Chiiz Volume 10: Black and White

THOSE WHO MADE IT POSSIBLE

DISCLAIMER: ALL PHOTOGRAPHS PUBLISHED BY CHIIZ MAGAZINE HAVE BEEN AUTHORIZED BY THE RESPECTIVE ARTISTS AND ARE PROTECTED UNDER THE COPYRIGHT LAWS. IT IS FORBIDDEN TO COPY THE MATERIAL OR RESELL IN ANY FORM WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM THE ARTIST. ALL PRODUCT NAMES, TRADEMARKS, LOGOS, BRANDS AND OTHER DATA PUBLISHED IN THE MAGAZINE ARE THE PROPERTY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS. EDITORS ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY CONTENT IN THE ADVERTISEMENTS. CHIIZ BELIEVES IN PROMOTING THE BEAUTY OF HUMAN FORM AND BODY. WE, UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES, PROMOTE VULGARITY OR OBSCENITY IN ANY FORM. READER'S DISCRETION IS ADVISED. FOR ANY FURTHER DETAILS VISIT US CHIIZ.COM OR WRITE TO MAGAZINE@CHIIZ.COM. PUBLISHED BY MANSA INC. CONTENT PROVIDED BY CHIIZ.COM.

Editorial

Suvendu Chatterjee Pakhar Garg Priyashi Negi Ankit Tyagi

EDITORIAL

Chief Visualizer

Sheetal Mann Design

Yasmeen Sheikh

Writer

When it comes to black and white, we immediately tend to shift our mindset backwards, towards the older times, and I think, that’s where we commit our first mistake. Yes, it is rightfully said, what is life without colors, but I think, to see the silver lining to life, all we need is a black and white perspective. I am not an old school guy or have a black and white fetish, but the intricate details of an event or a moment captured by a frame is much more noticeable and not just noticeable but distinguishable, if it is seen without colors.

Technology

It is in search of that silver lining that we have come up with our black and white edition and I think we may have found it, successfully concluding our search with the compilation that currently lies in your hands.

Analysis

Prateek Kashyap Aditi Puranik Dipanwita Nath Karishma Rana Sana Singh Sachin Arora Rishabh Jain Bharat Bhushan Aditya Baghel Business Development

Rajesh Basu Amit Ghosh Dimas Fajar Sales

Krishna Srinivas Amit Gupta Marketing

Kanika Maurya Anurag Khaneja Public Relations

Barkha Chandra Staff Photographer

Surbhi Sharma Susana Gomez Tarundeep Singh Urshita Saini Finance

Neelu Singh Consultant

Apratim Saha Mansa Inc.

Marc Henauer gives us a glimpse of the world under the deep dark sea and shows us that sometimes even ruined and wrecked things can be beautiful. Ravi Dhingra explains to us the beauty of monochrome in “Frozen in a Pause”. Urshita Saini and Donatella Nicolini delves us into a relatively new genre of photography that is maternity and birth photography. The retention of the culture of Iran in the face of modernization is depicted amazingly by Duncan Chard. Mehdi Nazeri’s work on the pigeon fanciers in ‘The Birds of Hope’ is truly commendable and Debrani Das creates magic with her series on ‘Levitating Lovers, Unspoken Love’. Ashok Ghosh’s work is a sight for sore eyes and is bound to leave you in awe and admiration for the ingenious photographer.

Photographer Wayne Fischer gives us something to marvel at with his patterns and abstract photography while Saptarshi Choudhary gives a soothing treat to the eyes with his photographs on ‘Tranquility’. Aman Chotani’s work on lights, lines and textures is replete with interesting elements that will leave you wanting for more.

Vikramjit Roop Rai covers the heritage of India and Shares ‘Why and How to Shoot Monuments’. Irina Bunyatyan’s fashion portraits are all stunners and Marc Boily’s work on fashion and boudoir is truly exceptional.

Black and white images appear to be more timeless than color images. Many photographers prefer black and white images for their tendency to distance the subject matter from reality. Humans see the world in color, and a rendition of the world in monochrome makes us pause and look closely. Removing color from a picture helps the viewer to focus on a subject’s emotional state. Black and white portraiture lets the audience see the subject’s face and read his or her eyes without distraction.

It’s true that there cannot be a comparison between color and black and white, but being totally different, both are different languages.

In the world of digital era, where more than a billion photographs are taken on each and every day in various formats including the smartphones, it’s difficult to identify the very thin margin where they join hands. In that thin margin, lies the beauty of it.

In lieu of conclusion let me state that I still use analog Black and White and I enjoy it.

CEO

Mukesh Kumar Cover Photo

Sarathi Thamodaran

Regards, Suvendu Chatterjee

CONTENTS Diving Deep

Marc Henauer

8

Old is Gold

14

Bandna

20

Why and How to Shoot a Monument

28

Edward H. Weston

Debasish Chakraborty

Vikramjit Roop Rai

Frozen in a Pause

33

Ravi Dhingra

Movie Review Closer

36

Birth of a New Genre

38

The Birds of Hope

42

Levitating Lover, Unspoken Love

52

Tips and Tricks

56

App of the Month

64

Playing with Light, Lines and Textures

68

Chiiz Gallery

72

Model of the Month Paige Munroe

84

Birth Photography

Mehdi Nazeri

Debrani Das

Sascha van der Werf

Lenka

Aman Chotani

Underwater photography is both unique and exquisite, what aroused your interest in it?

I was already a photography enthusiast when I discovered underwater photography. It was a true revelation for me, like I had entered a mirror and into a fantasy world. I was compelled to take pictures of that, the sea is after all an unlimited source of inspiration.

What seems beautiful is difficult to capture.

Likewise underwater photography is not an

easy task. What are the difficulties you often come across?

Even though I appreciate the comfort of taking pictures in scuba, I clearly prefer to photograph while freediving. It gives me a sensation which can’t be expressed in words.

When I do photography while freediving, I feel connected with all the elements around me. I feel like I am a part of the water, wildlife, marine flora, my subject and my camera. All my senses are alert, my sensitivity and my creative spirits are at an all time high and time

seems to stand still. Freediving also presents a huge opportunity for animal interaction.

I feel like I am evolving more quickly while in water. It permits me to click very dynamic and sensational images. Freediving and photography are an addictive activity, together they are a drug to surpass yourself.

The way to success is quite long, you have to combine freediving training and very good photography skills. Underwater is a low light world where everything is always moving.

Through the Window Canon EOS 5D Mark II 15mm F/6.7 1/125s ISO400

A freediver, an experienced scuba diver and an award-winning photographer, Marc Henauer is an avid traveler practicing underwater photography for several years now. He discovered scuba diving in the Maldieves in 2008 and was immediately taken up by the beauty of the blue world. He is most inspired by nature and does his best to capture the emotion he feels in his images. Always looking for new challenges, Henauer is very particular in preparing and planning expeditions to discover unusual places with unique experiences. Aditi Puranik from Chiiz talks to Marc about his work and about the wonders under the sea.

What is the one destination you want to shoot in and why?

Each time I visit a new place, it becomes my favorite. That’s why I plan a new destination every time for my travel. The humpback whales from Kingdom of Tonga however stays my favorite with great memories and the green lake of Austria is also a unique place to shoot.

Capturing “Grüner See” would be a wonderful experience, what was the best

thing about it?

No words can describe the “Grüner See”, it’s a unique and magical place. This lake is a jewel of nature. Now, the Austrian authorities have declared it a protected area and to preserve it, scuba diving is forbidden. I have been very lucky to dive here and capture some amazing photographs and great memories.

Message or tips you want to convey to the young photographers who are inspired by your work.

Work hard, dream big, learn the basics of photography and break the rules. Let your inspiration guide you.

Aditi Puranik aditi@chiiz.com

A budding journalist, Aditi watches the world with wonder in her eyes. Talented but lazy, introvert but sarcastic, she is a nature lover, continuously trying to work on her photography and writing skills. She is a wanderer at heart and dreams of travelling the world.

I Rule Canon EOS 5D Mark II 32mm F/5.6 1/125s ISO400 With the Flow Canon EOS 5D Mark II 15mm F/9 1/160s ISO50

I Belong With You Canon EOS 5D Mark II 15mm F/6.7 1/180s ISO400

Water Sprite Canon EOS 5D Mark II 16mm F/8 1/125s ISO400

A-live History Canon EOS 5D Mark II 15mm F/9 1/160s ISO50

Sea-Me Canon EOS 5D Mark II 32mm F/6.7 1/125s ISO400

Water Sprite Canon EOS 5D Mark II 15mm F/6.7 1/180s ISO400

Acquisition Canon EOS 5D Mark II 15mm F/6.7 1/180s ISO400

In my Domain Canon EOS 5D Mark II 15mm F/6.7 1/125s ISO400

Treasure Trove Canon EOS 5D Mark II 15mm F/6.7 1/125s ISO400

Viaduct SONY ILCE-7RM2 16mm F/10 2s ISO50

Daniel was born in Surabaya, Indonesia and is a Sony Alpha Professional Photographer. Daniel learnt photography at Malaysia from Adam Seow, one of fine art master from Brooks Institute of Photography, USA who is also associated with Ansel Adams’ Black & White zone systems.

