A Million Miles

Have you ever got to a point where you look back and realise that you've come a long way? You made it thus far through all the weird twists and have survived life's curve-balls and while you should be filled with a sense of accomplishment, it feels like something's amiss.

You look ahead and all you can see is see is...well, very little, if anything at all. The future holds so much that is unknown and that can be incredibly scary. You realise that you're on your own path and you have no idea where it leads and yet you've got to keep walking.

Now, don't get me wrong - the very fact that you're standing where you are proves that you've come a long way but that also means you've got a long way to go yet. The fog of uncertainty can be intimidating but you know you've got to feel your way through. Progress, at times, may be slow but that's the only way forward. It's might never be easy but you need to carry on.

A lot of what's been going on recently has left me thinking along those lines and while I would be lying if I said the future doesn't scare me at times, it would be remiss of me not to mention what actually gives me hope. At the expense of sounding preachy and cheesy it really is God who give me hope. When I look back I realise that I would not have made it where I am today without His help and that can be incredibly comforting because while the future can be ambiguous, I know He's still going to be there leading, guiding and comforting me whether I ask for it or not and that is all that should really matter. What gives me solace right now as I reminisce about the past and wonder about what the road ahead may lead is that assurance that He's right here beside me.

A friend once asked me why I write what I do and why I relate it to the pictures I post. I don't have a definitive answer but it's probably because each picture holds some sort of meaning for me. Each picture isn't just about beauty or documentation - it's also about emotions. It's about how it makes me feel and how I want anyone who views it to connect with it in their own unique way.

This picture to me is about a whole lot more than what I've written but I hope someone else can get something out of it too.

"I'm still not done; I'm only half way there
I'm a million miles away from where I'm from
But there's still another million miles to come"
- Trouble by Avicii

This was shot on the OnePlus 2 and edited in Snapseed.

Zephyrtone

I had the pleasure of shooting with Zephyrtone a while back. In case you don't know who they are you can check them out on Facebook. They're a music producer duo who's just launched an EP called "Shooting Stars" which you can check out here - Shooting Stars. My favourite track is "shooting stars" athough the others are pretty amazing too!

Sayan and Zephyr are amazing people and some of the few artists I actually have respect for.

BTW they're currently on tour across India so check out their dates and watch them live if you can.

I really have been super inactive here but I'm grateful for all those who've kept in touch via social media - much appreciated! :)

For those of you who've asked. I haven't stopped photography. That (as far as I can tell) will hopefully never happen. I just haven't uploaded a lot lately even though there's a lot of stuff I wish I had shared. Maybe I will in the future so stay tuned :D

Will be leaving for Chennai today for an internship so that should be exciting. Hopefully I'll be able to post more often.

Everglow

That's a beautiful word, isn't it?
It's stuck with me ever since I head the song. Sure, it isn't officially a word but it alludes to something so beautiful that it probably should be.

Having to make some major decisions that could shape your future really forces you to put things into perspective. Right now the future seems so uncertain. There are times you almost feel trapped, like you're in a cave longing and looking for the light so that you can crawl out to freedom.

To me, this is one of my favourite pictures because of the meaning and sentiment behind it. It might not be the most technically sound but it's one that I love and will probably have on my wall at some point as a reminder.

We stumbled upon this cave during a hike up a hill and we couldn't help but stop here for pictures. I knew exactly what kind of a photograph I wanted when we entered (is this the process of visualisation that Ansel Adams spoke of?). I tried to express the mental picture I had and explain it to my friend and then asked her to look up at the open ceiling as if she were longing for something. I assumed she would go with a rather sad or serious expression but she went with a faint hint of a smile and as I was working on the picture that really stood out because it really brought out the emotion I was trying to convey.

Looking above for guidance, hope and reassurance might seem silly but that's something I've tried to do because without God's help and His guidance I would truly be lost. There are moments when I fail to see it or even refuse to because I'm arrogant but that light, that glow is always present. All I have to do it look for it and follow the everglow.

If Hope Dies

If you follow me on Instagram ( @danielraghu ) you would have seen a BTS picture I posted right after I wrapped up shooting with a local band. We had a great time and we created some beautiful images that also pay tribute to the natural beauty of the place they live in.

One particular image really stood out and today I can finally share it with you all. I think it perfectly captures the band's persona as well as the quality and beauty of the forest there.

I would love to know what you think.

Convivial

Sometimes when someone says "Please take a picture" you just have to no matter what the lighting is or what the circumstances are. This is one such picture. I wasn't prepared for a late night photo session with friends as I had just got back from photographing a band and was looking for some time away from photography but I couldn't say no.

The lights in the background provided for a nice colour contrast against the warm colour of the bulb behind me as I shot my friend's mother (not with a gun...obviously).

I've been experimenting with tones and colours for a while now so I would love to know what you think of this.

Happy Anniversary

I can't believe it's been 2 years since my sister got married! Time really does fly!

