

Do you still feel dearth of subject and like to sit at home?....Here is a good list of 100 items which can be photographed, while on the move with camphones,compacts, prosumers or DSLRs, as it is convenient to you. Go out and find yourself involved in creativity. This will also help you to be a persistent perceiver. You can sell the photographs online, particularly shot with DSLRs. They render the best quality. The judgement is yours.....THIS is a general problem for newcomers and sometimes with amateur photographers to find out the subject to photograph and the mind remained confused, what to photograph. here i am giving some subjects from which the photographers can select according to their location/circumstances/nearness of the subject...........otherwise serious photographers in India and abroad go for shooting spree, once in a year or as per time available to them and send to magazines/calendars/editorials etc. and earn a bit good amount. here are they:
1. arts...2. books....3.culture...4. entertainment(fairs etc)...5. family....6. food....7. friends....8. people....9. life around...10. love...11. music...12.news.....13. personal(belongings etc)....14. cars....15. random....
16. religion....17. sports....18. thoughts(creativity)...19. travel....20. health...
21. technology....22. writing(to get ideas)....23. cities....24. young/old women
25. children...26. business....27. backgrounds....28. youth/old men....29.....
girls....30. sea...31. sky....32. water....33. clouds....34. sand....35. beaches.....
36. houses/buildings....37. monuments.....38. weddings....39. rituals.....40.
festivals....41. portraits(infant to old)....42. animals...43. pets....44.lakes....
45. bridges...46. birds....47. flowers....48. designs....49. abstract....50. party....
51. computers....52. hands/feet....53. icons....54. offices....55. money.....56.
trees...57. nature....58. wildlife....59. coastline....60. railways....61. hospitals....62. schools....63. playgrounds...64. local matches....65. holi,diwali,id,x-mas,guru nanak jayanti(under festivals)....66. gardens.....
67. landscapes....68. bikes...69. mountains....70. environment....71. seasonal theme(summer,rains,winter)....72. night scenes....73. fairgrounds/lightings...74. sunrise...75. sunsets....76. storms....77. lightening
78. different regions....79. interiors...80. architecture.....81. farms.....82.
macros...83. couples.....84.home...85. beauty/beauty pageants....86.rivers....
87.highways....88. flyovers....89. beggers...90. tribals....91. pan/thela shops...
92. village life...93...crops....94. fire....95. kitchenware....96. temples......
97. vegetables.....98. local markets...99. vehicles(diff.types)....100. traffic...
etc. etc.(think urself)..

Here is an example--there are lots of subjects near a tourist place.....Can't this be one of them---Chalo Dildar Chalo, Chand Ke Paas Chalo..........to continue.

Ideas for pictures--do u lack? 'The Photographer's Curse' (post no.96).

Can you recollect, since how long your camera/cameras and lenses are lying on your shelf,cupboard.....You might have gone shooting  or snapped a few during last month or months before.....You recollect, how many frames have I exposed and for how long. Every time memory is not that much sharp...so you need to see cameras' LCD screens....Oh my God, how long they are here, yet to be loaded in PC or laptop? How important these are and how can I forget?

THIS IS NORMAL OR NATURAL. All the time u cannot think on one subject when your daily schedule is so tight. Is there any place for photography? Yes - Can be! It is more refreshing when you see through your camera's viewfinder/LCD screen the more new subjects around you. There is street--children playing, going to school with heavier bags then children themselves, some cobbler, vegetable seller, street urchins, fast running vehicles, pedestrians with unusual dresses....the list is endless......However still u feel mundane.Then look at the season...It is not right today, yesterday it was foggy and day before yesterday it was hot and humid. You feel stuck at home.....This situation is generally called ''THE PHOTOGRAPHER'S CURSE''. HAVING ALL THE EQUIPMENT, BOTH MENTAL AND PHYSICAL ENERGY IS AT ur disposal but no INSPIRATION for picture ideas that hv not been done a hundred times before.........to continue.

Above pic is from my verandah--lamppost and trees....it was dull evening light....In slow shutter speed 1/5 and at f16, ISO 100, I zoomed in my zoom lens,rotating the zooming grip---it came out a different photograph......If u try this u will feel amazed at the results...BG shd be colourful and fully covering the frame,whenever possible. (next page---to come).

Canon 6D with GPS and Wi-Fi connectivity.(post no.95).

Canon comes with its new camera '6D' for beginners,enthusiasts, and is a smaller, lighter,and more affordable full frame DSLR. The camera has 20.2 MP AND HAS A NEWLY DEVELOPED large CMOS sensor (11 point AF SINGLE CROSS TYPE) which will give higher ISO of 100-25,600, expandable to 50-102,400 for more and better low light photography.

This becomes Canon's first camera to have GPS and Wi-Fi connectivity to make sharing images easier across the social media.....The camera with 24-105 may cost $2899 and body at $2099 and is likely to hit the market by December,2012....Though online booking has started......So all the best Canon enthusiasts.

Flash Synchronization in Cameras for Correct Exposure (post no.94)

This photo was taken by flash.....Then what is there?....It is to be understood that every flash has an automatic coordination between the shutter speed and flash, called Synchronization. Firing of the flash and recording image at the same time on the sensor.

In film SLRs and DSLRs too, there is limit of entering the flash light onto the sensor with a specific Shutter Speed....For example, if u own a DSLR, there are Shutter Speeds range from 30 sec to 1/4000th part of a second. ..There is also the duration limit of flash light emitted by builtin flash or external flash mounted on hot shoe. That is from 1/500 to 1/30,000th of a second......The difference in Speeds opening the shutter and the light thrown by the flash tube, does not match 'in time' with all the Shutter speeds as mentioned above. The flash light enters the camera at slow shutter speeds of individual cameras e.g. at 1/200, 1/250 and in few cases 1/500....This is 'SYNCHRONIZATION', when u get a picture correctly exposed by the light emitted by flash tubes. Thus the flash pix can be taken below 1/250,for example, to as below as your camera limit of 1/8th, 1/16th or even 30sec.

In auto cameras, the SS is controlled automatically by the camera itself giving u a correctly exposed picture within the limit of above shutter speeds. While using Manual mode, the shutter speed is to be set 1/250 or below while doing flash photography or as mentioned in ur camera manual.

The above picture was taken on 'auto' on my compact, which set Shutter Speed at 1/60 at f2.8, controlling the light output for correct exposure via built in sensor in the camera.