For Daniel, photography is about imagination, emotions and trying to put a little of his soul into every picture he takes. It really doesn’t matter what gear you have. He always imagines what he wants to say in each of his pictures. Creating a real picture becomes unreal in his camera and this is what he loves about photography.

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Daniel believes that all of us experience life from our own perspective and we are each, the combination of our emotional experiences. “This means that no two people will emotionally experience the world in the same way. It is always interesting to see how your audience responds to your images, but you should always stay true to your own imagination and soul. To tell your own story!” he says.

Daniel is now a freelance photographer in Indonesia and takes orders for commercial shoots. He is also a guest speaker in many photography events in Indonesia and is currently doing a Black & White Photography Workshop around Indonesia.

Being-Myself SONY ILCE-7RM2 35mm F/1.4 1/80s ISO1000

The Voyage SONY ILCE-7RM2 35mm F/8 30s ISO100

Tuned SONY ILCE-7RM2 27mm F/4 1/200s ISO100

Old is Gold One of the most innovative and influential American photographers of 20th century.

Edward H. Weston

“The camera should be used for a recording of life, for rendering the very substance and quintessence of the thing itself, whether it be polished steel or palpitating flesh.” These words can only be of a photographer who thought the world to be his abstract art. Today, there are not much photographers who do abstract photography but history has seen a photographer who had an abstract perception from the time he looked at the world from his camera.

This famous photographer is Edward Henry Weston, 20th-century’s most innovative and influential American photographer who had an abstract perception towards his subjects.

He was born on March 24, 1886 in Highland Park, Illinois. He was five years old when his mother died and was raised by his sister Mary, who was fourteen at that time. His father remarried when he was nine, but Weston and his sister didn’t develop a bond with their new stepmother and stepbrother. When his sister Mary got married in 1897, Weston was left alone on his own most of the time.

1913-1920, he was being artistic and had decided to pursue his career in photography.

He enrolled in the Illinois College of Photography, for a nine-month course.

In 1910 Weston had opened up his own business, a studio in Tropico and for the next three years he was working alone. The work he did helped him in gaining more recognition and popularity. He won a lot of prizes in national competitions, published photographs and wrote articles for magazines.

Over the summer of 1920 Weston met two people who were part of the Los Angeles culture scene, Roubaix de l’Abrie Richey, also known as ‘Robo’ and his wife Tina Modotti.

During the 1920’s he began photographing nude models and the first dozens of figure studies were his friends and lovers. At that time New York City was the cultural centre for photography as an art form in America, and Alfred Stieglitz was the most influential figure in photography. Weston wanted to go New York and meet him, but didn’t have enough money for the trip. His brotherin-law gave him the money to continue his trip to New York City where he met a lot of influential photographers.

In 1923 Weston left with his family to Mexico and as soon as he reached, he was all set to arrange an exhibition of his work. He was most proud of the review given by Marius de Zayas that said “Photography is beginning to be photography, for until now it has only been art.” The different culture and scenery in Mexico forced him to see things differently.

When Weston turned 19, Weston’s father gave him his first camera, a Kodak Bull’sEye number 2. He enjoyed using the camera while on vacation. This was the time when his interest in photography increased and he bought another 5 x 7 camera. He was in Chicago photographing in his aunt’s farm and was developing his own film and prints. He later recalls that his earliest work in 1903 was based on technique and composition. During

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He turned his camera to everyday objects like bathroom fixtures, toys and doorways and also some intimate nudes and portraits of his wife.

Weston returned from his Mexico trip to his old studio in Glendale, previously called Tropico. This was the time when both father and his son Brett, who was 15 and had an increased interest in photography. Weston had arranged a dual exhibition at University of California where Weston showed 100 prints and his son showed 20. During his final years, Werston worked with Kodak for their advertising campaign where he worked with color photography.

He couldn’t carry on with his work and was looking for an assistant because of the Parkinson’s disease which had progressed in 1947. By late 1948 he was no longer physically able to use his large view camera and that year he took his last photographs, at Point Lobos.

His final negative image that he took was called, ‘Rocks and Pebbles, 1948.’ Weston died at his home in Wildcat Hill on New Year’s Day, 1958 but still his photos reach out to the hearts of millions.

Ankit Tyagi ankit@chiiz.com

Ankit has intense love towards photography and is now working as an Asst. Editor with us.

He has been writing for us for a long time now and believes in the power of words. The dream is to explore and find different perceptions in life. He likes watching classic movies and is inspired by Alfred Hitchcock as a director.

Evolving Canon EOS 5D Mark III 88mm F/11 1/125s ISO100

Endowment Canon EOS 5D Mark III 149mm F/6.3 1/500s ISO125

Faรงade Canon EOS 5D Mark III 92mm F/7.1 1/80s ISO5000

Making Canon EOS 5D Mark III 88mm F/5 1/1000s ISO100

Up-Bringing Canon EOS 5D Mark III 105mm F/14 1/160s ISO200

Destruction Canon EOS 5D Mark III 200mm F/5.6 1/500s ISO400

British born photographer Duncan Chard has been living and photographing in Dubai for the past 12 years. Drawing on his own identity as a permanent visitor to the UAE, the candid yet poignant black and white series of images in ‘Terraforming’ are a poetic study of a young country with frenetic ambitions.

Now in the last stages of shooting, ‘Terraforming’ will be launched as a book in mid 2018. The project can be followed on instagram at #duncanchard

Idiosyncratic Canon EOS 5D Mark III 24mm F/11 1/160s ISO200

Faith-Fully NIKON D800 58mm F/4.5 1/125s ISO500

Bandna is one of the most famous festivals celebrated during the black moon of the month of Kartik (Kartik Aamavashya). This festival is mainly for the animals. Tribal s are very close with animals and pets and in this festival, people wash, clean, paint, decorate, feed well and put ornaments to their cows and bulls. Generally natural colors are used for decorating animals and the artwork is of folk type. The songs dedicated for this festival are called Ahira which is an acknowledgement for animal’s contribution in their day-to-day lives. The belief behind this festival is that the animals are an integral part of life and have souls as human beings do. Contrary to this belief, the most heart-rendering activity of the bandna week is practised in the last day. Closured bulls and buffaloes are chained to a strong pole and they are attacked with a dry animal hide. The angry animals hit the dry skin with their horns and the crowd enjoys. ”

Artistic-Tradition NIKON D800 45mm F/4.5 1/160s ISO250

Bandna Debasish Chakraborty

A school teacher by profession, Debasish Chakraborty started photography ten years ago and is the proud recipient of many photographic awards and cash prizes in India and abroad. He has recently won moment & emotion of ‘Artistique’ photo contest 2017

by Asian Photography magazine.

Livelihood NIKON D800 24mm F/10 1/125s ISO500

Handprints NIKON D800 24mm F/10 1/100s ISO500

House-Crafting NIKON D800 122mm F/9 1/250s ISO450

Work of Art NIKON D800 24mm F/16 1/100s ISO500

Happy-Hands NIKON D800 48mm F/9 1/100s ISO500

Entwined Panasonic DC-GH5 13mm F/9 1/800s ISO400

Patterns Canon EOS 5D Mark II 99mm F/5.6 1/30s ISO640

From an early age, Wayne Fisher has been passionate about photography and feels that we have a responsibility in this world to record and expose the beauty as it is. His journey began in South Africa and through the lens he saw a divided nation. After acquiring a National Diploma in Photography from Pretoria, South Africa, a brighter future was seen in the viewfinder in Canada’s uninterrupted beauty where he continued to inspire and create. He has been photographing for over 25 years and through time his journey has led him to black and white architectural photography and this genre of photography is where he feel most at home.

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Mosaic Canon EOS 5D Mark II 135mm F/6.3 1/160s ISO100

Zigzag Canon EOS-1DS 125mm F/14 1/50s ISO200

Archetype Canon EOS 5D Mark II 24mm F/8 61s ISO100

The Tower Canon EOS 5D Mark II 135mm F/6.3 1/160s ISO100

Fly High Canon EOS 5D Mark II 105mm F/8 1/800s ISO100

Ascend Panasonic DMC-G85 26mm F/8 1/250s ISO200

Striped Panasonic DC-GH5 105mm F/8 1/800s ISO100

Penumbra Canon EOS 5D Mark II 28mm F/5.6 1/80s ISO1250

Curvation Panasonic DMC-G85 7mm F/9 1/100s ISO200

Wreckage Canon EOS 500D 23mm F/3.5 1/500s ISO200

Why & How to Capture a Monument?

