The Silence of the Jungle Varun Aditya
Kulasai Dasara Udayan Sankar Pal
A Beautiful Body Project The Bodies of Mothers
Jade Beall
CHIIZ GALLERY Best of chiiz.com
Good to Earth - Lavazza
Ami Vitale
Makeup Artist of the Month Namrata Soni
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
Editorial
Chief Visualiser
Watching a baby is one of the most joyous things to do. A baby does make its presence felt and how. Its shrill cries, drooling mouth, smelly diapers, and gurgling laughter, can give any mother a feeling of ecstasy. It is no wonder, then, that parents want to freeze every growing moment of their baby. This desire has given birth to subsets of portraiture, viz., Maternity Photography, Birth Photography and Baby Photography. With these new genres, came a requirement of a new set of skills for the photographers as the subjects are not adults who can strike a pose for a good photograph, but are fragile babies whose safety is in the hands of the photographer. So a baby photographer does not only risk bad photos but also the safety of the baby, making the job ten times more difficult.
Jade Beall Priyashi Negi Sheetal Mann Design
Harjeet Singh Bhavyaa Parashar Abhishek Gangwar Sugam Pushpadh Research & Operations
Prateek Kashyap Sarthak Jain Melissa Sherpa Writers
Saman Waheed Urvi Bareja Vidit Mehta Prakhar Garg Sana Singh Shivantee Bhattacharya Technology
Sachin Arora Rishabh Jain Aditya Baghel Abhishek Tyagi Business Development
Rajesh Basu Mandeep Kaur Amit Ghosh Sales
Krishna Srinivas Amit Gupta Marketing
Vasundhra Sethi Public Relations
Shreya Bhattacharya Staff Photographers
Abdul Momin Saransh Pithauria Susana Gomez Tarundeep Singh Urshita Saini Cinematographers
Dinesh Prasad Sah Nikhil Ruhela Kuldeep Finance
Neelu Singh
Despite these challenges, a lot of photographers are successfully creating the most adorable baby pictures. It would be wrong to call them that as these images are more than just ‘baby pictures’. They are stolen moments that will make a mother stop in her tracks and reminisce about the birth of her child. Moments that will make her remember the soft baby skin and the sweet smell of infantry. Moments that daddy will remember the first time his daughter locked eyes with him and giggled. This is the magic that photographers like Elena Balasanyan, Anega Bawa and Parul Ankur Kaushal create with their baby photos. Anything that takes birth needs nourishment. Usually the nourishment-givers, the mothers have to go through a lot of changes. While motherhood is a beautiful concept, there are aspects to it that are anything but. A lot of mothers go through a phase where they find themselves hating their postpartum body. A ‘Beautiful Body Project- The Bodies of Mothers’ show just how beautiful the supposed flaws can be as it captures women, completely at ease with their bodies, breastfeeding their babies. This month’s issue also features the festival of Kulasai Dasara from the lens of Udayan Sankar Pal. Varun Aditya’s photographs of the wildlife are such that you get a sense of calmness in the wild. Taking care of the glamour and glitz in the Bollywood is the famous makeup artist, Namrata Soni, whose work adds up to the glam quotient in the issue. We also have an excellent project called ‘Good to Earth’ which is a collective approach of brilliant artists and captured by Ami Vitale to share the message of conservation of our environment and of Mother Earth. Aaron Siskind said that “Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever… It remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.” What better to capture than the curious little eyes that are always watching and observing and seem to speak a language that tugs at the heartstrings of the beholder. The tiny hands that are always reaching out to seek a comforting embrace and a baby’s laughter that can melt even the toughest of hearts. If you can capture these in a film, then you can sleep with the knowledge that you are responsible for the smile of a mother when she sees the baby pictures of her children and the magic that follows.
Consultant
Apratim Saha Mansa Inc. CEO
Mukesh Kumar Cover Photo
Anega Bawa
Regards, Jade Beall
Contents CHIIZ GALLERY Best of chiiz.com
74
TOOLS App of the Month Pixelmator
36
FEATURES
TRIGGERS Chenthil Mohan Parul Ankur Kaushal Urshita Saini
08 14 24
Praveen Jain Surbhi Kaushik Anega Bawa Libor Vaicenbacher Debojyoti Biswas
25 26 28 32 50 52
Adam Gor Rekha Sharma Elena Balasanyan Saahil Rahman Ganesh Bagal Zena Holloway Ho In-Street Collective Shaswat Padhi Ruskin Felix Barar Abhi Chatterjee Diana Hoffman
56 60 62 66 67 72 84 85 94 96
The Silence of the Jungle Varun Aditya
10
Good to Earth - Lavazza Ami Vitale
18
Kulasai Dasara Udayan Sankar Pal
38
A Beautiful Body Project Beau
44
The Bodies of Mothers
Jade Beall
CLASSICS Old is Gold Cotton Mill Girl
42
Movie Review Finding Vivian Maier
48
HALL OF FAME Model of the Month Joana Castro
88
Makeup Artist of the Month Namrata Soni
90
A documentary photographer, Chenthil Mohan is a Fujifilm X-Photographer from Bangalore, India and has received many prestigious awards for wedding photography and couple portraitures. Apart from weddings, Chenthil is an accredited sports photographer specialized in professional cycling and a published photojournalist in leading publications. He lives in the outskirts of Bangalore, India with his wife and 5 dogs, trying to live a lifestyle true to his spirit.
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Follow your Passion Fujifilm X-T3 400mm F/5.6 1/600 ISO320
The Silence of the Jungle Varun Aditya
Roaring on a Foggy Morning Nikon D4s 600mm F/4 1/200 ISO800
10 FEATURE
It happens for a reason! Tigress with Sambar Deer fawn and a common tiger butterfly in the frame shot at Bharatpur, India. Nikon D4s 600mm F/4 1/640 ISO500
Varun Aditya is one of the leading and famous wildlife photographers from India, known for his vibrant, underexposed and unique story-telling compositions. Born and brought up in Coimbatore, India, he grew up amidst nature and always found himself strongly inclined towards nature. In the seven years from the beginning of his journey, Varun has traveled to all the National parks in India and Africa, additionally traveling to Madagascar, Costa Rica, Panama, Scotland, and Indonesia. Having traveled to Masai Mara for over 10 times, Varun has amassed in-depth and astounding knowledge of the habitat and behavior of the animals at the African savannah. Varun is a person who strongly believes that storytelling through a photograph is much more powerful than a video. A self-taught photographer, composition and story-telling images are Varun’s forte. His craze for composing different wide frames and perspectives can be seen through all his photographs. He is calm, amiable and finds joy in sharing his photography knowledge. Caring mother and charming baby! Mother and baby elephant shot in Sunset at Masai Mara, Kenya. Nikon D4s 600mm F/4 1/800 ISO200
A beautiful family under the Mt. Kilimanjaro at Amboseli, Kenya. iPhoneXS 6mm F/2.4 1/850 ISO16
And the treasure just appeared in the light! Nikon D4s 600mm F/4 1/250 ISO640
Shades of Twilight: An Indian Wild Ass shot at LRK in Dusk Twilight. Nikon D4s 600mm F/4 1/250 ISO800
Let the nature paint for you! Silhouette of a Zebra and sunset behind an Acacia tree. Sony A9 400mm F/16 1/2000 ISO50
A Tail’s Tale! Ring Tailed Lemur shot at Madagascar Nikon D4s 200mm F/2.5 1/5000 ISO500
Cocooned Nikon D750 85mm F/1.8 1/125 ISO200
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The Makeup Freak Nikon D750 85mm F/1.8 1/200 ISO200
Basically from Punjab and based out of Bangalore, Parul Ankur Kaushal is an engineer by qualification and an artist at heart. She started her professional career as a software professional and after working for three years in two different software companies, she realized that software wasn’t something that was meant for her. Her husband, Ankur was already doing well in photography and that triggered the passion for photography in her. Photography happened to her first as a hobby, then it became a passion and in the process, it became an integral part of her life. When Parul initially started out, photography for her was nothing more than pressing a button. She believed that just buying a camera would be enough. But when it started, the world of photography seemed to grow every single day with her growing knowledge. The more she clicked, the more she was pulled by the magic called photography.
