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.

If Hope Dies

Earlier this month I wrote about a fest we went to where we met with the members of "If Hope Dies". Turns out the lead singer used to teach one of my friends when she was in school.

They were really good and ended up winning the competition.
This was taken just after the sun had dipped below the horizon. The crowd went wild and almost everyone was on their feet and dancing while they were performing.

Although there were a few major disappointments and problems the fest itself was fun but only because of my friends.

I Am Here

At a fest earlier this month there was a rock band competition. Everyone seemed to be so into it and dancing along to the music while I just sat in the corner and watched. I didn't want to be noticed and have an awkward conversation about why I was just sitting so taking photographs of the bands performing seemed like a good option.

There were lots of bands and good music with lots of interesting poses and compositions to be had. This is one of the photographs I submitted for the photography competition. One of the themes of the competition was "I Am Here" which is where this fit in.

The Drive

I am pleased to be able to finally share our latest short film with you all. I worked on the videography/cinematography, editing and mixing. It was a really fun experience and we all learnt a lot.

Today's picture is one of the frames from the film. This is probably my favourite shot in the entire film. This was the first time I was visiting a lot of these locations and it's really made me want to just go out and explore new places.

The theme we were given was "Hidden Scenic Beauty of North Bengal" A pretty good theme because we were able to show places that people usually overlook on their way to more poplar and clichéd destinations. I believe God's creation really is amazing and sometimes you just have to look closer to be able to find something absolutely stunning in something you might have otherwise considered mundane. So this was a really great project for me because I was able to combine my photographic knowledge and love for nature as a whole into creating something new.

It's titled The Drive (click through to watch it). Drive in this case doesn't refer to actually driving around. Rather it refers to passion and commitment. We wanted a story that people could relate to but at the same time not be distracted from our main focus - scenic beauty. Hope you enjoy it. We would really appreciate honest feedback and creative criticism.

Morning Fire

So we just finished a short film for an upcoming inter-college competition.

I went out one morning to shoot a timelapse for the film. This is what I was greeted with. It was absolutely beautiful!

I can't share the film at this time because of the competition rules but once the competition is over I'll have the link up on my profile across various social media platforms.

God's creation really is wonderful so the theme "Hidden Scenic Beauty of North Bengal" was just perfect.

Engagement Shoot

My sister recently got engaged and wanted a few pictures since she didn't have any.

So I wanted to do something a little different. The people who live here take tons of photographs of themselves but I wanted a new perspective.

This is one that I took by crouching down into the weeds and focusing on them as the sun set behind them.

Honestly people who saw the pictures couldn't believe that they were taken right outside my house - Mission Accomplished! :D

Stand Tall

A man recently told me that standing up to someone is the best option and always works. Now I agree with the fact that it is good to stand up for what for you believe in but what I don't agree with is his statement that it always work, because it doesn't. Taking a stand for something is great but don't always expect it to work like in the movies. Sorry for that, I just had to say it.

Anyway the reason I said that is because of today's picture. This particular plant has had to same flowers for months now and the flowers haven't shown any signs of fading. A storm knocked quite a few flower pots to the ground and even broke a few branches on a really tough tree but this plant seemed unfazed by it.

It's not kept in a flower pot and not given any special attention but it's strong - really strong!

Ghastly Appearance

When I say this door and the way it was pointed straight at the roof and the sky I knew I had to get someone to pose in the doorway to create a picture like this.

Fortunately someone did, which was a surprise since people here don't like to pose for pictures.

Anyway a little bit of post really made the sky look like the real thing - the way I remember it.

Basking In The Light

Sometimes you get great pictures when you least expect it. This was one of those moments.

I'd gone fishing with a few friends and I noticed this kingfisher sitting on these overhead cables. I just loved the silhouette of the bird against the setting sun.

The picture turned out even better than I had expected. I just set the aperture to the smallest on the SX50 HS i.e. f/8 and took the shot.