C

Vikramjit Singh Rooprai

hiiz is a magazine of photography and photographers.

For a change, an article is appearing here, which is about a non-photographer.

A person, who never learned photography and never claims to have clicked a good photograph. But what made his name to be recommended to these prestigious pages?

expedition from Mehrauli and my first step at Satpula near Saket left me awestruck.

My amusement challenged my own imagination when I entered the Mehrauli Archaeological Park, where I was allowed to enter the magnificent Jamali Kamali’s Tomb.

Unfortunately, this entire belt was victim to neglect. When I asked locals, all I got was that neither the government does nothing about these monuments nor corporate sector, under their CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) scheme, does anything about these monuments.

Well, here’s the story. My story.

I started my career as a software engineer, a couple of years after I passed high school. I never went for formal graduation, instead added few more programming languages to my belt. While my fellow classmates were enjoying college days, I was working in a software company and by the time they graduated with their necessary masters degrees, I was heading a huge team of programmers in one of the top companies. I had reached a point in my career, where the stress of work had to be relieved by some hobby, so I took up travel. After exploring few countries, I thought of spending a month checking out the monuments in my own city, Delhi.

I could have stood there and cursed the government and CSR model, like others. But instead, I decided to change CSR to ISR – the Individual Social Responsibility. So I started a website called www.monumentsofdelhi. com, where I documented the built heritage of Delhi. I also started a club called ‘Delhi Heritage Awareness Club’. But soon I realized, that people of Delhi are not interested in ‘history’ or ‘dead-buildings’. This is when I stumbled upon ‘photography.

On 24th of October 2009, I started my

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I had access to camera since birth. My father was an avid photographer and as I was born, he purchased a video camera and installed it permanently in our living room in Manama, Bahrain. And now was my chance to put it to some good use.

Back in 2010, Facebook was the latest ‘in’ thing. Its craze was on the rise. I told my friends that I can take them to some rare unseen locations and the pictures they click there can earn them far more likes on FB. This is how ‘Delhi Heritage Awareness Club’ was re-packaged as ‘Delhi Heritage Photography Club’. Under this club’s banner, we started doing Heritage-photowalks and taking people to lesser known monuments in Delhi. The secret intent was that when these people will post these photographs online, the monument will get popular. People started posting pics from Delhi and soon, from all over India.

We even had some international members and photos were pouring in from Europe and East Asia. So we changed the packaging of club once again and started calling it “The Heritage Photography Club”. Today, this club organizes Heritage photowalks, exhibitions, seminars and workshops to promote heritage through Photography.

The idea of monument-photography sounds exciting, but is different from other forms of photography. A monument never moves from its location, so you don’t have to worry about subject running away. However, time does fly, and any monument appears different on different times of day. One special thing said about Taj Mahal is that it appears in different mood every hour of the day and these moods are not same throughout the year. One needs

to study the structure for days before the actual shoot can begin.

Time of day is critical as with the size of structure, sunlight can be more of a trouble than help for many. Another challenge that a photographer has to face is to get the proportion right. Given the huge size and many monuments have almost no room around them, it becomes difficult to shoot them. But this is not the biggest problem.

A bigger problem that almost every amateur faces is that all the pictures of any monument look exactly the same. How many times have you seen the picture of Delhi’s Humayun’s Tomb with 4 palm trees. Most of us don’t even know that Humayun’s Tomb Complex is actually a combination of 4 independent complexes and Humayun’s Tomb is just one of those. In the enclosure of Humayun’s Tomb, you have 1 grey stone grave platform, few rubble platforms, Tomb of Barber, several wells, the oldest water harvesting pit, two pavilions and two huge gates and an enclosure, which is now used by the horticulture department.

So how to click the most unique picture of a monument?

Just one thumb rule: Do not carry your camera during your first visit to any monument (unless you are sure that you will not come back soon). Then take a round along with the outer wall.

Most interesting scenes are hidden in the least expected corners.

Your camera can range from 12 megapixels to 40 megapixels, but your eyes are several hundred times more powerful. Try to capture the beauty with your eyes first. When you are deeply drenched in the beauty of the structure, you are eligible to pick the camera and I can bet, no matter how much or how less experienced you are as a photographer, your picture after this exercise will be a masterpiece.

History Lesson Canon EOS 70D 10mm F/10 1/200s ISO100

The Monuments Canon EOS 500D 22mm F/3.5 1/500s ISO200

Ruins Canon EOS 70D 10mm F/14 1/400s ISO100

Remembrance Canon EOS 70D 10mm F/4 1/30s ISO100

Saptarshi Choudhury got hooked to photography from the day he got his hands on his first camera. He loves to travel solo, roam the streets, and watch the people around. He is attracted by the lifestyle and expressions of the people and strives to capture moments with him forever. He aspires to capture the moment, to portray the story, to paint the colors, texture, the pattern in the photograph so that the viewer can get an idea of the moment and the story behind it.

Dip-Down Canon EOS 600D 23mm F/3.5 1/1250s ISO250

Interim SONY DSC-H100 5mm F/3.2 1/80s ISO100

Peeking Canon EOS 600D 50mm F/1.8 1/30s ISO400

Reparation SONY DSC-H100 4mm F/3.1 1/500s ISO80

Young Battalion Canon EOS 600D 18mm F/3.5 1/200s ISO400

Canon EOS 600D 18mm F/5.6 1/200s ISO100

Engrossed Canon EOS 600D 50mm F/1.8 1/160s ISO100

Indigenous Canon EOS 600D 33mm F/4.5 1/4000s ISO3200

Waves in the Desert Canon EOS 6D 70mm F/11 1/60s ISO250

Frozen in a Pause Canon EOS 600D 50mm F/1.8 1/30s ISO400

Free Spirit NIKON D70s 18mm F/4.8 1/90s ISO400

Frozen in a Pause

By Ravi Dhingra

R

avi Dhingra pursued photography as a hobby till he joined Triveni Kala Sangam, New Delhi in 1998 to learn the finer nuances of the craft.

With his photographs, he tries to bring out the emotions attached with every subject- the state of happiness, feelings of being sad, neglect and plight. He wants the viewer to get involved with the photographs and feel the emotions. A chance assignment with a publication led to switching over from the hobby into a full fledged job. Since then he has been involved in Lifestyle photography which includes Interior, Food, People and Product.

He has been associated with leading publications, advertisement agencies and corporate clients and his work has been widely published in various books, magazines, brochures and on the web.

Surbhi sharma from CHIIZ gets in talks with him.

Here is the excerpt.

Every photographer has a different perspective or a different way of looking at things. What is it that catches your eye when you step outside or even when you are indoor?

This quote by Dorothea Lange forms the basis of every photographer’s vision - “A camera

teaches you how to see without a camera.” A passionate photographer is always visualising the frames while observing various elements in the surroundings and this holds true for me too. It is not always about planning to photograph a particular subject, some shots happen by chance also. It is just the question of identifying the scene in an instant and recording the same. Considering the quantity of the photographs we come across, it is a big challenge to make a photograph which is not only different yet good. Most of my subjects are ordinary objects and my endeavour is to make the mundane look extraordinary in my photographs. Apart from choosing the subject, point of view or viewpoint is the most important aspect while composing, an ordinary object will look extraordinary only if the angle is interesting and unique. The angle depends on many factors like the shape of the object, the way light is falling on it and also about the exclusion of unwanted elements.

With your book exhibiting monochrome photographs, what is it exactly that you wanted to portray through these

photographs? How do you get your photographs to actually convey what you want?

The title of the book is ‘Frozen in a Pause’ and ‘Pause’ is not just related to moving objects, the still objects are constantly going through a transformation, things are evolving and they will not be same after a while. Through the photographs in this book I am trying to freeze the action which sometimes is obvious but at times not so obvious and visible. The story of the photographs will be conveyed if the viewer is able to see what happened before the shot and anticipate what must happen afterwards.

What was the most difficult thing about working on “Frozen in a Pause”?

The book is a compilation of photographs taken by me in the last decade or so, final selection was the toughest part. Considering the limit to pages one can incorporate in a book, which photograph is to be included and which one to be left out took a lot of time. The book is a showcase of my thoughts which I am trying to express through the images, placement of photographs was also Vol 10

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challenging with respect to creating a flow.

It is like curating an exhibition where the intention is to create a path which the viewer takes to see the artworks and not lose interest midway.

With your line of work, there ought to be some light moments. Can you share such an incident?

A client once called to help with handling of camera which he bought for his teenage daughter, she was not able to get sharp photographs, all were out of focus. The father and daughter duo bought the latest Leica camera after searching for the ‘best camera in the world’ on the internet and spent a fortune on the purchase. The expression on the face of my client was priceless when I told him that the camera does not have auto focus option and will work only with manual focusing.

I am not sure what they did with Leica but daughter was given another camera, an inexpensive point and shoot camera.

