Keep Smiling

Smile: A facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement.

Celebrating christmas with Smiles all around. Wishing all my friends and well wishers a very Merry Christmas and a fruitful new year ahead.

“You haven't lost your smile at all, it's right under your nose. You just forgot it was there.”


“Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.”


“Smile, even if it's a sad smile, because sadder than a sad smile is the sadness of not knowing how to smile.”


Currently doing a series of High Key images for a wallpaper series on Smile.
Here's shown above is a sample of the same.
Comments welcome.

Venture into Fashion and Glamour Photography

I have always want to do some Fashion photography. Have always been in love with glamour.. though its a different story that I myself don't do much of it.
A venture into this domain was always round the corner. So i did get a chance to do some Fashion show shoots and grabbed the opportunity..!







These shots were shot at a Prasad Bidappa and Hemant Trivedi Show at the Bangalore Habba held on 10th December at palace Grounds.
Well the first impression.. Man its tough to shoot during live shows!

Am now on the lookout for shooting glamour...This will mainly be studio or set shots .. mostly trying to understand the human form.

Any models interested please contact me.

Shooting on Indian Streets

Its been over a year since i started shooting on Indian Streets. The gamut of subjects that i come across makes it all the more interesting... and thus trying out indoor photography has taken a backseat. I am a big fan of Nature and hence I shoot almost 99% of my shots with Natural light.
I am overwhelmed when people ask me how do i go about shooting on the Indian streets!
I can speak only Hindi and English and hence its not really possible for me to speak to the local people on the streets who speak a different language altogether. This is also important keeping in mind that I interact with people from different states and different cultures almost every month.

I go in groups but then the group does not shoot together. We reach a common place in the market and then branch off; each one shooting what they like shooting. I like shooting portraits and hence one would have seen it in my photo stream.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/happyhorizons

However taking that is not easy, as i said i don't speak their language. So if i approach a vendor, and just shoot, they may get offended. So what I do is first I try and adjust to the situation.
Will go there and even without thinking of shooting my main subject, I will shoot around 4-5 snaps of his/her surroundings. It could be flowers, vegetables or just the street ans as abstract as shooting pillars...
By this time the curiosity in my main subject has arisen and they are ready to get shot.
But I still will not take "the" picture that i am thinking of or have in mind. I will then show them the photographs that I have just taken and then will probably point the camera to them. If they agree then they will get alert and their shots don't look candid.
Thus I will shoot them and show them that posed photo of them and pretending to go... while on my way out when their attention is not on me.. but the joy that they have received on seeing photographs on the camera, I will then shoot the photograph that I had pictured in my mind.
It takes time and patience, but 8 out of 10 time i would come back really satisfied! I just follow the instinct and speak the universal language of smile!

Some really nice Candid shots that I took






Have a nice day!

What's a "Good Photograph"?

Quite often i have been affronted with this question.. What is a good photograph and how does one judge a photograph?
I recently came across this article which i believe summarizes the points involved pretty well.

The following is a list of basic judging and critiquing criteria for photographs, compiled by George Kalem III, Manchester, New Hampshire. The items are given in descending order of importance.

Impact - what you see first; first impression; strong feeling of power; hold your eye.

Creativity - use of imagination; freshness of approach; unusual cropping/use of subject matter; invention, design, feeling and imagination that lifts the work into the realm of art; could be abstract.

Style - part that sets the work apart from others; different but consistent way of seeing; different approach; real, not contrived; experimental; individual.

Composition - good placement of subject; successful arrangement; harmonious proportions; use dynamic symmetry in placing the most important objects; good rhythm in repetition; color, spaces, moods, divisions of photograph.

Print Presentation - does presentation enhance the photograph?; good cropping; good color for matting or mounting; using something dynamic or very traditional; creative mounting.

Color Balance - good technique; good selection of color for subject matter; using very interpretive color (maybe not normal); creative use of color (complementary colors, dark against light, strong against weak)

Center of Interest - dominance of subject matter; grouping of subject and arrangement of objects so one center of interest prevails, subject hold the eye without distractions; mood or misty; strength and definition gives center of interest; secondary subjects don't overpower main subject.

Lighting - good statement of light; good portrait lighting; dynamic lighting pattern of light can enhance, create strong mood.