Newborn in Couch Nikon D750 85mm F/2.5 1/200 ISO320
Little Aviator Nikon D750 136mm F/2.8 1/200 ISO320
Swaddled in Yellow Nikon D750 50mm F/1.8 1/125 ISO100
Newborn Cricketer Nikon D750 85mm F/2.5 1/200 ISO400
Baby Scientist Nikon D750 200mm F/2.8 1/250 ISO800
Newborn Pianist Nikon D750 58mm F/2.8 1/125 ISO250
Little Newton Nikon D750 200mm F/2.8 1/200 ISO640
18 FEATURE
“I love the concept of art becoming an integral part of the environment:in this way it talks to us about the future of nature, which is the future of all of us. Because while we need nature to survive, nature doesn’t need us” - Ami Vitale From the Rhône Glacier to the forests of Thailand via coffee estates in Colombia and the Moroccan desert: captured in photographs by Ami Vitale, six nature art installations tell us about some good news for the Earth in the form of virtuous projects for reforestation, protecting biodiversity and the conversion of industrial areas into green spaces. Q. What does “Good to Earth: Lavazza Calendar 2019” mean to you and why? A. Planet Earth is the only home we have and we are about to condemn our home and all future generations to eternal poverty. What happens next is in all of our hands. This project “Good to Earth” is about collaborating and shining a light on those who are caring for the plants and critters that inhabit this earth. Our future happiness depends on them. It is about using art and taking this message to a variety of different audiences. “Good to Earth“ is a collaboration of brilliant artists who’re thinking about these seemingly insurmountable challenges and engaging others. If more people are involved, then, absolutely, we’ll come up with more honed solutions. Getting engaged really does matter. So does creativity and expression. We have the choice and it begins by first falling in love and then, having the courage to make a difference. Q. You put a lot of thought on the meaning of a photograph and the story behind it. Can you deconstruct your creative process for our readers? A. Collaborating is an important path to solving our planet’s most pressing problems. It’s an overused analogy, but the idea of asking questions through different lenses is so important. That’s why I am excited by this project. By bringing in a multitude of viewpoints, we encourage intuition, uncertainty and creativity and to search constantly for new ideas. I focussed on the landscapes and also found the stories that remind us of the multitude of unorthodox ways to approach our contemporary issues. I think of creativity at its simplest as giving form and expression to our imagination. By externalizing these thoughts, dreams, visions and ideas, we put a form on them, and create some order and meaning not just for ourselves but connect with others and create meaning through a shared experience. Enlightenment means that you think long-term, you think about others and you think about how it all fits together. My hope is to create dialogue and have an impact on the way we see the world. Lavazza will give us the opportunity and platform to reimagine a different future together, rediscover what we think we already know and remind people of what we can achieve. The encounter with art – and with others over art – can help us expand our notions and show us that individual engagement in the world has actual consequences.
Photo: Ami Vitale
Q. You have been around the world for various photography projects. Which one has left an indelible impact on your life as far as photography is concerned and why? A. Just a few months ago, I got a call to hurry back to Kenya to say goodbye to Sudan. He was the last northern white male rhino alive on the planet. It was a heartwrenching moment. He was surrounded by the people who loved him and protected him. All you could hear was one go-away bird chirping and the quiet sobbing of his keepers. These men spend more time saving these animals than they do with their own children. This gentle hulking creature survived for millions of years as a species, but he couldn’t survive us, mankind. Let this be our wake up call. In a world of more than 7 billion people, we must begin to see ourselves as part of the landscape. Our fate is linked to the fate of the natural world, losing one part of nature impacts all of us. Q. What do you think the new crop of photographers are doing wrong and what should they do to correct it? A. I don’t think anyone is doing anything wrong. Diversity of viewpoint is important and I would never tell anyone what they “should” do. Priyashi Negi priyashi@chiiz.com Trekking in the top of the hills through tiny little paths and between pines is nothing short of paradise for Priyashi. Books and poetry are her refuge. She is a foodie at heart and seems to be blessed with a sweet tooth (sweet-teeth rather) and a love for all things cheese (pun-intended).
January Artist: Saype
February Artist: Mantra
A young girl lying on a grassy meadow protects a coffee bush with her hands, symbolising the need for the new generations to take care of the future of the land and the planet
March Artist: Mantra
April Artist: Mantra
The subject of the canvas is a kingfisher, a bird that plays a key role in maintaining the ecosystem, which Mantra has painted set among the mangroves.
May Artist: Millo
October Artist: Gomez
A brightly coloured young girl, symbolising the new generations, sprinkles water on a grey industrial area where a lush garden blossoms.
June Artist: Millo
July Artist: Gerada
August Artist: Gerada
Running water flows between the fingers of two huge hands in a “perpetual flow�, symbolising the ability to reuse water to create a greenbelt around the city and so protect it from sandstorms.
September Artist: Gomez
October Artist: Gomez
The nude portrait of a proud woman becomes at one with the trees and foliage because of the transparency of the plexiglass.
November Artist: Hula
Two children are portrayed hiding and sheltering under a blanket, symbolising the future generations who face challenges like climate change and melting glaciers.
December Artist: Hula
Ami Vitale and The Six Artists
Ami Vitale
Mantra
Gerada
Saype
Millo
Hula
Gomez
InfLens is India’s first and only birth photography venture, led by three birth photographers, Urshita Saini, Ria Mukherjee, and Ayushi Guwalani. These lens-women capture the first moments of the baby in the world right at the time of birth. With over 350 birth shoots between them, these Ninjas inside the delivery room capture all the emotions, expressions and heartwarming moments of birth for the family to cherish for a lifetime. Be it the labor room or the OT, these women are experts in capturing the tiniest of details, which otherwise would blur with time.
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Holding a life Canon 6D Mark II 43mm F/4 1/400 ISO500
Praveen Jain hails from Chitradurga - the fort city in Karnataka, India. Photography, for him, started as a hobby. From his early childhood, he started doing photography on his own and learnt to capture beautiful moments. Photography has changed his life and he is thankful for the people’s support towards him, because of which he has improved his photography skills more than he ever expected. Photography is his passion and he firmly believes in going that extra mile for a perfect capture. Due to his love for capturing moments, he tries his best to create pictures with loads of memories. While capturing a photograph, he tries to imagine a whole new world and that, he says, makes the photograph better than he would imagine.
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Chitradurga Fort Canon 77D 74mm F/4.5 1/80 ISO100
Surbhi Kaushik is a travel & landscape photographer based in Bangalore, India. She mentors photography enthusiasts and heads the operations at GoodShotz Photography Pvt Ltd — a photography travel & learning company she co-founded in 2016. Having traveled to 50+ destinations in 15+ countries in the last 2 years, Surbhi has photographed some of the most fascinating & beautiful destinations around the world. She graduated in English Literature from University of Delhi, and has a background in Fine arts & Visual Communication. Prior to GoodShotz, she has worked with Amazon and Gartner in the creative field. Besides being a professional photographer, Surbhi is also an accomplished painter and has exhibited her work at various galleries.