Which photographers have influenced you and how did they affect your thought process and your photography?

Raghu Rai & Rafique Sayed are two Indian photographers whose work have always inspired me. Among International names Yousuf Karsh is one of my favourite besides Sebastião Salgado. Each one of them have a unique way of storytelling through images.

People photography whether on the streets or in the studio is all about getting the right expression and freezing the same in the camera and these photographers have mastered the art.

With

the

constant

advancement

of

technology, in terms of updated new gears coming into the market, how do you keep yourself up-to-date and educate yourself to take better pictures?

‘I have all the gear which I will ever need, said no photographer ever’. On a serious note, it is the eye behind the camera which makes all the difference though the equipment is also important. Choice of equipment depends on the ultimate use of the photograph, for my professional work where extremely high resolution images are needed, latest technology is helpful. But when it comes to photography on move even cellphone is able to click reasonably good quality photographs.

To stay up-to-date in terms of technology I read a lot of magazines, blogs etc. Learning to take better photographs is a continuous process, one never stops learning. It is important to be critical of one’s own creations and this by any means is not an easy task.

You have been quoted as saying that “Some chase light but I prefer to chase the shadows”. Can you please elaborate?

There is difference between light and lighting in photography, light is what is available and lighting is about using the light on the subject to create shadows. Shadows create volume, shadows bring out the dimensions and interplay of light and shadow makes a huge difference in the way a scene is captured. It is very important to understand shadows which change because of the nature and direction of the light source.

If you could take your art in any direction without the fear of failure or rejection, where would it lead? What new things would you try?

As far as professional work is concerned,

Joy of Freedom Canon EOS M5 70mm F/40 1/5s ISO125

there is always butterflies in stomach when dealing with a new client, the pressure of giving the best possible output to the satisfaction of clients will never go away. But when it comes to my personal work which is about expressing myself through my images, there are no inhibitions. At this stage of my career, the fear of failure or rejection is minimal because of the subjective nature of art photography, there are no set guidelines or rules to follow. Photographs are not good or bad, they are either interesting or boring and the interesting ones will stand out in the crowd. For my next art project I will not like to repeat what I have already done in the past, the approach and style which I have developed over many years may remain the same but technique and treatment will definitely see a fresh perspective.

A word of advice for the upcoming photographers?

As mentioned before the biggest challenge which photographers are facing today is to stand out in the huge pile of photographs.

One should try to make a photograph which is unique and yet interesting to capture the attention of the viewer. Technology is there to help but not bind and restrict, best camera is the one you have and use it to its maximum potential, experiment a lot and click what interests you the most. Photography as profession may be competitive but as passion does not have any limits or boundaries, explore and enjoy.

Surbhi Sharma surbhi@chiiz.com

An adventurous girl who has a great love for street food, she is dedicated towards her work and is a self-inspired lady. She has a dream to travel the world alone.

Veiled History NIKON D70s 70mm F/6.7 1/180s ISO200

Rhythm of Being Canon EOS 6D 27mm F/4.5 1/80s ISO3200

Canon EOS 6D 70mm F/8 1/500s ISO100

Shadow on the Wall Canon EOS 6D 70mm F/4 1/125s ISO100

Movie Review Closer (2004) CLOSER (2004) Movie Review Duration: 1hr 38mins IMDB Rating: 7.3/10 Released: 2004 Writer: Patrick Marber Directed: Mike Nichols Genre: Drama, Romance

stranger but at the same time he has to tackle his ongoing relationship with Alice. Alice overhears the conversation between Dan and Anna and she decides to leave Dan and carry on with her life. But, Anna meets Larry accidentally and falls in love with him, marries him to live happily but that lasts only for a short period of time. Anna starts meeting Dan and the cycle of their love starts while at the same time, Alice leaves him and starts to work at the strip club. There is a lot of confusion between relationships which the four of them are into, which makes the movie more intense and deep.

B

ased on an award-winning 1997 play with the same name Closer, written by Patrick Marber is one of his best works till date. Closer is a 2004 U.S. film directed by Mike Nichols which has won a lot of awards and nominations, including Oscar nominations and Golden Globe wins.

The movie stars, in order of appearance are Jude Law, Natalie Portman, Julia Roberts and Clive Owen. Full of twists and turns when it comes to relationships, this movie is worth watching but on the other hand, it is an R-rated movie with sequences of graphic sexual dialogue, nudity, sexuality and language.

Chiiz Review: The movie, Closer, which is also referred to as a pseudointellectual writing, is a story of four people and their complicated relationships. Cinematographically, Closer is a beautifully scripted movie with a lot of beautiful locations and dynamic performances. Bold and mature performances by Jude Law, Natalie Portman, Julia Roberts and Clive Owen which one can relate to in real life. An R-rated movie with a lot of sexuality and nudity scenes as well as language can make you believe that it is actually a romantic drama that you are watching.

Closer is a movie where Law plays Dan, an obituary writer in a London newspaper. He is finishing his novel which is based on his girlfriend’s life.

Portman is Alice, an American stripper who is in search of true love and finds it in Dan, the first time they have an eye contact. Roberts is playing the role of Anna, a photojournalist who very dedicated to her work but has a unfortunate relationship when she marries Larry, a dermatologist, played by Owen. This is a movie with a searing story of betrayal and is not recommended for kids to watch. This is a romantic drama with different love experiences which many viewers can relate to.

Alice and Dan are so much in love with each other but there are no reservations in their relationship. Dan is so inspired by Alice’s life that he writes a novel based on her life. As the novel gets completed, there comes a moment where Dan has to hire Anna for a portrait photograph for the jacket of his novel. Here comes the moment where Dan gets attracted to the confidence and simplicity of Anna. The series of messed up relationship starts at this moment, the one made between strangers.

The whole movie is based on love at first sight where the starting seems so interesting and full of love but later reveals how things change and how long this relationship goes on.

Anna, a photojournalist, plays a vital role in the film when she first meets Dan on a professional shoot for his novel. Dan falls in love with this

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Rishabh Jain rishabh@chiiz.com Youngest memeber and tech guy of the team. He loves finding bugs not in the backyard but in the servers. An ardent soccer fan, Rishabh is also the sports freak of chiiz. Having a flair for poetry, he is as good with words as he is with codes and numbers. A connoisseur of food and a travel enthusiast, Rishabh is a perfect mix of crazy and calm.

Donatella Nicolini Milano, Italy

Motherhood NIKON D750 70mm F/16 1/200s ISO160

First Step Canon EOS 60D 50mm F/1.8 1/60s ISO400

Birth of a new Genre: Birth Photography Birth is considered as the most beautiful and rewarding moment for any woman. At the same time, it is exhausting, gory, and extremely graphic, yet women around the world are now embracing the idea of getting their baby’s journey captured by professional photographers.

Though the world is slowly warming up to the idea of birth photography, it is still a sensitive topic for the majority of people. It is after all capturing a woman when she is at her most vulnerable state. It also involves her privacy and medical implications of having another person in the room when things tend to go in any direction.

In many countries, there are still some restrictions on any person entering the labor room, including the father. Although the couple can request the doctors and get due permissions for the photographer to be present during birth, but it is not always guaranteed that the doctors will allow it.

India is one such country where birth photography is still a relatively new concept.

While people have a lot of misconceptions about the kind of photographs that would

be clicked inside the labor room, the team behind InfLens is trying to get more people aware about the beauty of birth photography and bust the myths behind it.

Urshita Saini had written an article in Chiiz volume 2 about birth photography and got so inspired by the genre that she went on to pursue it. Sahil Gupta and Urshita founded InfLens, a team of medically trained photographers who capture the journey of a newborn.

Being a birth photographer is not like any regular job. It requires the photographer to be ready for a call at any time of the day or even in the middle of the night. Labor can go on for hours and the photographers have to ensure that they are ready to wait for the entire duration.

The photographer has to ensure that the medical procedure is at no point interfered.

You need to be as silent as possible and stay in the shadows so as not to disturb the mother when she is working so hard on her body.

During birth, the woman is exposed way more than what she would otherwise be, which can make her uncomfortable. The photographer

has to respect the mother’s privacy and ensure that she is comfortable at all time.

Due to the privacy of the mother and her family, the photographers have to make sure that the photographs taken during birth are not posted anywhere without the prior permission of the family.

The photographers are trained to work in extremely different light situations and in no way can create any disturbance or get in the way of anybody just to take that perfect shot. The post processing of the photographs also has to be very specific with monochrome filters as the photos are sometimes gory.

Although a lot of people are accepting this idea of photographing their baby’s birth.

There is still a long way to go for the masses to accept it and preserve these memories for a lifetime.

Urshita Saini urshita@chiiz.com Photography is her passion and birth photography is her forte. She is a lawyer turned photographer turned businesswoman. The transaction was quick as it was what the camera ordered.

