THOSE WHO MADE IT POSSIBLE
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Editorial
Manish Khattry Priyashi Negi Chief Visualiser
Editorial
Sheetal Mann Design
Harjeet Singh Abhishek Gangwar Research & Operations
Prateek Kashyap Sarthak Jain Melissa Sherpa Writers
Saman Waheed Vidit Mehta Vishakha Jha Sana Singh Technology
Sachin Arora Rishabh Jain Aditya Baghel Abhishek Tyagi Business Development
Rajesh Basu Amit Ghosh Sales
Krishna Srinivas Amit Gupta Marketing
Sriram Ramanujan Vasundhra Sethi Public Relations
Raghavi Rangarajan Staff Photographers
Abdul Momin Susana Gomez Tarundeep Singh Urshita Saini Daliya Banerjee Cinematographers
Dinesh Prasad Sah Nikhil Ruhela Kuldeep
In the humdrum of everyday lives, we often forget to celebrate the small things. These celebrations, albeit small and seemingly insignificant, are a respite from the ennui of our routine lives. Festivals are a very important part of our lives as they not only bring cheer and happiness in an individual’s life, but also strengthen us as a society. Chiiz, in this issue, brings to you a host of festivals that are a testament to the diverse ways in which we celebrate, much like photography, the moments lost in time. We have the Maha Shivaratri celebrations at the Isha Yoga Center, where people connect with their higher selves during the ‘Midnight Meditation’. Syam captures the ‘Manjal Neerattu’ in its most earthy and authentic form. Also featuring is Redbull’s athlete, Nouria Newman’s daring kayaking adventure in ‘The Ladakh Project’. The ‘Lathmar Holi’ of Barsana and Nandgaon are famous for their unique celebration of Holi. Maharshi Patel captures the essence of ‘Lathmar Holi’, a community enactment of a mythological tale and brings out vibrant and colorful captures that are full of life. When talking about celebrations and coming together of people, one cannot forego the ‘The Festival of Spirituality: Kumbh’. Viktor Lyagushkin’s concept of the exhibition is unique and one of its kind as he exhibits his underwater photographs under the ice which lasts ‘Until the Ice Melts’. Through this exhibition, he aims to raise awareness about the rapidly melting ice in the Arctic and climate change. Reka Nyari’s ‘Ink Stories’ are a beautiful blend of two art forms that are both unique and visually attractive. Last but not least, we have the best of chiiz.com in festivals category. Festivals and photography have much more in common than we understand. Just like photography, celebrations and festivals are a way to remember and recall the events of the past while celebrating the present. Both are an escape from everyday life as well as a reminder of it. Most importantly, they celebrate the little and big moments of the journey we call life.
Finance
Neelu Singh Consultant
Apratim Saha Mansa Inc. CEO
Mukesh Kumar Cover Photo
Abhi Surendran
Regards, Manish Khattry
Contents Triggers David Whelan Ambika Angela Bone Prasert Prapanoppasin Kartik Kumar Gerald Macua Sonia Noor Praveen Kamath Photowalk Dubai Wilfredo N. Lumagbas Dev Dodia Sambhu VS Ravikumar K Yogi Trivedi Francesco Morandin
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Features Midnight Meditation Pooja Sharma
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Manjal Neerattu Syam
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The Ladakh Project Nouria Newman
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Lathmar Holi Maharshi Patel
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The Festival of Spirituality: Kumbh Priyashi Negi
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Model of the Month Nickita Arora
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Until the Ice Melts: A White Sea Exhibition Viktor Lyagushkin
Makeup Artist of the Month Anu Kaushik
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Ink Stories Reka Nyari
Hall of Fame
Tools App of the Month Mix
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Classics Movie Review No Cameras Allowed
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Old is Gold Four Children for Sale
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Chiiz Gallery Best of chiiz.com
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Midnight Meditation
What started as a few days’ media assignment at Isha Yoga Center in Coimbatore in the lap of Adiyogi, turned out to be a blissful and ecstatic experience of my life. Having been there and done it all and gone through all the pleasures and sins of this life, this place had to offer me my most intense experience. I can share my experience at two levels – outside myself which includes lakhs of people who came here to attend the annual Maha Shivaratri celebrations from almost every part of the world and the one that I experienced within me which is more profound and magical.
Neelkantha Energy Nikon D4S 58mm F/13 1/15 ISO100
Mahashivratri celebrations happen every year as it is not only the night when Shiva got married to Parvati as per the ancient Indian tales, but it is also the night of immense possibilities, as per Sadhguru. It is believed that Shiva or Adiyogi comes down to Earth and with specific ‘sadhanas’ which one can begin from as early as 40 days prior and by being awake that night with their spine erect, one can reach the peak of his or her spiritual awakening.
It’s almost been a month now that I returned from Isha Center, but still, a part of me is left there or a part of Adiyogi is still left within me. I wish to go back soon for another experience – both to feel and then to share with you in my writings because only if one is receptive enough to energies and goes through these experiences themselves, can they express in words or any art form.
Lakhs of people sit in front of the 112 feet Adiyogi statue for Sadhguru’s midnight meditation. I met people from Australia, Dubai, US, England and of course every part of India. The 112 feet statue of Adiyogi is believed to coincide with the 112 body chakras that we have in our body. The night took us through a lot of musical performances by renowned artists. ‘Divya Darshan’, wherein masculine and feminine energy was depicted as ‘Ardhanarishwara’ was showcased as a light and sound show. After the ‘Maha Annandam’ – where food was served, came Sadhguru’s midnight meditation that got everyone in a trance and blew me away.
One thing that is unique and calls for mention is the spirit and dedication of the volunteers. From logistics to stage management, everything is taken care of by the volunteers. While we are taught things like “look at the carrot”, reward and punishment technique and to see what is in it for us, this place sets a precedent to serve others first and to just give endlessly. After a few interactions with some of the volunteers, I realized that this place has given them so much and they have gone through magical transformations in their lives. So they simply want to serve and offer themselves without the calculations of profit and loss.
For two and a half hours, I was laughing loudly, unstoppable and felt as if a lot of energy was circulating through my body. Though I have my share of experience in spirituality through Reiki and other healing techniques, however, this was more intense and joyful. I did not want to open my eyes and wished to stay there forever. People around me had said that my laughter was infectious; some even asked if I were on marijuana as if in our day-to-day lives, we have simply forgotten how to be joyful and laugh and here I was, laughing non-stop as if Shiva himself had entered inside me.
This is one place which is a must-visit and one should not forget to spend time in Dhyanalinga, Devi temple and visit Isha Home School for a complete spiritual experience.
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Pooja Sharma pooja@chiiz.com
Pooja Sharma is a holistic healer & a life coach who founded ‘Bodhisattva PS Private Limited’ and since then has been working globally. After rediscovering herself and facing her own challenges, she now practices and teaches multiple healing modalities and has taught hundreds. She is a Reiki grandmaster, Lama Fera master, Magnified Healing teacher and is also into crystals, Aromatherapy, Ayurveda, Color therapy, Dance therapy (being a classical dancer), Mudra therapy, Pendulum Dowsing, Space Clearing, Tarot Readings and Coffee Cup Readings. She also practices counseling, conducts stress management workshops, anger management workshops, relationship counseling and much more. She also enjoys traveling, reading, writing, music, watching movies and cooking.