They're probably one of the few couples that I find inspiring both in their love for one another and also in their love for God. That's something that I haven't seen too often and that's something I think the world could use more of.

So Happy Anniversary to both of you!

You've both been huge pillars of support in my life and I can't thank you enough for all you've done! Hope you're enjoying London

Anguish

I have been waiting to share this image and today I finally can. I took this for a competition where it became a favourite. Then a band wanted to use it for their single that they're releasing next week. So, I helped them design their art for the single. Definitely check them out on Facebook - If Hope Dies India

They released the art for the single today so now I can finally share this. This was shot with on speedlight behind and above myself to the right.

Exquisite

It's my friend's birthday today so Happy Birthday, Upashana!

You've probably seen pictures of her before as she is my favourite model and I love working with her.

This was taken during another one of our explorations. A few of us friends would go to new places and explore them. It was fun and we would always come away with pictures we were happy with.

This is one such moment.

Aglow

Looks like I should transition into taking portraits and not landscapes since I've been doing a lot of that lately and people tend to enjoy that a lot more.

Anyway here's another picture that I experimented on with the tones and colour grading. Also I tried out this new technique which I used to add light to the top right of the picture. If you want to know how it's done let me know and I'll get back to you :)

My friend was taking pictures of some of my other friends and the light just looked amazing behind her so I asked her to hold her pose and grabbed this shot.

Hitch

Wow! It's been quite a while since I uploaded anything and I kind feel guilty because this is what I've always wanted to do and I haven't been spending much time with my camera or even editing.

A few days back a friend of mine got in touch and asked me whether I wanted to go to take pictures. How could I decline that offer? So we spent the better part of 4 hours on a bike and spent quite a bit of time taking pictures too.

We missed the sunset but I did get some pictures of the trees among other things.

Anyway, I promised him a picture of him and his bike so this is really for him.

The editing on this one is something completely different. I don't know why but I just felt like taking this route although I've never done it before. What do you think?

Ominous

I'm guessing (rather, hoping) you saw the sneak peak I posted to my Instagram yesterday.

Last year I decided to do a Halloween themed picture for Halloween. It wasn't meant to be very serious and was meant to have a touch of humour as well.

This year for Halloween I decided to do the opposite. I decided to do something seriously creepy and use techniques I haven't used before. It had it's challenges but I really learnt a lot creating this image so I'm quite happy.

I showed it a couple of my photographer friends and they seemed to like it too so I guess that's a good sign.

Halloween isn't celebrated here but this is something I've wanted to work on for a while now and what better time to upload a creepy/scary picture than the 31st of October, eh?

Reticence

Here's a quick portrait of my friend at a ceremony in college.

I thought the light through the door made for a nice frame especially as the colour balloons added some sort of interest to the frame. I asked "Does anyone want a new profile picture?" and then proceeded to take this picture.

It's nothing special but I did promise to edit it and hand it over to her so here it is.

I didn't have my camera with me so I had to use my friend's Canon 6D which is a really amazing piece of equipment. Way better than the 650D I usually shoot with.

Ardent

Man! Oh! Man! It's been crazy busy with classes and a few photoshoots too. It's amazing but so very tiring. Been working late nights on pictures.

Things were starting to get a little monotonous with editing so I decided to work on a portrait I had put off for far too long. This one is of a friend who shares the same name with me haha

He's pretty awesome and I really wanted to take a good portrait for him. He hasn't seen it yet but I do hope he likes it.

I took a more artistic approach to this one and decided to go with a kind of gritty look. This was taken using light that was streaming through a window in my room.

Shooting with people has been a challenge but has also been incredibly fun at the same time. It's amazing!

Blissful Elegance

It's been crazy busy these past few months and I've found very little time to actually update my blog and other social media profiles regularly and for that I apologise. I doubt anyone actually reads this blog so that might not matter a whole lot but if you do I can't thank you enough. It really means a lot to me :)

Now for today's picture and one of my favourite portraits. This was not planned or posed for at all. I was shooting for an online saree store called Jhumoor and while waiting for the other model to get ready I quickly got this image of my good friend and model. She looked absolutely gorgeous.

Now I hadn't shot any ethnic fashion before but I figured it wouldn't be too different from other fashion shoots. That turned out to be partly true but not completely. The weather was horrible and we shot for four straight hours. Needless to say the models and I were exhausted at the end of the day but my clients were happy with the results so it was worth it.

I showed this picture to a few of our mutual friends and they went absolutely crazy over it. They loved it so much that I kinda wish I had kept it as a surprise hahaha

Anyway, for technical details. I was shooting with a Canon 650D and a 50mm 1.4. It was wide open as I was testing a few things but I really really love the light and the overall shot. That fact that she looks beautiful just adds to it.

BTW if you're looking for a good 50mm for a Canon body I would most definitely recommend the 50mm 1.4 if you can't afford the 50mm 1.2L lens. This lens is amazing. The unit I have has a few focusing issues but that's not a big deal once you get used to it which, I'll admit, might take a long time. I wouldn't use it for quick shots but for shots when you have a moment or to focus and compose it's just great.