Magic Fades too Fast Nikon D800E 85mm F/9 1/100 ISO100
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When the Sky Froze Nikon D800E 28mm F/13 1/400 ISO100
Innocence: Four months old boy Canon 1DX Mark II 50mm F/2.8 1/200 ISO 640
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Like the Womb: 18 days old boy Canon 1DX Mark II 35mm F/2.8 1/400 ISO1250
Anega Bawa is a maternity, newborn and baby photographer based in Gurgaon (Delhi NCR), India. Photography has been a part of Anega’s life since the day she was given her first camera, a used Yashica Electro 350, almost 23 years ago. The professional bent came when she was pregnant in 2012-13. Anega is involved in all the aspects of her work –from photographing, retouching to creating backdrops, weaving props, designing clothes, styling and everything in-between. She considers her design sense and attention to detail as her most valuable assets. Anega lives with her husband and is a mom to a 5-year-old daughter and a 5-month-old son.“I did my own maternity shoot and later when I had a baby girl, I started photographing her. So my daughter has been my true inspiration”, says Anega. “I have also photographed myself in my second pregnancy.”Anega suffered postpartum depression after her second child was born with a cleft palate. She used photography as an anchor to lift her out and to accept and celebrate her newly born son.
The beauty sleep: 10 days old Canon 1DX Mark II 50mm F/2.8 1/250 ISO400
A happy dream: 11 days old boy Canon 1DX Mark II 50mm F/4.5 1/160 ISO640
Smile, I am with dad - 14 days old girl Canon 5D Mark III 24mm F/2.8 1/250 ISO640
The Purple Potato Sack: 28 days old girl Canon 1DX Mark II 50mm F/2.8 1/250 ISO640
The Froggy: 11 days old boy Canon 1DX Mark II 50mm F/4.5 1/100 ISO640
The middle finger: 8 months old boy Canon 1DX Mark II 50mm F/3.2 1/200 ISO640
Giggles: 8 months old boy Canon 1DX Mark II 50mm F/2.8 1/320 ISO640
32 TRIGGER
Blue-footed Booby (Sula nebouxii) Nikon D500 300mm F/4.5 1/800 ISO160
Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill (Tockus leucomelas) Nikon D500 280mm F/5.0 1/2000 ISO800
Libor Vaicenbacher is a biologist, an expedition leader and a photographer. His main interest throughout all his professions are birds. His beloved part of the world is Latin America - a bird continent. There he studied avian diversity changes caused by exotic tree plantations in the high Andes.
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (Amazilia tzacatl) Nikon D750 550mm F/7.1 1/1600 ISO500
Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica) Nikon D500 200mm F/5.6 1/5000 ISO1250
Goosander (Mergus merganser) Nikon D500 350mm F/5.6 1/500 ISO2000
Black-casqued Hornbill (Ceratogymna atrata) Nikon D500 105mm F/3.5 1/4000 ISO800
Eurasian Blackbird (Turdus merula) Nikon D500 500mm F/5.6 1/400 ISO1250
App of the Month PIXELMATOR
Rating: 3.7/5 Platform: Android Cost: Free
August Sander once said, “In photography, there are no shadows that cannot be illuminated.” While there are many ways to do it with your hands on the camera, one often relies on editing apps and Pixelmator just happens to be the one app ideal for this purpose. Justifying itself true to its description, Pixelmator is an “incredibly powerful editing app” for those who love to give their pictures a professional touch. The app includes everything from the basic editing tools like adjusting the contrast, saturation, sharpness, warmth, etc. to advanced features like adjusting the focus of the image and modifying its orientation. It allows one to enhance the photograph as per the requirement of the photographer. It offers us five options under the Enhance tool- Hi-Def., Scenery, Food, Portrait and Night mode and one can choose either of them as per the requirement. Pixelmator offers us a range of twelve different filters for adding effects to our pictures. The app also allows us to choose from a range of Overlays to add to our photographs. The orientation of a picture can be very easily changed using the Orientation tool. The Transform tool elevates the app to another level as it provides the user with an option of not just of straightening the photograph but also of choosing the plane in which the user wants to transform the picturehorizontal or vertical. Using this feature, one can entirely change the angle of the photograph from the one at which it was originally taken.The app also offers other tools like Blur- to blur specific portions of the picture, Blemish- to removes blemishes from a portrait and Meme- to customize your picture into a meme, among others. One can easily add frames, stickers or even write and draw on the pictures using this app. The most outstanding feature that this app allows its users, is a tool named Splash. Using this tool, one can add or remove color to or from a particular spot in the picture. Using this tool, one can easily convert a colored picture into a black and white one and retrieve the color of the original picture at the desired spot or even remove color from a specific spot. The Focus tool allows one to easily enhance the focus of the image at a certain spot at the same time blurring the rest of the image to make the subject of the picture stand out. This feature is especially helpful in editing portraits which look better with a low depth of field. Similar to it is the Vignette
tool that allows one to focus light on the selected region of the photograph while partially darkening the rest of it at the same time. Comprehensively, the app offers its users the features for reshaping, adjusting and transforming their pictures as well as designing them in a layout- all of it on one platform. Pixelmator has a rating of 3+ on Google Play. It has also launched an app for Mac users named Pixelmator Pro which lets the makers enjoy an abundant number of downloads from the users of both Android and MacOS. However, unlike few other editing apps which allow their users to click pictures through the app itself, Pixelmator is limited to editing alone. Along with that, the users, at times, have complained about the app shutting itself down frequently. The features of the app are appreciable but the functioning of the app sometimes proves to be at fault. Overall, Pixelmator offers its users a range of editing tools that one rarely finds included in one application alone. The app is easy-to-handle and can be easily downloaded from Google Play Store. It is worth giving a shot to bring the best out of a picture because no matter how good a picture is, one usually needs an editing app to bring the best out of them. After all, it always takes one to be both a good photographer as well as a good editor to make a photograph a masterpiece! Meenal Singh meenal@chiiz.com
36 TOOLS
Meenal loves to connect with people through her writing. She pines for the beauty in nature and is driven towards presenting a beautiful interpretation of it through her words and her passion for photography.
38 FEATURE
The Painted God Canon EOS 5D Mark IV 70mm 1/250 F/2.8 ISO1600
Kulasai Dasara Udayan Sankar Pal
Kali Canon 5D Mark IV 16mm F/7.1 1/200 ISO100
Born in 1979, Udayan Sankar Pal, grew up in Canning (WB, India), the gateway of the Sunderbans. He has been dabbling with photography since he was 13 years old. Since the time he started working with his first camera, a Canon AE-1 Program, to his current gear, a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, he has explored the myriad images that Indian villages have to offer. Hailing from a village himself, his eyes are drawn towards those elements that he can identify with
and those that are hidden from a city dweller. Brochures of many photography exhibitions lying on the road, post an exhibition, triggered an interesting thought in him. He began collecting them for posterity from 2001 and has painstakingly built his collection to over 10,000 brochures from all parts of the world now. He has established the only international Archive of Photography Exhibitions (www.APE.net.in) in the world.
Repose Canon EOS 5D Mark IV 30mm 1/640 F/2.8 ISO200
We are God Canon 5D Mark IV 70mm F/2.8 1/1000 ISO1600
A little faith Canon 5D Mark IV 20mm F/22 1/10 ISO1600
Kulasai Dasara is the grand festival of 300-year-old Kulasai Mutharammam Temple, which is located at Kulasekharapatnam in Tamil Nadu. In essence, Dasara (Dussehra) is celebrated on the 10th day after the nine days of Navaratri festival across India. However, at Kulasai, it is celebrated as a 12-day function. It is estimated that around 2.5 million (25Lakhs) devotees visited the temple in the 2018 celebrations. Teams are formed from each village and are sponsored by the richest family of the village or the village head. One member from each team is chosen to don the avatar of Goddess Kali, the central deity in this festival. A strict con-
The holy fire Canon 5D Mark IV 17mm F/2.8 1/125 ISO2000
dition is that only a man can dress as Kali and has to fast for 41 days. Other members dress up as other gods and goddesses, according to their choice. During Dasara, these devotees need to dress like the god/goddess every day and have to abstain from impure thoughts and bad habits. They need to commit to being pure in body, mind and soul. Kulasekharapatnam is a tiny coastal town with extremely high humidity and temperature. In this climate, it’s not an easy commitment to be dressed as a god in heavy costume and with bold makeup. If this was not hard enough, they fast for 41 days and carry a pot of fire in their bare hands, wear multiple weighty false arms and a pair of metal glass-
Blind faith Canon 5D Mark IV 30mm F/2.8 1/125 ISO2000
anger with which the Goddess Lalithambigai destroyed Magisasuran, they enter a trance like state characterized by deafening music and violent dancing. After they have offered their prayers, they then finally go to the beach behind the temple and worship the fire that they had carried in their hands. A cleansing dip follows where they take a bath and immerse all the godly belongings which made them look like God. Local kids then have fun collecting these props to play with them or to keep them as a memory.
