A P 2014 08 Downmagaz.com

EDITORIAL

w w w. a s i a n p h o t o g r a p h y i n d i a . c o m

It was only last year that we had an idea and a vision, a vision that we felt was and is still the need of the hour, to push the Indian photography industry to the next stage. The vision was the initiative Artistique, started last year, to celebrate the World Photography Day and promote photography as an art form. It goes without

saying that we accomplished that by reaching phenomenal numbers.

For its 2nd edition starting on 16th August, 2014 at Piramal Art Gallery, NCPA, Mumbai, we have pulled out all the stops. For this year, we have only invited two photographers to exhibit their pictures under the theme ‘Beauty’, and the exhibit that we will put up will surely blow your mind. The mesmerising, never before seen portraits of photographer Martin Prihoda and the action-packed wildlife images of Sudhir Shivaram will paint the walls of the exhibition, turning them into photographic art. Going by the entries that we got for the Artistique contest, we decided to have the winners and the selected participants of the contest exhibit their pictures too.

At the same venue as last year, we will also have the prize distribution ceremony on 19th August, 2014, where the winners of each of the categories will be given prizes worth `1 lac each. While the winners from the previous years have set a very high benchmark to follow, the initial shortlisting of the rounds promise to deliver images that are even better than the previous year. So do visit and meet us at the Artistique exhibition and contest in August, and support our vision of promoting photography as an art form in India.

Until Next Time….Happy Reading!!!!

EDITOR / PUBLISHER Trilok Desai

GROUP HEADBhavya Desai

NEW DELHI BUREAUAmitabh Joshi

SENIOR CORRESPONDENTSFred Shippie

Lester Ledesma

DIRECTOR MARKETINGAruna Desai

DESIGNGoraksh Kokate

Rajendra Gaikwad

SENIOR PHOTOJOURNALISTSteve D’Souza

EDITORIAL TEAMRojita Tiwari

Abhishek DesaiYashnashree

Neha AggarwalUshma Dhamdhere

Shikha Swaroop

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT Lopamudra Ganguly (Delhi)

MANAGER ADVERTISINGLaila Rupawalla

DY. MANAGER ADVERTISINGKora Ganguly

MARKETING EXECUTIVERagini Desai

Mamata BhideIndu Lekha

Hashim KhatriNikhil Kalyanpad

COPY DESKSameer Gadkari

PRODUCTION MANAGERManoj Surve

MUMBAI OFFICE:509 & 511, Dilkap Chambers, Fun Republic Street, Off Veera Desai Road,Andheri (W), Mumbai - 400 053.Tel: 91-22-40401919Fax: 91-22-40401927E-mail: [email protected]

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TIPS & TECHS

The Himalayan Tour

Bhumika Bhatia

SHOOT MY CITY

ON THE HORIZON

Lens ReviewBattery Shootout

AA rechargeable battery shootout

Tamron 16-300mm F/3.5-6.3 SP Di VC PZD

Visit Artistique 2014 exhibition from 16 - 26 August at Piramal Art Gallery, NCPA, Mumbai

Creating Silhouettes Without the viewfi nder

- The Invisible Photographer Gluttonous Gazing

- Food Styling & Photography Guide to buying your fi rst tripod Diptychs & Triptychs Behind closed doors

Model : Charvi SarinPhotography : Bhumika BhatiaCover Design: Rajendra Gaikwad

follow us on Twitter@Asian_Photo @Bhavya _Desai

Published by TRILOK DESAI on behalf of Special Audience Publications Pvt. Ltd., 509 & 511, Dilkap Chambers, Fun Republic Street, Off Veera Desai Road, Andheri (W), Mumbai - 400 053. INDIA Printed by TRILOK DESAI on behalf of Special Audience Publications Pvt. Ltd., 509 & 511, Dilkap Chambers, Fun Republic Street, Off Veera Desai Road, Andheri (W), Mumbai - 400 053. INDIA Printed at Indigo Press India Pvt Ltd, Plot No 1 C/716, Off Dadoji Konddeo Cross Road, Between Sussex & Retiwala Industrial Estate, Byculla, Mumbai, Published at 509 & 511, Dilkap Chambers, Fun Republic Street, Off Veera Desai Road, Andheri (W), Mumbai - 400 053. INDIA Editor - TRILOK DESAI.All material covered by copyright; No part of the contents of this journal may be published or reproduced or transmitted in any form without prior written permission of the publisher. The views and opinons expressed by the authors do not necessarily refl ect those of the publisher or the editorial staff.Special Audience Publications Pvt. Ltd. and ASIAN PHOTOGRAPHY AND IMAGING is not responsible and liable for any comments and articles published by its contributors and will not be liable for any damages. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of competent courts and forums in Mumbai, India.

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The 2nd edition of ‘Artistique’ is here

August 2014 5

Artistique Exhibition Details

Date: 16th – 26th August, 2014

Venue: Piramal Gallery, NCPA, Mumbai

Timings: 12pm-8pm

(Closed on 18th August 2014)

AUGUST 2014

News

On the Horizon• Bhumika Bhatia

Shoot My City• Himalayas• Nikon presents the Soft Shutter Release AR-11 for the Nikon Df

• AIPTIA’s special workshop to commemorate World Photography Day

• HP introduces new large-format Page Wide Technology

• Vikram Bawa becomes the fi rst Indian to be nominated to Inter-

national Fashion Film Awards

• Konica Minolta wins Buyers Laboratory (BLC) summer pick

award 2014

19 Ask Your Expert24 Overview of the Flash Memory Industry

28 An artistic medium – “Photography”

AA rechargeable battery shootout


Tips and Techs

August 2014 57August 2014 www.asianphotographyindia.com

TIPS & TECHSTIPS & TECHS

Do you remember seeing those images where everything is dark yet conveys a mystery? While we

all use light as the basic medium to create images, creating silhouettes uses light in completely the opposite direction. This month we shall talk about creating silhouette images with a click!

Silhouettes are a great way to convey drama, mystery, emotion and mood to the viewers of your photos and often stand out in an album because of the combination of their simplicity and the story that they convey. I love them as they don’t give the viewer a clear image of everything but leave part of the image up to their imagination to wonder about.

Silhouette photography requires that we use pure back lighting. That is, we want to place our subject (the shape we want to be blacked out), in front of some source of light so that we maximise the amount of light in the scene coming from behind the subject. We shall then force our camera to set its exposure based upon the brightest part of our picture (the background) and

Quick Note If there is more than one shape or object in your frame, try to keep them distinct and uncluttered. i.e. if you are silhouetting a tree and a person, don’t have the person stand in front of the tree or even leaning on it as it will merge them into one shape and as a result your viewers could be confused about what the shape is.

Creating Silhouettes

not the subject of your image. In doing this, your subject will be under exposed. The subject against a backdrop of light appears completely dark.

The basic technique of creating a silhouette is to trick your camera to think that you’re interested in capturing the bright parts of the frame. Here’s how!

Strong subject selection Before you consider the technical

details and camera settings, you need to put some thoughts into your subject. Almost any object can be made into a silhouette, however some are better than others.

Choose something with a strong and identifiable shape that will be interesting enough in its two dimensional form to hold the interest of the viewer. Silhouettes can’t rely on colours, textures and tones of subjects to make them appealing, so the shape needs to be obvious.

Frame your image Frame your shot so you are shooting

with your subject in front of a nice plain, but bright background. The best backgrounds will usually be a bright cloudless sky with the sun setting. You would want to position the brightest light source behind your subject

August 2014 63

Tips & Techs

luttonous azingG

- Food Styling & Photography

That luscious picture of chocolate dripping off a strawberry? The bite-sized piece of sushi with droplets

of water accentuating its freshness? Food is more than something to taste with the tongue; it has first to be savoured with the eyes. The capturing of the moment is in the hands of a good stylist and photographer.

The Japanese have long understood this, thus, perfecting the art of plating food using techniques that chefs take years to master. Some of Europe’s finest chefs such as Marco Pierre White and Gary Rhodes, have been pioneers in styling food. The enigmatic Jamie Oliver, made food look so appealing on his first TV show ”The Naked Chef” that it gave a whole new meaning to the term ‘visual appeal’.

It’s all very different in India – in most places. Here, styling food innovatively and attractively remains a rare talent that not too many chefs possess and the photography a lot to be desired for. Every other restaurant has almost the same style of plating dishes and creativity is quite rare. That’s a pity because great presentation can speak volumes and good photography can raise a dish to the level of art.

Quick NoteIf there is more than one shape or object in your frame, try to keep them distinct and uncluttered. i.e. if you are silhouetting a tree and a person, don’t have the person stand in front of the tree or even leaning on it as it will merge them into one shape and as a result your viewers could be confused about what the shape is.

Before you consider the technical details and camera settings, you need to put some thoughts into your subject. Almost any object can be made into a silhouette, however some are better than others.


92

96

Photoscape

Photomontage

46 Creating Silhouettes

52 Without the viewfinder - The Invisible Photographer

58 Gluttonous Gazing - Food Styling & Photography

64 Food photography through smartphone

70 Diptychs & Triptychs

76 Behind closed doors

TIPS & TECHS

August 2014 7574 August 2014 www.asianphotographyindia.com


Without the viewfinder!- The Invisible Photographer

The standard way to shoot is through a viewfinder, we all know that by now. However, have you ever

wondered how can you still get those shots without looking through the viewfinder? Sounds odd, doesn’t it? This month, we took up a challenge to create candid shots without using the viewfinder! Read on to find out how!

So the ‘rule’ was to shoot without

looking. Walking around the streets of Mumbai with a camera in your hand sure does attract a lot of attention. However, to get those candid moments, it is important to not let people notice that you’re up for some clicking.

In street photography, one of the popular techniques to be an invisible photographer is to hold the camera but not look through the viewfinder to create images. One of the

reasons why this technique is widely popular is because it allows you to take much more candid images of people, as they do not see you shooting them with your eye through your viewfinder, and assume you are not taking images. Another advantage is that you get a much more interesting perspective, as you shoot from a different angle.

To get more candid shots, photographers employ the technique of ‘shooting from the

hip’. Named after the gun fighting, it is a photographic style where it is just holding your camera at waist-level, and shooting upwards without looking through the viewfinder. To begin with, let your camera hang from your neck at hip-level and shoot discreetly when you spot an interesting scene. This is just a trial technique, and can be a hit or miss while you are learning it. However, once you have the skill mastered, you will usually have some amazing photographs. This method of photography is preferred by many photographers, as some unique and varied artwork can be constructed from the photographs. In a nutshell, it’s a way of framing and shooting without looking through your viewfinder delivering natural and candid shots you would find hard to reproduce the traditional way.

There are a few tips and tricks that we would love to share with you before you hit the streets. Shooting without looking through the viewfinder takes time, patience and practice. There are some key ingredients you will need first which are listed below.

Tamron

Lens ReviewBattery Shootout

10 August 2014 www.asianphotographyindia.com

Dear Sir,I constantly follow your magazine and have sent 2-3 letters in past regarding the great work that the magazine features. I was fortunate enough to have a picture of mine printed in one of the issues.

I have written a travel story, which is a kind of photojournalism. I would like you to read it, and if you like it, then I would appreciate you to share it with the readers.

I hope you fi nd the writing fresh and engraving. Warm Regards,Harsh Shah

Dear Harsh,Thanks for writing, in and this must be another accomplishment, as your letter is featured in the magazine again. I have gone through your article briefl y and unfortunately we can’t use it in its current shape since it might be alright for a travel magazine. Since we are photography magazine, I can’t see any benefi t that our readers can get out of it.

But thanks for sharing the same.

Dear Sir, I am a regular reader of your magazine and I want to congratulate the whole Asian Photography authority for their good work. But I will suggest you to improve the address section of the online forms which we have to fi ll up before sending queries in ‘Ask Your Expert’ and ‘Feedback’ sections. I hope you make a different section for ‘Pin Code’.Mrinmoy Bairagya,Kalyani

Dear Mr. Bajragya,Thanks for your comments and observation regarding the ‘Feedback’ and ‘Ask Your Expert’ section. This will help us greatly and we will have your feedback sent to the relevant team.

Feed

back

Readers

’ Comments

and Suggest

ions.

..The

Letterof the month will

receive a gift from Uniross

Feed

back

Readers

’ Comments

and Suggest

ions.

..The

Letterof the month will

receive a gift from Uniross

Dear Mr. Desai,I have been reading this magazine since 2006, when my dad had attended Photofair in Mumbai and subscribed for the magazine. At that time I was in the 10th standard. Reading your magazine has helped me improve my skills and has updated me with the current trends.

I have one request; please make the courier facility available once again. I am not sure if it is already available. In case it is, then do let me know, because I have not subscribed to the magazine and buy it from book stalls. However, sometimes the copies sell out and I end up missing the issue.

Thanks once again and looking for a positive response.ShrikantVyavahare,Pune

Dear Srikanth,I am happy to know that you have been reading the magazine since 2006 and have learnt a lot from it. We hope that we are able to support your passion in the same way. Courier services for the magazine have been available since a long time, but yes, there are some minimal extra charges for the same, as opposed the regular registered post. You should subscribe to the magazine, so that you don’t miss any issue.

January 2011 asian PhotograPhy and imaging[6]

Feed

back

Readers

’ Comments

and Suggest

ions.

..

The Letter

of the month will receive a gift from Uniross

Dear Editor,

I want to convey my thanks and regards to you for reviewing my photos in the link that I provided. I express my gratitude for providing me with your most valuable feedback and reviews on my photos. I promise that I will practice more on shooting techniques and try to improve my compositions. Following your advice I have already started to experiment on different subjects and I am getting better results.

However, I want to improve my compositional skills and give my pictures a more professional touch. I am currently using a Nikon Coolpix L110 camera and looking forward to buy a DSLR after I pass Class 12. It would be very kind of you to provide me, as well as the readers, tips on composition. Hope you take up the subject.

Regards,,Sabyasachi TalukdarNagaon, Assam

Dear Sabya,

It is good to know that our feedback has helped you in improving your photography skills and that you would like to learn more and more from the magazine. I will discuss this in our upcoming edit meet and we will ensure that we do something comprehensive on the Composition side so that the readers can benefit from it.