Aarti at Linga Bhairavi Temple Nikon D3X 48mm F/2.8 1/60 ISO1600
Adiyogi - with Crowd Nikon D4S 55mm F/16 1/30 ISO100
Dhyanalinga
Tandava Nikon D4S 190mm F/4 1/250 ISO2500
Samskriti, Student’s Performance at Adiyogi Nikon D4S 185mm F/4 1/250 ISO2500
Aarti at Isha Maha Shivaratri 2019 Sony ILCE-9 56mm F/4 1/80 ISO3200
Panchbhuta Aradhna at Dhyanalinga Sony ILCE-9 30mm F/5.6 1/125 ISO25600
David Wheelan is an Australian wildlife photographer who has a fascination with endangered animals, particularly big cats. He has been taking photos seriously for about the last five to six years and is a Nikon user. He started out taking animal portraits at local zoos but have since traveled to Brazil, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. He looks at travelling to Kenya and India in the near future.
White Rhino Nikon D810 400mm F/2.8 1/800 ISO200
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Sumatran Orangutan Nikon D850 650mm F/4.8 1/500 ISO1000
Jaguar Nikon D850 400mm F/5 1/500 ISO1250
Sumatran tiger Nikon D5 800mm F/5.6 1/1000 ISO1600
Tasmanian Devil Nikon D5 550mm F/4 1/800 ISO2500
Koala Nikon D850 400mm F/4 1/640 ISO1600
Echidnas Nikon D850 400mm F/3.5 1/1000 ISO800
Painted Wolves Nikon D850 400mm F/4 1/500 ISO2500
Mana Pools Elephant Nikon D850 400mm F/6.3 1/1000 ISO800
Syam hailing from Kottarakkara, Kerala, through his photographic expeditions is documenting his life, travels, and the art that he is trying to create along the way. His dream is to travel to every nook and corner of India, especially the less explored rural parts. He captures whatever looks appealing to his eyes, but is more inclined towards travel photography. He loves to capture rituals, people and their daily routines and is obsessed with festivals. When someone looks at his photographs, he wants them to get the same feeling that he experienced while witnessing the scene. You can go through his work at randomclicks.in and follow him on Instagram @syamkrs
Manjal Neerattu (holy bath in boiling turmeric water) is a unique offering by the devotees to the temple goddess which is believed to purify the body and soul. The solution is prepared by boiling turmeric powder, ashwagandha powder, rose water, saffron flowers, and perfumes in more than 30 vessels. In this ritual, devotees pour boiling turmeric water into their body using the arecanut flower. It is said that they don’t even feel the pain because of their deep devotion. It is believed that this turmeric solution can clean and purify the atmosphere as well. Turmeric water with essential ingredients preparing in Uruli, traditional cookware extensively used in southern Indian states. Canon 60D 55mm F/4 1/1250 ISO250
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The yellow color of splashing turmeric water and the clothes leads the whole ritual to a unique color tone. Canon 60D 105mm F/4 1/800 ISO500
Devotees participating in this ritual and pouring the holy water into their body using the arecanutflower. Canon 60D 45mm F/4 1/800 ISO500
A moment where pain and sorrows have no role in life. Devoteein a trance during the ritual. Canon 60D 105mm F/4 1/800 ISO500
A devotee chanting the stories of temple goddess. Canon 60D 105mm F/4 1/800 ISO500
During the ritual, arecanut tree flower-bunch dipped into the boiling water and beaten strongly in the body. Canon 60D 105mm F/4 1/800 ISO500
Ambika Bone is a bird and wildlife photographer from Ballarat, Australia. Her passion for the natural world goes hand in hand with her lifestyle. She lives in the Australian bush, surrounded by Enfield State Park and considers herself lucky to have kangaroos, koalas and many beautiful Australian bird species in her own backyard. Her camera is never far from her side as she loves to share images of nature with the world. Photography also allows her to travel in search of new and exotic bird species to photograph. Birds are not easy subjects. They require patience and skill to find. Her sixteen-year-old son, Indra has a remarkable ear for music and birds call recognition. He is a photographer as well and accompanies her on her photographic journeys.
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Crested Pigeon Canon 5D Mark IV 700mm F/5.6 1/2000 ISO640
Pink Robin Canon 5D Mark IV 500mm F/8 1/250 ISO1250
Beautiful Firetail Canon 5D Mark IV 500mm F/4 1/1250 ISO100
Courting pair of Splendid Fairywrens Canon 5D Mark IV 500mm F/4 1/1000 ISO400
Grey Currawong Canon 5D Mark IV 500mm F/4 1/640 ISO800
Masked Lapwing Canon 5D Mark IV 500mm F/4 1/640 ISO800
Zebra Finch Canon 5D Mark IV 500mm F/4 1/1000 ISO100
Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater Canon 5D Mark IV 500mm F/4 1/200 ISO200
White-fronted Chat Canon 5D Mark IV 500mm F/4 1/1000 ISO100
Prasert Prapanoppasin is a photographer, living in Khon Kaen province in the north-east region of Thailand. He likes to capture the Thai culture and lifestyle in the countryside of Thailand. He spends his time traveling in the countryside of Thailand to learn about the local culture so that he can tell stories through his photography. Phi Ta Khon story Phi Ta Khon is the name of a group festival in the north-eastern part of Thailand. It is a part of a bigger festival called ‘Bun Luang’, usually held every year in July. Phi Ta Khon, sometimes known as the ‘ghost festival’, was originally called ‘Phi Tam Khon’ which means ‘ghost follows human’ in the Thai language. This festival relates to the story of the Vessantara Jataka, a past life of Buddha. In this story, Prince Vessantara Jataka made a long journey with his wife, Maddi, from deep forests to the Sivi Kingdom. The spirits in the forest, who loved Vessantara, followed him while he was traveling and celebrated his arrival. Phi Ta Khon mask is a very unique mask made by dried coconut leaf stalk, assembled with ‘Huad’ (bamboo streamed rice streamer) and the eyes, ears, mouth, and nose are painted with a traditional or modern pattern. The people who act as Phi Ta Khon need to adorn two important things while they dress upMak Kra Lang (small bell) and their weapon (sword or halberd made from wood). During the festival, all those who act as Phi Ta Khon attend the parade which is assumed to be Vessantara’s journey.
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Mask Maker FUJIFILM X-E2 27mm F/2.8 1/140 ISO800
Buddha and Naga FUJIFILM X-E2 14mm F/8 1/1000 ISO800
Siblings FUJIFILM X-E2 100mm F/4.5 1/500 ISO800
Phi Ta Khon girl FUJIFILM X-E2 243.3mm F/5 1/100 ISO800
My Mask FUJIFILM X-E2 170.5mm F/5 1/300 ISO800
Spook FUJIFILM X-E2 35mm F/2 1/950 ISO400
Kartik Kumar S., working as a software engineer in Bengaluru, is a passionate photographer. Trying to find time outside his nine-to-six job, he tries to capture the beautiful facets of India during the weekends and holidays. Being an introvert, photography has helped him to interact more with people and admire the culture and traditions of India. To him, photography is the best possible medium by means of which one can reveal the inner stories of the people and their traditions.