Small talk Canon 5D Mark IV 35mm F/2.8 1/1250 ISO320
es with a tiny hole limiting their vision to almost zero and are surrounded by people playing drums and loud music. I have seen some of these avatars faint out of exhaustion, heat, dehydration and the frenzy around them. Each team roams around many villages during Dasara and perform a ritualistic dance to earn some alms. As it is quite a lucrative way of earning money, some individuals, especially kids, also get dressed in godly costumes to make some easy money. During the last day of the festival, the celebrations are at their zenith. The avatars visit the temple and on the last leg of their journey through the temple corridor, they perform a ritualistic dance in devotion to the Gods. To depict the
An interesting thing, however, is that taking a dip in the sea with all the heavy costume is a practical problem as water makes everything heavier. So, they just stand in the sea and spray some sea water on themselves symbolically and take off their costumes post that. Millions of visitors come to attend this event. Sometimes an entire village arrives by buses or in trucks. They pitch their tents in open grounds for three days making it look like a mini picnic complete with cooking facilities. Local residents are also very helpful towards these visitors. They allow them to take shelter in their homes. Some families even offer water and food to these visitors. The final day looks like a colourful carnival where thousands of teams line up in a narrow lane marching towards the temple for hours often stretching day into night. It is a life-time experience to witness the event and relish in their faith and dedication.
Old is Gold Lewis Wickes Hine- Cotton Mill Girl
“Photography can light up the darkness and expose ignorance.” Photos express what cannot be put into words. They are the evidence to describe the entire timeline of history. They have their own distinct language and convey volumes of information about a certain issue and by looking at them we find out what is wrong or right about society. “I wanted to show the things that had to be corrected, I wanted to show the things that had to be appreciated.” These were the words of the legendary photographer, Lewis Wickes Hine. Hine (1874-1940) was an American sociologist and photographer and his camera was an instrument for the reformation and rearrangement of society. It was due to his incessant efforts that a number of child labor laws were passed and changed in the United States of America. He wanted to expose the unethical truth of child labor that was supposed to be kept concealed from the public eyes. He knew that the treatment of those little kids in mills and factories was problematic so he went to extreme lengths to bring the truth to light. In 1908 he was appointed as the photographer for the National Child Labour Committee (NCLC). His work was quite challenging and he would get death threats very often. He would secretively enter into these factories and warehouses or make up some other excuse so that he could get an entry into these places. He wanted to capture genuine photographs that could truly portray the condition of those little kids. Hine was a firm believer in the power of knowledge to vanquish evil. He always took a pen and a pad so that he could note the names and heights of his subjects. One of his most famous works is the photograph of 48 inches tall, Sadie Pfeiffer which popularly known as the ‘Cotton Mill Girl’. Pfeiffer was a spinner in a cotton mill in North Carolina and was a little child when this photograph was taken. Let us first talk about the apparent features of this photograph. As is clear, the photo talks about child labor. The little girl is wearing a crumpled and sordid cotton dress and is engaged in her work at the cotton loom. She is probably not even aware that she is being photographed. Behind her, we see an older girl or woman who is also working on the same loom, but she is out of focus. Hine chose the spot close to a row of tall windows that filled the room with soft light and made the large spinning machine that dominated the entire room light up thus taking away the focus from the little girl. This photograph was an attempt on Hine’s part, to draw attention towards the unruly treatment of child laborers and to compel people to demand changes.
42 CLASSIC
Lewis W. Hine (American, 1874 - 1940) Sadie Pfeiffer, Spinner in Cotton Mill, North Carolina, negative 1910; print about 1920s - 1930s, Gelatin silver print Sheet: 28 × 35.7 cm (11 × 14 1/16 in.), 84.XM.967.15 The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
The hair of the girl is cropped short from the side we see it, which symbolizes that the complete growth of the girl is stunted as she could not access the basic amenities of life. It speaks about this girl in specific and all the child laborers in general. The side profile of the girl has been captured and from nowhere does it seem that she is enjoying her work even one bit. She looks jaded out and completely exhausted from her work but she has to work or else she would probably face the wrath of the mill owner. The question here is what drove the girl into child labor. Although, there is no concrete reason available and we can only make speculations. In any case, it does not undermine the monstrosity of the situation. There must have been so many children like Sadie who were under the clutches of child labor but could never come out and died unhappily. At such conditions, where the industrial revolution and with it, child labor was booming, it must have taken a lot of courage to come out and expose the mill owners for their oppression on the kids. Lewis Hine was one man who did it through his photography and with such courage and determination that set the bar for the future generation of photographers to document and expose the evil in the society.
Saman Waheed saman@chiiz.com She is 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. She loves to cook and makes good desserts.
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A Beautiful Body Project The Bodies of Mothers Jade Beall
44 FEATURE
Feed Nikon D3 62mm F/6.3 1/250 ISO250
Jade Beall is a proud mother and a Tucson, Arizonabased world-renowned photographer specializing in truthful images of women to inspire feeling irreplaceably beautiful as a counter-balance to the airbrushed photoshopped imagery that dominates mainstream media. Her recent work “A Beautiful Body Project” has touched 100,000’s of women’s lives and garnered global attention from media outlets including the BBC, The Huffington Post & beyond. Jade’s book series and media platform feature untouched photos of women alongside the stories of their journeys to build self-esteem in a world that thrives off women feeling insecure. Jade’s dream is to inspire future generations of women to be free from painful suffering from years of feeling not enough and embrace their sacred beauty just as they are in this precious moment.
Mother Canon 50D 28mm F/11 1/125 ISO100
Jonea Nikon D800 50mm F/4 1/250 ISO250
Proud Mother Nikon D800 44mm F/6.3 1/250 ISO250
Ashley Nikon D800 50mm F/2 1/250 ISO250
Mariana Nikon D800 50mm F/2 1/250 ISO250
Someone Special Nikon D800 50mm F/4.5 1/250 ISO250
Q. Tell us more about “The Bodies of Mothers: A Beautiful Body Project” and how did this project originate? A. I took a self portrait in March, 2012 of my post birth body with my five-week-old son. I wrote about how I felt ugly and gross in a culture that praises the “bounced back” mother. I posted my words and photo online and it changed my life forever. Women wrote to me by the hundreds, admitting that they felt like me and asking if I would take their photographs. 46 TRIGGERS
So I decided to make a book with all of our photographs and stories and self published ‘The Bodies Of Mothers’. Q. We have heard a lot about postpartum depression and body image seems to be a part of the problem. Let us in on the creative process of making the supposed “flaws” look beautiful. A. Postpartum depression is incredibly common and very complex. And feeling ugly and gross helps no
Nicole Nikon D800 50mm F/3.5 1/250 ISO250
woman, which many do after their bodies change post birth. For me the creative process is easy: I have gained freedom from how I have been trained to see others and I see humans the way I wish to see themas masterpieces, walking magical masterpieces! Every stretch mark or wrinkle or pimple or fat rolls a small part of this glorious human’s irreplaceable story of survival. Q. There is a taboo around breastfeeding in public and you seem to have smashed that taboo by capturing beautiful pictures of moms breastfeeding their children. Did this controversy around the topic act as a catalyst to your work or was it detrimental at some point? A. There is a taboo around breastfeeding as in American culture, breasts are seen as sexualized objects and not a miracle of food making for a baby or a child. Now, I take breastfeeding photos in the studio and follow the vision in my heart. Although, they are not real life scenarios, but my photos have helped women feel normal and helped others normalize the concept of a woman breastfeeding. I get emails from women in small towns who thank me for my images as their families shame them for breastfeeding but my work reminds them that their instinct to breastfeed is beautiful.