Dear Editor,

I have been reading your magazine for a while now and must comment that your team and you have been doing a great job. I have seen the simple and subtle changes that you have brought to the content and the fine balance that the magazine has been achieving lately.

I also like the reader columns like My Story, Ask Your Expert and Shoot My City. I am happy that you are looking at sections in the magazine that make them more reader interactive and I think that is the way forward for any magazine. From the December issue I loved the interview of Dabboo Ratnani. The DSLR shootout also provided a lot of valuable feedback on the cameras and their performances. Wish the AP team renewed success and great year ahead.

Regards,Vishal ShahAhemdabad,Gujarat.

Dear Vishal,

We are always happy to know that the readers are appreciating our work since it takes a lot of effort to put all the things together. Apart from the same I also have a great team that works really hard to ensure that we keep that fine balance in our content going.

In the months to come you will see some more initiatives that are reader driven so that we can engage more of the readers and also interact with them on a regular basis.


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Golden Hours with the sun Panning - Conveying a

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PhotographyEditing Street Images

TIPS & TECHS

Nikon D5300Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II

EXCLUSIVE REVIEWS

Painting with light Eric Curry

PRO-PROFILE

NEWS


AIPTIA’s special workshop to commemorate World Photography Day

On the eve of World Photography Day, the All India Photographic Trade and Industry Association

better known as AIPTIA has announced a photography workshop on wedding photography by renowned photographer, Himanshu Pahad on 19th August 2014 organised for AIPTIA members.

The Baroda based photographer, Himanshu Pahad, has studied photography at the Faculty of Fine Arts, M S University, Baroda and an Advanced Course in photography at FTII, Pune and underwent training in different aspects of printing technology with professionals in London, Glasgow and Cologne. He taught photography in the Dpt. Of Museology at Faculty of Fine Arts, Baroda, for 11 years and is currently a documentation photographer at the Dept. of Art History and Aesthetics in the Faculty of Fine Arts Baroda.

The workshop will accommodate 75 members on a first come first serve basis.

Nikon presents the Soft Shutter Release AR-11 for the Nikon Df

Nikon India announced the release of the Soft Shutter Release AR-11, developed for use with the Nikon Df FX-format (full-frame) digital SLR camera.

The AR-11 is an optional accessory that may be attached to the camera by screwing it into the release socket on the camera’s shutter-release button. Adoption of ebonite resin for the top surface of the AR-11 is aimed at LLOWING users to enjoy a soft and light feel when pressing the shutter-release button. Ebonite resin, often used in high-end fountain pens and the mouthpieces of wind instruments, creates a unique and rich texture that melds with the finger over time.

The combination of the AR-11’s soft and light-feel material and the Df’s utilisation of a magnesium alloy for the elegant body and large metal mechanical dials, excellent in their ability to offer simple visual confirmation of settings, increases the superior look and feel of the camera as a precision instrument. Users can further increase their enjoyment of owning the Df with the texture and operational feel of a camera that changes according to the way they use it.

FIP to organise National Convention 2014 in Benaras

In association with Foto Petals of Varanasi is organising its 27th National Convention 2014 in Banaras from 17

to 19 October 2014.Photographers from all over India

are expected to attend the convention as faculties and delegates. National convention on photography at such a magnitude is being organised for the first time in Banaras. Around 350 top photographers of India are expected to meet, discuss, shoot and display their photography work.

FIP, the Apex Body of Amateur Photography in India, was created in 1952 with the efforts of Dr. G. Thomas, Mr. B.K.Mukherjee, Mr. S.H.H. Razavi, Mr. O.C.Edwards and Mr. G. Arunachalam. Today there are about 1115 life members, 86 photographic clubs as corporate members and 115 individual members at FIP and the

numner of people joining is increasing rapidly. FIP organises workshops and photo contests, publishes journal and awards distinctions. This is the only national body of Fédération Internationale de l’Art Photographique (FIAP).

Foto Petals, a registered society of professional, amateur and hobbyist photographers of Varanasi and surrounding areas was founded in 2000 with the objective of enhancing, refining, promoting and popularising the art and skill of photography. Foto Petals has been conducting several workshops, seminars, conferences, photography walks and exhibition related to various aspects of photography, pre and post photography processing and basic and advance level education and training of photography skills.

14 August 2014 www.asianphotographyindia.com August 2014 14

HP introduces new large-format Page Wide Technology

HP recently announced the scaling of its inkjet-based Page Wide Technology for large-format

printing, delivering high-quality prints at faster speeds and lower costs. This technology consists of more than 200,000 nozzles on a stationary print bar and spans the width of the page, enables users to produce a variety of black-and-white and colour applications, such as drawings, maps and posters. With this announcement, HP claims that the Page Wide Technology will disrupt the $1.3 billion production printing market currently dominated by monochrome light-emitting diode (LED) printers.

HP also is expanding its existing large-format portfolio with new devices and software designed to meet specific business demands for high-volume,

Konica Minolta wins Buyers Laboratory (BLC) summer pick award 2014

Konica Minolta Inc has been awarded summer 2014 pick by Buyers Laboratory LLC, an independent company that evaluates office document equipment and solution products,

for its excellent reliability, ease of use and great performance throughout BLI’s intensive lab evaluation.

The devices completed BLI’s intensive two-month tests, 75,000 impressions evaluation with no negative reports, and no service required.

Konica Minolta product line received excellent ratings in all categories of print image quality testing; the bizhub series was among the highest image quality results across the board monochrome devices tested to date.

Expressing his pleasure on winning the award, Mr. Yuji Nakata MD Konica Minolta India said “We are delighted to see Konica Minolta product line winning this coveted award as a result of the exceptional test results for reliability and quality, and that it has received such high praise for its usability. Our aim is to help our customers to stay productive and efficient, and these are some of the most critical factors to ensure that.”

“Konica Minolta, true to the spirit of its corporate slogan, ‘Giving Shape to Ideas’, is enhancing the corporate value of its entire group by turning new ideas into solutions and products with high added value that meet diverse customer needs while raising the level of customer satisfaction,” added Mr. V Balakrishnan EGM Konica Minolta India.

Vikram Bawa becomes the first Indian to be nominated to International Fashion Film Awards

Vikram Bawa’s fashion film ‘The Long Show’ has been nominated for the International Fashion Film Awards (IFFA) 2014 to be held in Los Angeles, USA, from July 24th to July

26th, 2014.The film has been nominated in two categories - Best Art

Direction and Best Music Nomination. This is the first time an Indian photographer/film maker has been invited and nominated at these prestigious awards.

‘The Long Show’, made for his friends, renowned fashion designers Falguni & Shane Peacock is being screened at the ongoing La Jolla Fashion Film Festival, USA, with the presentation of the IFFA in the 500 seat theatre at the Museum of Contemporary Art in La Jolla, California.

Speaking about the nomination, Bawa said, “It’s an honour to be nominated amongst other prestigious nominations along with some of the biggest photographers, film makers and artists like David Zimmerman, Ellen Von Unwerth, Nadav Kander.”

He added, “It is the world’s largest gathering of fashion filmmakers with Hollywood insiders, fashion media, bloggers from around the world, Industry Networking, Panel Discussions & Seminars, Red Carpet and press receptions, Awards and After Parties and is known as the Cannes of fashion films. Only the top 1% of fashion films around the world are shown at the Festival. I hope to make India proud.”

production printing. The new products include the HP Designjet T3500 Production eMultifunction Printer (eMFP), large-format colour multifunction printer ideal for use by enterprises; the HP Designjet T7200 Production Printer, a full-colour large-format printer built for central reprographic departments (CRDs) and reprographic houses with high-volume print demands and HP Designjet Smart Stream, a software programme that streamlines the complete printing workflow.

According to HP, these solutions can handle the volume and diverse print needs of enterprise organizations; CRDs; architectural, engineering, construction (AEC) and design firms; public sector agencies; quick printers and small- to medium-sized reprographic houses.

“Our customers are continuously

seeking cost-effective and reliable printing technologies that improve the way they work,” said Gido van Praag, vice president and general manager, Graphics Solutions Business, HP Asia Pacific and Japan. “The new large-format HP Page Wide Technology will disrupt the production printing market by offering customers an affordable option for high-volume quality prints, transforming an industry that typically prints in monochrome to now print in colour without compromising speed.”

The large-format HP Page Wide printers will be available in the second half of 2015, the HP DesignjetT3500 Production eMFP and HP Designjet T7200 Production Printer are now available worldwide and the HP Designjet Smart Stream Pre-Flight Manager and Controllers are also now available worldwide.

NEWS


IGNCA to showcase vintage mid 19th-early 20th century photographs from South Asia

Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) in collaboration with The Alkazi Foundation for the Arts will

organise one of the rarest collections of the earliest photographs from South Asia. The exhibition titled ‘Drawn From Light: Early Photography and the Indian Sub-Continent’ for the first time in India will display approximately 200 original photographs from the mid-19th to early 20th century. The exhibition has been curated by Rahaab Allana in association with Beth Citron (Rubin Museum) and Davy Depelchin (Fine Arts Museum, Brussels).

‘Drawn from Light’ has been conceptualised from two previously held exhibitions, Allegory and Illusion: Early Portrait Photography from South Asia at the Rubin Museum (New York, 2013) and Unveiling India, The Early Lensmen (1850-1910) at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts (Brussels, 2013-14).

This exhibition of rare photographs from India, Sri Lanka, Burma and Nepal will

be inaugurated on 19th August 2014, on the occasion of 175th World Photography Day. The exhibition will showcase the rich tradition of both portrait and landscape photography. It will also put on view the vintage and rare works through a display of early wax paper negatives, albumen prints and postcards. The exhibits are from the archival collection of The Alkazi Foundation for the Arts.

On bringing the exhibition to the Indian audience, Ms. Dipali Khanna, Member Secretary, IGNCA said, “IGNCA’s endeavour has always been to preserve and showcase the rich cultural legacy of India to the art and culture enthusiasts in India and abroad. With this exhibition, our aim is to present a unique and extraordinary work of the earliest photographers from South Asia from the Alkazi Collection. It’s a rare occasion for the Indian masses to witness such vintage photographs, which were earlier showcased in the United States and Europe by the Alkazi Foundation

for the Arts. Visitors will also observe the unusual techniques of photography used in the earlier period such as Opalotype in the collection”.

Mr. Rahaab Allana, the Curator of the exhibition, commented, “The exhibition is about engaging with broad and expansive fields of photography practice in South Asia, and at a conceptual level, the meaning of a portrait is explored as an object that can and does shift its intended focus in the 19th and early 20th century, in order to provide a more varied notion of identity and gender-related issues.”

This exclusive collection at the exhibition will showcase the first ever photographs taken of the Taj Mahal and Vijayanagara. The exhibition will also be displaying the works of Felice Beato, one of the first war photographer, Raja Deen Dayal the first Indian court photographer and Richard Gordon Matzene, the first foreign photographer who was allowed to click the Royalties of Nepal.

NEWS

Tamron announces the launch of two new lenses for Sony mount

Tamron recently has announced the release of the SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di USD (Model A011)

and the 16-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II PZD MACRO (Model B016) for Sony mount.

The SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di USD (Model A011) is a 4x ultra-telephoto zoom lens with a focal length range of 150mm to 600mm, employing 20 elements in 13 groups and boasting an advanced optical design. The front group contains three LD (Low Dispersion) glass elements (two in the first group, one in the third) for enhanced optical correction effectiveness, enabling the lens to thoroughly compensate for on-axis aberrations at the telephoto end. Tamron’s new SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di USD features a USD (Ultrasonic Silent Drive)

ultrasonic motor drive for swift and accurate AF response; it delivers high torque, with very low noise. The full-time manual focus mechanism allows users to make fine manual focus adjustments at any time even when AF is engaged.

The 16-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II PZD MACRO (Model B016) has a minimum focal length of 16mm (35mm equivalent: 25mm) at the wide-angle end of the zoom range, and a maximum focal length of 300mm (35mm equivalent: 465mm), where Tamron claims this lens as the world’s first zoom ratio of approximately 18.8X. The lens construction features 16 elements in 12 groups which includes three Molded-Glass Aspherical elements, one Hybrid Aspherical element, two LD (Low Dispersion)

elements, one XR (Extra Refractive Index) glass element, and one element of UXR (Ultra-Extra Refractive Index) glass, which has greater refractive index than XR.


trade talk


With the company continuing to maintain an unprecedented lead in the photo-imaging market, Sony launched a host of new cameras recently including the Cybershot RX100 Mark III, the Alpha A77 II and the A7S full-frame interchangeable camera among other products. On the occasion we spoke to Mr. Kenichiro Hibi, Managing Director, Sony India and Mr. Shigeki Ishizuka, President, Digital Imaging, Sony Corporation on the company’s focus and plans for the digital imaging category in India.

- Shigeki Ishizuka, President, Digital Imaging, Sony Corporation

There is no denying the fact that Sony has continually dominated the market in the compact camera segment with over 40% market share even today. But somehow they haven’t been

able to translate the same success in the DSLR market. Although their interchangeable lens category cameras, especially in the full-frame category have received great acclaim, it doesn’t seem to have translated into numbers (at least in India). But Sony hopes to change all that with their recent line-up of products.

Speaking about the currents trends and opportunities in the industry Hibi-san feels that Sony is well positioned to capitalise on the opportunities despite the decline of the point-and-shoot cameras, due to the invasion of the camera smartphones. He points out that despite the decline in the compact camera segment, interchangeable lens cameras have been sustaining the size of the market and are

starting to expand. “I think after two years the demand for cameras will be more

diverse similar to the shift of the entry-level compact cameras below `8000 towards camera mobile phones. But we are well positioned in that sphere since we have our mobile phone business. We will be able to capture those customers and their needs and demands,” says Hibi-san.

But while there is a negative growth in the lower compact camera segment there is also a considerable shift in the demand from the consumers for higher quality, resulting for them to shift to DSLRs and high quality compact cameras. “These segments are continuously growing so it’s difficult to say if the demand for compact point-and-shoot cameras is completely gone,” adds Hibi-san.