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Welcome Canon EOS 60D 16mm F/4 1/60s ISO100

Newest Canon EOS 60D 18mm F/3.5 1/160s ISO200

NIKON D7100 29mm F/2.8 1/2500s ISO400

The Birds of Hope Born in 1988 in Bandar Abbas, one of southern cities of Iran, Mehdi Nazeri started self-trained and experimental photography in 2012. He started photography in the two categories of photomontage and social documentary out of which social documentary gradually started gaining

F

rom falcons to pigeons, birds are getting endangered but at the same time they are being bred in many countries. Mostly in Middle Eastern countries, birds have been bred since a very long time now. Pigeons, a bird which we can find almost everywhere but are neglected as they are a common sight.

One must have heard of the passenger pigeons which play a vital role during the First World War. They were used as military messengers but as they were productive to one, they were an enemy for the other. Today, the messenger piegeons can only be heard of in historical movies and books.

Pigeons have been bred in many countries which include India, Iran, China and many more countries. They were used as messengers once upon a time but today they are being used as a medium of entertainment.

Well, getting entertained by pigeons seem like a ridiculous idea but this is the reality in countries where entertainment is at stake.

One such beautiful country where pigeons are used as a game and as a part of entertainment is Iran. There are a lot of pigeon breeders in

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prominence in his works. He has been involved actively in the field of photography and has been holding solo exhibitions, attending domestic and international group exhibitions, winning several domestic and international prizes. He is an author and is currently teaching photography.

Iran who have successfully doing so and it dates back to thousands of years ago.

One most commonly game played by the pigeon breeders is pigeon flying, a sport which has been played for many centuries.

Pigeon flying has been associated as part of the traditional Iranian culture and it has not being neglected as the country moves towards modernization. As we see dedicated market for food, sweets, clothes in Iran, the old bazaar of Tehran, specifically, is one place which is dedicated to selling birds. One can find birds of various shapes and sizes along with exclusive pigeons which are to be used for games.

There has been a tradition of fancying pigeons among the pigeon keepers such as Ornamental pigeons in China and Fantails of India. Dove, which is a family member of the pigeons have been represented as the symbol of peace. Pigeon fancier have been experimenting with their birds and have been using them for several games. They fly high but know where to return, the pigeons are just so beautiful and have sacred voice that in

some places breeding them is a crime.

There are a lot of people who have a perception that pigeons are being harmed by such practices. But when it comes to reality these breeders are helping these birds from getting endangered. One has to understand that birds are getting endangered at a fast pace which is ultimately making them extinct. Pigeons are beautiful birds and when you are watching the games these birds are a part of looks very interesting and unique.

The hard work of these breeders is not acknowledged and that is the reason that not much people are aware of such games that the pigeons play. The pigeons have been well known for being messengers, dove is the symbol of peace and purity. Kids of Iran, mostly spend their time on their rooftops playing with their pigeons, feeding them and taking care of them. The pigeons, kept in wooden cages which is mostly littered with feathers and droppings just wait until their master comes and frees them so that they can play and fly. As soon as they are freed, they take flight. But the most appreciated thing is

NIKON D7100 27mm F/2.8 1/5000s ISO200

NIKON D7100 17mm F/2.8 1/8000s ISO400

NIKON D7100 17mm F/2.8 1/3200s ISO800

their loyalty to their masters, they fly but they return back just as their master calls.

The pigeons are known for their beautiful voice which they make almost all the time. The cages they are living in are quite stinky but not for the master who is dedicated to breeding and taking care of them. In Iran there are a lot of pigeon breeders but the best ones are those who treat their birds as their children, as their pet and not like some zoo animal.

Sheetal Mann sheetal@chiiz.com

A silent tigress working up her way against the societal norms. One hell of an interior designer for your beautiful homes and thoughts, she is quite an introvert and serenity drips from her face.

NIKON D7100 27mm F/2.8 1/1600s ISO200

NIKON D7100 17mm F/2.8 1/8000s ISO800

NIKON D7100 17mm F/2.8 1/2500s ISO200

Ashoke Kumar Ghosh has been in love with photography from his childhood when he started photography with a Click III camera . As his passion for photography developed gradually, he took his hobby seriously and sincerely, since 1990, after completing his Diploma in Photography.

Living in India means there are always new locations to photograph ,new events and the ever-changing and fast paced situation make India a great place for the aspiring photographers. This is why his main focus is on human interest photography.

As a photographer, he has won so many National and International photographic awards . In National level he has been awarded 2nd position in All India Fine Arts and Craft Society , 2nd position in National Photo awards organized by Photo Division of Govt. of India . He has also received many International photography awards which includes awards from Big Print Capture Your World Photo Contest, organized by Ritz Camera, USA, World Photography Gala Awards Annual Contest , Excellence Award at Epoch Times International Photo contest to name some . He has also participated in so many Salons internationally and got numerous medals including Gold medals from several countries .

Sadhu NIKON D750 85mm F/2.8 1/640s ISO2000

Our Future NIKON D750 16mm F/11 1/500s ISO200

Fishing Time NIKON D750 16mm F/11 1/2000s ISO800

Daily Work NIKON D750 16mm F/11 1/400s ISO400

Homeward Bound NIKON D750 16mm F/11 1/250s ISO400

Hightide NIKON D90 12mm F/11 1/200s ISO200

Masoud Mirzaei is an Iran based urban explorer.

While he’s only been a serious photographer for one year , he enjoys capturing the distinct beauty of urban life .

Yazd - Iran / one of the oldest towns on earth , listed as a world heritage site by UNESCO

Heydar Aliyev Center / baku Azerbaijan /August 2017

Less is more / Mashhad-Iran / May 2017

Absurd / Yazd - Iran / June 2017

Enlightened World Nikon D7200 18mm-55mm F/5 1/60s ISO400

Levitating Lover,

Unspoken Love

Her cradle is the Nature. She falls for. She levitates. She sways. She twirls. She rejoices. She weeps, She clings to. - All for her lover, the charismatic ‘Nature’. Sun being the vermillion , moon being the lustre of her youth, dead overshoots being the décor of her house. This is what I regard as Love.

When Nature Invaded Inner Soul Nikon 18mm-55mm F/4.5 1/400s ISO100

The Preserver Nikon D7200 18mm-55mm F/5.6 1/125s ISO317

I happened to come across the girl playing in a near by park; though a very common scene, there was something about her that captivated me. It was as if an invisible force had made me standstill and watch in awe. I ended up spending an entire day with her, living bits and pieces of her daily life. It then occurred to me, that the captivating force was of a pure heart, a pure soul and a pure love. Through my lens, I tried to capture a glimpse of that soul. The way she interacts with mother nature, the way she spends time with her mates, the way she sees things and spreads love is itself a celebration of life which is something very rare and precious.

Debrani Das, an enthusiast photographer from Kolkata, India, currently staying in WI, USA. Her visual storytelling journey had begun when she got a Nikon DSLR from her husband as a gift in 2014. Since then she is exploring every new possibilities around her. Being an artist by heart she always try to capture the mood and soul of her subject. She is fascinated by street and people photography. Photography not only opens up a new world to her but also, helps to explore herself.

Nature’s Imprint Nikon D7200 18mm-55mm F/3.5 1/320s ISO100

A Nature Hangout Nikon D7200 18mm-55mm F/3.5 1/125s ISO317

A Moment of Despair Nikon 18mm-55mm F/8 1/500s ISO100

The Barricade won’t Hold for Long Nikon D7200 18mm-55mm F/3.5 1/2000s ISO100

Three States of Nature Nikon 18mm-55mm F/3.5 1/800s ISO317

Flying High Nikon 18mm-55mm F/5.6 1/100s ISO317

B&W Tips and Tricks

Murky Throughway Leica Q 28mm F/7.1 1/250s ISO400

Photography

Born in a beautiful place south of Austria in Carinthia-Europe, Sascha van der Werf is half-Dutch-half-Austrian who is also an ex-marketing & sales strategist, turned sky diver who is afraid of heights turned photographer. He claims that photography has changed him and the way he looks at things. It allows him to express himself, share his perspective and tell a story with his pictures. In his journey, he has learnt a lot about himself, what he values and how he sees the world around him and observe the beauty in every moment. He believes that beauty can be found in the most ordinary and unexpected places and moments.

When I followed my heart and started to concentrate on photography later in the year 2017, I also decided to focus on black and white photography. I love black and white because of the simplicity, minimalism, and its ability to get rid of distractions and clutter.

Black and white photos are aesthetic and timeless. Furthermore, black and white gives me a chance to focus on the essence of a scene - color can sometimes be a distraction. There

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By Sascha van der Werf

"Black and white

photography makes a statement in a colorful world."

is no right or wrong answer to this question, it is definitely a personal preference. And sometimes, the world looks better in black and white. It just does.