The Incarnation Canon 600D 50mm F/3.5 1/160 ISO100
Festival Description Mahashivratri is celebrated with great pomp and show at the small town of Kaveripattinam in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. ‘Angalaamman’ is a name given to the Tamil village deity. Mayana Kollai is the main function of Angalaamman festival where people disguise themselves as the goddess, Kaali and roam in the streets before visiting the deity. Once, by the order of Goddess Parvati, Shiva as “Rudra” removed one head of Brahma. So, Brahma, now with four heads, cursed Shiva that his fifth head(Kabala) must be attached to Shiva’s hand itself and hereafter Shiva must be affected with hunger and absence of sleep. Lord Vishnu advised Parvati to go to the Thandakarunyam graveyard with Shiva and to first serve food to Kabala and then throw the food everywhere in the graveyard. The Kabala came down, leaving Shiva’s hand, to eat the food and unable to find Shiva’s hand, it attached itself to Parvati’s hand. She then took the fiercest form of Angalaamman which destroyed the Kabala. 28 TRIGGERS
The Touch Of Grace Canon 600D 50mm F/1.8 1/100 ISO100
Rudra Kali Canon 600D 11mm F/1.8 1/500 ISO00
The Glance Canon 600D 50mm F/1.8 1/60 ISO200
The Celestial Canon 600D 50mm F/1.8 1/160 ISO100
Fierce Parvati Canon 600D 50mm F/1.8 1/500 ISO100
The Ladakh Project
Overcoming Rapids Nikon D5 200mm F/4 1/2500 ISO500
Seven days, three rivers, one kayaker‌ This is the story of Nouria Newman’s solo adventure in India. Nouria Newman recently completed a solo kayaking trip in Leh. The Red Bull athlete pushed her limits by kayaking through the treacherous rivers of Leh across three rivers: - The Tsarap River - The Zanskar River - The Indus River The 27-year-old traveled on the rivers in the day and camped in caves at night. With a kayak, pad, sleeping bag, poncho (turned into a tarp), emergency kit, she kayaked 450 km in seven days. Nouria is a four-time French Champion and a gold medalist at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships (2014). The winner of the best paddler in 2013, she knew it was going to be difficult but it was harder than she had imagined. Nouria faced numerous unexpected accidents (some life-threatening experiences) on the trip which drained her confidence. She had to face the challenges of the icy cold glaciers and river levels due to how water was being fed in by tributaries. But with over eight years of invaluable experience as a champion kayaker on her side, Nouria saw off these challenges.
Prepping Nikon D850 78mm F/2.8 1/1600 ISO100
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Young Kayakers Nikon D850 24mm F/4 1/1600 ISO125
Carrying the Load Nikon D850 190mm F/2.8 1/1250 ISO100
Submerged Nikon D850 24mm F/5.6 1/4000 ISO200
Serene Ride Nikon D5 14mm F/7.1 1/3200 ISO200
Splash Nikon D5 180mm F/4 1/2500 ISO500
Crashing Waves Nikon D5 200mm F/5.6 1/8000 ISO500
Overcoming Rapids Nikon D5 200mm F/4 1/2500 ISO500
Amidst the Currents Nikon D850 62mm F/4 1/6400 ISO200
Hitchhiker’s Guide to Nubra Valley Nikon 800E 105mm F/8 1/400 ISO500
Laid Out FC220 5mm F/2.2 1/25 ISO146
App of the Month MIX Rating: 4.4/5 Platform: Android/ iOS Cost: Free (In-app Purchases Available) MIX is a powerful yet easy-to-use image editor that can enhance your photos in seconds. In this month issue of Chiiz magazine, we look at MIX, the perfect image editing app for quick and straight-forward editing. It is an unpaid app which can be downloaded and installed on all Android devices from Google Play. Features of MIX by camera360 The app is offering 130 free, highquality filters covering a variety of styles including professional film, instant film, selfie, LOMO etc. A huge number of textures ranging from real and natural light to scratchy film textures can be used. Basic edits can me made like changing saturation, contrast and brightness by selecting one of the six icons in the edit view. Apart from these, some extraordinary editing options like vignettes, shadows and mid tones give the opportunity to the user to be as creative as he wants. One of its unique feature is that it also supports advanced image editing
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tools like curve, HSL, spilt toning etc. It’s just not an image editing app but also have a striking feature of MIX academy. In this you can study the image post- processing techniques. Except just grabbing knowledge you can also publish your best photos and filters to the MIX community to share with millions of MIX users. The app also provides 60 + effect enhancing texture overlays to the users. It also provides you with the facility to save and share your mown filters, which are backed up to the cloud and will never lost. In-app purchases are also available.
How is MIX different from other apps? The app is filter centric app and a user friendly one. The app offers a perfect balance between simple and advanced photo-editing options, a clean camera interface and classy filters. It is shipped with around 130 built-in, high quality filters covering a variety of picture styles, which includes professional reversal, color film, monochrome, Lomography and many more. The app is hence the perfect
choice for not only making minor adjustments but also for completely overhauling the images. Constant updates with new effects and filters make MIX, an app user will keep coming back to. Your creativity gets a chance to get reflected through various editing tools of MIX and to save your personalized filters. These filters can also be shared with the other user of the MIX community and they are backed up in the cloud which can be reached once you logged assuring the user that it won’t get lost ever. A drawback is that in-app purchases need to be done before accessing some of the best filters and effects and they are quite expensive. Moreover, it has the rotative mode only for the portrait mode. Many other bugs were fixed in their latest update. Chiiz Opinion MIX is the most popular and undoubtedly one of the best photoediting apps available as it actually takes your photographs to the next level. The app is easy to navigate through and makes your photograph look absolutely unique. It has rich filters, professional editing tools, highly effect enhancing textures and cropping & transforming features. To attract its user’s attention and also to increase their knowledge it has online academy. You can also publish photos and filters to the mix community which will be reflecting your creativity and style approach. New articles are posted on a regular basis in the community of MIX too. Vidit Mehta vidit@chiiz.com
The word that describes Vidit best is a wanderlust personality. He likes exploring new places, tasting different dishes which is why if you don’t find him exploring, you will find him cooking and trying new recipes. In his free time, he enters his own world of imagination which is reflected in his stories.
Maharshi Patel is a 24-year-old selftaught photographer. He completed his graduation in architecture a few years back but took up photography as his full-time career. He is into almost all genres of photography but his main interest remains in travel and architectural photography. In December 2018, he decided to travel all around India and cover different festivals in their native places. He also explored different cities like Varanasi, Kolkata, Pushkar, Delhi, Agra, and many more. In this journey of traveling, he came across a lot of talented and experienced photographers along the way. He’s excited to see what’s in store for him on his next travel destination. He believes that the more you travel the more you grow as a person. He says that “photography is all about art and creativity, and that there is no limit to it. One can never learn photography completely and we all remain learners for a lifetime.” Lathmar Holi Celebrated a few days before Holi in the neighboring towns of Barsana and Nandgaon, near Mathura in the state of Uttar Pradesh, the famous Lathmar Holi attracts thousands of Hindus and tourists every year. ‘Lathmar’ means ‘hitting with The Protective Lath sticks’. In the festival, men try to smear color on women who Sony A7III 16mm F/3.2 1/320 ISO1600 traditionally protect themselves with lathis or sticks. Lathmar Holi festival originated from the legend that Lord Krishna visited his love interest’s village and teased her friends. In retaliation, a host of women chased him away — a tradition repeated to this day. In a Holi tradition, unique to Barsana, men sing provocative songs to gain the attention of women, who then “beat” them with bamboo sticks called “lathis”. Thousands of people gather to witness the Lathmar Holi when and those on the sidelines sing Holi songs and shout “Sri Radhey” or “Sri Krishna”. The Holi songs of ‘Braj Mandal’ are sung in pure Braj language. The festival is very unique to this place and even today people celebrate it with a lot of enthusiasm.
