Better Photography June 2010 Issue Preview

Free: 5 supplements on Macro, People, Nature, Landscapes & Large size prints th

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JUNE 2010 • Rs. 150

www.betterphotography.in

Better Technique. Better Insight. Better Pictures

Reviewed Kodak EasyShare C142 Fujifilm FinePix Z700 EXR Nikon COOLPIX S4000 Aperture 3.0

Noise Reduction Filters An exclusive head-to-head of five popular software packages to find the best one for you DIGITAL TECHNIQUE 10 quick ways to improve your photographs in Picasa

GREAT MASTERS

David Alan Harvey and his world of joy and celebration

Photofeature

Living across three centuries: Portraits of centenarians

PROFILE

Vidura Jang Bahadur explains why photography is personal

June 2010

y Anniversar special

62 SnapShots

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Book Review The Photoshop Darkroom: Creative Digital Post-processing

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Software of the month DupDetector

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Look Who’s Shooting Sandesh Ravikumar

ON THE COVER

Design: ashwin r boricha

GearGuide

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Head-to-Head

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test

Noise Reduction Filters Comparing 5 popular noise reduction filters.

90 BetterPictures

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Shooting Technique

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ON ASSIGNMENT

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Cell Phone Artwork Explore the power of a cell phone camera

13 Great Masters Share their tricks of trade exclusively with you

Fujifilm FinePix Z700EXR Great results with minimal efforts

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Kodak EasyShare C142 A small budget compact camera for snapshooting

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Nikon COOLPIX S4000 More than just a touchscreen camera?

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Aperture 3.0 We put Macintosh’s RAW editing program to test

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micro test

Camera bags and straps, flash cards put to test

Hidden Urban Textures Look for the beauty in urban spaces

InFocus

114 ShowCase

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DIGITAL TECHNIQUE

Create Dramatic Clouds Enhace skies in your images using Photoshop

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Profile

Vidura Jang Bahdur A photographer who uses photography to tell personal stories

120 Amit Madheshiya 122 David Alan Harvey My Best Shot

GREAT MASTERS

A story of joy and celebration

Quick Fixes in Picasa 100 10Learn how to use Picasa to edit your images instantly

130 106 Shootingintrains,inlow TIPS & TRICKS

light and more

PHOTOFEATURE

Mark Story Living in Three Centuries

PhotoFinish

219

DIFFERENT STROKES

Understanding Photo Magazines

220 The Underwater Eye History of Photography

How an accidental discovery changed photography

222 Filming for Success MARKET SENSE

Use videos to promote your business

224 First Colour

Story Behind the Picture

Photograph

Regulars Feedback.............................................................14 PHOTOCRITIQUE..................................................102 Q & A.................................................................. 110 1000 WORDS........................................................128 Your Pictures...................................................134 BP Buyer’s Guide.............................................. 204

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Topaz Labs DeNoise 4

Sony Launches Mirrorless NEX Cameras & Lenses

Topaz Labs have released the latest version of their DeNoise noise reduction plug-in. It incorporates the company’s latest ‘IntelliNoise’ technology that aims to remove noise from images while maintaining detail. It is available as a free upgrade for existing users and for USD 79.99 (approx Rs. 3637) for first-time buyers. It works with programs like Photoshop, Aperture, and Lightroom for both Mac and Windows platforms.

Lexar Pro 600x and 300x 32GB CF Cards

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Lexar Media announced the availability of the professional 600x / 300x 32GB CF cards. These professional memory cards offer increased speed and performance, with a guaranteed minimum write speed capability of 90MB/s and 45MB/s, respectively, especially when paired with an UDMA 6-enabled device.

All Lexar Professional memory cards include a limited lifetime warranty, a free copy of Image Rescue 4 software, and promotions from Adobe.

Adobe Lens Profile Creator Adobe launched a pre-release version of its Lens Profile Creator utility that enables creation of custom lens profiles for Photoshop CS5, ACR 6.1 and Lightroom 3.

The process involves downloading and printing a checkerboard test chart from Adobe Labs, and shooting a series of images. These can be imported to the Lens Profile Creator to generate custom profiles for the Lens Correction feature in Adobe Photoshop CS5 and Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3. These profiles can also be shared with the user community .

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fter months of speculation and rumours, Sony finally unveiled the final production versions of the NEX system, a mockup of which they had showcased at the Press Marketing Association event in February. The company launched two mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras, the NEX-3 and NEX-5.