Like Ted Grant said :“When you photograph people in color, you photograph their clothes.

But when you photograph people in Black and white, you photograph their souls!”

Clothing, color temperature, differences

in ambient light sources, cars and colorful background distractions have stopped being an issue. I still focus on my backgrounds, but I care more about the relationship between my subject and background, rather than a distracting color. It’s freed up that part of my brain.

Looking at someone’s face, or into their eyes, without the distraction of color can provide a stronger emotional connection to my

subjects. It’s not necessarily always the case, but I often feel more connected to a person in a black and white image over a color image, this could be the reason why.

Black and white photography is clearer – by this I mean that a good black and white image can enhance a subject’s features and create a clearer picture of what they look like. It seems counter-intuitive but when you compare color and black and white versions of the same image, you’ll see that it’s true.

With black and white photography, you will need to pay more attention to light, composition, contrast, and the whole scene in general. It takes some time to develop an eye for black and white but a monochrom image can stand out from the crowd - so it is worth it.

Find out your style Like in color photography, there are also a lot of styles in black and white photography.

You can either you use a film look that adds an air of mystery to the picture or you prefer a sharp, clean look with high contrasts. It depends on what kind you like to use to tell your story with your images.

Always shoot RAW Raw files contain all the information captured by your camera’s sensor. A RAW file has to be processed (using a software) and converted to a JPEG or TIFF file in order to be usable, and that is definitely necessary if you want to convert your shot into a good black and white image.

Keep it simple Always seek to simplify in monochrome. Seek to make the scene less complicated. Seek to make simple compositions.

Lighting is the key Contrasty lighting is what makes a black and white image pop. If you look at the work of famous photographers like Ansel Adams, his images stand out because of the light contrast.

Make light your friend - because photography means “painting with light.” Shooting outdoor when the light is good - look out for spots where u get intense light/contrast.

Experiment a lot Try to experiment with different perspectives, especially when you shoot outdoor. Take the elevator to the top of a skyscraper, and shoot down. Or shoot up. Also you get dramatic shadows in your captures when the sun sets.

Silhouette photographs are often stronger in black and white.

In photography, one amazing fact is that you can always learn something new. I’m not a portrait photographer but I keep coming back to the studio to improve my skills in this field of photography. Doing something else rather than only concentrate on your genre enhances your creativity and you can use the learnings out of these experiments in all the other situations in your photography life.

Get inspired by others I study the work of others a lot to learn, how they work with light, textures and contrasts.

There are a lot of inspiring photographers

Even Stevens Sony Alpha 9 50mm F/5.6 1/1000s ISO2000

out there focusing on black and white photography. It helped me and I even got very useful feedback. But don’t imitate others or try to be like them - that won’t work. It is a process and takes some time - stick to your personal style and make sure your pictures tell a story - and others will notice it. Get connected to get feedback. I appreciate every single feedback I get to improve myself.

Most important tip: Just start shooting Photography is a constant learning process.

It is essential knowing the technique but developing yourself to unleash your creativity only comes from trying, analyzing and repeating. I started with street photography, not only because I love to document life, but also because I can’t control my environment.

I started to focus more on light, contrasts, textures and more. The learnings out of this helps me today in any photography situation to make different and creative images, to share my views and tell a story with them.

Force yourself to focus on black and white – since most digital cameras have the capacity to shoot black and white right in camera use it to your advantage. It is a really great exercise to occasionally force yourself to do so. Grab a friend and go shoot 50 or 100 frames in black and white. Then come back and study your work, whether it look like you wanted ror not.

Find areas you want to improve in. Search online for help and advices and go back to try it again. I guarantee, that after a few attempts ,not only will you get more confident in what you do - but you and the people who examine your work will notice a progress.

Bowed Canon 5D MK III 28mm F/6.3 1/125s ISO100

The game of shadows Canon 5D MK III 28mm F/2 1/6000s ISO100

Be with Me Leica Q 28mm F/8 1/2000s ISO400

Careened Leica Q 28mm F/4 1/2000s ISO400

Yackety-Yak Canon 5D MK III 28mm F/2 1/125s ISO1600

A self-taught photographer and a Journalism student, Sachin Chauhan believes that photography is more about capturing the soul of the subject in the frame rather than expensive gears and tools. He loves composing his photographs in monochrome because in his opinion monochrome fills peace in your frame, which he likes the most.

He lives by the rule “Learn from everyone but follow no one�.

Leader NIKON D5200 24mm F/9 1/400s ISO125

Monsoon Reflection NIKON D5200 18mm F/7.1 1/200s ISO100

Ghost Rider NIKON D5200 30mm F/9 1/500s ISO500

Mysterious Fly NIKON D5200 55mm F/16 1/800s ISO640

Training NIKON D5200 18mm F/3.5 1/125s ISO400

7Edition-Mumbai th

15 - 18 Feb, 2018 Nehru Centre Dr A B Road, Worli Mumbai, India

Art Gallery 10 | Mumbai

Hunar Showcasing Art | New Delhi

ArtDesh Gallery | Mumbai

Art India International | Mumbai

I Quest Gallery | Mumbai

Artequest Art Gallery (AAG) | Mumbai

Artezvous | Mumbai

The Lexicon Art Gallery | New Delhi

Canarys Fine Art Gallery | Indore

Arts Breeze Art Gallery (AAG5) | Hyderabad

Mriya Arts | Mumbai

eArt Gallery | Mumbai

Artzolo.com | Mumbai

Painted Rhythm Art Gallery | Mumbai

Eminent Art Gallery |New Delhi

Baroda Heritage Art Gallery | Baroda

Peaks Art | Singapore

Charvi Art Gallery | Bangaluru

Rhythm Art | Mumbai

Dolna the Movement | Mumbai

Studio3 Art Gallery | Mumbai

Gallerie Splash | Gurgaon

Studio Anita Dinesh | Noida

Gallerie Art Eterne | New Delhi

Uchaan | Gurgaon

Gallery Endless Thoughts | Delhi-NCR

West 10 Art Gallery | Mumbai

Studio7Seven | New Delhi

Gnani Arts | Singapore

Emami Art | Kolkata

Tao Art Gallery | Mumbai

Gallery Pioneer | New Delhi

Agantuk Art Tune | Kolkata

WBC Gallery | Mumbai

Gallerie Ruki | New Delhi Gallery Sara Arakkal | Bengaluru Indian Art Place | Delhi Innovative Spaces | Mumbai Myanmar Ink Art | Dubai Sheruta | Indore

Visit: www.eindiaartfestival.com Woman’s Magazine Partner

Print Media Partner

Media Partners

Art Publication Partners

India Art Festival 14, Ruby House, 3rd Floor, L. J. Road, Opp. Shitaladevi Temple, Mahim, Mumbai 400 016, India Tel: +91 22 2444 5508-9, 65665111, 65355111, 65045111 M: +91 9969425202 / 9820737692 Email: info@indiaartfestival.com / indiaartfestival@gmail.com W: Website: www.eindiaartfestival.com

Guillaume Soulard goes by the Instagram handle @guimsweb and likes to photograph the landscapes, architecture and scenes of life. He chanced on photography after winning a contest on instagram and immediately took to the game. He uses his phone which is his constant companion in photography. He grabs even the slightest opportunity as he focuses his attention on an architectural element or a landscape to immortalize through his lens. This passion for photography has only enhanced his perspective. He now looks to discover another world and his eyes now stop on details that he had not seen before. He plans to invest in a camera soon which he expects will open up other visions of the world around us.

Petroglyph Apple iPhone 7 Plus 7mm F/2.8 1/754s ISO20

Swinging at Height Apple iPhone 7 Plus 4mm F/1.8 1/818s ISO20

Transparent Apple iPhone 7 Plus 4mm F/1.8 1/17s ISO50

Mystic March Apple iPhone 7 Plus 4mm F/1.8 1/5s ISO80

Way-down Apple iPhone 7 Plus 4mm F/1.8 1/17s ISO50

App of the Month Category: Black & White Photography Rating: 3.7/5 Platform: iOS 11 Cost: Free (offers in-app purchases) Version: 1.4.5

M

onochrome photography is a vast genre where each position on an image can record and show a different amount of light, without using a different hue. The mention of black and white photography through the very first cameras dates back to the 4th century BCE Chinese civilizations. With the equipments modernised and coloured photographs originating, black and white photography never really lost its charm and aesthetics be it Jacques Charles’ fleeting silhouette photograms from the sixteenth century or today’s digital photographs, apps and sites.

