Twisted Indifference

Photo Courtesy: master chong

16 Kilograms of Glass!

There comes a time when even in Photography you have to make that annoying decision. Passing up the really sexy piece of glass and concentrating available funds on a more practical purpose. So when confronted with this Sigma Lens that opens up all the way to f/2.8 at 500, all I can do is add it to my wishlist. If any of you did not get the innuendo in the second sentence, you are missing out on a lot.

Filler Post

I am currently shirking blogging responsibilities because the gentleman in the image below is keeping me busy.

Image Courtesy: Official Website

It has been a while since I played a really good game. The last one was Need For Speed: Most Wanted. I had bought a copy of Need For Speed: Pro Street too, but while the graphics in Pro Street are distinctly better, the gameplay and the adrenaline levels in Most Wanted are much more to my liking.

I shall of course be posting photography related articles, news pieces etc. in the meantime. If you do have anything specific that you have in mind (photography related) do let me know. I will do my best to to create a post around the topic that you suggest.

(Insert statement here that is synonymous with the catch line of a certain Gubernatorial Action Hero)

Even the best laid plans can be rendered ineffective. Especially if you happen to be me. The trip down to Bombay for the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival was not an easy one for this photographer. After sleeping only for an hour the earlier night, I get ready and step out to make my way to Pune Station. The first shock of the day, ATM card had expired a day before. I love my bank to death but it tends overlook these tiny details.

So with the little cash that I did have in my wallet I set out for Bombay in a cab, thinking I could attend the photography workshop and then borrow money from a friend for the ride back. Great plan, except that the cab I was in decided to break down in front of the sign that said Expressway Ends - 500m. After a long and painfull process (I’ll spare you the details) I reached the workshop an hour late.

David Desouza is brilliant at what he does. He is a great photographer. Older than me by at least a couple of decades, his mannerisms reflect the eccentricies of the profession. Definitely the mark of a photographer. His vehement disregard for boundaries was further illustrated by his insistance that if necessary even spitting betel juice can be used as a form of expression. ‘Paan Thook‘ reverberated through the auditorium everytime he wanted to make a point about breaking boundaries.

The workshop continues tomorrow, although the Kala Ghoda Association website says otherwise. I hope I can make it but the lack of an ATM card might just put a damper on those plans. So do go check it out if you can, the experience is definitely worth it.

The last time I missed the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival due to lack of planning on my part. This time it is not too different. I made sure that I registered myself this time for the photography workshop I wanted to attend. I am however, still wide awake and writing this post regardless of the fact that I have to make my way to Bombay early in the morning. The venue is roughly 4-4 1/2 hours away from here with a change in the mode of transport in between. I should hopefully get a couple of hours of sleep after I am done with this post and the off to catch whatever motorised transport I can find.

The fact that it is freezing out here is not helping. The temperature is threatening to fall lower than 9 degrees as the night progresses.

I tend to add the important stuff last at times. So here’s the deal, I will be there at Kala Ghoda from 0930 hrs to 1300 hrs at least. So here’s lookin’ forward to some brilliant photos. It should be up on the blog soon even though there are a lot of Auto Expo 2008 images that still have to go up.

Photo credit: Nikon.

Within 10 months of the launch of the D40x, Nikon has come out with a suspected successor. The Nikon D60. Utilizing Nikon’s proprietory EXPEED technology to maximize image quality and processing speed and an integrated dust reduction system. Nikon’s exclusive Airflow Control System channels dust out of the image path and a vibrating, self-cleaning sensor unit shakes off any remaining dust from the camera’s optics. As Nikon claims in its press release, “The Nikon D60 is designed to simplify camera operation and allow the photographer to concentrate on taking pictures”.

With the launch of this camera Nikon is making sure that even the photographers with smaller budgets have no reason to be disheartened. What needs to be seen of course is it’s compatibility with the older Nikkor lenses, an aspect that worked desperately against the Nikon D40.

View the complete Press Release for details and specifications.

To cite one of the biggest clichés, digital cameras did revolutionize photography. Major advantages are, of course evident but it is hard to ignore the few disadvantages that it brought along. I am not aware of intricate market conditions elsewhere but in India people who claim to be photographers are a dime a dozen. People even with modest budgets set up tiny make-shift studios with a typical three light setup. Install a gaudy banner outside advertising wedding photography and portraits. Almost everything on that banner is misspelled.

So what does that have to do with Digital Cameras? These people were present even when film cameras reigned right? True; but considering the fact that developing costs are nil and the ‘instant feedback’ aspect experimentation is on the rise. That should be good right? Wrong! Unfortunately, expensive cameras do not make for great images. I think this is the day for clichés. Moving on…

I see so many people, some who run tiny studios and some amateurs/hobbyists still shooting the same old stuff the same old way. To give an example, I am yet to see one the aforementioned people shoot a sunset in angles other than head on. Then they crowd around brandishing their work of ‘art’. No I am not being elitist here (though that word does appear on my business card) it is a simple dislike for the ignorant claiming to be all knowing. If you say you are a hobbyist or someone who is in process of going pro I can understand but please excuse me if I refuse to share in your deep sighing enthusiasm over a photograph that is say a close up of the flowers most commonly found in the city.

I do not even want to start with the local wedding photographers. I have seen many using the on camera video lights (on top of a video camera obviously) to light up the bride. One is bad enough but 3 of them right in her face? Forget melting the make up, you are going to fry her face! Combine that with the most boring of poses that are clichés bigger than any mentioned here. No sense of composition, lighting, no sense of style or pose or mood, everything more lit up than in a Bollywood movie…that is not photography.

While I love Nikon for all the technological advances they have in their cameras and while I would not have them any other way, I still wonder how it would be if people could actually grasp the fact that holding a digital camera does not make you a photographer.

Additional Links:

Nikon D60 Special Site
Link to the D60 Brochure (PDF)