And there are no points for guessing that Sony India features prominently in the global map as Ishizuka-san puts it, “that’s why I am here”. And with the enormous potential that the Indian consumer market brings, he is expecting more from the developing countries than developed countries. However, the demand for interchangeable lens cameras is still considerably small in India. “But I think the future of the interchangeable mirrorless cameras is much bigger than SLR due to its light weight, compact nature and no mechanical shutter and mirror inside the body,” added Ishizuka-san.

Currently, the camera business contributes approximately 10% to the overall Sony business in India and the company plans to increase the same in the time to come.

Although the company intends to increase its focus on the DSLR category due to its huge market opportunity, they would like to strike a balance between amateurs and professionals considering that the majority of their customers are amateurs. “We are aware that our biggest target audience are not exactly professional photographers. But professional photographers are also very important for us and we can never forget that.”

Speaking about the consumer pattern of the Indian customer, Ishizuka-san asserts that despite India being a peculiar market the behavioural pattern as compared to the other markets is quiet similar. “There are some peculiarities that they prefer, like more bulky and bigger cameras. However, the demand for photography is the same.”

Only time will tell how the consumers respond to the company’s strategy and products, but from the look of the things, it’s looking all good for the Japanese giant.

Sony India features prominently in our plans and “that’s why I am here”

(L-R): Shigeki Ishizuka and Kenichiro Hibi

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The ‘Ask Your Expert’ column where your expert will answer all your queries on photography

Do I need to send printed copies of my entries for the Artistique Photography Contest too? Is uploading my entries via Facebook app alone not enough to participate?Himanshu,Kurukshetra

Dear Himanshu,The printed fi les or the high resolution fi les will only

be required to be sent once any image is selected for the fi nal rounds. In case your image is selected then our team will get in touch with you updating you about the fi nal process.

What are the principles of time-lapse photography? Amit Gautam,New Delhi

Dear Amit,If captured appropriately then time-lapse

photography is one of the most beautiful visual that a photographer can capture and experience. Ideally, time-lapse photography is a technique which is used more for shooting videos, since it is able to document the change in time through the same scene. It is not utilised a lot in still-photography, since it depicts the same frame in

different time-lapses. Having said that, if you have the

right composition and a good frame, even your still-pictures can be beautiful. There aren’t specifi c principles for any genre of photography, and time-lapse is no different. But yes, you need basic equipment if you intend to shoot good still time-lapse pictures.

You would need a tripod, a DLSR, trigger and fi lters if you think you need them. It is as simple as that. But beside these things, it is just about a great composition, fi nding the right frame and having patience. Also, another thing that one needs to keep in mind is what mode to shoot on. I prefer shooting still time-lapse, either on manual or aperture priority mode.

So in case of still images, you can capture the same scene at different times and stitch the frames together in Photoshop to give one fi nal image, which is more of a time-range technique. We did an article on this in the June 2014 issue and you can take a look it.

I would also suggest that you look up Stephen Wilkes and follow him. I follow his work closely on time-lapse and time-range, and I am sure it would teach you a lot.

Answered by Bhavya Desai

EditorAsian Photography

Send in your Questions [email protected]


Questionof the Month

AP

Photography is my passion. I feel I am a good photographer but in Kashmir there are no institutes that offer diploma or certifi cate courses. So can you please let me know where I can go and get some good tips and information about photography? Sheikh Arif Amin,Srinagar

Dear Amin,I wish that we could’ve been able to help you with

some institutes in Srinagar. We will still try and fi nd something and send you the information. But in such a case I have always felt that the best source of detailed information about photography comes from books and magazines like us. So it would be a good idea to read our magazine regularly and I am certain that you would learn a lot from them.

Sometimes when I capture a picture in the evening on my Canon 1200D its shutter speed automatically decreases and the pictures become blurred and if I try and manage the shutter speed then the images tend to come black.What to do you think is the issue for this?Bhavan Mehta,Bhuj

THE QUESTION OF THE MONTH WINS CAMERA CLEANING KIT WORTH `600

August 2014 21

Dear Bhavan,Well it’s diffi cult to say but I think you might

be shooting in Program or Aperture Priority mode which makes the shutter automatically change, as per the sensitivity of the frame. I think shifting to the manual mode would rectify your issue.

Time-Range image


trade talk


Overview of the Flash Memory IndustryWhile technology seems to be moving at a fast pace, somehow that doesn’t seem to be replicating in the memory industry in recent years, at least on the face of it. Bhavya Desai speaks to the industry leaders to find out what has changed in recent times and also if the imaging industry is reshaping the memory storage industry.

In this article we have spoke to the three major memory manufacturers in the industry which include SanDisk, Kingston

and Transcend. While we have maintained the same questions, it is the diversity and the perspective of each manufacturer that gives us the overview of the industry currently.

The smartphone industry has propelled flash memory to a completely new and different era. What are your thoughts on the same?The dynamics of the flash memory market are strongly determined by the buoyancy in the host device market and the digital lifestyle consumers. India is doing very well on both the counts. India is recognised as one of the world’s fastest growing smartphone market today. Add to that, the advantage of a large population of digital-savvy users (below 25 years old and even younger, and this consumer group’s preferred device is a smartphone). With ever-growing amounts of digital data and increased need for mobility in our daily lives, the demand for flash-powered storage devices is rapidly increasing.

The smartphone and tablet markets represent large opportunities for SanDisk, from retail point of view. Given such

demands, SanDisk is well positioned to serve the large, fast-paced Indian market. Our goal is to continue offering Indian consumers high-quality, high-performance products that help them do more with their digital devices.What according to you are the trends in the global, as well as Indian flash memory industry today?The flash storage industry has grown beyond expectation since its inception in the 80’s. Today, the global flash storage industry supports a growing variety of applications and devices (from data centers to SSDs in ultra-thin computers; from smartphones to tablets and removable USBs). Such trends are mirrored in the Indian market as well.

Taking more pictures, listening to more music, recording and watching more videos and saving more personal memories - the need to store such data in a secure way is on everyone’s wish list. Gadgets are becoming hi-tech and memory-intensive, which in-turn is fuelling growth. The growing market for smartphones in India helps fuel the demand for flash based microSD memory cards as they offer fast, convenient, high-speed, high-capacity, easy-to-use portable digital storage that powers a smart digital lifestyle.

With a burgeoning requirement in the domestic consumption, flash memory market is on a roll. We see mobile, tablets and SSDs as the next big opportunity. Mobile computing should continue to play a critical role in the consumer electronics landscape. Smartphones, tablets and ultra-thin notebooks allow consumers to create, share and enjoy digital content anytime, anywhere – flash memory is a key enabler of these thin yet powerful devices.

With a robust growth in these devices, the demand for our products is sure to witness growth. We are confident that the role of flash storage will continue to grow in this ever-increasing, demand-centric environment.

When it comes to the camera industry, what do you think is going to be the next step for the memory manufacturers in the time to come?Today’s buzzword in the camera industry is ‘4K’. At 3840 x 2160 pixels, 4K technology is four times the size of 1080HD, twice the vertical and twice the horizontal resolution. Acknowledged as the next generation of imaging and broadcast industry, 4K-ready gadgets are expected to take the industry by storm by the end of the year. As flash memory leaders, SanDisk is well-positioned to address the needs of this fast-evolving and fast-growing segment.

SanDisk is at the forefront of technology and is working towards delivering high-performance and high-capacity products to meet the reliable storage demands of high-end professional cinematographers and photographers. We are geared to address the market requirement for 4K-ready memory solutions, as it is poised to become the established broadcast and imaging standard. SanDisk products will enable new digital solutions for professional filmmakers and photographers looking to embrace technologies such as high-quality 4K video and photography.

Responses from SanDiskRajesh Gupta, Country Manager India, SanDisk Corporation

“Today’s buzzword in camera industry is ‘4K’. SanDisk is at the forefront of technology and is working towards delivering high-performance and high-capacity products to meet the reliable storage demands of high-end professional cinematographers and photographers. We are geared to address the market requirement for 4K ready memory solutions, as it is poised to become the established broadcast and imaging standard.”

This is another example of SanDisk’s innovative edge and leadership position in flash memory storage.During their inception SSDs were considered as the next big thing, and some manufacturers like Apple, among others, have integrated SSDs in their products. But do you feel that the adoption ratio has been upto the mark?SSDs are a long-term growth opportunity for SanDisk and represent a significant shift in the global computing ecosystem. In the last two years, the SSD market has increased its appeal for a variety of reasons, thus gaining momentum in the global markets. We see such a trend in India as well. This is primarily because the market has matured in terms of understanding the technology. The key technology trends in SSDs will continue to be improvement in reliability, faster speeds and higher capacities.What are your expectations from the Indian memory market?Products:We expect the secular demand swing to increased content, improved connectivity and more mobility – trends, we believe are driving the Smart Digital Lifestyle - in 2014 and thereafter. For the smartphone and tablet markets, flash will continue to play a critical role in consumers’ lives being able to leverage smaller and lighter mobile devices with greater storage capacity. For the PC

market, the percentage of flash-based SSD penetration is rising in mainstream laptops and ultra-books; we see a large installed base of laptops and desktops as a potential upgrade opportunity with SSD technology. For the retail market, we will continue to drive the adoption of high-capacity (greater than 16GB) and high-performance solutions. SanDisk is committed to introducing cutting-edge innovation and industry-first products.Expansion:Through geo-expansion outreach, SanDisk is gaining foothold in emerging markets across India, with focus on top 27 cities. SanDisk has deployed more feet on the street in emerging cities to cement relationship with the channel; we are further building upon our engagement with channel partners with roadshows, incentive programmes and enhanced level of retail visibility.Education:As a memory brand, our endeavour is to constantly improve the consumer experience, no matter which host device is being used. We continuously innovate and launch new products, invest in channel for products to be readily available, build customer service network, and communicate these to the consumers with an integrated marketing campaign. SanDisk India has a clear focus on consumer and channel education. Regular training programmes along with extensive retail

merchandising, and incentive schemes keep the channel updated about our latest products and how they enhance user experience across computing, photography or mobile segment. We focus on doing the fundamentals right - delivering quality products which are well distributed, and investing in the SanDisk brand, the largest selling flash memory brand globally.Can you give us a breakdown of your market share in India as per the segments?SanDisk is the retail market leader in flash memory cards and USB flash drives in India. As per CMR India Quarterly Consumer Storage Flash Devices Market Review 1Q 2014, SanDisk continued to be the market leader for the 12th consecutive quarter, with 35% unit shipments share in 1Q 2014, and highest revenue share of 43% during the same period. SanDisk retained its numero uno position in microSD cards, SD cards and Flash drives, while recording sequential growth of 16% in 1Q 2014.

Flash memory is popular in India, along with the increasing use of consumer electronics, and SanDisk is focussed on delivering high-capacity, high-performance products that enrich consumer’s lives. SanDisk’s strategy in India is to provide consumers with high-quality products that help consumers do more with their digital devices.

Responses from TranscendMr. Austin Huang, Sales Director, Transcend Information, Inc (Global)

The smartphone industry has propelled flash memory to a completely new and different era. What are your thoughts on the same?

India has the single fastest growing mobile phone market in recent times. By 2015, the number of mobile users will increase to 1.24 billion. Due to the increasing demand for mobile phones, it is estimated that flash memory sales will also increase in the subsequent years. Flash memory has taken a new turn into the betterment of technology and has turned out to be very influential in storage management. In the coming years, things will certainly change as the technology will develop further and flash memory would be more concise and efficient in terms of data management.What according to you are the trends in the global, as well as Indian flash memory industry today?

Flash Memory industry is developing and moving to a different level globally. The requirement of the Flash industry has resulted in development of the SSDs as the major source of storage management for the industry. There are yet to have more

technological improvements in the sector of flash memory industry that would result in more effective results. During their inception SSDs were considered as the next big thing, and some manufacturers like Apple, among others, have integrated SSDs in their products. But do you feel that the adoption ratio has been up to the mark?

The adoption ratio has become better in the past months, as the brands are realising that the requirement of SSDs in the market is more. Brands are also joining the SSD lineup, as the requirement and efficiency of storage management is developing. The fundamental deficiency in storage performance has caused enterprise users to turn to creative multi-drive arrays and software applications to amplification performance. With increased demands of server virtualisation and cloud computing, IT managers are looking for even more

August 2014 25

TIPS & TECHS

Responses from KingstonVishal Parekh, Marketing Director, Kingston Technology India.

The smartphone industry has propelled flash memory to a completely new and different era. What are your thoughts on the same?

Smartphones have definitely boosted the flash memory by many leaps. India is now the battleground for a new generation of smart devices and is one of the key growth factors for flash memory. Today, with better cameras, high-definition applications and more interaction with their smartphones, users need to store much more data and access it as fast as possible. Over the time, flash memory has impacted many people and technologies with its speed, stability, and density. Though flash storage has come a long way, it still has a lot of potential for growth. We are pioneers for innovation in this segment and have an exciting lineup in store.What according to you are the trends in the global, as well as Indian flash memory industry today?

The market trends in India are more or less similar to the global trends. There

ways to bolster their storage performance to stay ahead of the curve.What are your expectations from the Indian memory market?

After integration in the memory industry last year, it’s clear that the competition here in India is getting tougher. We are still very optimistic for memory business in 2014 since the market is in a healthier state due

to market consolidation. Besides, the Indian market has always been one of our most important markets worldwide. As a global brand, we will keep investing in India with a more local touch, and keep providing better products and services to Indian customers.Can you give us a breakdown of your market share in India as per the segments?

Transcend is still working in this direction to earn higher market share. We think service is the key success factor to penetrate further in the market.

As a result, we keep looking for the best service partner in India to ensure that all its esteemed customers have a satisfactory user experience get the best post-sales services.

is more inclination on the affordability factor and also on the change in user habits of consuming data. Now, there are more people storing larger files like photographs, videos, music, software and presentations. Consumers have started showing interest in being able to share data on the go and are satisfied using our MobileLite Wireless and DataTraveler microDuo. There is an upward trend for devices that have a combination of High Speed and High capacity.When it comes to the camera industry what do you think is going to be the next step for the memory manufacturers in the time to come?