Aimee Nikon D800 50mm F/2 1/250 ISO250
Q. While your project is centered more on women, babies are also an integral part of your frames. How do you deal with the undeveloped personalities of the babies? A. My photos are all about the mothers, her journey, her self love, her dreams and traumas. Their babies and children merely serve as a way to tell her story. Q. Is there anything you would like to say to photographers capturing pre and post- birth pictures? A. I would love to see more photographers find freedom from photoshopping their clients and normalize truthfulness in an image so that we don’t reinforce and enable body dysmorphia by telling people that we need to change them in order for a photograph to be beautiful. I would also say, take the time to talk with kindness to your clients, listen to them, and welcome vulnerability without giving advice, but by simply basking in the magic of the path of love that they are on and you are there to reflect their strength and perfection. Sarthak Jain sarthak@chiiz.com Sarthak Jain is a filmmaker and a photographer from Kota, India. He has worked on various documentaries on sports and is currently working with Chiiz. Passionate about travelling and meeting new people along the way, Sarthak has also worked with NGOs to work for the cause of women education in India; it is his way of giving back to the society through photography.
Movie Review Finding Vivian Maier
Duration: 83 minutes IMDB Rating: 7.7/10 Released: 2013 Genre: Documentary, Biography, Drama Directed By: John Maloof, Charlie Siskel
In today’s day and age, professional photography has become a full-fledged profession. Fields such as street photography and travel photography, which are essentially subsets of the former, have not only gained emphasis but also a substantial increase in the niche audience. The year 2013 saw the production of a documentary that shed light on the works of Vivian Maier. A nanny by profession, Vivian was an avid photographer but the significance of her works was unknown to those around her- the documentary is a means to understand this intriguing personality. Directed by John Maloof, the documentary ‘Finding Vivian Maier’ is more than just a narrative. It encompasses the spirit of women all across the world in the 1950s and 1960s, during a period in time when broken economies were redeveloping themselves. The documentary starts off by trying to put forward an explanation that governed the relationships that Vivian shared with those around her . A house nanny by profession, an insight into Vivian’s life and personality is portrayed on screen via the director who skilfully stitches together the encounters that various families have had with her. Excerpts of the documentary see Vivian engrossed in her paraphernalia: the viewfinder, capturing moments that were reflective of the bourgeoisie of Chicago in the 1950’s. ‘Inseparable with her photographs’- a descriptions used to sum up Vivians personality by her former employees. Having captured more than 100,000 photographs back in the day, a question that one raises as a viewer is why was she not keen to share her photographs with others; did she think that they simply were not good enough? I would urge you to place yourself in her boots and muse about the predicament. Vivian Maier was quoted as saying, “We have to make room for other people. It’s a wheel. You get on. You go to the end. And someone else has the same opportunity to go to the end. And so on. And somebody else takes their place. There’s nothing new under the sun.” 100,000 negatives, 700 rolls of undeveloped colored photographs, 8mm and 16mm movies- this is an approximate figure of the work that John Maloof happened to stumble upon during a locker auction. Despite these staggering numbers, one cannot fathom the
intrinsic motivation that led Vivian to extensively capture photographs in her viewfinder. Open to interpretation, the documentary is based on a pivotal question: ‘Why did Vivian Maier want to keep her work secret?’. According to John Maloof, “We’ll never know the answer to the question why she kept her beautiful work a secret.” According to art experts and curators from New York, the photographs were indicative of the dynamics between human interactions, the proximity that one could achieve without coming off as ‘threatening’ or ‘intrusive’. To address the question as to why the photography fraternity has received her work with such enthusiasm lay in the composition, as the narrative suggests. Conveying human emotions in their purest form, Vivian captures empathy, pain and suffering with a vivid insight, a feature that distinguishes her work from that of her compatriots. With roots tracing back to the Industrial Revolution in the 1800s, a duration wherein humans had adopted a psychology that catered to the supply-chain demand of the societal construct. The result? A degradation in the quality of workmanship despite the exponential advancements in technology and a subsequent degradation in the quality of life of the bourgeoisie. The latter parts of the documentary sees one faced with an ethical question, ‘Is it ethically right to develop the negatives that Vivian so closely safeguarded or is exhibiting her works the right way to commemorate the photographer?’ My personal opinion sees an inclination towards not publishing her works since it is an infringement of privacy, something one would not have done if she were alive. To sum up, I feel that the documentary conveys a very relevant message in today’s world; a construct in which social media has violated the ‘privacy’ of an individual at the varying levels of societal construct. Vivian provides one with inspiration to grow beyond the facades of success and change intrinsic happiness, success eventually following suit. Dhawal Pagay dhawal@chiiz.com
48 CLASSIC
Dhawal Pagay is a travel enthusiast, writing for whom is a whetstone as he believes that our thoughts define who we are. Apart from academics, he finds himself engaged in all kinds of sports, be it cricket, tennis or football. Exploring new ideas and trying to refine himself by imbibing the values on offer everyday, is a motto he tries to abide by.
The Serene Nikon D750 200mm F/2.8 1/200 ISO200
Debojyoti Biswas is a Kolkata based kids, family and wedding photographer. His mantra is to capture the most amazing moments of each child he comes across. He is crazy about kids and has a method to his madness. As soon as he meets a child for a portrait shoot, he gets down to its level, he squats, sits, kneels, screams and does whatever it takes to make them look into his face and makes them super comfortable around him. He is inspired by the movie ‘Pursuit of Happiness’ and just like in the movie, he likes to create, through his photography style, an imaginary world where dinosaurs, lions, tigers and elephants live.
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Sleeping Beauty Nikon D750 165mm F/5.6 1/160 ISO500
Love Nikon D750 50mm F/3.5 1/160 ISO400
Small Foot Nikon D750 200mm F/2.8 1/160 ISO400
Calendar girl Nikon D750 180mm F/2.8 1/200 ISO400
Hello Doc! Nikon D750 125 mm F/2.8 1/200 ISO200
Saturnia pyri Canon 5D Mark II 150mm F/7.1 1/160 ISO800
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Nymphalis polychloros Panasonic DMC-FZ50 32mm F/3.6 1/1000 ISO100
Antherina suraka Canon 5D Mark II 150mm F/7.1 1/200 ISO800
Photography started to interest Adam Gor in 2000 when he was six years old and he got a Nikon compact camera. At this point he was taking photographs of any alive creatures, he was not paying any particular attention to butterflies. With time caterpillars and their rearing started to interest Adam and that is how he got close to butterflies and moths and started to photograph them. In 2007, he got a Panasonic bridge camera, after which he started to deal more seriously with photography, and butterflies and moths became his main theme. This does not mean that he doesn’t take photographs of other genres, because he really likes to photograph landscapes, other insects, reptiles, amphibians and flowers. Currently, he is using a Canon DSLR and is trying to expand his interest in photography. He still thinks that he is an amateur and is confident that the camera does not make him a photographer. The ability to learn and catch the moments is more important than the technical background. “So it does not matter what kind of camera we are using, the point is that we must take the best photos of our current knowledge and always try to show something new and give it to the audience as we see the world as a photographer,” says Adam. He is currently working and learning as a biologist and so his interest in photography and butterflies is connected.