Both cameras use a new 14.6-megapixel Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor, that was showcased by the company at the same event. The NEX cameras are the first cameras to use this sensor. Built around a new E-mount, they are also compatible with Sony Alpha, Minolta and Konica Minolta AF lenses by using an adapter.

The cameras have APS-C sized sensors in a body that is even more compact than other mirrorless cameras like the Olympus PEN E-P1 and Panasonic LUMIX DMC-GF1.

The cameras have a number of features including high-resolution tilt-and-shift

LCDs, HD video, an Auto High Dynamic Range mode and Sweep Panorama. The panoramas can also be viewed in 3D on a compatible Sony BRAVIA television.

While most of the photography-related features are identical to both cameras, the NEX-5 made of magnesium alloy has superior build quality, as compared to the NEX-3 that is made of polycarbonate. The other difference between the two cameras is the NEX-5’s ability to shoot 1920 X 1080i Full HD video, as compared to the NEX-3 that shoots 720p HD video. Both cameras also have built-in stereo microphones and allow autofocus during video shooting.

Unlike Sony Alpha cameras, the NEX system does not have in-body stabilisation.

The company also launched three kit lens options—a 16mm f/2.8 fixed wide-angle lens, an 18–55mm f/3.5-5.6 stabilised zoom and an 18–200mm f/3.5-6.3 stabilised lens.

All three lenses have silent focus motors and are optimised for video recording.

Evolution in action: First God said, ‘Let there be light’. Then he created two nude models. Now we have photographers.

Bill Jay (1940-2009) Bill Jay was born in Maidenhead, England. Early in his career, Jay worked for several photographic periodicals and was the first editor/director of Creative Camera magazine and founder of Album magazine. Jay also founded the program of photographic studies at Arizona State University, USA, where he taught history and criticism classes for 25 years. His career includes being the first Director of Photography at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, UK. In his literary career, Bill Jay has published over 400 articles and is the author of more than 20 books on the history and criticism of photography.

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Image source: www.billjayonphotography.com

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Pentax Optio M90 Pentax has introduced Optio M90, a 5x zoom compact camera. This 12MP camera has a zoom range equivalent to 28–140mm (in 35mm parlance).

The camera includes improved Face Recognition, along with Smile Capture, Blink Detection and around 20 scene modes. The M90 features a soft-feel rubber finish over an aluminium body.

Other key features include a sophisticated metal rubber coated soft-touch exterior and a large 2.7-inch LCD monitor.

Nikkor AF-S 200–400mm f/4G ED VR II

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Nikon has released the AF-S NIKKOR 200–400mm f/4G ED VR II, an FX-format telephoto zoom lens that gives a 35mm equivalent focal length of 300–600mm on DX camera bodies. This lens is a successor to the Nikkor 200-400mm AF-S VR Zoom f/4G IF-ED, offering improvements in performance and function. In addition to the adoption of Nano Crystal Coating and the VR II system that offers camera shake compensation equivalent to a shutterspeed increase of approximately 4 stops. The lens is also equipped with A/M (autofocus with manual override, AF priority) mode.

ACDSee Photo Manager 12 ACD Systems has released its ACDSee Photo Manager 12 image editing and management software for beginners and hobbyists. The latest version focuses on sharing images online. You can directly upload images to social networking sites, an FTP uploader and an Online mode, which connects users to a free 2 GB account on the website. The software is available for USD 69.99 (approx Rs. 3200) for first-time buyers and USD 35 (approx Rs. 1575) as an upgrade for existing users.

Sigma 120–400mm for Sony and Pentax Sigma has announced its 120–400mm f/4.5-5.6 optically stabilised lens which will be available soon in Sony and Pentax mounts. Three Special Low Dispersion glass elements provide excellent correction for chromatic aberration. It is also equipped with the rear-focus system that minimises fluctuation of aberrations caused by focusing for optimum quality throughout the zoom range. A minimum focusing distance of 150cm throughout the entire zoom range and a maximum magnification of 1:4.2 make it useful for close-up photography.

The lens is priced at 766.30 Pounds (approx Rs. 50,563).

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Canon Launches First IXUS with Manual Control T he Canon Digital IXUS 300HS is the first IXUS camera to feature full manual control. In the past, the IXUS cameras were always targeted at a family audience and functions like exposure were completely automated, so this camera signifies an important shift in the popular series.