In the contemporary world monochrome photography is practiced in parallel with colored and hued images. There are innumerable third party applications running in the android as well as iOS that syncs with the inbuilt camera device to create beautiful images. Two years ago, such an application was introduced for both amateur and professional photographers in France, developed by world renowned photographer and visual artist Kevin Abosch. Lenka allows its users to create beautiful black and white photographs with a bare bones, yet powerful set of features. The philosophy behind Lenka is that one should spend most of the time composing the image and developing a “vision” rather than distracting oneself with multiple camera settings. The app, much like black-and-white photography itself, is stripped down to the bare essentials. One can use the rear-facing cameras that offers the picture mode options including normal

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and high-contrast, and one can choose to turn the flash bulb on or off for a source of continuous lighting in dark environments.

It operates in full auto exposure mode, but if one wants more control, he/she can tap the subject onscreen or the MF (manual focus) button on the control panel. Its four sliderbased buttons for exposure, contrast, tint and focus toggle on and off. You can also summon extra illumination for fill lighting or extreme low light by tapping the light bulb icon for a continuous flood of light. What makes Lenka interesting, is the fact that it doesn’t offer post processing functionality and uses only the main shooter on your device. Although these might seem as limitations at first glance, they fit perfectly within Lenka’s core concept. The idea here is, you see, to shoot in black and white from the get-go. Not to edit old photos, or convert color shots into B&W, or take artsy selfies, just shoot black and white. Deadsimple, really! Still, Lenka offers you some freedom in the form of slider-based controls for controlling brightness, focus, contrast, and even color tint.

Operating Lenka “What you see is what you get” being the main theme for the application focuses on previewing your image in a black and white mode before you click the shutter.

You can easily switch from rectangular “full frame” format to square format by a pinch on the screen. You can control the image temperature by sliding on the control slider to a cooler or a warmer tint. Manual focussing

Lenka- Black & White Cam

by a control slider is available on the iOS version. Exposure and contrast can also be manually controlled. Volume buttons ease to take a photo without disturbing the frame.

If you want to edit and tweak your Lenka creation further, you’ll have to export it into another app. The lightbulb icon illuminates your subjects with a constant light, not a flash.

While Lenka may not offer as much technical control as other apps, it does an excellent job of maximizing the black and white tonal range of your iPhone. Most images, if properly exposed, tend to have bright whites, deep blacks, and a wide range of midtones, all of which combine to make high-quality black and white photos. Lenka’s simplicity is what makes the app so alluring in the first place.

No unnecessary controls, no filters, no color and no front-facing camera functionality.

Simplicity, however, comes at a price. The self-described “simple yet powerful” app will run you $3, more than many of Lenka’s more feature-rich competitors like Hueless. It’s up to the user’s comfort to decide whether or not the results are worth the price. Lenka is fast, easy and fun to use, and its auto setting works well enough to give you some great shots without much effort.

Dipanwita Nath dipanwita@chiiz.com

A ray of hope in the darkness, Dipanwita, is a literary genius. A modest temper that always opens up her mind while listening and her heart while speaking. An aspiring scientist turned a humbled photographer, Dipanwita is an avid reader and a dynamic personality who follows her heart and loves to live life at the edge.

Trawling Canon EOS 550D 18mm F/8 1/350s ISO200

Sagnik Dutta is a freelance photojournalist from Kolkata. He is currently working on stories which has human interest. . His documentary works got published in various prestigious platforms. He is an active photo blogger He believes in the power of the medium and uses his photograph to give voice to some contemporary issues.

Tranquility Canon EOS 550D 18mm F/8 1/60s ISO100

See-Shore Canon EOS 550D 175mm F/8 1/125s ISO100

Stable Canon EOS 550D 60mm F/4.5 1/60s ISO200

Vacant Space Canon EOS 550D 18mm F/8 1/45s ISO100

Work in Silent Canon EOS 550D 50mm F/9.5 1/180s ISO100

Bird Eye View Canon EOS 550D 18mm F/8 1/60s ISO100

Through the Window NIKON D800 48mm F/20 1/60s ISO100

Playing with Light, Lines and Textures Aman Chotani Aman Chotani is a professional travel and lifestyle photographer based in New Delhi, India who explores the world documenting travel, culture and life. A self-proclaimed ‘wanderer’, Aman takes photographs to define his experiences, to capture these moments and share the earth’s most extraordinary places. He has found

What brought on this passion for photography and what made you chose this as a full time career?

Photography is all I know and something that I always wanted to do. So the idea of getting into any other career didn’t ever arise.

When I was doing my BA Cinema, I realised that Photography is something I really want to do in life. I went to Mumbai first to get some experience in film making and worked in an ad agency for about 6 months and then slowly I realized that this was not what I was yearning to become.

Still undecided about my career, I packed my bags and joined an advanced diploma course

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acclaim across major exhibitions and brands and has also received awards from many prestigious organizations including The Siena International Photo Awards 2015 (Italy), IPA AWARD, United States in the Portrait Category. Priyashi Negi from Chiiz gets in a dialogue with Aman Chotani. Here are the excerpts.

in Photography in Durban, South Africa. I did not really enjoy going to college for theoretical knowledge. I loved doing the practical work. I enjoyed assisting photographers. This helped me a lot to garner the real art of photography.

I also assisted Nat Geo photographer Louis Klyenhans and worked with him as a second photographer in many projects.

When young I came across a sentence that changed my path forever. It goes this way and I quote “The secret of success is to know something nobody else knows.” And that something for me was photography.

I live, breathe and dream about pictures, compositions, lines, symmetry and colors.

They are the variables that run my life.

You mentioned assisting Nat Geo photographer, Louis Klyenhans. Can you tell us more about your tenure with him?

So, I stayed in Durban to complete my masters’ degree and soon came in contact with Mr. Louis Klyenhans. He used to take expeditions for NatGeo, kind of like a phototour. So I joined him as his assistant and we did a lot of work from commercial to fashion to weddings, kind of everything and I used to assist him in every work. Later, I became a full time assistant and I went for special wildlife tours, travel tours where we used to go to

places and teach photography.

You like to capture untold stories and unprecedented experiences. Can you share something that left an indelible mark in your mind?

In Nepal, I shot a portrait of a mother and a daughter near the Annapurna Base Camp.

The mother, 109 and the daughter, 92 years old were in one frame together. That was before the Nepal Earthquake. They were more close to my heart than the others and I still think back to that time and would love to go back and see if they are alive and well.

You have travelled a lot and I’m sure there will be a social cause that couldn’t have escaped your notice. Is there a cause that you wish you could help out through your photography?

Normally I do commercial projects when I travel, but I do feel strongly about the environment.I see people throwing stuff on the streets offhandedly and destroying the environment. I’ve been to 16 countries until now and everywhere that I’ve travelled, I’ve noticed that apart from India, other countries are very particular about cleanliness and they are very educated about basic environment

education. I feel that we, in India aren’t really falling in and especially if you are an animal lover, you’d be extremely concerned about the fact that they eat whatever stuff that is thrown in the streets thoughtlessly and some eventually die because of it. This is something that I feel about and in Ladakh or Spiti, whatever treks that I take, we try to educate people and make sure that we don’t leave any mess behind. In future, I would definitely love to do something about it through photography.

What are the ingredients of a good photograph according to you?

I believe that a photograph should be able to tell to tell a story. But what set it apart are the elements that you use to make the story better.

I love taking landscape as well as portraits but with amazing elements like light, shadow, patterns, reflections etc. You will always find an interesting element in my pictures. I try to play a lot with light. That’s what I always say “Controlling light is photography.”

My pictures are cinematic. I want the audience to feel as they came out of the cinema hall by having a glance at my picture. Want them to enjoy the entire screenplay. Want them to take away the whole cinematic film.

If you ask personally then I would love to capture the adventure which will thrill you from top to bottom and make you stunned like how did you even take this shot. Cross the limits, break the rules shoot like a gorilla and get the best shot, that’s what my style is.

What is the one faux pas that amateur photographers should avoid?

I think the only mistake that they should avoid is to stop thinking of becoming a Facebook or Instagram celebrity. It will help you if you want to become a blogger or an Instagrammer. But if you really want to become a photographer, you don’t need to worry about social media.

You just need to keep working properly or learn lighting or a commercial or something related to photography. There’s absolutely nothing that you are going t o get from social media.

Priyashi Negi priyashi@chiiz.com

Trekking to the top of the hills through tiny little paths and between pines is nothing short of a paradise for Priyashi.

Books and poetry are her refuge. She is a foodie at heart and seems to be blessed with a sweet tooth and a love for all things cheese (pun-intended).