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Narrow Lanes of Barsana Sony A7III 16mm F/2.8 1/400 ISO2000
The Defense Sony A7III 16mm F/3.2 1/250 ISO1600
The Tease Sony A7III 16mm F/2.8 1/320 ISO1600
Gerald Macua has always enjoyed photography but it is not until a few years ago that he decided to plunge more deeply into what is now his passion. He prefers landscapes, night, nature, abstracts, and cityscapes. Lately, he has been using a lot of drones to capture more unique images. This allows him to separate himself from the rest of social media where a lot of people try to copy the work of famous artists. Some of his images have been published by reputed magazines but he still considers himself to be a self-taught amateur. He used to post most of his work on social media, but recently, he has felt the need to step away from the ‘likes’ and ‘followers’ mania. To see his latest work, visit www. geraldmacuaphoto.com
Energized Nikon D850 15mm F/22 1.3”x10 ISO100
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Nature’s Painting Nikon D800e 80mm F/18 1/160 ISO200
The Island in the Sky Nikon D800e 112mm F/9 493” ISO100
Survival Nikon D800e 15mm F/2.8 30”x250 ISO640
Movie Review No Cameras Allowed Duration: 1hr 24mins. IMDB Rating: 7.6/10 Released: 2014 Genre: Documentary
What can be more honest than making a thing that is considered the most fictitious, a real journey of life and conveying the exact message you had really wanted to. ‘No Cameras Allowed’ is a movie that is one of its kind. There are a number of documentaries that have been made but none strikes a chord within us so truly as this does. The music of this film is very pleasing because it has all the big names of the music industry so you can’t really expect anything less than a brilliant sound score. The entire movie has a carnivalesque quality because of the background scores. The movie is one of a kind and one
cannot ignore its genuity. It shows a perfect plan as to how one can enter those hotshot music festivals such as Coachella, Bonnaroo, Glastonbury, Ultra among others. All you need is a schematic tactic and lo! You are in. You have to be aware of the area and should have full knowledge of how to manoeuvre your way through. For Haney, camera is his tool which gets him access into these music festivals. This documentary showcases the expedition Haney takes to get an inside edge into the life of people he admires the most and of artists of repute in the industry such as Mumford & Sons, Edward Sharpe, The Magnetic Zeroes and Jay-Z. Haney is passionate about whatever he does, which is very clear in his acting and the film he has made. In the documentary as well, he has this innate love for photography and filmmaking. His passion is contagious and catches on us almost as soon as the movie begins. There are times when his passion seems immature and wrong because he is ready to do anything to witness his favourite stars perform and capture them on his camera. But it is so genuine that we can’t help, but support him. He puts his future at risk and stakes his love when he gets an opportunity to go to a road trip with Mumford & Sons on their music tour and leaves the only place his heart had
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actually belonged to. This opportunity comes his way because his style of expression is extremely unique and the videos he has on his camera does not fail to incite delight amongst his renowned subjects. The only reason that he gets to go with them is, as Ted Dwane (bass player for Mumford & Sons) points out- “The access and perspective he is so hungry for is what makes his images so unique and compelling…” What we usually see is that the behind-the-scenes footage is released by the official record companies and hence it is not really real. With this documentary, we get extremely raw footage, which is not from the perspective of the officials but from the viewpoint of a man who has seen everything from a distance and everything up close as well. He knows the difference and uses it well. Yes, he sneaked into those music festivals which may not be considered right by some people but he followed his dreams. That, according to me, is the biggest takeaway from this movie. Dream and dream big. Be real when you dream and you will achieve your goals if you have the passion. It is your dreams that are going to give you the motivation to live on. Otherwise, life is nothing but a monotonous drudge. Go watch this movie if you have a dream.
Saman Waheed saman@chiiz.com
Saman Waheed, like all writers, loves writing about each and everything under the sun. An indoor person , she loves to sit back and just travel to another world, lost in her thoughts. She loves the company of books as they take her to places she has never been.
The Festival of Spirituality: Kumbh A congregation of millions! Pilgrims and leisure seekers, the affluent and the poor, religious and atheists- all forming a veritable river of humanity that flowed onto the banks of the Ganga, in the land of Prayag, to celebrate the greatest spiritual human gathering ever held in the history of the world, the Kumbha Mela. Celebrated four times over a time span of 12 years, Kumbh Mela in India is nothing short of a festival whose significance traces back to centuries-old mythological tales of devas (demigods) and asuras (demons). It is held at one of the four holy cities, i.e., Prayagraj, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik, most important of which is Prayagraj. Today, this festival is marked by the Naga sadhu akhadas and militant ascetic orders claiming the holiest spots at each Kumbh Mela’s most propitious moments. Although the Indian government now enforces an established bathing order, history records bloody disputes between groups vying for precedence. The Sadhus, Naga Sadhus and hermits mark the beginning of this renowned fair with their entrance on horses and elephants as they come in groups. Even tourists traveling to India from abroad can be spotted enjoying the festive and holy vibes at the site. Devout followers of Hinduism come in hordes to take a dip in the holy rivers to absolve their sins.
Abhinav Vishwakarma Varanasi, India
This year, Prayagraj was named the venue for the largest mass gathering of the world. The spirituality concentrated the very air of Prayag as people from around the world thronged the ghats of Ganga, Yamuna and their confluence. The sadhus, bodies smeared with white ash and donning the garlands of marigolds around their necks and their long matted hair, can often be seen smoking marijuana, are the main subjects of many photographers. The people, their rituals, and above all the eccentric sadhus make for a photography experience so unique that photographers form a major chunk of the people visiting the Kumbh. Text by: Priyashi Negi
Pramesh Sadh Prayagraj, India
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Ardha Kumbh Sony A7111 35mm F/11 1/160 ISO100
Siddharth Rathod Ahmedabad, India
Trinity Nikon D7100 35mm F/4.5 1/160 ISO500
Sunny Singh Kolkata, India
Welcome to Kumbh Nikon D3300 18mm F/13 1/640 ISO200
Naga Sadhu Canon 1300D 41mm F/5 1/250 ISO400
Vitthal Dyaneshwar Jondhale Sangamner, India
Shyam Agrawal Varanasi, India
Beyond Binaries Nikon D750 40mm F/4 1/1600 ISO100
Holy Dip Nikon D750 55mm F/5 1/500 ISO160
Dhiraj Ashok Chavan Mumbai, India
Prateek Kashyap New Delhi, India
Ashes to Ashes Nikon D5600 120mm F/4.5 1/800 ISO40
Naga Pairing Canon 60D 18mm F/3.5 1/320 ISO160
Aman Vishnu Prayagraj, India
Rachit Gupta Prayagraj, India
Meditation Sony A6500 6.5mm F/22 1/125 ISO125
Early Morning Holy Bath Nikon D5200 18mm F/4.5 1/40 ISO1600
Old is Gold Four Children For Sale
Newton’s third law of motion says that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Similarly, war has its own effects. In 1940, America was a turbulent place to live. World War II had kicked in and went through the first half of the decade leaving its mark on the better part of the world. It wasn’t until 1945 that it all came down and the world war came to an end. During the war, food and supplies were rationed, and even though the war had ended, it gave rise to an economic uproar in America. Amidst all this, a picture of ‘children for sale’, taken in August of 1948 which got published in Chicago Newspaper, reflected the dire circumstances of those who bore the brunt of the wreckage of the war. When just the thought of any mother selling her children, with a sign kept in her front yard, feels unbelievable, even by today’s standards, this picture shook all those who saw it. This picture that depicted a tragic story left an indelible effect. In this image, four small children sit huddled on the steps outside a home in Chicago, with a sign that reads “4 Children For Sale. Inquire Within.” Their pregnant mother wearing a floral dress – turns her head and shields her face from the camera. On the top step are Lana, 6, and Rae, 5. Sitting below are Milton, 4, and Sue Ellen, 2. The father of the children, Ray, had lost his job as a coal truck driver and the family was facing eviction from their apartment at the time. With the scope of being homeless and having to fulfill the responsibility of feeding so many mouths, they chose to auction off their own children. Shortly thereafter, the father abandoned the family, and records show that he had a criminal record. Lucille went on government assistance. A fifth child, David, was born in 1949 who was also sold along with the other four siblings who were captured in the photograph. Some of the kids who got sold led really horrifying lives ahead. When talking about the process of being sold, Rae Ann recalls that her younger brother, Milton, felt so bad about leaving her and cried so hard that the couple who decided to pay for her also took him. The couple who bought them for $2 were farmers who later used their “adopted” kids as forced labor. Later, at the age of 17, after spending most of her life in such tormenting slavery, Rae Ann was kidnapped from her adoptive home and raped. She became pregnant and her adopted family was so scared to accept her back that they sent her off to a home for unwed mothers. The child was taken away from her and was put up for adoption. Finally, she left the Zoetemans and never returned. The youngest child, David, whose original name was Bedford Chalifoux, 48 CLASSICS
was given away at the age of two in a not very cherished and loved state. When his adoptive family bought him, he already had the marks of bed bug bites throughout his body. The Chalifoux siblings were scattered since they were sold at an early age. Somehow, through social media, they were able to find each other and reunite in a much later stage of their lives. Rae Ann was able to find her way back to meet her sister, Sue Ellen Chalifoux in 2013. This was especially very crucial and significant as Sue Ellen was diagnosed from a fatal lung disease. David, Rae Ann, and Milton reunited that same year. Their eldest sister, Lana, died from cancer in 1998. They wanted to stand together as a family for each other and so they used social media to connect with Lana’s family and learn more about how she led her life. Later, the picture received more attention from a wider audience and after the picture appeared in papers throughout the US, offers of jobs, homes and financial assistance poured in. The entire episode is a testimony to the fact that we never know who we are until we are tested in the most difficult situations. Perhaps, we don’t always have to go to the extremes of war. Maybe, we can just try to be kinder, reach out to others who need help and be more conscious towards our responsibilities- not just as an individual but towards society. We also need to build an inner reserve of a vehement identity that will help us sustain even when everything else falls apart. Vishakha Jha vishakha@chiiz.com
Believer in magic of words and power of pronoia, that’s who Vishakha is. On a crusade to discover the marvel of life, she is the ever glowing shimmer of hope. Her idea of perfect living includes tea in cold December morning with her choice of literature.