When I later looked at it on the computer screen it just looked really really good. Usually overhead cables are a mess in photographs but this time they actually helped create a really nice shot - well, at least I like it :)

Against The Setting Sun

The sunset wasn't really spectacular that evening and neither were the clouds.

The clouds didn't really have definition and weren't dynamic either but they did server one great purpose. Due to the clouds the light in the sky was kinda like a gradient. Mostly saturated around the sun and then gradually changing colours as you moved away.

We have these palm-like trees in our compound and this particular part of the tree actually looked nice silhouetted against the setting sun.

Reaching Out

This is a shot of another branch from the same tree that I shared yesterday.

To me it looks like this is trying to reach out to the sky or is calling out to some insects or creatures to come and rest. Or maybe it's just my hyperactive imagination.

Well at least a lowly fly heard and responded to the call and is now resting on the branch.

Make Hay In The Moonlight

I hope the quote "Make hay while the sun shines" isn't copyright or something because then I'd be in big trouble for today's title.Yeah! Yeah! It might sound cheesy but that's what I came up with.

The first proper Daily Post on this blog was when I shared a picture of a spider in its web. Some found it creepy and some loved the picture. Either way thanks for your feedback because today I'm sharing another spider picture which I don't think I've shared before.

This spider disappears during the day and magically reappears in the night. It's as if it goes into a magic portal to another dimension and then returns after it has rested because when I do see it, it is always as busy as a bee. This is cool but it also makes it difficult to capture because of the continuous movement.

Thankfully the moon was pretty bright that night and I was able to get a good silhouette of the spider. Yes, that is the moon - not a street lamp of light from a torch. Many get confused and some don't even believe me.

I hope you've had a good weekend and had loads of fun.

Dancing In The Sun

I know children and quite a few adults absolutely love playing in the rain...I know I do :D
But how many enjoy the sun? I do prefer the sun to the rain because then I can actually go out and roam around taking pictures. Actually there are great pictures to be had even when it is raining so don't ever let the rain stop you - just protect yourself and your gear. Ok now I have really gone off topic and I'll stop here.

Is this a dandelion? I don't know! Why? Well simply because it grows among the grass and has way smaller leaves that what I would assume a dandelion has. So, my best guess is that this is part of a Hawkweed plant but I'm not sure.

Anyway although these aren't necessarily rare in this area they aren't very common either. So I always get really excited when I see one of these because let's admit that these really are beautiful and fun too! Blowing on them indeed is fun. I placed it against the sun and I noticed that the refracted light actually looked like arches which I thought was pretty cool.

Hope you've had a great day or are going to have a great day. Either way have fun and take care :)
Oh, and come everyday for more...obviously.

I'm also planning to write a few more tutorials so let me know what you would like and I'll see what I can do. Meanwhile you can read the tutorials that are on this blog and also watch the tutorials on my Youtube channel.

Basking in the Sun

I am really glad that the place where I live isn't a concrete jungle. There are farms and even though they are small ones they do make the place look good. Unfortunately all this is changing and loads of people are moving here and constructing their houses here.

More houses means more electric cables as people obviously need electricity nowadays. One advantage of having wires is that birds tend to rest there. Unfortunately they might get electrocuted sometimes which is very very sad but when they do perch on these wires it provides a really good photo op.

I wandered out one day just as the sun was setting. There were no clouds in the sky so the sunset wasn't dramatic but I noticed this kingfisher on this wire. It kept looking towards the sun for some reason. It was as if it could tell time based on the sun's position in the sky and was just waiting to return home at an appointed time after a long day of fishing :D

It stayed there for a really long time and it was still there when I went away.

In case you haven't been following me on Facebook, Twitter and of course Google+ you may have missed my recent update. I just uploaded another tutorial on my Youtube channel. You can check it out :)

Feedback is always appreciated - any kind.

Thee Little Birds

As I was returning home one day on my bicycle I was a little disappointed because I couldn't take a picture of what I wanted. There is this path in between two tea plantations that is just amazing and I wanted to take another picture of it but I couldn't because there were people there and they crowded the frame thus spoiling any picture I would take. On the way back I happened to look up and I saw this...