Good quality of storage is essential for any photography. There are better cameras today which demand certain high specifications when it comes to storing photos. With 4K recording now available, we have introduced our SDHC/SDXC UHS-I U3 flash cards that support speeds of up to 90MB/s. Hence, with top class products now made available, the next logical step for us would be to cater to the specific photography requirements of a wider audience. We design and manufacture flash cards that operate reliably and permit the camera to store and retrieve data seamlessly.During their inception SSDs were considered as the next big thing, and some manufacturers like Apple, among others, have integrated SSDs in their products. But do you feel that the adoption ratio has been up to the mark?

When Solid State drives were introduced in the market, they were perceived as a luxury product. With campaigns showcasing their benefits like extreme speed, performance and reliability over traditional hard drives, we have been able to get traction. The scenario is changing and changing for good. Consumer want

more portable and lightweight computing and we have introduced the smallest M.2SATA SSDs that are currently installed in select ASUS Ultrabooks. SSDs are also being adopted by OEMs like Apple. Though the overall adoption has been satisfactory, this product segment continues to excite the consumers who are looking for a system upgrade but have a limited budget.What are your expectations from the Indian memory market?

The Indian flash memory market comprises of microSD cards, SD cards, Compact Flash cards,USB drives, SSDs and we have seen an impressive traction for these. In India, the smartphone market is getting bigger and diverse. There are more number of photography enthusiasts, and there are more consumers understanding the value of the quality memory products. A lot of people have shown interest in the DataTraveler microDuo for being able to transfer data on the go. We are going a step ahead and adding speed to this drive. Also, the market trend indicates a better demand for high speed drives and we are ready with the next generation of high quality products to cater to this demand. Considering these basic factors, the Indian market looks promising for us and the industry.Can you give us a breakdown of your market share in India as per the segments?

Kingston is the #1 memory brand globally. We are not only the leader for storage products in India but also one of the most quality conscious brand. With the removal of import duties in the previous budget, do you feel that this has bolstered the business significantly?

The Indian customers are price conscious and believe in getting ‘Value for Money’. Any noticeable reduction in the duties is always welcomed by the market and allows the company to perform better.



An artistic medium – “Photography”

For the longest time photography in India has been considered as a ‘profession’ to make ends meet. While the changing times have broadened the viewer’s acceptance of art forms like painting, sculpting, movies among other things, photography seems to have been stuck in a timeless cycle. In a stark contrast, the visual medium of picture-making is considered and perceived as an art form internationally. � en why should India be any di� erent? Hence, we have entered into a journey with our initiative Artistique to push photography as an art form,

- Bhavya Desai, Editor and Group Head, Asian Photography and SAP Magazines

The word photography comes from two ancient Greek words: photo, for “light,” and graph, for “drawing”.

“Drawing with light” is a way of describing photography. When a photograph is made, light or some other form of radiant energy is used to record a picture of an object or scene on a light-sensitive surface. Early photographs were called sun pictures, because sunlight itself was used to create the image. Mankind has been creating images at least since the cave paintings about 20,000 years ago. With the invention of photography, a realistic image that would have taken a skilled artist hours or even days to draw could be recorded in exact detail within a fraction of a second.

Photography is widely recognised as a fine art. Photographs are displayed in art museums, prized by collectors, discussed by critics, and studied in art history courses. Because of the special nature of photography, however, this was not always the case. Today, photography is one of the strongest means of communication and a mode of visual expression that touches life in many ways. Photography has become popular more than just a means of capturing memories. Every genre of photography is

growing with every moment. However, this is about the rest of the world. In India, the first reaction you get when you tell someone you are a photographer is “So you shoot weddings?” or “So, you meet nice models?” Sorry to disappoint, guys, but photography is not just about these two. There is more.

Photographs are used extensively by newspapers, magazines, books, and television to convey information and advertise products and services. Practical

applications of photography are found in nearly every human endeavour from astronomy to medical diagnosis to industrial quality control. Photography extends human vision into the realm of objects that are invisible because they are too small or too distant, or events that occur too rapidly for the naked eye to detect. A camera can be used in locations too dangerous for humans. Photographs can also be objects of art that explore the human condition and provide aesthetic pleasure. For millions of people, photography is a satisfying hobby or a rewarding career.

At this point, we need to pause before we get carried away; we haven’t even answered the really important question here: what is art? Well, it’s a subjectively biased interpretation of something – whether that something is an event, a place, a person, or a thing, is irrelevant. It’s the bias that makes it interesting: Van Gogh’s “Starry Nights” is interesting because he show us his unique interpretation of the scene, according to the impressionists – which is yet another subjective way of looking at the world. Picasso’s works are interesting because they show us his interpretation of the world. In both cases, the interpretations

“Photography is not only a picture that is projected but a visual demonstration of a person’s thought. It depicts and manages a lot through visuals. As there is a lot that can be spoken verbally, but a mere picture is worth 1000 words.”

- Nisha Chowdhary

SPECIAL FEATURE

August 2014 29

present us with such a unique – unprecedented – result, that we are forced to stop, look, and think. The value here is in the uniqueness of the interpretation: what the artists see is so far beyond the normal realm of comprehension, for most, that it becomes akin to visual magic. It’s also worth remembering that seeing is but half of the puzzle; execution is just as important.

In different ways, the work of all of these artists is about the nature of photography – the making of the images, rather than the taking of a photograph. Here, as with much conceptual art, the process seems to be as important as the end result. How cruelly ironic, then, that we are simultaneously witnessing the sudden death of the process that has defined photography for so long, a procedure that began with the insertion of a roll of film into a mechanical camera and ended, via the contact sheet, the dark room and a tray of chemicals, with the printing of a single image on photographic paper.

In the early history of photography, it was perceived as a medium, in poor relation to the older, established visual arts, such as drawing and painting. The arguments started from the fact that a camera is a mechanical instrument. Because

“We have so many things passing o� as “art” these days. We might as well add something of substance to it.”

- Tamara Anand

“� e question is why not? Photography is painting with light. If a painter is an artist, why not a photographer?”

- Benjamin � omas

“Simplest way to communicate-Simplest way to de� ne”

- Kavish kour

the mechanical procedure of taking a picture is automatic, detractors claimed that photography required no coordination of hand and eye and none of the manual skills essential to drawing and painting. They also argued that photography required no creativity or imagination because the photographic subject was “readymade” and did not require manipulation or control by the photographer.

The point to argue here is if photography is really considered as an art-form in India. In a new trend of surrealism and exploration, more and more artists are looking to photorealism as one of their options to vent their creativity. Photography has an interesting history in India. The British brought it with them, and passed it on. Some of the Maharajas became very famous for the photographs they took. Until very recently, there was not much exposure for photography other than its commercial use for weddings and advertisement. Photographers need a platform; they need exposure and guidance to show their work. I think the turn today is about people paying more attention to image making. Photo-artists have always existed, but they have not had much commercial exposure. I have always wanted to do personal work rather than commissioned work (commercial work like advertising, for example). But, until now, one could not sustain oneself just doing personal projects. Most definitely, because photography isn’t only about taking a picture, it’s so much more than that for many people. People who pay attention to detail, composition, and how they develop the film itself, colour or black and white, attention to focus; every photographer is different when it comes to this art form.

In order to propagate photography as an artistic medium in India, Asian Photography started an initiative called “Artistique” in the year 2013. We came up with this idea to not only celebrate World Photography Day, but also to promote the culture of photography, as it’s high time it gets the respect it deserves. The initiative highlights an exhibition of photographic art and a contest on its sidelines. This year, starting World Photography Day, for 10 days, we will have two remarkable photographers, Sudhir Shivaraman and Martin Prihoda, exhibiting their work under the category “Beauty”. With them, we will have the winning entries of the contest with each

“Photography is made up of two words, “photo” and “graphy” which literally means painting. To most people in India, photography is about clicking the button and capturing the moment. This is true. Of Course! We do that and it is about that. But does it end here? I think not. Like any other respected art form, photography demands a vision, a background, an understanding of your subject, of lights, of colours, the textures and all the other elements of visual art. A photographer is also an artist who controls and decides everything. He evokes emotions and expresses what cannot be expressed through mere words. Thus, it’s high time photography gets its due.”

category, and honorary mentions from the Jury, being displayed.

While we were travelling around talking to students from different colleges, promoting Artistique, we asked all of them to tell us “Why should photography be promoted as an art-form”. You have seen most of the quotes from people while reading the article. But here is the most elaborate point answer that we received from Snehi Singh, a second year student from Symbiosis School of Photography, Pune:

TEXT: USHMA DHAMDHERE

Exhibition Details

Date: 16th – 26th August, 2014

Venue: Piramal Gallery, NCPA,

Mumbai

Timings: 12pm-8pm

(Closed on 18th August 2014)

ON THE HORIZON

Lucid DreamingHaving accidentally come across photography one day, she took it up as a passionate hobby and later went on to be known as one of the youngest fashion photographers to look-out for in India. Her style of fashion photography is not bound by traditions, and truly is contemporary, in every sense of the word. This month, we enter the imaginary world of 23-year old Delhi-based photographer Bhumika Bhatia and fi nd out what ticks in her brain to create the images that she does.

August 2014 31

At the age of about 19, Bhumika accidentally discovered photography on a family trip. As she describes,

she was simply sitting in the back of the family car, and decided to try the camera to photograph some landscapes. And since then, a camera has never left her side.

However, the young photographer says that she had never really decided to be a photographer and it was purely fortuitous. “Honestly, I never wanted to become a photographer. You know when you hear people say that, “I never planned on doing this? It just happened.” My story is the same. It just happened and thank god for that,” she said.

The same year, Bhumika’s friend lent her a camera and also modelled for her. With those images, Bhumika went on to participate in a photo competition in Paris. She stood 8th worldwide and her photo


was exhibited at Paris Fashion Week that year. Describing her experience, she said that her first shooting experience wasn’t what she had expected. “I was still shooting what people wanted me to shoot. The only good thing was the photograph being

chosen and exhibited at Paris Fashion Week,” said Bhumika. She also went on to win one of the first Indian fashion photography competitions. She was one of the youngest winners at the competition, the experience was almost an epiphany for

her, and she realised that photography was her calling. She also went on to work with a number of Indian fashion photographers.

As Bhumika started shooting personal and commercial project, the young photographer’s work was soon starting to get widely acclaimed. She started gaining international recognition and got published across the globe. Her images were featured in Selfridges London as a part of Jimmy Choo PEP Project, in partnership with Elton John Foundation and two exhibitions in New York. She was also published in various magazines like Digital Photographer, Digital Camera World, GQ (India), Cosmopolitan (India), YUVA (India), Yeah (UK), Carpaccio

One might notice that Bhumika’s work is very dreamy, and the reason for that is she tries to photographically recreate her dreams. Her images are like a fantasy, yet thought-provoking, and always surreal and under a cloud of mystery

TIPS & TECHS


(Spain), TIME Magazine (Online), The Sindhian, Haute Magazine (USA), MYOD (India), the front page on Vogue Italia (twice), Creative Boom (UK), Brink Magazine (USA), Racing Minds and interviews in various art magazines like Vanity Teen (Spain), and a number of websites and blogs.

We asked her what sparked her interest in this style of photography and she said, “Jatin Kampani. He saw my style and told me to go ahead with portraits. Took his advice and it was the best decision I ever made.”

We asked Bhumika what inspires her and if she has had any mentors over the years. She instantly named Tim Burton, and said that he has been her inspiration and will always be. Well, we can understand that perfectly well. The American director is known for his beautifully dark and morbid imagery and one can see that quite well in Bhumika’s work too. Her work is often laced with a sense of darkness and the forbidden, and in fact, foreboding too.

When asked to describe her aesthetic or style of photography, she said it is inherently emotional. “I try to photograph what I am going through. Sometimes it is very minimal; on the other hand it’s completely opposite. I

August 2014 35

choose to tell stories through portraiture. I do try to incorporate fashion and editorial in my photographs as well.”

Bhumika’s work has often been called ‘contemporary’, and we asked what her idea of it was. She said, “Rather than the typical “fashion/portrait” photograph, I try to make images that are very new, surreal and dreamy. When I started out with my style of photography, I was the only one in India to do it. A lot of photographers criticised me, told me that my style won’t take me anywhere. I didn’t listen to them and started to take pictures that appealed to me. Thus, more than anything else, my images represent me.”

One might notice that Bhumika’s work is very dreamy, and the reason for that is she tries to photographically recreate her dreams. Her images are like a fantasy, yet thought-provoking, and always surreal and under a cloud of mystery.

Bhumika started-off by using Sony Cybershot w80, and her grandfather’s Petri 7s (which she still uses for her personal projects). She then saved up and bought a Canon 550D. She currently uses Canon 5D

Mark III, Diana F+ and a 50mm prime lens.To prepare for her shoots, Bhumika

listens to a lot of music, as it is to calms her mind and prevents her from over thinking about it. She added that it is highly important

that an aspiring editorial photographer works on a particular theme and make storyboards. Also, she stated that choosing models carefully is important, as at the end of the day, they are the ones depicting your story.


shot and not scare her, I didn’t tell her about the snakes,” she informed.

Speaking about being a young upcoming photographer in India, Bhumika said that the biggest challenge is that people are still traditional. “People are too traditional, they need to break that norm and express how they actually feel. It’s hard, especially for young photographers like me, and being a

girl makes it even harder. Initially it was very difficult to approach clients because I was really young when I started out, and they treated me as a kid. However, when they saw the images they had nothing to say, because they couldn’t believe a 20-something year old could click such photographs. Things are changing though; there are a lot of young female photographers now, which is great!” When asked about the rewards, she said, “Well, you’re doing what you love, at the end of the day. It’s not a 9 to 5 job, you travel the world, meet beautiful people and you are your own boss!”

She is currently working on a few projects, and shooting a lot from her phone. She remarked, “I’ve never loved cellphone photography so much!”

Being a great example of what photographers can achieve at a young age, we asked Bhumika to advise youngsters interested in entering the field of photography. She said, “Shoot. Shoot and Shoot. The more you do it, the better you’ll be at it. Also, don’t photograph just about everything. Try it out, yes. But, choose one genre and stick to it.”