Sonia Noor moved into food photography because she has always been fascinated by the art of cooking and baking. Sonia’s intense passion for cooking and baking made her pick up the camera to share her creations. Enthralled by the colors of fresh ingredients, she desired to duplicate the elusive sunrise colors in her images. Having embraced the art of photography, she allowed her creative vibes to flow with composition, torrents of light replicating the colors of the golden hour entered her images, enhancing the textures and colors of the culinary creations that she captured. With a pledged to create more awareness about the subject of food photography in her home country Bangladesh, she formed her food photography page, ‘Cook- Shoot’. Soon, Cook-Shoot became popular in the country, a fast-growing cognizance of capturing food images resulted in awards and features in many magazines. Combined with chiaroscuro, representing light and shadows in visual art, she managed to make the audience visualize a truly three-dimensional look based on depth and layers. Sonia’s photos permit the viewer to experience the actuality to be in the same room, watching her work, crafting her culinary work. Ideas and inspirations are then also never distant to capture another stunning image. Sonia’s work has been featured in various publications and she runs, besides Cook-Shoot, ‘The Bangladesh Food Styling Group’, one of the most popular photography groups in Bangladesh.
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Baklava Canon 60D 25MM F/4 1/500 ISO400
Pakon Pitha Canon 600D 34MM F/4.5 1/50 ISO200
Raw Spaghetti Canon 600D 49MM F/5.6 1/10 ISO200
Still Life Canon 600D 46MM F/4.5 1/350 ISO800
Tea Steam Canon 60D 41MM F/4.5 1/50 ISO400
Tea with Droplets Canon 600D 33MM F/4.5 1/350 ISO800
Time to Get Back Home Canon EOS R 640mm F/11 1/2500 ISO100
Giant Rabbit in HongPunch Kong Watermelon CanonCanon 6D Mark II 14mm 1/100 600D 34MM F/4 F/4.5 1/30ISO1600 ISO200
Born into an army family in Lucknow, India, Praveen Kamath was brought up in about 17 cities across India till he graduated & settled down in Bangalore. His interest in photography started when he first held his father’s Pentax camera. Since then, capturing moments and creating memories has become quite an essential part of his life. He clicks a little bit of everything- portraits, weddings and architecture among others, but photographing scale models is what interests him the most. His interest in miniature photography started when his best friend gifted him a few HO scale figures. He currently has a collection of over 1000 figures, 50 models and still counting. It’s been 10 years since he got his first camera & six years since he got his first set of figures. For him to create beautiful images, he needs to create a scene that looks like a real-life scenario. This takes somewhere between two to six hours depending on the figures & accessories that go into creating this scene. The scale he works on is 1:87, commonly known as HO scale. Miniature photography gives his imagination a platform to be converted into a story that these tiny scale models help him to narrate. His work has been featured in a few national newspapers & city radio channels for his work in miniature photography.
Vacation Canon 60D 55mm F/8 1/60 ISO800
Grandpa Canon 60D 100mm F/14 1/30 ISO800
Homecoming Canon 60D 55mm F/32 3.2 ISO1000
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Man & Dog Canon 60D 46mm F/5.6 1/30 ISO1000
Postman Canon 60D 37mm F/6.3 1/4 ISO640
Photowalk Dubai “Passion is contagious. Find your passion. Live it, Share it, Exude it. Then watch it inspire passion in others.” The above quote resonates with the mantra of Photowalk Dubai - to shoot, share and learn, to feed the burning passion of like-minded souls. A group founded in 2012 by Subodh Shetty and Anjum Vahanvati, with just about a dozen members, has steadily grown to over 18000 members today. What began with local photo walks within UAE has steadily been expanded with inspirational seminars, local workshops with renowned photographers, photo exhibitions at prominent platforms, annual coffee
table photo book published and now international photography tours. Also keeping in line with the local talents, Photowalk Dubai conducts monthly photography contests. The recent contest for the month of February 2019 being ‘Shot On Phone’, the members were asked to share their best images shot on a phone. Creativity has no limit. Those who see right - can shoot right - no matter what equipment they have. We encouraged our members to showcase their talent and share with us their best shots created on a phone. The top 3 images are as seen here.
Pradeep Jenvi Dubai, UAE
Found this alligator in the great reflective pool of waters near Everglades National Park in Florida. 56 TRIGGERS
Flying Alligator Samsung S8+
Pooja Udaikumar Dubai, UAE
The Taste Test Google Pixel 2
Water tastes different in every new place. This shot was taken on the first day in a new home, in a new city, away from home. After all, it takes imagination to have a healthy relationship with reality.
Rosaline Baylosis Dubai, UAE
Wahdah Samsung Galaxy s7 edge
While walking in the busy streets of Dubai and rushing to grab some dinner, I found this man outside the balcony of a hotel located in Baniyas Creekside. Breaking out the patterns of the balconies caught my attention and had a quick snap after crossing the pedestrian.