Summertime, It's Our Vacation

Exams are finally over! After over a month of practical and theory exams and countless sleepless nights it's finally over. Still have a long way to go before I finish my degree but these are steps towards that.

Now for the fun part - the summer vacations. WOOOHOOO!

I'm looking forward to these vacations. I have a few photoshoots to do as well as a music video and a couple other videos and if there's time I'll work on a short film as well. This is going to be a really busy summer. But good because it's what I like doing and a much needed break from that college and those books.

Today's is a rather weird self portrait. This perfectly encapsulates the feeling you get when your exams are over and you've spent sleepless nights preparing for those exams. All you want to do is crash. Dump you uniform, your books, everything and just sleep!

Ironically I couldn't sleep because of the work that has to be done but I'm looking forward to a good night's rest hahaha

If you haven't finished your exams I wish you the very best for those! Do well and enjoy your holidays :)

Obscured

For the past few weeks all the one things that's always been on my mind is Nepal and the hardships that the people affected by the earthquake are facing. I've been in touch with friends there and things are getting worse.

To get our mind off things a few of us decided to meet up on a weekend. I wasn't really feeling like shooting but I had my camera with me and decided to just take a few random shots.

This is Prince (that's a cool name, isn't it?) and he wants to be a model in the future. He was talking to someone else and I happened to grab this shot. I didn't even know I had it until I dumped all the pictures on my hard drive.

Usually when I'm shooting I have a clear picture of what I want the final image to look like but since this was rather random it provided some leeway for me to try new things. This was my first time using the frequency separation technique and it works so very well! I use that just to clear skin blemishes and smooth out a few tones. I wasn't sure where I wanted to go with this when I started so I experimented a bit.

Change

Sometime last month our department went out on a picnic. It was kind of a farewell picnic for one of the best teachers we've ever had so it was bitter-sweet.

While there we met this old lady who was looking after her cattle. She seemed really friendly so I asked if I could take a picture of her. It took a bit of convincing but she eventually agreed. She couldn't understand why anyone would want a picture of her. I couldn't understand why someone wouldn't want a picture of her.

Anyway after we had eaten there was a lot of food remaining so we packed it into bags and boxes and gave it to her. She was so happy and kept thanking us.

It amazing how putting a smile on someone's face can cheer you up no matter how low you're feeling.

I've been trying new processing methods recently and this is one of them. This was shot outside in the open in natural light. The background was removed in post which is the single major change I made.

In my last post I said I would be away for a week. Things didn't work out and I couldn't go although I really wanted to. My friends will be returning from their trek tomorrow and I can't wait to hear all about it and see the amazing pictures they've taken. The place they're at is called Sandakphu. You should look it up.

Enigmatic

I'll be away next week with no access to the internet so you won't be hearing from me for a while. On the plus side we're going trekking to a place I've heard a lot about. From the pictures I've seen it looks amazing. I hope and pray that the weather is good.

This is one of my favourite portraits. I absolutely love it. Thanks to my friend for posing and for the valuable feedback on the final portrait. I can't thank you enough for everything!

Hope you all have a blessed Sunday and a good week ahead. Follow me on Instagram for updates about our trip and the places we visit next week. I will try my best to share pictures regularly. I hope my memory cards hold out.

This particular portrait was inspired by one of my favourite photographers Eli Dreyfuss. If you haven't heard of him, definitely look him up on Facebook. His portraits and processing is really amazing!

Intense

A friend of mine is directing a short film and when she asked if I wanted to visit the set and meet the people involved I just had to say "YES!". I visited the set a couple of times and had a great time interacting with the cast and crew. They're a really talented bunch of people. I'm not sure how long they've known each other but they've really built up a good rapport with each other and that, I think, is very important when you have to work as a team.

The first time I visited we all sat down after they had finished for the day to go through all the footage that had been captured. There wasn't enough space for everyone to sit down so I was standing. I noticed the cinematographer looking intensely at the screen and really studying every single frame. I knew that would make the perfect shot for him. So I took a picture and then later sent it to my friend. She showed it to him and he absolutely loved it. So much so that the next time I visited, the first thing he tells me is that he was really impressed. That really made my day!

I decided to do something a little different by adding a slight bluish tint to the image. Don't ask me why. Once I was satisfied with what my retouching I was just playing around with the curves and liked the way it looked like this.

People from all over the world sometimes write in and send me screenshots of their profiles or their desktop and mobile phone screens where they've used photographs that I've taken. That really puts a smile on my face. It also helps me really connect with strangers who I didn't even know saw or even liked my work.

Happy Anniversary

So it's my sister and brother-in-law's anniversary today! Congratulations to them!

This is a picture that was taken a few days after they got married. It worked out quite well, I think (and hope).

Most of these flowers are gone now and since these trees were recently trimmed I doubt they'll be back.

Well I wish you both the very best for your future :)
Love!