TExT: ABHISHEK DESAI

We asked her to describe one of her shoots, and she said that she usually makes her models “go through hell” in order to get the perfect shot. “Some are funny, some are tortuous. Luckily, they are kind enough and don’t say no. Once, I remember, I told a model to stand in-between the bushes and I got to know that there were a lot of snake in that area. But, since I wanted to get the

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August 2014 39

The Himalayan Motorcycle Diaries


Our country has more diversity in aspects like culture, heritage, people, lifestyle, terrain than

anywhere else. Each and every month we try our best to share with you our travel experiences through this feature. This month we take you to the part of the original silk route; one of the most sought

after routes by travellers, a journey to Leh, only this time done on a motorcycle.

This sort of a journey calls for adequate preparation of mind, body and machine. When I say machine, I mean the photography equipment and my 1985 Yezdi CL II, the latter of which needs no further introduction. The choice of camera

and lens was quite imperative owing to the limited payload and space restrictions; furthermore, the unpredictable weather put forth a challenge. My choice of weapons this time were the Nikon D610 (full frame and lightweight), the Nikkor 28-300(wide focal range), Nikkor 50mm (lowlight and portraits), SB900, the Nikon CoolPix AW120 (outdoor and weatherproof) and last but not the least, an expendable lightweight aluminium tripod. All this gear along with my riding safety equipment and a haversack with my clothes was quite a handful to lug around. The 15 day scheduled tour for the five of us; Shreyas (Royal Enfield 500), Aidan (Royal Enfield 350), Sameer (Pulsar 220), Vivek (KTM Duke 200) and I began at Bandra Terminus where we loaded our bikes in the train, which we received a day later at Ambala Cant. Junction. The route that we had planned was Ambala – Jammu – Srinagar – Sonmarg – Kargil – Leh – Khardung la – Diskit – Sarchu – Manali – Chandigarh, with a few buffer days to accommodate any break downs or road closures.

After going about our preliminary checks, we planned to start-off early the

August 2014 41

next day. Being a first long road-trip for most of us, the sheer number of luggage to be loaded on our bikes seemed like a lot, considering we did not have the luxury of a backup vehicle. Our first destination was Jammu, which was roughly around 400 kilometres from Ambala. As soon as we hit the road, the rain gods greeted us with some light showers. The road to Jammu, NH 1A was pretty smooth, we could cover good distance and touch some excellent top speeds. After a few breaks on the way, we finally reached Jammu city in around nine hours which was better than what we had expected. As we kept moving towards the city centre, the temperature kept

At the Kargil memorial, we learnt how young soldiers gave their lives in a sheer act of gallantry and courage to protect our motherland. Few of us did break down, and we paid our respects at the graves of the departed and left the memorial with a newfound respect and pride for those who protect our country, and compassion for the families who lost their loved ones.


on rising, forcing us to make a decision to move ahead to Patnitop which was another 110 km, during which my bike started giving me some trouble. A few kilometres away from Jammu, she finally gave way forcing us to halt abruptly. After many trials and errors, we finally decided to take the bike down to the city to get it fixed. Long story short, after a sleepless night, the crazy Jammu heat, the efficient mechanic, the ever-helpful local folk and the will of the almighty, my bike was fixed the next day after which we rode to our next destination - Patnitop.

Next on the agenda was crossing Srinagar the next day and halting at Sonmarg. Granted that we come from metropolitan cities and deal with bad roads and traffic jams on a daily basis, nothing could have prepared us for the horrific driving ethics of the lovely folk from Jammu. While crossing Srinagar, we came across the Dal Lake, where we rode around

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the shoreline of the lake which had some amazing gardens, parks and vibrant Shikaras. A few more hours of riding and we were dawned upon by snow-clad mountain tops, with a view of fields and lush greenery by every passing kilometre. That evening we reached Sonmarg, where I saw snow for the first time in my life. After a good night’s sleep, we headed out to Kargil via Zoji La pass, which was shut for a few hours to let traffic pass from Kargil towards Jammu. After a few hours of waiting for the pass to open, we finally got on to the pass road which was nothing but a grimy road with long patches of muck and dry mud all over the place, it was truly a dirt bikers path. No sooner than we began our journey, our team leader, Shreyas had a busted rear tyre which left us pretty much stranded. After refilling air in the tyre a few times with a portable hand pump, he realised the wait was futile and decided to ride on that path, with a fully loaded bike

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and a flat rear tyre. The total distance may have been around 65 kilometres, but it felt like we had ridden hundreds of kilometres. After wading through the never ending army convoys, we reached a small village called Matayan, where Shreyas got his tyre fixed and we met the most adorable kids, whom we were trying to teach a few English words. For city slickers like us, it was surprising how those kids’ eyes lit up when we started clicking their pictures. We were touched by the sheer simplicity, innocence and helpful nature of the locals.

Another interesting thing we observed every few kilometres were these signboards put up by BRO (Border Road Organisation). They had some humorous and quirky one liners pertaining to road safety like “I am curvaceous, be slow”, “It is not a rally, enjoy the Valley”, “Darling I want you, but not so fast” and many more. However, BRO has done an excellent job of maintaining roads that serve the borders areas of India.

By this time, we were running a bit behind schedule, so we decided to skip a few places to recover some lost time. The next day, while crossing the Kargil memorial, we casually entered to have a look at the

memorial. However, what we saw was how young soldiers gave their lives in a sheer act of gallantry and courage to protect our motherland. Few of us did break down, and we paid our respects at the graves of the departed and left the memorial with a newfound respect and pride for those who protect our country, and compassion for the families who lost their loved ones. We then continued to ride to the farthest point in our journey, Leh.

The way to Ladakh was nothing like I’d ever seen; with smooth curving roads, where each turn revealed landscapes and terrains only seen in posters and wallpapers. While riding across Ladakh, we came across stretches of land without any habitat, very little flora and emptiness like a desert. The feeling of being by ourselves while crossing the brilliant expanse of nothingness, combined with the sound of our bikes cutting through the silence, gave us an ethereal sense of calmness and serenity. We arrived at Leh post sunset, where the town almost looked like a scene from an old English movie, ‘The Wild One’, with gangs of motorcyclists moving around. We rested in Leh for another day and headed out to the

nearby Tibetan markets to get a local flavour of the town. It’s an apt place to get some beautiful handcrafted woollens like shawls, shrugs and some fancy woollen beanies.

During our stay in Leh, we headed to Diskit, the capital of Nubra Valley, where we visited the Diskit Gompa and the statue of Maitreya Buddha. While travelling to Nubra Valley and back, we crossed Khardung La pass at 18,380ft, which is the world’s highest motorable road. After which we halted in Leh for a night and left for Manali, which marked the return leg of our journey. As we kept heading towards the Himachal border, the roads kept getting better and so did the scenery, changing from a barren landscape to painting-like mountains where we could almost touch the clouds.

As we started heading back towards civilisation, we had grown so fond of the beauty and nothingness around, we took a break midway at this town called Keylong; it is a must see if you are passing along the Manali–Leh Highway. The next day we left for Manali which was too crowded and full of tourists and traffic jams, however we had to stay there for the night, as we were knackered after riding the entire day. We headed back to Chandigarh the next day, where on reaching we directly headed to the railway station. Having loaded the bikes on the train, we came to a realisation that the 15 days spent on road had given us a new perspective to life. We were returning to Mumbai with a bagful of dirty laundry and a heart-full of fond memories to last us a lifetime.

TExT AND IMAGES: STEVE D’SOuZA

August 2014 www.asianphotographyindia.com


Creating Silhouettes

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Do you remember seeing those images where everything is dark yet you see a mysterious outline.

While we all use light as the basic medium to create images, creating silhouettes uses light in completely the opposite direction. This month we shall talk about creating silhouette images with a click!

Silhouettes are a great way to convey drama, mystery, emotion and mood to the viewers of your photos and often stand out in an album because of the combination of their simplicity and the story that they convey. I love them as they don’t give the viewer a clear image of everything, but leave part of the image up to their imagination to wonder about.

Silhouette photography requires that we use pure back lighting. That is, we want to place our subject (the shape we want to be blacked out), in front of some source of light so that we maximise the amount of light in the scene coming from behind the subject. We shall then force our camera to set its exposure based upon the brightest part of our picture (the background) and

Quick Note If there is more than one shape or object in your frame, try to keep them distinct and uncluttered. i.e. if you are silhouetting a tree and a person, don’t have the person stand in front of the tree or even leaning on it as it will merge them into one shape and as a result your viewers could be confused about what the shape is.

not the subject of your image. In doing this, your subject will be under exposed. The subject against a backdrop of light appears completely dark.

The basic technique of creating a silhouette is to trick your camera to think that you’re interested in capturing the bright parts of the frame. Here’s how!

Strong subject selection Before you consider the technical

details and camera settings, you need to put some thoughts into your subject. Almost any object can be made into a silhouette, however some are better than others.

Choose something with a strong and identifiable shape that will be interesting enough in its two dimensional form to hold the interest of the viewer. Silhouettes can’t rely on colours, textures and tones of subjects to make them appealing, so the shape needs to be obvious.

Frame your image Frame your shot so you are shooting


either so that they hide it. Tell your subject where you want them to stand. Remember that they will need to be in front of a light source. For outdoor shoots, photograph

with the sun at the back and for indoors, have your subject stand in front of a window or a lamp.

Once you’ve found a good frame

that separates your subjects from the background, posing becomes the next thing you will need to look to. Since silhouettes are typically just black shapes, it’s important to position your subjects in a way that you can see their features.

Turn off your flash If your camera is in the automatic mode,

it will probably want to use its flash which may ruin the silhouette. However, you want as little light on the front of your subject as possible, so the flash has to go.

Get your light right When it involves lighting your subject to

create silhouettes you ought to throw out a lot of what you’ve learnt about traditional photography and think a little backwards. Rather than lighting the front of your subject, you will need to ensure that there is more light shining from the background of your shot. To put it another way, you want

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to light the back of your subject rather than the front.

A variable to experiment with is how much of the subject you want to be silhouetted. Partial silhouettes that allow selective areas of detail can create some brilliant shots.

Focussing You would want the subject which is

silhouetted to be the thing that is in focus most crisply. To get around this you can use two strategies. Firstly, if your camera has manual focussing you possibly wish to pre-focus your shot.

Quick Note

While a total silhouette with a nice crisp and black subject can be a powerful shot, a partial silhouette where some detail of your subject is left, may be eye-catching too. Sometimes a touch of light on them makes them slightly more three dimensional and ‘real’. This is the beauty of bracketing your shots as it will leave you with total and partial silhouettes to choose from.

The other strategy is to use aperture to maximise your depth of field (the amount of your image that is in focus). Set a small aperture value (i.e. a larger number) to increase the depth of field. This means you’ll have a sharper foreground and background in your shots.In Auto Mode

Since many digital cameras have automatic metering, they are very good at exposing a photograph so that everything is well lit. However, while shooting silhouettes, it can be a drawback as they will light up your subject instead of underexposing it. Therefore, you need to trick it. To do this, point your camera at the brightest part of

Quick Tip!

The best time of day for a silhouette is around sunset.

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your frame and press the shutter halfway down without letting it go. Next, move your camera back to frame your shot with the subject where you want it and finish taking the shot. With most cameras this will result in a silhouetted subject. This way you are tricking your camera into thinking that the bright part of the image is the mid tone of it so that anything darker than it will be exposed as a dark shadow.Manual Mode

Your camera has controls to permit manual exposure or exposure compensation. A straightforward way to start using the manual mode is to look at the shutter speed and aperture that it suggests in automatic mode and begin from there. If in the auto mode your subject is too light, take down the shutter speed a stop or two.

Silhouettes can produce powerful images as a result of the simple isolation of the subject. They take away all the distractions and all you see is a perfectly sharp black outline against a beautiful background. By separating excess, you are left with a striking image of an ambiguous theme that appeals multiple audiences.

TEXT AND IMAGES:

NEHA AGGARWAL

TIPS & TECHSTIPS & TECHSTIPS & TECHS

Without the viewfinder!- The Invisible Photographer

The standard way to shoot is through a viewfinder, we all know that by now. However, have you ever

wondered how can you still get those shots without looking through the viewfinder? Sounds odd, doesn’t it? This month, we took up a challenge to create candid shots without using the viewfinder! Read on to find out how!

So the ‘rule’ was to shoot without

looking. Walking around the streets of Mumbai with a camera in your hand sure does attract a lot of attention. However, to get those candid moments, it is important to not let people notice that you’re up for some clicking.

In street photography, one of the popular techniques to be an invisible photographer is to hold the camera but not look through the viewfinder to create images. One of the

reasons why this technique is widely popular is because it allows you to take much more candid images of people, as they do not see you shooting them with your eye through your viewfinder, and assume you are not taking images. Another advantage is that you get a much more interesting perspective, as you shoot from a different angle.

To get more candid shots, photographers employ the technique of ‘shooting from the


hip’. Named after the gun fighting, it is a photographic style where it is just holding your camera at waist-level, and shooting upwards without looking through the viewfinder. To begin with, let your camera hang from your neck at hip-level and shoot discreetly when you spot an interesting scene. This is just a trial technique, and can be a hit or miss while you are learning it. However, once you have the skill mastered, you will usually have some amazing photographs. This method of photography is preferred by many photographers, as some unique and varied artwork can be constructed from the photographs. In a nutshell, it’s a way of framing and shooting without looking through your viewfinder delivering natural and candid shots you would find hard to reproduce the traditional way.

There are a few tips and tricks that we would love to share with you before you hit the streets. Shooting without looking through the viewfinder takes time, patience and practice. There are some key ingredients you will need first which are listed below.

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TIPS & TECHS

Quick Note

Shooting this way may not always deliver shots at a different angle. If you kneel down to someone’s level, the shots are most likely going to be straight images.

Use a wide-angle lens This is one of the most important rules

when it comes to ignoring the viewfinder as it has a direct impact on how your images

come out. Using a wrong lens is where most people commit mistakes while trying to shoot. You might be tempted to use your 50mm f/1.8, but the chances are that would result in photos which were far too

zoomed, where even slight movement will result in inaccurate photos.