Until the Ice Melts: A White Sea Exhibition Viktor Lyagushkin is a world-renowned photographer, winner of countless contests, Nikon Ambassador and a National Geographic photographer. For almost 10 years, admirers of Viktor’s talent are surprised with his projects, such as the “Orda Cave. Awareness”, dedicated to the longest gypsum cave in the world which is located in the Urals and the “Princess of Whales”, where a naked woman swam under the ice with beluga whales and others. The exhibition “Until The Ice Melts” is part of a large project by Viktor Lyagushkin on documenting the animals of the White Sea. The world’s first exhibition of photographs under the ice is opened to visitors from 19th of February 2019, beyond the Arctic Circle in the White Sea. Martians and spaceships, Eywa the Wood and alien brain, aquanaut traveling across the sea on a balloon - this is how photographer Viktor Lyagushkin showed the underwater world of the White Sea in his photographs. A wide-angle macro shot taken with a fisheye lens is a new photographic technique invented by Viktor. The invention allowed the author to do something that no one had managed before him: to show the tiny inhabitants of the underwater Arctic in their natural environment. The exhibition will last until the beginning of the ice melting. The photos were taken in MarchSeptember 2018, in the same place where they are now on display - in the White Sea. Basically, the team consisted of two people: Viktor and his assistant, Bogdana. Also, the staff of the Arctic Circle Dive Centre provided for their dives and helped on the surface. There are 10 pictures under ice, one of them is an informational table in Russian and English and Viktor’s portrait with his photo equipment. All the photos (excluding his portrait) are clicked by Viktor Lyagushkin. They tested various materials for resistance to salt water for six months 58 TRIGGERS
by simply soaking them at home in a basin with table salt and watched what happened. As a result, they chose plastic with UV printing (outdoor advertising is usually printed this way) and printed pictures with a size of
When Viktor saw his photos underwater, they had seemed to obtain additional depth that was not noticeable on the surface. “When I saw this, I realized that I had done something more than just an unusual
Two Worlds Nikon D850 16mm F/4 1/50 ISO1600
80x120 sm. Initially, they thought of fixing the pictures to the bottom, but then they realized that it would be easier to do the opposite: load them with lead and hang them from the ice as it would be easier and smoother. They marked ice with a tape measure, and cut out narrow lanes into which they put the pictures. Strings were attached to the pictures, which were fixed on the ice with ordinary pine wood blocks. They chose thin ropes of inconspicuous color to not make them noticeable under the water and it seemed like the photos were hanging in the water column by themselves. For Viktor Lyagushkin, the visual part is very important. Many artists, exhibiting their works, are looking for the correct design, to help their paintings to be revealed most fully. The result exceeded all expectations: the ice in the photo rhymed with real ice, the pictures looked like portals to another world, it seemed that the image in the photo was more real than the surrounding reality.
exhibition in an unusual place,” said Viktor Lyagushkin. Despite the fact that he was drawn by the visual idea, Viktor was sure that this is also a great opportunity to draw attention to the problem of climate change. “The Arctic ice is melting at a catastrophic rate, and Russia thinks very little about it as if we have enough other problems and the level of public awareness is zero. Climate change will affect our lives tomorrow, and the lives of our children the day after tomorrow,” says Viktor. When we see something for the first time, when we encounter something we don’t know, it seems to us that there is some kind of magic in it. There is enough magic in the world around us, and therefore Viktor takes pictures of its manifestations that he notices. The exhibition has already been watched by several dozen people; these are divers from Russia, China and Germany. They were the guests of the Arctic Circle Diving Centre and learned about the exhibition there itself. But
the word spreads fast and many more are expected to see the exhibition until the ice melts. We assume several hundred people in total will see it under the ice. Towards the end of spring, Viktor and his team will get the photos from under the water after which they can be viewed by anyone. “The world changes before our very eyes, the Arctic ice is melting, the climate is changing, species are disappearing. My goal is to show people this wonderful world under the ice so that humanity understands what we will lose in the near future if we do not turn our attention to this problem.� - Viktor Lyagushkin
Through Thick and Thin Nikon D850 35mm F/7.1 1/1250 ISO100
Martians Greet an Alien Starship Nikon Z7 36mm F/13 1/60 ISO80
The Lonely Arctic Nikon D850 35mm F/5.6 1/640 ISO100
Installation Nikon D850 35mm F/5.6 1/800 ISO100
Framing Done Right Nikon Z7 37mm F/4 1/250 ISO400
Resurfacing Nikon Z7 24mm F/6.3 1/200 ISO64
Alien Brain Nikon D850 15mm F/13 1/80 ISO3200
Exhibition Under Ice Nikon D850 16mm F/4 1/60 ISO1600
Wilfredo N. Lumagbas Jr. is a 45-year-old from Bacolod City, Philippines. A civil engineer by profession and a part-time teacher, Wilfredo is a hobbyist photographer. His father, who is also an artist by heart, was the instrument towards his love for photography. He started with just a point and shoot camera and was later able to acquire NIKON D3100 and eventually upgraded to Nikon D750. Now, he is inspired to learn more about photography. Mudpack Festival is one of Philippine’s most symbolic festival. A celebration of man’s return to a primitive time when he was closer to nature. It is held annually at Mambukal Resort, Murcia, Negros Occidental where the dancers are coated with mud from the resort. This festival is celebrated every year, in the third weekend of June.
Avatar Nikon D3100 100mm F/4.5 1/250 ISO100
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The Face Nikon D3100 98mm F/4.5 1/60 ISO100
The Look Nikon D3100 85mm F/5 1/60 ISO800
Mudpack Festival Nikon D3100 55mm F/4 1/25 ISO100
Seeing the Light Nikon D3100 62mm F/4.2 1/60 ISO100
Save Mother Earth Nikon D3100 102mm F/6.3 1/200 ISO400
Look-up Nikon D3100 65mm F/4.2 1/20 ISO100
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Hiding Nikon D3100 62mm F/4.2 1/80 ISO100
Dev Dodia is a creative enthusiast and has always been fascinated by the world of nature, beauty, art, and elegance. He plays his role in increasing its magic by capturing everyday life moments in real time through his phone and sharing its beauty to the world on various social media channels while also representing his country worldwide. Having a keen eye for art and beauty is his forte and he aspires to take his journey in photography further, to discover much more depth in the world in front of his eyes. He takes spontaneous road trips and likes seeing the world through different perspectives every day. You can go through more of his work on Instagram @devdxb
Messages of Peace & Happiness, Mathura iPhoneX 6mm F/2.4 1/140 ISO16
Lathmar Holi Vivo 1818 1.64mm F/2.2 1/400 ISO49
Soul Family, Kolhapur iPhoneX 6mm F/2.4 1/850 ISO16
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Sambhu VS is a 23-year-old journalism student and is passionate about travel and photography. Hailing from a middle-class family, his passion lets him overcome all the social norms that pull bog him down while he chases my dream. He travels on a strict budget and photographs places and people, stepping a little more out of his comfort zone every time. In the future, he aspires to work where he will be able to follow his passion. He loves to capture Indian festivals, wildlife, and rural life. You can follow him on Instagram @sambhu vs Kodungallur Bharani festival Frenzied mob of devotees, led by ‘komaram’ (meaning oracles), clad in red robes, brandishing traditional swords with bells on them, blood dripping from their sandals and turmeric paste-smeared foreheads, storm the temple, making the atmosphere electric and delirious, all at once. They time their steps to a divine rhythm, egged on by devotees who chant ‘thannaro thannaro’. The oracles, still in trance, walk around the temple three times while the members of their retinue pay tribute inside the sanctum sanctorum; they hurl abuses and profanities at the deity, who, they believe, accepts them with a benign motherly ardor. It is a celebration of raw energy and fierce devotion, an expression of ‘tamasic’ power. This spectacle is enacted annually at Kodungallur Kurumba Bhagavathy temple in Thrissur district of Kerala during the Bharani festival.
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Trance Nikon D750 120mm F/4 1/640 ISO200
Rage Nikon D750 50mm F/2.8 1/500 ISO80
The Oracle Tree Nikon D750 55mm F/4.5 1/320 ISO320
Red Contrast Nikon D750 24mm F/4 1/500 ISO150
State of Mind in a Trance Nikon D750 50mm F/1.8 1/320 ISO120
Catalepsy Nikon D750 50mm F/1.8 1/500 ISO320
Ravikumar K hails from a rural village called Vayalur from Tamilnadu and from a young age, has been interested in nature. Watching Animal Planet and Discovery channel, especially, Steve Irwin’s show (The crocodile hunter) went on to increase that interest. He didn’t have much knowledge of cameras and photography until he moved to Bangalore in 2016. Every week, he used to go out with his brother to enjoy nature while he was learning photography. He learned the basics of camera and photography from his brother. After he became acquainted with what he could do with photography, he started to practice photography seriously. His experiences with macro photography is a special journey. The macro world is always challenging and breathtaking to him. The colors and patterns blow his mind each time he looks through the viewfinder.