Skyscraper NIKON D800 24mm F/22 1/1000s ISO400

Shells NIKON D800 48mm F/4.5 1/60s ISO640

Arcade NIKON D800 24mm F/10 1/125s ISO100

Absent on lookers NIKON D800 58mm F/5 1/100s ISO100

Dome NIKON D800 58mm F/2.8 1/60s ISO800

Archway NIKON D800 24mm F/7.1 6s ISO100

Repository NIKON D800 34mm F/2.8 1/25s ISO5000

Azim Khan Bogra, Bangladesh

CHIIZ GALLERY To get published, update your photos to chiiz.com

Work in Progress Canon EOS 7D Mark II 18mm F/8 1/500s ISO200

Tejal Mewar Gujarat, India

Reverence Canon EOS 1100D 163mm F/5.6 1/400s ISO200

Tejal Mewar Gujarat, India

Azim Khan Bogra, Bangladesh

Narendra Tiwari New Delhi, India

Beauty in the Ordinary Canon EOS 1100D 250mm F/5.6 1/60s ISO800

Journey by Train Canon EOS 7D Mark II 11mm F/8 1/320s ISO125

Flocking Canon EOS 600D 55mm F/5.6 1/800s ISO100

Udayan Samkar West Bengal, India

Dawki Canon EOS 7D Mark II 200mm F/11 1/500s ISO400

Debarshi Mukherjee Kolkata, India

The Eyes NIKON D7000 26mm F/5 1/250s ISO320

Amit Datta Kolkata, India

Sanjiban Ghosh Qatar, Dubai

Abhijeet Chaterjee Kolkata, India

The Ghat Canon EOS 5D Mark III 47mm F/10 1/320s ISO200

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi NIKON D750 25mm F/6.3 1/4 ISO1000

Talking Expressions NIKON D7100 34mm F/5 1/40 ISO400

Abhishek Basak Kolkata, India

Reaching Out NIKON D3300 34mm F/11 1/100 ISO200

Pranab Basak Kolkata, India

Hands for Freedom NIKON D3100 18mm F/11 1/13 ISO800

Amit Datta Kolkata, India

Gautam Bailey Kolkata, India

Debarchan Chatterjee Kolkata, India

Purdah Canon EOS 5D Mark III 90mm F/10 1/320 ISO200

Drowned Gods NIKON D810 48mm F/4 1/320 ISO640

Not my Sister NIKON D3200 18mm F/3.5 1/50 ISO400

Arghya Bhakta Kolkata, India

Let Them Learn Canon EOS 60D 18mm F/4 1/90 ISO800

Arjit Chowdhury Chittagong, Bangladesh

Eyes are all Around Canon 7D 50mm F/2.8 1/90 ISO400

Dipanwita Saha Kolkata, India

Anuj Medhavi, Pratibha Meena New Delhi, India

Udayan Samkar West Bengal, India

The Faces of India NIKON D5100 16mm F/8 1/200 ISO400

The Daughter, A Soulful Creature of God NIKON D3300 20mm F/4 1/40 ISO3200

Worlds Apart Canon EOS 5D Mark III 25mm F/8 1/10s ISO200

Bhaskar Kundu Kolkata, India

Faith Canon EOS 50D Mark III 50mm F/4.5 1/1600s ISO200

Pranab Basak Kolkata, India

Circle of Freedom NIKON D7000 18mm F/7.1 1/1000 ISO800

Bhaskar Kundu Kolkata, India

Pranav Krishnan Tamil Nadu, India

Pritom Baroi Kolkata, India

My Childhood Canon EOS 5D Mark II 67mm F/8 1/80 ISO2000

Canon EOS 1200D 123mm F/5 1/50 ISO800

Unite We Stand Divide We Fall Canon EOS 80D 70mm F/4 1/1000 ISO2500

Pinkesh Bhati Rajasthan, India

Canon EOS 1200D 55mm F/11 1/200s ISO100

Mukesh Kumar New Delhi, India

Fish-eye NIKON D810 85mm F/3.2 1/500 ISO320

Sitaram Kataruka Kolkata, India

Gson Biswas Dhaka, Bangladesh

Saikat Samanta Kolkata, India

Cages SONY ILCE-3500 18mm F/5 1/100 ISO100

Tale of a Happy Man Canon 7D 35mm F/4 1/100 ISO400

Happy NIKON D3300 50mm F/2.8 1/100 ISO100

Sujit Saha Kolkata, India

Face to Face NIKON D80 40mm F/4 1/60 ISO400

Sarathi Thamodaran Tamil Nadu, India

Sanhita Bhattacharjee Agartala, India

Holy Kid SONY ILCE-6000 50mm F/1.8 1/500 ISO200

Nature’s Bride NIKON D7000 35mm F/2 1/2000 ISO640

Muhammad Shahjaman Dhaka, Bangladesh

Avismita Bhattacharya Westbangal, India

Biday NIKON D7100 24mm F/2.8 1/50 ISO6400

Tadpoles Canon EOS 7D 400mm F/10 1/100 ISO400

Mohammad Ibrahim Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Lightning NIKON D800E 14mm F/14 1/60 ISO50

Sarathi Thamodaran Tamil Nadu, India

Yashwanth Ram Chennai, India

Old Lady Canon EOS 7D 50mm F/2.8 1/50 ISO200

Talk to my Hand Canon EOS 5D Mark III 105mm F/4 1/160 ISO320

Ashikul Islam Sylhet, Bangladesh

Suvankar Sen Kolkata, India

Ragpickers Canon EOS 700D 49mm F/5.6 1/400 ISO100

Masked Canon 6D 50mm F/4 1/80 ISO400

Suvankar Sen Kolkata, India

Intricate Canon 6D 50mm F/4.5 1/80 ISO400

Paige Munroe Based in New York City, international fashion model, Paige Munroe is from the little state of Rhode Island.

She moved to New York only a few short years ago to pursue modeling after completing her degree in Business/Marketing. She has walked in New York and Milan Fashion Week, Miami Swim Week, modeled for designer Roberto Cavalli, featured in Sports Illustrated, cover of Maxim France and Playboy Venezuela. You may have seen her in Stars TV show Ballers or a part of a Will.i.am’s music video. This dynamic model says she has just begun and is excited to build her empire and continue to grow in the Fashion industry.

Paige Munroe IG@paige_munroe Facebook Fan Page “Paige Munroe” Measurements: Bust 34” Waist 24” Hip 34.5” Height 5’9

The photographer: Sorvit L IG@soravitl Photos taken in Manhattan, New York Turn of Events

Cat’s Cradle

Off the Wall

Gaze

Treasure Chest

Stroll

Ă la Mode

Passé en Relevé

Sanguine Canon EOS 7D 35mm F/1.8 1/125s ISO100

Irina Orwald is an art photographer based in Moscow, Russia. Through her photography, she tries to convey the inmost, magical and mysterious elements of her subjects and tries to reveal their inner beauty. Her muses always seem like they live in their own parallel world. She believes that portrait is the mirror of the soul and with her photographs she shares a piece of her soul with the world.

Eidetic Image Film Camera Canon 500 EOS 50mm 1/4s ISO200

Assertive Canon EOS 7D 35mm F/8 1/60s ISO100

Intense Canon EOS 7D 50mm F/1.4 1/1250s ISO100

Merged Canon EOS 50D 50mm F/1.4 1/400s ISO100

Scrutiny Canon EOS 7D 35mm F/8 1/60s ISO200

Sanctified Canon EOS 7D 35mm F/2 1/60s ISO100

Confined Canon EOS 7D 35mm F/2.2 1/100s ISO100

Working for 12 years as a Senior Designer for a CBC Television, Marc Boily had spent a lot of time manipulating images from photographers but never really owned his own camera. After the mass layoff at the corporation in 2013, he decided to pursue a few dreams he had in mind. In the early 90’s he spent 3 years in film school learning composition basic and film making as well as learning about the digital cameras trend but a game design career stirred him away from filmmaking or photography until 2013 when he purchased his first DSLR. It wasn’t long after his third camera purchase that he decided to call it a career. Not just a photography career but a fine art journey with no end in sight. Through his photographs, Marc only hopes that his audience enjoy the scenery throuh his eyes.

Unrestricted Canon EOS 5D Mark III 135mm F/3.5 1/2500s ISO100

Pigmented Canon EOS 5D Mark III 85mm F/20 1/160s ISO200

Immaculate Canon EOS 5D Mark III 85mm F/2.2 1/100s ISO200

Unsullied Canon EOS 5D Mark III 50mm F/2.8 1/50s ISO200

Unveiled Canon EOS 5D Mark III 135mm F/2 1/5000s ISO100

Virile Canon EOS 5D Mark III 85mm F/2 1/1600s ISO800

Rajdeep Biswas Kolkata, India

Rajdeep Biswas Kolkata, India

Alive Effigy NIKON D750 85mm F/9 1/160s ISO100

Ensconced NIKON D750 70mm F/10 1/125s ISO100

Rajdeep Biswas Kolkata, India

Hold-On NIKON D810 70mm F/9 1/125s ISO100

Rajdeep Biswas Kolkata, India

Me, Myself and I NIKON D810 62mm F/10 1/16400s ISO100

Avigyan Roy Kolkata, India

Semblance NIKON D750 78mm F/8 1/400s ISO100

Rajdeep Biswas Kolkata, India

Eloquent Goddess NIKON D810 70mm F/13 1/160s ISO100