Subject Matter - outstanding interpretation for the subject matter; good camera angle; good selection of photographic model or object; contrast can be very creative in selection (old and young, warm and cold).

Print Quality - strong contrast; middle tones; good color balance; expressions and artistic lighting; simple statements are strongest; good angle on buildings; backgrounds in harmony with subject matter.

Technique - different technique for subject matter; technique is foundation of photography but knowledge of art principles are very necessary; using creativity and abstraction can help; design brings abstract ideas into concrete form.

Story Telling - complete story within photograph; successful presentation; achievement of purpose; complete meeting at first glance; strong mood or emotion using strong complementary colors next to each other; strong mood builds emotional response challenging your imagination.

Thats a long post! But definitely worth pondering over when I try to look for images that satisfy these criteria. Do let me know what you think.

Stop..Look..Go

I just realized that I have finished a quarter century of my existence on this planet.
I think its just the right moment to stop.. look at the years past by.. experience it..learn from it..
Dare to look through the window of opportunities.. to the hope that exists..

Hope..


I seek to fly.. I wanna be a free bird...

Freedom..


I wish to conquer all horizons...

Retrospection

Today I just came back from IIT Guwahati .. I had a short but interesting visit to my alma mater..
There are quite a few changes that have happened.. some for the better and some definitely for the worse... I felt its time for some retrospection...
Also in the meantime I have complete a year and quarter with my job.
Got a new camera with a couple of new lenses. This has made me roam places.
Covered many states across India. Traveled far and wide.
The soul however still seeks for that satisfaction which i see on the children's faces. This is perhaps going to keep me going all my life and I may still land up not finding an answer to it. Thats life i guess!


Retrospection

The looks

I have been shooting on the streets for quite some time now... I really find it amusing when at the end of the day I see the gamut of expressions that I have managed to capture. Perhaps the most interesting thing is the way the kids stare and look at you... What is it that they are mainly interested in ? The big black object that the unknown person is carrying...

Sometimes they stare...


Sometimes just peep and try to get a look...


and sometimes just dont care...


Some have got used to the fact they are photographed by so many photographers all around the year... some just dont like getting exposed...

Abolish Child labour

I came across this article today in the Hindu that says that the government has put an imperative to prohibit rastaurants / dhabas / shops etc to emply children below the age of 14.
The article reminded me of the many instances when one has to take services from these young kids.
Be it the railway stations, thebus stands, the hotels, restaurants, the cleaners, the grocery delivery kids etc etc ...


What does one do about the multitude of street children across India who are not employed by any body but tak up selling artifacts at streets, fairs etc..
Of the rag pickers...

There needs to be more work done for sure.

Work Spaces...

As I sit in my Air conditioned Glass-Pyramid Office space... I reflect upon the work space of the less fortunate ones...of the many unfortunate street children across India who work in restaurants / hotels/ dhabas to earn a living...

My work space (I sit in the Pyramid)


Their Work Space


Have you ever looked into their lives?
Their style of working..
They work in the worst of the conditions... but they still keep going..
Never failing to pass a smile when you smile at them...
They work in the darkest of corners.. in the shabbiest of places...
The only source of light being the window..
Is it a window to their life? A Source of Light into their dark worlds?
Or merely a source of hope.. to someday comeout of the dark world and relish the bright world outside..
When .. when .. when will that happen ??

With not enough shelter.. not enough clothes...many a times they are forced to take shelter in whatever they find...

Shelter


.....I think .. just keep thinking .....

Two worlds..

In my quest to finding a reason behind their (the street children) happiness i find that there are innumerable reasons for them to be happy .. evne though there may be innumerable+1 reasons for them to be sad..
I as a photographer try to capture their happiness...unlike the myriad photographers around the world who aim at capturing the sufferings... the mishaps.. the dirty environments....

Here's a discussion i was having with a few photographers with respect to an image of mine..
I find it so surprising why the foreigners connect street children with being sad.. being hopeless...
************************************************************************
[Photographer 1]
How can children be so full of joy when they are "in prison" like here? If you want to tell a story by this image which one is it? It's not clear to me.