Golden Jumper Canon 80D 35mm 1/200 ISO400
Jumping Canon 1200D 50mm F/13 1/160 ISO400
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Lynx Spider Canon 80D 35mm 1/80 ISO160
Orb Weaver Samsung S7 4.2mm F/1.7 1/182 ISO64
Wasp Canon 80D 50mm 1/250 ISO400
Wasp with its Kill Canon 1200D 50mm ISO1600
Long Horned Beetle Canon 80D 50mm F/8 ISO400
Pankaj Narshana Mumbai, India
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CHIIZ GALLERY
To get published, upload your photos on chiiz.com
The Yellow Festival Nikon D750 24mm F/13 1/500 ISO200
Manish Sharma Delhi, India
Debalina Bhatta Kolkata, India
Rayhan Ahmed Dhaka, Bangladesh
Sivapoom Yamasaki Samutprakarn, Thailand
Prayer,Lights & Aura Canon 6D 54mm F/2.8 1/80 ISO400
Dev Dipavali Canon 80D 10mm F/5.6 1/100 ISO2500
Worship Canon 60D 50mm F/5 1/30 ISO1000
Loy Krathong Festival Nikon D70s 10mm F/3.5 0.8 ISO200
Krishnendu Saha Kolkata, India
Sumit Goel Jamnagar, India
Mukesh Mishra Bangalore, India
Kali Puja Nikon D750 24mm F/4 1/125 ISO400
Mashaal Raas Nikon D7000 11mm F11 1/40 ISO640
Navratri Ashtami Canon 550D 18mm F/8 3 ISO100
Dipock Paul Chittagong, Bangladesh
Sampa Guha Majumdar Jamnagar, India
Sonika Agarwal Mumbai, India
Mayukh Mitra Kolkata, India
Probarona Purnima Nikon D610 16mm F/8 1/160 ISO6400
Diwali Nikon D810 50mm F/4.5 1/10 ISO400
Making of the God Nikon D5300 18mm F/3.5 1/100 ISO1600
Chhath Festival Nikon D3200 18mm F/8 1/200 ISO200
Nafis Ameen Dhaka, Bangladesh
Bengali New Year Nikon D3200 40mm F/5.3 1/10 ISO800
Somiya Mallick Kolkata, India
Ready to Fly Nikon D750 24mm F/4 1/1000 ISO640
Nirmal Harindran Mumbai, India
Anindita Roy Dhaka, Bangladesh
Visarjan Canon 5D Mark IV 173mm F/8 1/200 ISO100
Rakher Upobash NIKON D5500 48mm F/5 1/13 ISO500
Chetan Suresh Dodwad Kohlapur, India
The Star Performer Nikon D3200 55mm F/6.3 1/320 ISO100
Saurabh Gangil Agra, India
Festival of Colors Canon 700D 55mm F/7.1 1/400 ISO200
Energetic musician Nikon D750 15mm F/2.8 1/2500 ISO500
Milind Shirsat Mumbai, India
Blessing Happiness Nikon D7000 50mm F/2.5 1/500 ISO100
Yellow Festival Jejuri Nikon D7200 18mm F/11 1/200 ISO100
Joyraj Samanta Kolkata, India
Ruby Sarkar Kolkata, India
Holi Canon Powershot A95 10mm F/3.2 1/20 ISO100
Shrideep S. Nanal Kalyan, India
Faith Nikon D750 70mm F/4 1/1500 ISO100
Darshan Singh Lucknow, India
Amod Kumar Patna, India
Splash of Colors Nikon D7000 22mm F/8 1/320 ISO250
Ankita Dahake Mumbai, India
Festive joy Canon 60D 40mm F/4.5 1/250 ISO500
Anshul Akhouri Patna, India
Battle of the Demons Nikon D3300 35mm F/2 1/400 ISO100
Suvajit Mukherjee Kolkata, India
Sony Rajput Bhopal, India
Happiness Canon 700D 18mm F/3.5 1/250 ISO400
Third Vision Nikon 5300 18mm F/8 1/80 ISO100
Soumik Das Kolkata, India
Agha Mondal Purnia, India
Anant Kumar Dhanbad, India
Saurabh Sirohiya Kolkata, India
Krishna Playing Holi Nikon D3200 40mm F/5 1/80 ISO400
Chath Mahaparva Nikon D5300 50mm F/1.8 1/125 ISO125
Chhau Festival Nikon D750 24mm F/4 1/400 ISO250
Kali Portrait from Pushkar Nikon D7200 16mm F/8 1/400 ISO160
Vishal Kapoor Prayagraj, India
Ready to Launch Nikon D5300 18mm F/8 1/320 ISO100
Deepam Kapur Ghaziabad, India
Decorated Naga Nikon D810 85mm F/2.8 1/125 ISO100
Ankush Bagga Zirakpur, India
The Little Pietist Nikon D3300 50mm F/4 1/1600 ISO200
Rashid Khan Prayagraj, India
Dewanshu Kumar Roy Missamari, India
Modern Indian Monk NikonD750 50mm F/6.3 1/400 ISO320
Spirituality of Kumbh Nikon D750 70mm F/2.8 1/160 ISO12800
Shilpi Dasgupta Kolkata, India
Tradition Nikon D7200 16mm F/9 1/500 ISO100
Sagar Arora Agra, India
Mahadev Nikon D3300 18mm F/3.5 1/100 ISO800
Vivek Kalyan New Delhi, India
Meditating Naga Canon 80D 29mm F/6.3 1/60 ISO400
Puja Bansal Agra, India
World of a Naga Sadhu Canon 80D 100mm F7.1 1/160 ISO200
Partha Chakraborty Maynaguri, India
Naga Saint of Kumbh Canon 60D 50mm F/1.8 1/50 ISO2000
Rohan Subhash More Mumbai, India
Pramil Dwivedi Prayagraj, India
Sunset at Kumbh Canon 700D 40mm F/11 1/80 ISO200
Rohan Fernandes Goa, India
Ardha Kumbh 2019 Canon 6D Mark II 24mm F/5 1/160 ISO1600
Chikal Kalo Mud festival goa Nikon D7100 56mm F/5.6 1/4000 ISO500
Aindam Das Kolkata, India
Dhunochi Nach Nikon D7000 11mm F/6.3 1/500 ISO500
Debasish Nag Kolkata, India
Devotional Playing of Chenda NikonD3100 28mm F/6.3 1/125 ISO100
Sudipta Roy Choudhury Asansol, India
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Priya Goswami New Delhi, India
Hola Mohalla Nikon D800 50mm F/5.6 1/800 ISO100
Sanjiban Ghosh Kolkata, India
Dhunuchi Naach Nikon D750 24mm F/4 1/250 ISO6400
Eid Namaaz Dreams D3200 18mmF/8 F/11 1/13ISO1600 ISO100 CanonNikon 5D Mark IV 80mm 1/320
Director, Yogi Trivedi’s journey has been topsy-turvy. As an average teenager unable to decide what to pursue, it took him a while to figure out where his heart lay. He used his camera to capture random clicks to get his interest going. He worked as a photography assistant. He merely observed and never let his hunger to learn drop. He also spent a wedding season in Mumbai and also got to shoot two Bollywood weddings with eminent personalities. Mumbai gave him a glimpse of pre-weddings and how trendy it was. He realised that this was what Gujarat needed then! The perfect blend of skills and creativity led to the execution of a pending idea – Oragraphy. In the process, the company has won awards including International wedding film 2016 and three awards for pre-wedding photography.