Rather, we advise you to use a wide angle lens. First, this will allow you to get a much wider perspective, which gives you a much higher likelihood of capturing your subject in the scene. Shooting with a wide-angle also makes the viewer feel as they are “a part of the scene”, as wide-angle lenses give that effect. Shooting with a wide angle also gives you the ability to shoot at slower speeds if you have to, without having to worry about motion blur. If you change your focal length to your shutter speed (i.e.


35mm to 1/35 of a second), you can take a blur-free photo, while holding your camera. Using this logic, if you’re zoomed in, the slightest movement in your camera will be magnified in the distance, which means that you need a faster shutter speed to produce a blur-free photo.

Do not look at your camera while shooting

When you are shooting without looking through the viewfinder, your primary goal is to capture candid images of people. Therefore, if you walk around and shoot while looking directly at your camera, people will take notice of you. When you are walking past people and shooting without looking through the viewfinder, keep your eyes locked forward and also prevent making eye contact with your subjects. This way you will be nearly invisible to those around you.

Hold your camera by the lens Holding the camera by the lens and

not just the grip makes a big difference to the photos as it helps to understand where

you point the camera. This gives you a better sense of the direction and produces accurate results.

Use a small aperture and fast shutter speed

When shooting, you would want to use a small aperture and a fast shutter speed to make sure your subject is in focus and not blurry. When shooting in daylight, it’s best to use manual settings and shoot at an aperture of f/16, a shutter speed of around

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320th of a second, and an ISO of 400. If your images are a bit too bright, shoot with a shutter speed of 500th of a second. If your images are dark, then boost the ISO to 800 or 1600.

While shooting without looking through the viewfinder, chances are that either you or your subject is moving when you’re taking the photo. When you combine this with improperly holding the camera, the chances for motion blur are high, so you need to crank up your speed to freeze this.

Shoot during the day If you’re shooting at a fast shutter speed,

and a narrow aperture, then you’re going to need a lot of light to work with. If you’re shooting in dimly lit conditions, or at night, then you’re going to have to worry about your exposure more. Shooting at night just isn’t suitable when you’re shooting by ignoring the viewfinder, unless of course you’re using a flash, which might not be the best idea, if you’re planning to be invisible.

Quick NoteWhile it is great to practive the idea of being an invisible photographer and capture candid images, please make sure that the images you take are not objectionable or are invading someone’s privacy. While we can’t state an obvious parameter to this, the only thing we can say is to use your own judgement. Also, in many countries it is illegal to click pictures of people without their permission. So, make sure that you don’t do something that will get you in trouble.

Pre-focus your lens The best way to make sure your

images are in-focus is to “pre-focus” your lens before shooting. In order to do this, stand in front of a wall and judge how close you want to be to people once you shoot. Once you have measured that distance, you are comfortable with, focus your lens manually on that wall and keep it there. So when you are walking by people and shooting, your subjects should be in focus. Also don’t hesitate to experiment with your focusing ring. If your images turn out out-of-focus, change your focus manually and keep adjusting until your images turn out clear. Failing that, put your camera in autofocus, and set your focus mode to AI Servo/AF-C.

Take a ton of photos This method to shoot takes a lot of

practice, so do not feel disheartened when the majority of your images are out of focus, blurry, of just framed incorrectly. Take hundreds of photos when shooting, and experiment with different techniques. The best way is to put the camera on burst mode.

Experiment! We truly believe that there is no one

way of shooting, even if it is shooting without looking through the viewfinder! Hence, it’s best to keep experimenting with your camera, to get that shot. So, bring the camera up to your chest, or rotate it vertically and hang it by your side. Try kneeling down and snapping from close to the ground level. Shoot with your camera

dangling by your side in a vertical format, or shoot people who are sitting down! The possibilities are endless and after much practice, you will master the technique of shooting without looking through the viewfinder. Do whatever works out in producing your desired image!

TEXT AND IMAGES: NEHA AGGARWAL

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Tips & Techs

luttonous azingG

- Food Styling & Photography

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That luscious picture of chocolate dripping off a strawberry? The bite-sized piece of sushi with droplets

of water accentuating its freshness? Food is more than something to taste with the tongue; it has first to be savoured with the eyes. The capturing of the moment is in the hands of a good stylist and photographer.

The Japanese have long understood this, thus, perfecting the art of plating food using techniques that chefs take years to master. Some of Europe’s finest chefs such as Marco Pierre White and Gary Rhodes, have been pioneers in styling food. The enigmatic Jamie Oliver, made food look so appealing on his first TV show ”The Naked Chef” that it gave a whole new meaning to the term ‘visual appeal’.

It’s all very different in India – in most places. Here, styling food innovatively and attractively remains a rare talent that not too many chefs possess and the photography a lot to be desired for. Every other restaurant has almost the same style of plating dishes and creativity is quite rare. That’s a pity because great presentation can speak volumes and good photography can raise a dish to the level of art.

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Food styling is an art form and a specialised field for a career. It relies greatly on knowledge of food and design expertise. Associated with the gleam and style of glamour the job itself requires a great amount of skill, creativity, meticulous craft-work and patience. A stylist aims to bring out the best in a product for a client or consumer. It is more than just cooking, it is communicating through food. It is the job of the stylist to make the food look appealing,

natural and not too complicated.Another important factor when it comes

to food is sticking to the adage “what’s in season works best”. The freshest fruit and vegetables are always going to be the most attractive and are bound to enhance the look of a frame. There are several ways of making a dish look interesting. For example, a prawn cocktail can be presented with the prawns in individual cocktail glasses rather than a flat dish. This will give the whole thing

a lift. Similarly, rather than mixing up all the ingredients of a pasta dish, it might make for attractive presentation to separate pasta from vegetables and leave each ingredient more individually identifiable.

A swirl of sauce can complete an elegantly styled plate. The thing to remember is that no matter what form of presentation, a harmonious combination of colour, design and restraint can take a dish from a feast for the stomach to a feast for the senses.

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• Use natural light as much as possible• Use a macro lens or prime lens for the best results• Back lighting makes for interesting images• Avoid using strobe lights too much• Play with a lot of shadow and light techniques• Shoot within minutes of the food being cooked• Pre plan and be fast and ready when shooting food or have a hero dish on standby• Keep things simple and neat.• Plenty of white or blank space is fashionable now• Ensure that props used relate or fit into a given theme. Gone are the days when flowers or fruit baskets were used simply to fill up space

Tips

When it comes to food photography the whole dimension changes, for it is a culmination of culinary and visual arts. Food photography has evolved over the years. It has come to a stage where it is not only a highly specialised field but a highly creative and demanding one as well.

As a form of media, food photography is all about communication, knowledge of the

latest trends in art and design. The process is brought about by the coordinated efforts of a good photographer, a food stylist and sometimes a prop stylist or art director. Usually, styling food for print media (cookery books, magazines, menu cards, etc.), packaging, is easier than styling for ad films or television shows, given the difference in type of lighting used.

Understanding the dimensions of food is important in being a food photographer. For food can die on you in a matter of seconds or minutes. So spending time with chefs and the client is something that is imperative to a photographer.

TExT ANd IMAGES: MICHAEl SWAMy

www.michaelswamy.com


Food photography through smart phone

Tips & Techs

are flooded with food, sometimes shot before anyone has taken their first bite. We have shot hundreds of food photographs with our phones and there seems to be no end in sight. You go on an Instagram feed or on any social platform for that matter, just key-in ‘#food’ and you will find enumerable delicious food for your viewing pleasure.

Not to mention all the cool effects you can add on a phone: frames, scratches, vintage filters, or perhaps turning it into an artist square at the touch of a few buttons? It’s this kind of variety that changes the playing field. It’s almost too easy. Here are a few simple tips to increase your odds of shooting not just a better food photograph, but a photograph that will make people hungry.

Daylight to the rescue! Food is a natural subject, consisting of

elements taken from nature, so shooting in natural light is the best way to shoot food. When shooting food at a restaurant, use

Quite often, when you try your hand at food photography, you think taking great photos of food

require the use of an expensive large-format camera and lighting equipment. This tends to intimidate amateurs and they skip the idea of even exploring it. While there is no denying

that professional photographers still use expensive DSLR (digital single-lens-reflex) cameras and lighting to photograph food for magazines, newspapers and websites, but when you think about it, cellphones take most of today’s food photographs.

Websites like Facebook or Instagram

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available light. Try getting a table close to the window or a source. Once you have found some lovely soft directional window light, you may find quite a strong shadow on the opposite side of the food. Generally, you should avoid direct sunlight, as this is just too strong and will give you an image with very high contrast.

What App? It is important to use all of the tools

in your tool box, rather than depending on just a couple for your photography. Photographing half-eaten food-dishes with these apps can work alright, but try and prefer shooting an untouched dish to look clean and clear. That said, there are a couple of situations where these apps shine, and one of our favourite use for them is photographing produce and people. These apps give you some control over some lovely post processing effects, and these effects can really help to add atmosphere and feeling that is very evocative of the emotions of a situation.

Colour Correct? Various apps have an option to adjust the

Colour Temperature - this is worth having

a play with too. Chefs if you would like to sort out the colour of your picture taken in the kitchen, all you need to do is open your picture in an app like PerfectPhoto, and have a tinker with the colour balance setting. If your image starts off looking too yellow, move the blue slider to the right. If your picture starts off looking green, use the green and red sliders.

Lunch Shoot? Dinner Eat! Photography is less about cameras, and

more about light. Try to shoot at lunch, and not at dinner time. Leave the night time for eating and drinking, because the lighting in the daylight is way better than the night.

Dark is better One of the biggest problems with

shooting food in a restaurant or cafe is the bad lighting conditions during dinner – no lovely window light, you are stuck with yellow murky light. A video light works well – try bouncing it off of a white wall or napkin to soften the light.

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This is the workflow I usually follow:• Take the shot with the camera• Open the picture in Snapseed to rework• Save to Pictures• Open new version in Instagram• Finish editing and share through Instagram

Tips

Experiment! It is important to play with your food

before your shoot it. Experiment and explore. Shoot multiple shots. Try different filters and angles, everything will give you a different prospect to the picture.

Archive Remember you may want to use some

of these photographs at a later date. Lots of these photos might also include friends or relatives. Archiving and backup strategies are topics no one wants to hear about, but it’s important to keep your photos organised just like you would with an expensive camera. Back up those photos to a computer, hard drive or the cloud. We know its extra work, but you’ll appreciate it later on.

These are the things you can keep in mind while shooting food. Follow the techniques and make your own images. Until then, happy shooting!

TEXT: USHMA DHAMDHERE

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Tips & Techs

Guide to buying your first tripod

Tripod Head

Centre post

Tripod Legs

Tripod Feet

We have been trying our best to help you understand and make an informed and educated choice with various gears like, cameras, lenses, flash units, batteries and memory

cards through various shootouts, reviews and news. This month we will throw some light on tripods and give a basic guide on how to select a right one for you.

A tripod is used to provide stability while shooting at low shutter speeds or to help with support when using heavier cameras or lenses. Some of you may wonder, “Well what about the shake reduction or image stabilisation or vibration control which comes as a standard feature on my camera or lens?” this anti-shake feature does help, but only up to a point. In one of my previous articles, “Ready, Steady Shoot” in the March 2012 Vol. 24 – No.03 issue, a tips and techs article on the tricks of various techniques to use a monopod, and also gave an overview of the various tripods available along with their pros and cons. In this article, you will find more specific information to help you buy your first tripod.

Given below are a few subheads that you would generally find on the spec sheet of most tripods, which we will explain individually to help you make an informed choice.

Payload or Weight Rating One of the first things you look at is how much weight a tripod

can support. This is one of those factors that are generally not taken into due consideration and a photographer ends up buying a tripod which is not made for heavier DSLR cameras and lenses. This mismatch can ultimately cause the entire setup to collapse, destroying your expensive gear.

One of the first things you can do is find out how much your camera weighs, or manually weighing it on a weighing scale loaded with the battery and memory card. If you use a handgrip, weigh the entire setup along with the most commonly used lenses. Its better that the tripod you want to buy should support two times more than the total weight of your camera and heaviest lens.

Tripod Height When we refer to the tripod height we mean the maximum

height, minimum height and closed length of the tripod. When the tripod is fully extended (without extending the centre post), make sure that the tripod matches your height so that you do not have to bend to look into the viewfinder. It is alright if it is taller than you when fully extended.

The minimum height is its lowest height of the tripod with the camera on it. This could be useful if you wish to take photos from lower angles. The closed length of the tripod refers to its height when the legs of the tripod are retracted and the legs are pulled in. This information is useful if space for transporting it or storing it is restricted. If you consider carrying your tripod in your carry-on luggage while flying, this will be one of the factors that you ought to consider.

August 2014 69

Tripod Feet There are different types of tripod

feet - for indoors, rubber or plastic base is the best option and for outdoors use, metal spikes are your best bet. If you intend to use your tripod for various genres like landscapes or indoor studio work, it is advisable to look at tripods whose feet can be replaced for different conditions and situations. Advanced tripods have feet where a rubber base is screwed on to a metal spike, so this way you can use the tripod in various conditions by turning the rubber base in a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction.

Tripod Head One of the most essential parts of the tripod is the mechanism

that allows the movement of the camera, the head. It securely holds the camera while giving the user controlled movement of the camera. Few modular tripods do not include a head. After checking if the particular head can support the weight of the camera just like the tripod legs.

Given below are a few examples of commonly used heads:Pan-Tilt Head – comes with dual handles to control both

horizontal and vertical movement. This is the most common type of head that is typically built into cheaper tripods.

Ball-Head – has only one control knob which tightens or loosens the grip. They are very flexible and allow very smooth operation while keeping the cameras securely tightened.

Gimbal Head – a specialised head for long and heavy lenses. Compared to above, gimbal heads balance the camera and heavy lens giving perfect and effort free control to the photographer.

Tripod Weight As mentioned in the earlier article, the weight of the tripod plays

a vital role when choosing a tripod. If you travel quite a bit and shoot outdoors, a heavy tripod will not be your pick. On the other hand, tripods made of carbon-fiber material, which is extremely lightweight and durable can be a good option but it comes at a high price tag.