Papilio troilus Canon 5D Mark II 150mm F/7.1 1/250 ISO800
Samia ricini Canon 5D Mark II 150mm F/7.1 1/100 ISO1000
Charaxes jasius Canon 5D Mark II 150mm F/7.1 1/320 ISO500
Charaxes jasius Canon 5D Mark II 150mm F/7.1 1/100 ISO1000
. Callosamia promethea Canon 5D Mark II 150mm F/7.1 1/100 ISO1250
Iphiclides podalirius Canon 5D Mark II 150mm F/7.1 1/125 ISO640
Enchanted Canon 5D Mark III 142mm F/3.2 1/160 ISO1000
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Let’s go Canon 5D Mark III 200mm F/2.8 1/250 ISO800
Swag Canon 5D Mark III 200mm F/4 1/320 ISO1250
Rekha Sharma’s journey started five years ago with the birth of her daughter, Ditya. The only way they could hold on to these magical memories and treasure them forever was through beautiful photographs, capturing the essence of who she is. Rekha started taking her pictures on her own. Through these pictures, she may not be able to stop the passage of time, but she could recall these wonderful memories years into the future, even when her daughter grows up.
Study time Canon 5D Mark III 200mm F/3.2 1/400 ISO1000
Every day a new story is created and all the parents wish to capture those instances. Those stories altogether gave birth to ‘Little Stories’, where she loves to capture those precious and adorable stories which any parent would be delighted to see and would love to preserve lifelong. She loves to create a piece of art, so that her clients can cherish every part and moment of their babies. She has original concepts and unique themes to create such stories which are beautifully captured photographs of little ones.
Desi girl Canon 5D Mark III 200mm F/3.2 1/400 ISO200
Happiness Canon 5D Mark III 200mm F/2.8 1/320 ISO1600
Nature Canon 5D Mark III 200mm F/3.5 1/200 ISO500
Blossom Canon 5D Mark III 168mm F/2.8 1/160 ISO320
Twins Canon 5D Mark III 200mm F/3.2 1/400 ISO500
Little artist Canon 5D Mark III 200mm F/2.8 1/400 ISO1000
Goodnight, Sweet Prince Nikon D7000 40mm F/4.4 1/100 ISO160
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She Nikon D7000 105mm F/5 1/60 ISO100
The Cutest Nephew Nikon D7000 66mm F/4.8 1/100 ISO100
Elena Balasanyan is a 28-year-old photographer born and based out of Armenia. Working as a technical geologist in her town company, Elena is a doting mother to her 2-year-old daughter. She is very passionate about photography and can’t seem to imagine her life without it. She says that photography helps her to see the world from a different perspective and to witness the beauty of everything that surrounds her.
Don’t worry, Be Happy Nikon D7000 18mm F/3.7 1/160 ISO100
White rabbit and I Nikon D7000 18mm F/3.6 1/160 ISO160
New Year in Old Studio Nikon D7000 24mm F/3.9 1/60 ISO100
The Forest Boy Nikon D7000 50mm F/1.6 1/80 ISO100
A Special Gift Nikon D7000 30mm F/4.1 1/100 ISO160
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Kappil Beach DJI Mavic 2 Pro 28mm F/4 1/120 ISO100
Saahil Rahman, born and raised in Aluva, Kerala, is a 22-year-old self-taught travel photographer. He has been into photography for the last eight years and started photography like every other person, shooting everything that everyone sees; it took him years to understand that photography is all about a combination of attractive subject, vibrant colors and amazing perspectives in beautiful places. Switching and upgrading gears, he chanced upon a drone and immediately took a liking to aerial photography, capturing a different perspective, an aerial one at that, made him feel alive. He was able to see a different side of the beautiful places and explore a whole new perspective. According to him, these photos mean so much more to him because he has given a piece of himself to get them.
Kadamakkudy DJI Mavic 2 Pro 28mm F/4 1/120 ISO100
Tapioca Farm, Uliyannoor DJI Mavic Air 24mm F/2.8 1/20 ISO640
Aquaduct Bridge Aluva DJI Mavic Air 24mm F/2.8 1/100 ISO400
A million miles DJI Mavic 2 Pro 28mm F/4 1/80 ISO100
Adopting nature’s peace DJI Mavic 2 Pro 28mm F/4 1/100 ISO100
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Ganesh Bagal is a travel and wedding photographer from Pune, India. His work has been published in several national and international magazines and is currently associated with Sony India as a mentor. He is the brand ambassador for brands like Haida filters, Godox lights, Magmod and a collaborator with Peak Design, Black Rapid and Sirui tripod.
66 TRIGGER
Little Monk 35mm F/1.4 1/3200 ISO100
Creating Magic Underwater
Underwater Fashion Masterclass
Riviera Maya, Mexico May 5 - 9, 2019
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Zena Holloway was born in Bahrain and raised in London. Her interest in underwater photography started when she was 18 while working her way around the globe as a scuba diving instructor. Charmed by the magic of the underwater world, she began experimenting with a camera and gradually taught herself the skills needed to master this most technical of photographic techniques. “My work tests the connection we have with our oceans, lakes and waterways and aims to engage the imagination, to make links with what lies below the surface and to dive deep into the unconscious mind. Science tells us that our emotional response to being near and around water comes from the oldest parts of our brain; a part that evolved even before language. We are all creatures of the ocean,� says Zena.You can join Zena for an underwater fashion masterclass with Dive and More in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico on May 5-9 2019. Mermaids Canon 1D Mark II 24mm F/8 1/125 ISO200
A Dream! Canon 1D Mark II 20mm F/16 1/125 ISO200
Sea Angel Canon 1D Mark II 24mm F/14 1/125 ISO200
Hold your breath Canon 5D Mark II 24mm F/8 1/125 ISO200
Another World Canon 1D Mark II 24mm F/2.2 1/80 ISO800
Aquaman Canon 5D Mark II 35mm F/3.6 1/100 ISO500
Siblings Canon 1D Mark II 20mm F/8 1/125 ISO200
Realising the Truth Canon 1D Mark II 50mm F/1.4 1/10 ISO100
Soft Relations Canon 1D Mark II 24mm F/11 1/125 ISO200
Trumpet Boy Canon 1D Mark II 35mm F/8 1/125 ISO250
Underwater Fairy Canon 1D Mark II 35mm F/7.1 1/125 ISO250
In-Street is a collective of passionate street and documentary photographers, mainly based out of India, sharing a common passion – walking the streets, seeing the seemingly common life around them in different, unusual and original ways and representing the same through their own visual language. It is committed to promoting the works of In-Street members and overall street photography in India and beyond. It also encourages other photographers to participate in different street photography programs, which will be showcased on the In-Street website. Finally, In-Street is a platform for collective learning and growing together as photographers. The In-Street Collective Members are Manish Khattry (Varanasi), Saumalya Ghosh (Kolkata), Sankar Ghose (Kolkata), Swarat Ghosh (Hyderabad), Zahir Abbas (Gurgaon), Jayati Saha (Kolkata), and Sreeranj Sreedhar (Kerala).