[My reply to above]
Hi ****** I appreciate it...As a photographer i have failed as i have not been able to bring out what i wanted you to percieve ..There was no story that was meant to be told regardin this pic.. the kids are not in a prison.. just that these kids have so many dreams.. but most of their dreams are just left in dreams and nthing is really achieved.. Thats the thing that I had wanted to show.. Just my two cents on this..Regards

[Photographer 1 replies to me]
Hello,Thank you for your message. We are living in two different worlds. In my world i cannot imagine that children "in a cage" are having so much fun. On the other hand it is just human to have dreams of better worlds in a material or an immaterial way. Thats universal.I looked at a few other photos you made and i must say that there are some very interesting pictures amongst them. See you,Pieter007

[Photographer 2]
I disagree with [photographer 1] ... I think it is a believable story that those who have the least stuff have more hope and look forward to using what they have ... I really like the story told here ... I like the capture of the look of hope in the kids eyes and the colors work ....



I must say .. I was impressed by the way [photographer 2] replied back.. and i find it just fitting to my findings..

One night @ The Commercial Street

With the desire of exploring some more low light and slow shutter shots; we decided to "Shoot"; the commercial street last saturday.

Reached Woody's at around 5:30 pm and waited for others to join in.The question in our minds were what were we going to shoot!!People there were in plenty, but one wondered if they would get offended at we "shooting" them.It was an exciting shoot as shooting in flower or vegetable market the people are just too happy to pose for you or give a smile. So the challenge was there.We were joined in by a few senior members it was nice interacting with them.

The subjects were varied, with street and people forming majority of t them. There were jewellery, people, roadside vendors, vehicles, kids (my favourite), the beggars, the Bright lights and the awesome sky to choose from!

It was a great exploration! with all shots hand held. The few small altercations and the interactions with the vendors made things really interesting!! :P

Thank God it did not rain!!!

Some snapshots of the shoot:
Psychedelic


Another Face of India


Indian Essence

Locked Dreams..

Dreams..
Of making it big..
Of surviving..
Of being happy..
Of remaining loyal and faithful to family..
Of a better tomorrow..


What does it take??

With barely a meal a day...
The smile remains..


The hope loiters..
Hard work...?
Dedication in what one does...?
Faith ?

Too many questions..
What do they do?
What do they become?
The innumerable street children across India...
The homeless...

.
..
....
the answers haunts the soul..

...there I was; spending some time with them.

What is it that connects me so much with these street kids...?
I am game to go and spend some time with them any time...
their smiles makes me forget my sorrows... the situations that i have landed myself in seems futile...


it gives me hope to survive... and survive smilingly ... taking each day as it comes...
without worries...
a stranger to them i am .. and they to me...
one line that i recent read..
"If everyone is a stranger, then everyone is free" this line in the article makes so much sense...
Isn't that what the world today is becoming..full of strangers??
people disowning families...
forgetting relationships... just to FREE...
and hence becoming a stranger to all...and above all a Stranger to Oneself...

Am I also ?
Yes I would say...
running away from the situation is no way to handle the situation...

Help me o lord...
Show me the light...


Lemme be like the street kids...
Carefree.. Happy.. Satisfied..

Time

How time flies by...

I arrived here in Bangalore just exactly a year ago..
Landed here at the so called Silicon Valley of India..
The land of opportunities in India..

How the year has been.. ??
Full of anguish...
Some joy..
Some pain..
Lost Hope...
Old Dreams shattered..New ones built...
Broke for a while...
Hope re-ignited... Passion rebuilt..

I am...

I am the horizon..
the nearer to me you come.. the farther i go...
catch me not...


I shoot..
Come close to me..
and I will shoot..


Bare foot...
on the sands of time..
i walk into myself..


walking...
in hope of a better tomorrow...

Photoshoot of NRN

Not many times does one get to meet an idol .. or better still shake hands with them..
but this one happened just yesterday ..
I was invited/asked to do a photoshoot during an interview that NRN was giving..!
I must say .. i was simply thrilled at listening to him...




The down to earth personality that NRN our boss is made me realize one thing for sure...
Dream!! The world is waiting with its arms open to listen to your ideas...provided that you stick to the values and the honesty and hardwork in whatever one does..
A small shoot.. but definitely enough to leave impressions.. that will take a good time to fade away...

In love with Flowers

The freshness that these flowers emit are a welcome sight anytime!