Let Love Freeze Time DJI FC2103 4mm F/2.8 1/640 ISO100
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Let your Soul Reflect the Love Canon 1D X Mark II 35mm F/6.3 1/125 ISO125
The Elegance of a Bride Canon 1D X Mark II 35mm F/11 1/250 ISO160
The Smile is a Gift of Love Canon 1D X Mark II 35mm F/1.4 1/125 ISO100
The Trail of Love Canon 5D Mark III 85mm F/5 1/800 ISO100
You Complete me Canon EOS R 35mm F/3.5 1/400 ISO100
Model of the Month
Nickita Arora Nickita Arora is a 20-year-old student and started her modeling career back when she was 17. Her love for being behind the camera emerged when she took up Media Studies and thereafter, started enjoying being both in front of the camera as well as behind it. With that, she started her own Youtube Channel a year back where she gives fashion advice to her subscribers. Today, she has a total reach of more than five hundred thousand. As far as videography and post-production is concerned, she prefers to record and edit on her own and that’s how she manages to do what she loves. Her passion for the camera is what keeps her going. Thus, she is a model by the day and creator by night.
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Bust- 32in Waist- 26in Hips- 35.5in Height- 5’7 ft Eyes- Dark brown
Makeup Artist of the Month Anu Kaushik
Ace makeup artist, Anu Kaushik is based out of Delhi and is wellknown for her minimalistic skills and techniques to give flawless makeovers. A self-taught artist, her hard work and talent have made her one of the most soughtafter names in fashion and media shoots. Her enormous success demands for quality makeup services which has led her to open a makeupstudio-cum-spa for all the brides-to-be. She is sure to transform any bride into the most beautiful and flawless and make her look picture perfect at all times.
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HALL OF FAME
Francesco Morandin’s first exposure to photography was while he was visiting the darkroom of a friend. He was so fascinated with photography that at the end of his vocational training, he did an internship at the photographic agency, “Grazia Neri” after which he worked with “Camera Press” agency in London for about a year. He also worked for some local magazines in Italy and owing to an exhibition of portraits, he was contacted by a fashion company. He started working at the Multimedia Research Center, and dealt with photographic achievements. By 2011, he started freelancing and has collaborated with many groups and organizations since. Running parallel to the commercial activity, he has always carried on the work of a research photographer, which has earned him various exhibitions in Italy and Europe. You can go through his work at www. francesco-morandin.org Bodies Canon 5D Mark II 105mm F/9 1/125 ISO125
Bodies Canon 5D Mark II 105mm F/9 1/125 ISO125
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Bodies Canon 5D Mark II 105mm F/9 1/125 ISO125
Bodies Canon 5D Mark II 105mm F/9 1/125 ISO125
Bodies Canon 5D Mark II 105mm F/9 1/125 ISO125
Bodies Canon 5D Mark II 105mm F/9 1/125 ISO125
Bodies Canon 5D Mark II 105mm F/9 1/125 ISO125
Ink Stories Living and working in the New York City, Reka Nyari’s practice spans from fashion and fine art photography and videography, to elaborate installation and performance pieces. Oscillating between mischievous eroticism and wistful splendor, her work employs and explores traditional ideals of beauty and gender to portray sexuality from a predominantly female perspective. Nyari’s images of nude figures are not strictly intended as alluring portraits – while deriving their emotional charge from the familiar motifs of erotic photography, they expand the pictorial vocabulary to the realm of narratives, layering in personal histories and fictitious content. Unapologetically, Nyari embeds luscious and empowered bodies in luminous landscapes or against staged backdrops. Nudity, gesture, gaze, as well as objects, become intrinsically linked to the feminine identity.
R
eka Nyari places her ‘Ink Stories’ series into the canon of unfettered female imagery with the tales of four women and their responses to struggle and pain. The intricately woven threads of tattoo ink empower their spirits as acts of defiance, vows of power and the transformation of the mind over the physical body. THE GEISHA is embodied by Ginzilla, a young woman born into tradition. Her upbringing, a repressive state of hiding and enclosure. The advent of a lover, a tattoo artist, began a secret story on her skin, hidden from her parent’s conservative values. As she and her subsequent lovers altered her body surface, they created the formation of a map. This route of sexuality coupled with her burgeoning confidence becomes the exposed and the rebellion. The images
adorning her depict tigers, wolves, and dragons. The tattoos create a direct contrast to the locked parental obedience to which she was born. Her ink has more in common with the Yakuza, Japan’s infamous crime syndicate, than the polite mannered girl so often portrayed in popular culture. Pushing against the conformity of her ancestors, her tattoos traverse the tableau of sensuality and desire. The coursing actions of love, intimacy, and secrets. Eowyn’s markings reveal a fighter in a form of THE VALKYRIE, the Viking Warrior. These images cast the viewer to a place of legend and ideology. She is the maiden as the holder of force. Of ability and wisdom. The
Valkyrie Ink Canon 5D Mark III 125mm F/6.3 1/125 ISO100
flight of a woman born into abuse. Her life intrinsically linked to pain and suffering against which she fought by cutting herself, creating a ‘thick skin’. This was the direct transference from being hurt to controlling her body with shields and armor. Eowyn’s acts of bravado and resilience stand as an epic choice. Her character is the chooser of those who live and those who die. She is perhaps the most fitting example of changing the mores of what it means to be fully realized. The images are a source of mounting strength instead of being represented as a source of pleasure merely to gaze upon. THE MOTHER creates confluence in the figure of succor and nurture, often FEATURES
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born of conflict and vulnerability. Leah’s story lies with the coursing images of religion and existence. While breaking from the form she was given, her tattoos reflect the story of a single mother baring her soul as the Virgin Mary. An image as fraught with belief and idolatry as any in human history. The lush opulence of her statement is that of a woman who has transmuted suffering into the story of love, healing and devotion. Leah becomes a testament to the historical continuum. A woman who has defied everything, to become the embodiment of nourishment and love.
pressure of viewing the darker ends of living. Julie perceives and sees beyond the language of the present. Beyond the surface. Her reality is one of chronic pain from a deep spinal issue, while her relief and power come from the ink. Her strength is that of the dead teeming behind her. A medium and tattoo artist herself, she translates the tongue of the past, to scenes of the future. The Reaper brings forth the crops. In the harvesting of tattoos, she places the ritual of cleansing and renewal through her skin inscriptions. She is the survivor.
Julie, THE REAPER has been followed relentlessly by death through her life. The melded and selected
Never the victim. Julie developed the trial of constancy through the lens of telling, of teaching and passage. Her
art is her religion. Reka Nyari joins these women together as a clear clarion call of independence and power. Each, in turn, having been abused or physically dismissed, the four have fought against their oppressors and recreated their lives and bodies in their own created image. Using the rebellion of inked skin, they expose their formidable journey. Their value. Their calling as symbols of energy and luminosity. Each as a perfection formed by past experiences pulled through thepresent and standing as opulent visions of the future. Each in possession of herself. Each now standing as a Goddess.
Geisha Ink Canon 5D Mark III 70mm F/6.3 1/125 ISO100
Geisha Ink Canon 5D Mark III 70mm F/6.3 1/125 ISO100
Geisha Ink Canon 5D Mark III 70mm F/6.3 1/125 ISO100
Reaper Ink Canon EOS 5D Mark IV 70mm F/6.3 1/160 ISO100
Backlight Canon 5D Mark III 43mm F/2.8 1/40 ISO1600
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