Contest Theme: SCALE Contest Month: Dec, 2018
Fuji X100S 23mm F/16 1/400 ISO3200
For the Winning Photograph The aesthetic and creative sense of the photographer makes this image just perfect for the theme - ‘scale’. The scale, along with its depth, takes this image to a different level of illusion. The toy figurines and the human figures positioned in their respective distance have been blended excellently well. The meticulous separation and distribution of elements have made this image a beautiful composition. ~ In-street Collective 72 TRIGGER
WINNER
Suresh Naganathan Mumbai, India
Nikon D5200 18mm F/16 1/640 ISO1000
1st Runner Up
Sydul Islam Sayed Howrah, India
Nikon D5300 18mm F/3.5 1/320 ISO160
2nd Runner Up Soumi Sanyal Howrah, India
CHIIZ GALLERY To get published, upload your photos on chiiz.com
Dominika Lednickรก Ostrava, Czech Republic
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Johanka Fujifilm X-A2 7mm F/5 1/60 ISO200
Urvashi Porecha Mumbai, India
Soumen Ghosh Kolkata, India
Saurabh Vats Muzaffarnagar, India
Sugata B Roy Mumbai, India
Seraphic Simper Nikon D5200 40mm F/4.5 1/30 ISO3200
Irfanali Borgave Kolhapur, India
Makeup Time Sony 7R2 35mm F/4 1/100 ISO1000
Footprints in our hearts. Canon 80D 50mm F/4 1/80 ISO1000
Cutie Pie Canon 80D 29mm F/2.8 1/250 ISO640
Little Krishna Nikon D750 35mm F1.8 1/640 ISO12800
Avismita Bhattacharyya Kolkata, India
Let’s smash it up!! Nikon D750 56mm F/2.8 1/320 ISO1600
Edgaras Vaicikevicius Druskininkai, Lithuania
My Son Canon 350D 50mm F/4 1/500 ISO400
Ayantika Saha Kolkata, India
Sitanshu Bhunia West Bengal, India
Froi Rivera San Andres, Philippines
Navanil Dutta Kolkata, India
The Thinker Nikon D3100 55mm F/6.3 1/25 ISO400
Siddharth Rathod Ahmedabad, India
Handle with Care Canon 5D 85mm F/2.2 1/125 ISO400
Sparkling Eyes Nikon D5000 40mm F/5.6 1/60 ISO200
First bath Nikon D5200 35mm F/1.8 1/80 ISO200
Pooja Kapoor Varanasi, India
Shower of Love Nikon D810 30mm F/4 1/160 ISO250
I see you Nikon D850 75mm F/4 1/80 ISO400
Farhad Zargarian Ahari Ahar, Iran
Sahriar Tahmid Feni, Bangladesh
Suman Karmakar Kolkata, India
My warm playground Canon 600D 50mm F/4.5 1/125 ISO800
Child and Muharram Nikon D90 105mm F/5.6 1/13 ISO200
Those two eyes Nikon D5300 50mm F/1.8 1/30 ISO2000
Sayantan Mukherjee West Bengal, India
Calendar Baby Nikon D3200 35mm F/5 1/1000 ISO560
Chirag R Bhadiyadra Gujarat, India
Harsh Bhushan Sahu Prayagraj, India
Md. Kabir Hossain Dhaka, Bangladesh
Samir Samuel David Rajasthan, India
Bathing Time Canon 700D 18mm F/5 1/400 ISO100
Shreenath Iyer Kerala, India
Sleeping King Canon 700D 50mm F/2.2 1/100 ISO100
Life behind bars Nikon 5200 35mm F/2.8 1/15 ISO125
Don’t talk to me Nikon D750 32mm F/4 1/100 ISO2000
Indrani Dey Kolkata, India
New Hairstyle Xiaomi MiA1 Sony 5.99mm F/2.6 1/100 ISO320
Promises Nikon D7000 105mm F7 1/40 ISO100
S R Hossain West Bengal, India
Ankan Das Kolkata, India
Rajesh Dhar Kolkata, India
Drink Yawn Sleep Repeat Canon 7D 18mm F/5 1/13 ISO500
Friendship Nikon D5300 50mm F/4 1/250 ISO500
Shape of Happiness Nikon D7000 50mm F/3.5 1/160 ISO100
Chirantan Batabyal Kolkata, India
Arijit Saha Kolkata, India
Vijay Richhiya Indore, India
The Color Pencil Boy Nikon D750 24mm F/5 1/250 ISO160
Ajay Banjara Rajasthan, India
Chavi Smile Nikon D750 50mm F/4 1/100 ISO800
Subhadip Biswas Howrah, India
Grab it! Nikon D5100 12mm F/8 1/60 ISO320
Sweet Moment Canon 5D Mark III 85mm F/3.5 1/160 ISO320
Playing with Doremon Nikon D750 165mm F/2.8 1/160 ISO100
Charmi Vichhivora Mumbai, India
Bundle of Joy Nikon D5300 85mm F/2 1/200 ISO100
Deepak Kumar Meena Jaipur, India
Somia Mallick Kolkata, India
Frame inside a frame Canon 5D Mark IV 50mm F/2.8 1/80 ISO3200
Perfect Bliss Nikon D750 50mm F/1.8 1/200 ISO250
Yogesh Rana Delhi, India
Plabon Das Kolkata, India
Rayhan Ahmed Dhaka, Bangladesh
Pieces of light Canon 60D 55mm F/4 1/500 ISO250
Jevgenij Scolokov Riga, Latvia
Bliss Canon 70D 50mm F1.8 1/640 ISO125
Wanna Fly Canon 5D Mark II 24mm F/4 1/25 ISO800
Angry Boy Canon 5D 35mm F/2.5 1/320 ISO640
VMI Photowalk & Contest Vivian Dorothy Maier (February 1, 1926 – April 21, 2009) was an American street photographer, working for about forty years as a nanny. She took a mind-boggling 150,000+ photographs during her lifetime and that fact was unknown and the photos never published; many of her negatives were never printed. A Chicago collector, John Maloof, acquired some of Maier’s photos in 2007 for the first time. Dave Burridge a visionary, while falling in love with Vivian’s work, started a photo sharing group in October 2013 and the Gallery came up by April 2014. The Vivian Maier Inspired Gallery (VMI) came alive. A niche extension of street photography which has grown in leaps and bounds over the years. Dave and his team are walking with a vision of imparting the Vivian Maier Style of photography but with a human presence. Jury Panel: Dave Burridge (VMI Founder), Orna Naor, and Deb Rishi (Curator)
Magzine Partner: Chiiz Social Partner: Chal Rang De Street Contest
Layers of load Samsung SM-N960F 26mm F/2.4 1/1400 ISO50
WINNER
Amit Chomal Mumbai, India
Perspective Xiomi Redmi 4A 4.92mm F/2.2 1/145 ISO100
1st Runner Up
Ritesh Keshari Mumbai, India
88 TRIGGER
Daily Faith Nikon D750 24mm F/4 1/500 ISO100
2nd Runner Up Piyush Singh Mumbai, India
Nikon D750 82mm F/7.1 1/125 ISO200
WINNER
Sneha Pande Mumbai, India
Nikon D750 32mm F/5 1/80 ISO200
Nikon D750 105mm F/5 1/60 ISO200
Nikon D750 40mm F/5.6 1/60 ISO320
Le Regard Nikon D750 120mm F/9 1/80 ISO200
Nikon D750 74mm F/4 1/125 ISO200
Nikon D750 24mm F/4 1/400 ISO4000
Nikon D750 35mm F/4 1/160 ISO8000
Nikon D750 24mm F/4 1/640 ISO100
Nikon D750 24mm F/4 1/200 ISO400
Nikon D750 50mm F/4 1/320 ISO100
Nikon D750 24mm F/4 1/200 ISO400
Asalpha Dhobi Ghat
1st Runner Up
Piyush Singh Mumbai, India
SIGMA SD 14 40MM 1/80 ISO200
2nd Runner Up Smit Joisher Mumbai, India
SIGMA SD 14 23MM 1/80 ISO200
SIGMA SD 14 33MM 1/125 ISO200
SIGMA SD 14 18MM 1/125 ISO200
The Tribals
Amit Chomal Mumbai, India
Manali Jain Mumbai, India
My encounters with life Samsung SM-N960F 4mm F/2.4 1/150 ISO50
Warm Welcome Sony ILCE-7M3 35mm 1/320 ISO1600
Manali Jain Mumbai, India
Amit Chomal Mumbai, India
Madan Chikna Samsung SM-N960F 4mm F/2.4 1/25 ISO250
Binit Tanna Mumbai, India
Sound Sleep Fujifilm X-T1 23mm F/1.6 1/250 ISO400
Just kidding Sony ILCE-7M3 35mm 1/320 ISO4000
Manali Jain Mumbai, India
The hand Sony ILCE-7M3 35mm 1/320 ISO400
Manali Jain Mumbai, India
Generation to go Sony ILCE-7M3 35mm 1/125 ISO1600
Nilesh Karia Mumbai, India
Today routine Canon 5D Mark III 35mm F/5 1/125 ISO640
Piyush Singh Mumbai, India
Greyed Shades Nikon D750 24mm F/4 1/160 ISO200
Siddharth Shah Mumbai, India
Innocence Canon 1200D 18mm F/3.5 1/400 ISO400
Shaswat Padhi has been a boudoir, fine art and wedding photographer for eight years now. Photography for him is bringing out the inherent beauty of the person before him. 84 TRIGGER
Forever Together Fujifilm XH-1 56mm F/2 1/200 ISO200
Rina Charaniya – Rii Music Nikon D7200 35mm F/1.8 1/125 ISO160
85 TRIGGER
Kat Kristian for SHEIN Nikon D7200 35mm F/2.8 1/400 ISO320