Tripods made from aluminum are much cheaper, light and quite durable are much more affordable as compared to the earlier.

Tripod Legs All tripods have around three to five sections on the legs. These

have different mechanisms to lock the legs at various heights. A threaded twist-lock system to secure the legs and sections with a flip-lock are various locking mechanisms. Avoid getting a tripod with more sections as the height increases, the tripod tends to get less stable.

Hope this gave you a better idea of what to look for while buying your first tripod.

TexT: STeVe D’SOuzA

Minimum Height

Maximum Height

Closed Length

Flip-lock

Twist-lock

Pan-Tilt head Ball head

Gimbal head

TIPS & TECHS



It is not always that you can tell your story in one single picture. Sometimes it takes two or maybe even three images to tell the whole story. Very often you shoot a subject from different angles and capture its different moods. And when reviewing the images you feel like you have more than one good picture of the same subject to tell its tale. At times like these you can present your images in a technique called diptychs and triptychs. Read on to find out what exactly it is.

What are diptychs and triptychs?

While you would have seen diptychs and triptychs many times before, you might not have known it is called by that name. Remember seeing those before-after comparative pictures? That’s an example of a diptych.

Basically, a diptych is two images of same or different subjects presented adjacent to each other to tell a story or put forth contrasting ideas. Similarly, a triptych is three images presented together as one. Diptych is pronounced as ‘dip-tick’,

whereas triptych is pronounced as ‘trip-tick’.

Tell a storyThe most common usage of a diptych

or a triptych is to tell a story. As you are not restricted to one image, you can give your viewer a clearer picture of the story behind your subject. You can use this photographic tool to add context to your otherwise single-shot photograph. It is not necessary the images have to be of the same subject. Depending on what you want to convey, you can have similar or polar opposite images

side-by-side to state your point. It can be used to show a progression of sorts, comparative images showing old vs. new or same subject different day, telling a joke, and so on.

Look out to look inOne of the best ways to make a good

Diptychs TriptychsDiptychs Triptychs

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August 2014 71

diptych (or even a triptych) is by combining wide-angle images with zoomed-in shots. The wide-angle image will act as an establishing shot for your viewer. It will give an overall idea of what’s going on, and will help give context. The zoomed-in shot can be used by you to focus on the more important things in the image, your main subject, for example.

If you only present a zoomed-in shot, the viewer will lack the context, and might not necessarily understand what is happening in the image. Placing the wide-angle shot helps the viewer relate the two and understand the story better. Thus, using this tool you’re presenting a stronger visual.

ThreesomeAs mentioned earlier, diptychs and

triptychs can be effectively used to show progression. As triptych has three images, it is more successful in showing progression. You can choose to include wide-angle and/or zoomed-in shots. Remember, the idea is to show different stages in the image. So, make wise selection of images that show the subject’s succession. Using pictures which show movement are very effective to express this.

Choosing the right imagesThe most important thing to remember

when making diptychs and triptychs is smart choosing of images. While there are no set rules of what you should and should not choose, there are certain things you can keep in mind to make fairly successful diptychs and triptychs.

If you’re showing a progression, as mentioned in the earlier point, make sure your images actually show some kind of succession. Or the entire exercise is pointless. If it’s a triptych, try to make sure that each of the three images is equally important. Do not add a filler image.

If you want to show contrasting ideas, do not choose overtly complicated images. Having simpler images which are polar opposites will get the point across easily. Your viewer should not look at the image and not have a clue of what you’re trying to portray. It should be smart and obviously contrasting for it to be effective.

The toolsFinally, it comes down to actually

creating the diptychs and triptychs. Once

you have shot your images, you can take them into any image editing software, open an empty canvas and then lay your images beside each other to create a diptych or a triptych.

However, to make things easier, if you’re using Adobe Photoshop, you can download a third party extension called Tych Panel. Created by Swedish photographer Reimund Trost, the app helps you to create diptychs, triptychs, polyptychs or other custom layouts.

The extension is fairly user-friendly and you can add more panels to top, bottom, left or right. You can even adjust height, width, re-order the images etc. You can further choose to enhance your panels by adding background colours, rounding corners etc.

At the end of the day, diptychs or triptychs is just one of the many photographic tools that will help you narrate your tale better. So, go ahead, be a storyteller and make some beautiful panelled images this month!

TexT: ABHISHek DeSAI

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72 August 2014 www.asianphotographyindia.com72 August 2014 www.asianphotographyindia.com

Using a gadget as a light source!Photographers are always concerned

about their studio setup and their lighting equipment. We all know

what a standard indoor studio looks like. However, did you know that you are carrying around a brilliant softbox with you most of the times? Your iPad or laptop isn’t just an entertainment console, but it’s also a brilliant proxy studio light. It can easily be converted into a light for illuminating objects, being cheaper and portable as compared to the heavy lighting systems. For those who aren’t willing to spend much, this month we bring you a way to set up your studio using your iPad, laptop and your mobile phone!

This month, we’ll look at different lighting set ups that use your gadgets as a source to light your subjects.

You don’t need a high-end lighting rig to take excellent product photos. In fact, you can manage to take professional looking photos using just an iPad, iPhone and laptop as light sources.

Laptops put out a lot of light, especially in a darkened room, and using a programme

like Microsoft Paint, you can open up a white screen that will act as a light source in the same way as a softbox does. The great thing about a digital lighting system is that you can choose new backgrounds, colours and shapes to instantly customise the effect.

Using an iPad to light a portrait For this technique, you’ll be required

to shoot in a darkened room so that the tablet’s light is the only thing illuminating your model.

Use a tripod for stability and pick a high ISO to compensate for the low light. You may choose to use a shutter speed of 1/15 sec, and create a shallow depth of field with an aperture of f/5.6.

Set your gadget at an angle to the model’s face and adjust it until you get an effect you like. This technique works just as well with a laptop screen.

Proper support Tablets and laptops produce a lovely soft

light, but there’s not very much of it, so you

TIPS & TECHS

You will need

• A dark room

• A fully charged laptop/

iPad/ mobile

• Your subject

• Tripod

• Camera

need to choose your settings carefully. You will need to start by mounting the camera on a tripod. This will enable you to choose whatever lens aperture you need to make the photo composition work without having to worry about the shutter speed. If you’re shooting portraits, though, you’ll need to increase the ISO because your subject won’t be able to stay still enough for long exposures.


natural light. If there’s no light, however, you can still get a great effect by using two tablets or laptops in a clamshell arrangement for even lighting. Position one screen on either side of your subject and use a tripod to

Use your gadget to light your still life photography

Still life arrangements, especially products, look a lot better shot under bright,

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get down to the level of what you’re shooting. The angled tablets will give an even light. Be careful to compose the shot so that the screens are not in view.

Live View focus It’s important to focus carefully

when shooting close-ups because there’s not much depth of field and you need to be sure the key area of your subject is sharp.

Live View mode uses the image actually captured by the sensor to focus, so it’s the most accurate method. You can move the square focus area to any part of the picture, and when you half-press the shutter button the camera focuses on that point – the focus square should turn green. It’s essential that the camera is on a tripod when you do this, because even a tiny change in the position will change the focus. And be patient – Live View autofocus is slower than the normal method.

Apart from these, there are many others areas in which you can opt to use your gadgets as a source of light and be creative! You can also experiment with different coloured lights being emitted from these light sources. Mobile applications allow you to download torches for your mobile phones, which offer you various coloured lights. So get your gadgets out and start shooting!

TEXT AND IMAGES: NEHA AGGARWAL

Note

While shooting portraits, for safety purposes, make sure that the light is not directly pointing in the eyes of your model and rather on their cheeks which gives an additional glow.

FEATURE

Behind closed doors


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When you think about shooting a series you always pick something that you can relate to

or something that interests you. Everyone’s perception about series is going to be different, and it is all about how you portray it. If you show the good side of something it’s going to be taken that way and same goes for the bad side. You hold the keys to your story; you just need the right set of frames and shots, and you can make an image out of it. Last month, we spoke about the series ‘Documenting School Kids’ and how you can do it. This month we’ll talk about ‘Doors’, another series we recently started.

A door is one of the most important details in good architecture. In a variety of colours and styles, you can see many examples of doors from all over the world. It’s great to see some rustic doors and other old-school medieval-like doors. It’s like

entering a dungeon! There is something about doors, they tell us so much about the streets, about history, about culture and they are everywhere. They are big, small, plain, colourful, old, new, modern, and antique; they come in all shapes and forms. Sometimes you will find open doors, sometimes closed, with or without people, and even some times the doors are gone, but you know where they were supposed to be.

Whenever you look at a door, doesn’t it just beg to be opened and walked through? Doors are one of the most intriguing and fascinating things. Just the idea of looking at a random door, the texture, the pattern and even just the colour, you can figure out things. They are full of patterns, textures and designs. They call us to be photographed. They come in a variety of shapes, sizes and materials. Some are huge and some are intimidating, some are small and just there. Some doors and windows

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are famous and some are also art forms. Capturing an image of a door or a

window might seem like an easy task. What can be so difficult about it, you might think. They are flat, so nothing to worry about depth of field. They do not move, so nothing to worry about shutter speed. But it’s not as easy as it sounds; doors and windows too have their challenges. Most of the times doors and windows try to avoid the sun; they are patiently waiting under awakeningss, doorways, trees. You will face the problem of shadows. Sun might be hitting them, so there is reflection, that you might not like or that you might want to take advantage of. Doors and windows in the shade tend to have a cool, low, blue tone light, so sometimes the use of warming filters is of help.

To me a door is something which gives me the best idea and impression of a person. The more details it has the more you know. As you start walking through the streets documenting these doors, will look at the smallest details and are bound to feel more connected to the family or people that inhabit the home. Usually in northern cities of India people paint their doors according to the religion they follow. But some places like Banaras have a symbol or signage which takes your mind off religion.

There are endless interesting and intriguing doors ready to be explored. So go ahead. Pick up the most random thing you can, observe it closely, tell a story. Until then Happy Shooting!

TEXT AND IMAGES: USHMA DHAMDHERE

In-case you decide to shoot “Doors”

• Remember to look for

three things-

1. Patterns and texture

2. Colors

3. Shape

• Observe.

• Compose.


While the mobile photo-editing app Vignette might have been around for some time now, we couldn’t resist ourselves from reviewing it for you all. There are tons of apps out in the market that will give you photo-editing feature, but Vignette promises to be something else.Costing `98 on Google Play Store, the app’s size is a mere 1.4mb. However, don’t let the small size of the application fool you. The nifty little app packs a punch; read on to fi nd out in detail.

VIGNETTE

APP REVIEWSAPP � is section brings you the reviews of all the new and noteworthy apps available on the various platforms

Using the camera Vignette can be used as an alternative

camera, as you can shoot images from the app too, and directly get to editing them. The camera function is quite user-friendly, and you can simply click a picture by tapping anywhere on the screen. The volume buttons can also be used to trigger the shutter.

Depending on if you’re shooting

landscape or portrait, swiping right (down) will give you zoom, exposure compensation, flash and camera (rear, front and video) toggle options, whereas, swiping left (top) will give you effect, gallery, resolution, import, camera settings (white balance, focus mode, scene mode, metering, brightness, contrast, saturation and more), user guide, shooting mode (self-timer, timelapse, strip, grid, double, fast shot etc) and support.

The different shooting modes are pretty good. The double photo feature, let’s you do some multi-exposure. However, there are no further options like opacity adjustment that you can do. The multi-shot option is also fairly okay, and could use some improvement.

Eff ects The filters and effects that Vignette offers

are what makes this app really interesting. Now, you can choose a filter and then shoot an image. Doing this, the output will be the filtered image. Whereas, you also have the option to shoot an normal image, and then tap on it to apply filters accordingly.

The set of filters offered by Vignette include basic filters like Vignette, Portra, Velvia, Ilford. The filters are then diving into further sections like Toy Camera, Vintage, Colour Highlight, Colour Swap, Tinted monochrome, Lens effects, Cinematic, Cross-process, Micellaneous etc. These sections include a number of further filters which offer Lomographic effects like Leaky, SX-70, Oversaturated, and further lens effects like soft filters, tilt-shift, colour and neutral density filters and many more.

We think the effects section is truly vast and diverse, and you can create endless dynamic images using them.

Frames The effects of the app do not end here.

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Vignette also offers a variety of different frames that just adds another layer of interest to your images. Depending on the filter selected, you can then select a frame type, which includes everything ranging from 3:2 Snapshots to 21:9 panoramas. There are other frame types like square, Instant film, and social media-ready sizes like Facebook cover and Google+ cover.

Having selected the frame type, you can then head to selecting a frame style. Here you get to choose if you want your frame

to be borderless, narrow, wide, rounded, convex, oval, French lined, padded etc.

You can furthermore even change the Frame colour, and the app offers options like white, off-white filtered (it applies the selected filter to the frame), light or dark (matching, complimentary, or coloured, ranging from grey to magenta).

Adjustments While there are multiple effects and

filters that you can apply to your images,

you can also go ahead and make other overall changes to an image. Once you have clicked an image, if you tap on it, it will give you an option of Save and close, Effect (which offers filters, frame etc), Share (which lets you share via different modes like email, Facebook, Whatsapp and a variety of other apps you have installed), Save a copy, Discard and Adjust. The option of Adjust will offer you various parameters like Brightness, Contrast, Saturation, Temperature, Rotation and Zoom. These parameters work pretty well and let you play with the basic settings of the image.

Final words While we think the app is wonderful and

offers a plethora of different filters, frames and shooting features, it can use some improvement in terms of smoother user-interface. You can find yourself wishing that it worked faster, especially when shooting and saving images. The effects and filters offered can do plenty to your images, but it lacks other advanced editing options like spot-healing, selective adjustment etc, which apps like Pixlr Express and Snapseed might offer. Nevertheless, for daily use and especially for amateurs who want quick editing and hip images, without the hassle of complicated editing, this app will do the job.

TEXT AND IMAGES: ABHISHEK DESAI


Battery shootout


After the start of AP’s shootout season with last month’s Memory card shootouts, it is time to proceed with this months’ shootout, the AA Rechargeable Battery Shootout.