Three birds sitting on a wire...nothing special right? I agree that it is a pretty common scene anywhere but this just looked really perfect for a photograph because the sun was setting and it fell together in on straight line.

Those birds are black drongos. They are pitch black and have tails like a fish's but look really elegant. I like the name "drongo" too. Makes them seem like something right out of a wrestling roster - "The Black Drongo!" :P Here is a close-up of one of the birds.

My exams start on Wednesday so please forgive me if I'm not able to post on time. I'm also working a short tutorial because I feel I have neglected my Youtube Channel for far too long now.

Anyway take care :)

Aerial Aura

Ok. Before you start complaining I'll admit that that title is cheesy. I honestly couldn't think of a better one.

Anyway if you have read my previous posts then you will definitely know that I love my sleep. So I was a tad irritated when I was woken up so that I could get ready in time for school. After freshening up I usually like to go to the balcony and look out at the sunrise, the birds, the people on their morning walks, the dogs they bring with them and just everything else.

So I went out to the balcony as usual and the sun which was hidden behind a few clouds imparted a yellowish-orange (forgive me as I'm not very good with colours) colour to the the entire sky. It looked nice so I went to get my camera. When I did come out again I was surprised by what I saw. The clouds no longer hid the sun (this is not the part that surprised me, in case you are wondering) and instead a Bulbul (which happens to be one of the birds that my Mom loves) was blocking the sun. What was interesting was that because the sun was so bright it gave the Bulbul a nice rim light. I'm sure the Bulbul was blissfully unaware of how great it looked but it sat there long enough for me to get a few good pictures.

That's the story behind today's picture.

I'm not sure what my settings were but I'm pretty sure I exposed for the sky in order to get a nice silhouette of the bird. Here is another picture from the same morning.

I've nearly finished the Light Painting Tutorial and I'll put it up later today.

A Lazy Saturday Evening

Yup, I sure was feeling lazy this past Saturday. I wanted to go out cycling but instead wound up in front of the laptop until 5 in the evening.

What happened at 5 you ask? Well for one thing the clouds started clearing and this created another epic sunset. So of course I rushed to the terrace and started taking pictures of it.

The sun was already pretty low in the sky but I was okay with that because I didn't expect to get a picture that day as it was overcast for the most part.

Some crows flew past the setting sun and I managed to get a shot of them just before they flew too far away. Yup, that them in the picture below.

I did try shooting a hand held panorama but it was tough as expected.

I do prefer the single shots though.

Btw, that's the view from my terrace :)

Just a quick update on the spider from one of my previous posts. It did come back and I did manage to get a few shots but this time the auto focus was a real pain and just refused to get it right. Anyway I haven't seen it for the past couple of days.

Welcome!

Hi folks!
Welcome to my new blog. Actually my only blog.

I post one picture a day to my Facebook Page (Just Image-n) and also to my Google+ profile but I don't do much else other than occasionally giving it a caption. Which is one of the reasons I decided to start this blog.

Here I'll be telling you about my experiences while taking the picture and will also be giving you a few tips. I've been working on video tutorials that are already on my Youtube channel. I'll post the links here in the future but in addition to that I'll also be post in-depth text tutorials so you don't have to watch the video. This would come in real handy if you have an irritatingly slow internet connection like mine which makes me want to pull out my hair! :O

This is just a brief overview of what this blog is about. Fell free to contact me :)

Now a little about me.
I'm a student but I am insanely (yes, I have been accused of insanity) passionate about photography. Actually someone said that I have a "Photography fetish"!

So I'll be sharing pictures that I take and more...which you'll see in future posts.

As of today I don't own "professional" equipment. Truth be told I use my Dad's camera, which is a "pro-sumer" camera - a pretty good one at that. The only other equipment I use is a cheap and not all too sturdy tripod and some flashlights. That's it! So you might actually pick up a few things here.

I would like this blog to be a place of mutual learning. Where you (the reader) can learn from me and I from you.

Hope you enjoy your visit :D
As always feel free to contact me about anything - I mean it.