A Chartered Management Accountant from the UK, Ruskin Felix Barar’s passion for fashion photography and networking skills has helped him make his mark in fashion. He has shot for brands like Tresemme, Koovs India, Jockey, Reliance Jewels and many notable designers. He also has a diverse portfolio while having covered celebrities and actors like Avneet Kaur, Benafsha Soonawala, Krissann Barretto and many others. With his team at Felix Apertures, he handles content creation for influencers and has worked with many influencers, like Shetroublemaker, Sakshi Malik, Radhika Seth, Kat Kristian, to name a few. A cinematographer and photographer, his aim is to infuse creativity and art into pictures and films that he creates and works on. His work has been published in magazines like The Lifestyle Journal and published by many brands on their social media and websites. Ruskin wishes to create his own style of art with his pictures and films so that he can bring something new to the table each time he works for a brand or on a project. You can follow more of his work on Instagram @felixapertures
Radhika Seth Nikon D7200 35mm F/2.5 1/320 ISO100
Lilly and Simona for Jsensqi Nikon D7200 35mm F/7.1 1/200 ISO100
Krissann Barretto Nikon D7200 35mm F/4.5 1/200 ISO100
Kat Kristian Nikon D7200 35mm F/4 1/400 ISO200
Simona Jasenska for Jsensqi official Nikon D7200 35mm F/9 1/200 ISO500
Benafsha Soonawala Nikon D7200 35mm F/7.1 1/250 ISO100
Model of the Month
Joana Castro Height:175cm Hips:91cm Bust: 84cm Shoes: 40 Waist : 69cm
Joana Castro is a model who feels blessed for God’s everyday gifts. A Leo through and through, she is a loyal, happy and a friendly person who loves to be around her friends. Her main quality is her persistence and does everything to achieve her goals but it is also something that she believes is sometimes bad because she goes to the ends of the Earth if she sets her mind on something and ends up looking like a stubborn person! She is full of energy and sometimes looks like she is living in her own dreamland, mostly because she’s always looking at the good side of the things and trying to make every day an amazing one.
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Makeup Artist of the Month Namrata Soni
90 HALL OF FAME
Namrata Soni, a renowned makeup artist with an exceptional and unique style, has reached audiences in a range of mediums, from magazine covers to feature films and ad films. Namrata’s approach to style is simple: “I’m all about using the right products in the right places to highlight a person’s best features and natural beauty.” As a young artist, Namrata has a commitment to going beyond the traditional. She studied at the Delamar Academy of Makeup in London, specializing in prosthetic and casualty makeup. The go-to makeup artist to many celebrities, Namrata has received many awards for makeup and runs her own school of Makeup and Hair.
Q. You have been in the glamour industry for quite some time now. What attracted you to being a makeup artist and what has been the biggest challenge of your career? A. I love the glamour world and yes, I have been in it for 17 years. It’s a creative field where I get to make people beautiful. A beautifully made-up face gives a woman a lot of confidence. It is empowering and I feel lucky to have found my calling in this amazing talented industry where hard work pays off. The biggest challenge has been that you have to sacrifice a lot of your personal life and health and to strike that balance is of utmost importance. Q. What prompted you to start ‘The School of Makeup & Hair’? A. Honestly, when I wanted to become a makeup artist, there was only one artist teaching a one week course in Bombay. I had to spend a lot of money to go and educate myself in the latest techniques and trends. I wish there had been an academy in India at that time. I wanted to open one to give our budding artists a fair chance to learn the fundamentals of makeup. India has very diverse colours and most international artists get our colours wrong. I wanted to start a place that inspired and gave the best education. Q. What is the makeup trend that you swear by and why? A. Good skin work and eyeliner is the trend I swear by. We have the most beautiful eye shapes and different kinds of liners look amazing on different people. So to master that is the best possible trend. Q. You have worked with many noted celebrities. What is the best and the worst part about working with such a high profile clientele?
A. There is only good parts about working with celebrities and high profile clients. Once you gain their confidence you can do some amazing looks with them. Q. What advice would you give to yourself had you met yourself when you first started out? A. I had the best advice given to me by my mother which I still follow till this date. But I would definitely try to balance my life better. I would tell myself to look after my health better and not to miss the important family milestones as you will never get that back.
Vasundhra Sethi vasundhra@chiiz.com Vasundhra Sethi’s can be a peoples’ person yet an introvert, patient and calm and yet too wild. Her jokes and a pinch of sarcasm will never fail to break a grim face into a big grin. She always has her shoes on, ready to explore new places and experience new stories.
Flying Nikon D750 18mm F/14 1/125 ISO200
Abhi Chatterjee began photography in 2014. His first camera was a Nikon D3300 and he had no clue as to what to do with it or how to use it. But that did not stop him and he was able to learn and master the art of photography. As for his photography style, he enjoys portraiture. Having a person is important to him so that he can capture their feelings and emotions. He loves it when his subjects open up to him and show him their world.
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Howling Nikon D750 48mm F/13 1/160 ISO200
Strength Nikon D750 26mm F/10 1/200 ISO200
Rhythm Nikon D750 40mm F/8 1/125 ISO100
Canon 5D Mark III 50mm F/1 1/1250 ISO200
Canon 5D Mark III 50mm F/1 1/1250 ISO200
Canon 5D Mark III 85mm F/1.2 1/200 ISO100
Canon 5D Mark III 50mm F/1 1/1250 ISO200
Welcome to my train Photographer: Artem Yusipov Model: Diana Hoffman The feature is a collaboration of two photographers - Diana Hoffman from Mexico and Artem Yusipov from Russia. Diana started as a photographer five years ago but has rapidly grown her skills in people and food photography. On the other hand, Artem has 18 years of experience in photography, graphic design and commercial movie production. He has also mastered food photography and the not so popular choice - car photography.
Canon 5D Mark III 50mm F/1 1/8000 ISO200
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It took a long time to build this alliance, but now, with almost 25 years of summary experience in photography and movie making, it allows them to do everything they like the way they like it. As long as they are the parts of different cultures, they possess totally different styles, and it makes life even more interesting.
Canon 5D Mark III 50mm F/1 1/1250 ISO200
Canon 5D Mark III 85mm F/1.2 1/200 ISO100
Canon 5D Mark III 85mm F/1.2 1/1600 ISO100
Canon 5D Mark III 85mm F/1.2 1/200 ISO100
Canon 5D Mark III 50mm F/1 1/1000 ISO200
Canon 5D Mark III 115mm F/2.8 1/400 ISO100
Canon 5D Mark III 85mm F/1.2 1/4000 ISO100
Canon 5D Mark III 85mm F/1.4 1/1600 ISO100
As for Diana, she says: “The longer I do photography, the deeper I realize how much my view of the world changes. It is becoming wider, more and more detailed and colorful, with an enormous amount of small moments that I haven’t noticed before. But now I realize that these details are the most important. Creating new photos, I always hope that the viewer will be able to see the world the way I see it with my own eyes.”
Senses Canon 5D Mark III 100mm F/10 1/125 ISO100 Photographer Diana Hoffman Model Diana Hoffman