From a photography standpoint, the use of AA batteries is restricted to mainly photographic accessories such as flash units, wireless triggers and even some DSLR battery grips. Other than this the use of such batteries in our everyday life has constantly increased and the use of rechargeable batteries is not excluded here.

In this year’s shootout we feature the Camelion LOCKBOX Rechargeable ACCU, envie Rechargeable, EVEREADY Ultima Rechargeable, and Uniross Rechargeable. This year we did not opt to use pre-charged or Ready-to-use (RTU) AA batteries like we did in the previous year’s shootout. This shootout is aimed at giving the readers an idea of how to understand batteries and make an informed choice. So let’s see how these AA rechargeable batteries fare against each other.

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Battery contenders Like every year we had certain prerequisites that were noted

about the industry before setting the mAh values for the AA category. For this year’s shootout we have used batteries with higher mAh values, hence we locked on 2700 mAh. As per our parameters each manufacturer sent across their best rechargeable batteries in the 2700 mAh capacity, Camelion LOCKBOX Rechargeable ACCU (2700 mAh), envie Rechargeable (2800 mAh), EVEREADY Ultima Rechargeable (2700 mAh), and Uniross Rechargeable (2700 mAh).

Parameters Similar to last year, we used a universal charger, the Maxell Ni-MH

AA/AAA battery charger to charge the batteries. The other parameters that were taken into consideration keeping

in mind both professional and amateur photographers were:• Charging time• Flash performance fired on the Nikon SB-900• Value for money

Charging time Charge time is critical for any user, especially photographers. As

they would generally have a 2-3 sets of 4 batteries and would need them to be charged quickly if they would have a back to back shoot schedule.

This year we used a common charger (Maxwell), to charge all the AA batteries. Similar to last year’s shootout, Uniross batteries took the least amount of time to charge; 6 hours 23 minutes. envie took 7 hours and 8minutes, Camelion took 7 hours and 29 minutes and Eveready took the longest time, 8 hours and 32 minutes to charge.

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Camelion envie EVEREADY Uniross

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Battery brands

Charge time

Flash test We used the Nikon SB-900 speedlight to evaluate the four

batteries. In this test, we fired the SB-900 at a manual setting of Full power until individual sets of batteries were completely discharged. The results in this test were close; envie churned out 274 flashes with a single full charge, Uniross came in a second with 224 flashes. Camelion and Eveready followed suite with 196 and 161 flashes respectively.

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Flash test

Conclusion

EVEREADY Ultima Rechargeable 2700mAhPriced at `600 for a pair of AA batteries, which is the most expensive form this year’s lot, the Eveready performed averagely. It charged in 8 hours 32 minutes, and fired 161 flashes on a single charge.

Camelion LOCKBOX Rechargeable ACCU 2700mAhThe Camelion LOCKBOX was a fair performer in the tests we conducted. Priced at `845 for four batteries, Camelion performed consistently with a charge time of 7 hours and 29 minutes, and 196 flashes.

Uniross Rechargeable 2700mAhUniross Rechargeable took the lead in the charging test with least charging time; 6 hours 23 minutes. The Uniross took the second place behind envie in the flash test, firing 224 flashes.

It was a close call between Uniross and envie, as both delivered equally good performance. With a price of `450 for two batteries Uniross fared well on our value for money parameter and came in second place in this year’s battery shootout.

envie Rechargeable 2800mAhThe envie Rechargeable was 100mAh higher than the competition, and we did expect the higher electric charge value to make a difference in the performance; but we could not ignore the fact that envie was a good performer at a reasonable price. With a charge time of 7 hours and 08 minutes, envie stood second behind Uniross in the charging test but it beat all batteries in the in the flash test. Priced at `850

for a pack of four batteries, the envie Rechargeable clearly became the best buy for this year’s AA battery shootout.


LENS REVIEW

The Tamron AF 16-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD is a wide-angle/telephoto zoom lens designed for APS-C crop sensor DSLRs. The lens boasts of a 35mm focal range of 24-450mm and features such as a Piezo Drive focusing motor, Tamron’s exclusive VC (Vibration Compensation) technology to combat motion blur, moisture resistant construction and a 39cm minimum focus distance and a maximum reproduction ratio of 1:2.9. We reviewed this telephoto lens this month; let’s see how it performed.

Tamron

PRICE

` 48,990

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Look, body and feel The Tamron AF 16-300mm F/3.5-

6.3 Di II VC PZD is quite light considering the massive 18.8x zoom range on offer, weighing in at 540g. It certainly did not feel too bulky in the hand and proved to be well-balanced on the Canon EOS 70D that we tested it with. The lens extends by about an extra 8cm when fully zoomed out to 300mm, towards the back of the Tamron AF 16-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD lens are three switches. The first is a simple lock to keep the lens at 16mm by placing the switch into a carved divot in the barrel. The other two switches are to toggle the AF/MF and VC on/off. The AF/MF switch on the side of the lens makes it easy to switch between the two focussing systems. Vibration Compensation is Tamron’s version of an image stabiliser. This is a big selling point for this product, as neither the Canon or Nikon equivalents offer such advanced

Sample Image

Sample Image


Excellent perfomance and feel in hand.

Look, body and feel rating

Amazing depth of field and great low-light perfomance.

Performance rating

For the price, it’s worth buying.

Overall rating

Focal Length 16-300Minimum Aperture F/22 ~ Maximum Aperture F/40Angle of View 82Â°12' - 5Â°20'Lens Construction 12|16Minimum Focus Distance 15.3in.(0.39m)Maximum Magnification Ratio

1:2.9 (at f=300mm; MFD 0.39m)

Filter Size 67mmMaximum Diameter 75mmLength 3.9in Weight 540g No. of Diaphragm Blades 7 (circular diaphragm)Standard Accessories Lens hood, detachable tripod

mountCompatible Mounts Canon / Nikon / Sony

Specifications

image stabilisation. The lens is supplied with lens caps and a petal-shaped lens hood - there’s no bag included. The filter size is 67mm.

Performance Its Vibration Compensation provides

optical image stabilization that reduces camera shake at slow shutter speeds and longer focal lengths. For decent use, there is also a Piezo Drive autofocus system which is powered by a fast and quiet standingwave

ultrasonic motor. This allows you to quickly achieve focus for sharp images. The 16-300mm is also capable of decent macro capabilities with a reproduction ratio of 1:2.9 when zoomed in to 300mm. This is due to a minimum focus distance of 15.3”. Also, for excellent image quality, numerous special glass elements are used in the lens design. There are one Hybrid Aspherical element, three Moulded-Glass elements, two Low Dispersion elements, one Extra Refractive Index element, and one Ultra-

Extra Refractive Index element. In practice, we found it offered around 3 f-stops of compensation, obviously dependent upon your own particular hand-held technique, making it easier to use the lens in low-light. It’s an active type that will visibly steady the shot in the lens for you to see. It does that for around a second after you’ve locked focus before resetting. Tamron claims that their VC system is lighter and smaller, thanks to a complete reversal in how the system operates. Usually, IS uses magnets attached to the IS lens element with electromagnetic coils. The new system is attached directly to the lens element which makes the mechanism easier and smoother.

Conclusion Tamron’s all-in-one 16-300MM F/3.5-

6.3 Di II VC PZD lens offers a true option for anyone that would prefer to only carry their crop-body DSLR with a single lens. Providing you with a zoom range normally only found on a compact digital or a super-tele lens, this lens surpasses other all-in-one lenses on both the wide and telephoto ends. It does come up a little short on the sharpness that a Canon or Nikon lens will have, but at a much more affordable price of `48,990 compared to the 1Lac+ that you will pay for the equivalents.

TExT AND IMAGES: USHMA DHAMDHERE

Sample Image


review

Lowepro Flipside Sport AW backpack

We at Asian Photography have been constantly reviewing various camera gear and

accessories and keep looking to test and assess newer gear to benefit our readers. Once you have rightfully selected and invested in your photography gear, the next thing you are going to look at is a way to safely transport your gear around securely. This month, we are reviewing a backpack from one of the leading camera bag manufacturers, the Lowepro Flipside Sport AW. Lowepro sent us their blue/light gray Flipside Sport 15L AW backpack. The Flipside Sport AW is specifically designed

keeping in mind photographers who need to carry their gear in rough outdoor conditions. We put the backpack to the test, by taking it to severe outdoor conditions where it is designed to be used.

Look, body and feel This Lowepro Flipside Sport 15L AW

was tested during my recent motorcycle trip to Ladakh. The backpack was mounted on the back of the motorcycle exposed in the open, where the camera gear needed to be highly accessible. The Flipside Sport has a back panel opening system like most bags in the Flipside category, and is available in

three sizes (20L AW, 15L AW and 10L AW) and two colours -Lowepro Orange/Light Grey and Galaxy Blue/Light Grey.

One of the first things that will catch your eye is the wide shoulder adjustable straps, customary to Lowepro, supported by an additional sternum strap, usually found in hiking backpacks. The straps are lightweight and perforated with breathable air channels meant for heat dissipation that are made of a material that feels like a mix of neoprene and foam, but much more durable. The centre of the backpack has three similar padded areas which gave me a snug and comfortable fit.

August 2014 91

The front of the bag is simple without any external pockets. The side of the backpack has an expandable zippered pocket designed to hold a 1 litre water bladder (Hydration reservoir) where the bladder sits perfectly within a separate mesh pocket in the compartment. While the other side has a nifty tripod holding system, in which two opposing flaps are used to secure the tripod. As compared to many camera backpacks, this is the simplest and quickest way to mount and dismount the tripod, and you would not feel the tripod moving even while doing some physically challenging activities.

Features • Lightweight, resilient and high-

performance fabrics constructed of 210D triple-ripstop nylon with PU

coating for improved durability• Perforated and breathable padded

shoulder straps• Removable, adjustable camera

compartment provides customisable space for gear; may be removed to convert to fully functional daypack

• Hydration-ready pocket offers easy-access to a hydration reservoir

• Built-in All Weather AW cover toprotect gear from rain, snow, dust and sand

Performance Even though the Flipside Sport AW is a

camera backpack, it’s a bag whose ultimate goal should be to accommodate various tit bits to keep out pockets free. The lack of including any in the front felt like the bag was missing something, as many times I ended

up opening the pocket with the hydration pack to stuff my wallet, or gloves while shooting.

While touring in some unusually beautiful locations, it is not possible to take off the bag and place it on a clean surface where dust, soil, sand or snow cannot get access to the inside of the bag. But with the Flipside Sport, you can take the bag off your shoulders, swing it around your waist letting the bag rest in front of you, while it is held on by the waist strap, and easily have access to your gear or even change lenses or memory card or batteries, without breaking a sweat. Another feature is the looped zippers, which are extremely convenient to open and close on the fly.

Moving to the inside, the bag that has an adjustable compartment that can store up to a main body with a battery grip attached to a 300mm f2.8 along with 2-3 lenses and a flash unit. The inside of the backpack is removable which allows you to pre-pack your gear and remove it and use the bag as a regular backpack. This removable compartment contains a handy storm flap to protect it from the elements you will inevitably come up against. During the ride, the bag, along with the gear inside, had fallen to the ground from a height of around four feet, but the bag did its job of protecting the gear. The all-weather cover stood its ground against dust, heavy rain, hail and snowfall which did not affect the inside of the bag.

Conclusion The Lowerpro Flipside Sport 15L AW

is comfortable for bike rides, hikes and general travel assignments with added ease to remove equipment from the bag without keeping he bag down. The hydrapack and tripod compartments are well thought of; however, a few external pockets in the front would have been a welcome feature. The overall build of the bag is designed for extremely demanding and severe weather conditions. This bag is worth the investment for photographers shooting and involved in action adventure. With a price tag of `8500 the Lowepro Flipside Sport 15L AW may seem a bit steep, but the lifetime warranty that Lowepro offers makes it definitely worth it.

TExT AnD IMAGES: STEvE D’SOUzA


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Picture by: Jaison Thomas Camera: Nikon D90Shutter speed: 1/125 secF-Number: f/2Focal length: 50 mmISO: 200

August 2014 93

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Picture by: Akash GhoshCamera: Nikon D7100Shutter speed: 1/10 secF-Number: f/3.5Focal length: 18mmISO: 320

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Picture by: Arnab Dutta ChowdhuryCamera: Sony SLT A-58Shutter speed: 1/400 secF-Number: f/5.6Focal length: 200mmISO: 200

Picture by: Amit Vakil Camera: Canon EOS 550D

Shutter speed: 1/30 secF- Number: f/20

Focal length: 10mmISO: 100


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Picture by: Banasree SikdarCamera: Nikon D90Shutter speed: 1/80 secF-Number: f/5.6Focal length: 140mmISO: 200

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Picture by: Sayan BhattacharyaCamera: Nikon D3200Shutter speed: 1/25 secF-Number: f/4.8Focal length: 42mmISO: 100

Picture by: Indrajit DebnathCamera: Nikon D7000

Shutter speed: 1/125 secF-Number: f/10

Focal length: 10mmISO: 100

August 2014 95

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Picture by: Sirsendu GayenCamera: Nikon D80Shutter speed: 1/100 secF-Number: f/9Focal length: 24mmISO: 100

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Picture by: Suvradip DuttaCamera: NIKON D90Shutter Speed: 1/1250 secF Number: f/10Focal length: 18mmISO: 100

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Picture by: Souvik PatraCamera: Canon EOS 600DShutter speed: 1/100 sec

F- Number: f/5.6Focal length: 79mm

ISO: 100


Dear Editor, The Pushkar Fair is one of the world’s largest camel fair, and apart from buying and selling of livestock, it has become an important tourist attraction. Thousands of people go to the banks of Pushkar Lake where the fair takes place. Held each November at the time of the Kartik Purnima full moon, Pushkar Camel Fair is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness the colour, spectacle and carnival of one of the last great traditional meals, which brings livestock, farmers, traders and villagers from all over Rajasthan.

Here are few images I would like to share, that I clicked at Pushkar Fair. Thanks & RegardsSirsendu Gayen,Kolkata

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