The camera, announced by the company in mid-May, actually shares a number of features with the Canon PowerShot S90. The IXUS 300HS has a 10MP backilluminated CMOS sensor, similar to the one used in the PowerShot G11 and PowerShot S90. The camera has a 28–105mm f/2-5.3 lens that is slightly similar to the one used in the S90 (the S90’s

lens has a maximum aperture of f/2-4.9).

One prominent feature that the IXUS 300HS boasts of, as compared to the S90, is the inclusion of HD video recording. The 300HS shoots 720p HD video with optical zoom during video. It also features a Super Slow Motion movie mode that records 340 X 240 movies at 240fps.

Rare Eadweard Muybridge Images to be Exhibited U nseen photographs from Eadweard Muybridge, the 19th century photographer who pioneered the use of multiple cameras to capture motion, will be exhibited for the first time ever in Tate Britain museum in London in September.

The show will be a retrospective, and will include his famous images of humans and animals in motion (like the iconic The Horse in Motion), as well as his photographs of the American West during the 1860s.

There will also be a series of images that have never been seen before, titled ‘FirstOrder Light-house at Punta de los Reyes, Seacoast of California, 296 Feet Above Sea’ that include early pictures of lighthouses from Muybridge’s work for the U.S. Coast Guard. The exhibit will also feature some of his rare cyanotypes.

Eadweard Muybridge

A Photography Hunt for Children and Parents M ax New York Life Insurance has initiated an online photography contest called the I-Genius Photography Hunt. The contest is primarily for children aged 5–18. Interestingly it is also open to the children’s parents. Anisha Motwani, Chief Marketing Officer of Max New York Life Insurance Company said, “The I-Genius Photography Hunt has been designed with

the intention of providing a platform for children to discover their talent, groom them and also showcase their photography skills to the world.” The Grand Prize for the contest is a Chevrolet Spark, and other prizes like SLRs and digital cameras will also be given away. The last day to register for the contest is 15 June 2010. For more information, visit: www.igenius.org. jUNE 2010

head-to-head test

GearGuide

How We Test Product Categorisation We first segregate products into categories for the purpose of equitability in testing.

The DSLR is divided into entrylevel, semi-professional and professional categories. For compacts, we distinguish between advanced and basic compact cameras. Similarly, we also test consumer and pro lenses, flashguns, printers, and other photographic accessories and gear.

The Process We primarily test for features, performance, build, ergonomics, warranty and support. While this remains constant, the weightage we give to these parameter differs from category to category, because different types of consumers have diverse expectations from products.

Final Ratings Under each main parameter, we 36 list out hundreds of individual variables (for eg. colour accuracy for individual colours in different lighting, individual features, dynamic range, center-to-edge definition, light fall-off, etc.) against which we either give points or simply mark ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Thus, we arrive at a score for that parameter, and then, the final score, denoted as a percentage.

Additionally, based on the current pricing of a product, a star rating for ‘Value for Money’ is considered. Value for Money does not affect the final percentage, because prices for products change constantly.

Raj Lalwani

A World of Noise

Ambarin Afsar pits some of the latest noise reduction (NR) filters against each other in an intensive head-to-head test.

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Our Seals of Approval Any product that scores 80% or higher in individual tests gets Weightage of ‘BP Recommended’—a seal parameters of approval from our team. In comparison tests, we also tag products as ‘BP Best Performer’ 15% 10% and ‘BP Best Value for Money’.

Weightage of parameters

15%

BP Excellence Awards 35%

At the end of25% the calendar year, the five highest rated products in each category automatically gets nominated for the ‘Better Features Photography Excellence Awards’.

Performance A panel of experts then decide the Build Quality winners. This is BP’s recognition of Ergonomics the very best products launched Warranty & in the course of the year, and the Support companies that made them.

Better Photography

30% 40% 30% Features Ease of Use Performance

uppose you have made a spectacular night shot of a monument. Now, when you are admiring this image, you find it spoiled by a sprinkling of dots and specks known as noise. Most of us have encountered this situation and wish for a fix that will restore the image to all its glory. We tell you what noise is, how noise reduction works and which noise reduction filters can help clean up your images in a jiffy.

Any system meant for capturing images will also produce some noise.

All digital cameras, from compacts to DSLRs are susceptible to noise which is most obvious at high ISO values and with long exposures, such as night shots. The film equivalent for noise is grain and on

television, you must have observed it as ‘snow’. Since this noise spoils images, it needs to be removed for better visual quality at all ISO values, regardless of sensor size. However, there are different patterns of noise that vary with lighting and colour, which make noise reduction extremely difficult. So, we pitted some of the most popular noise reduction filters against each other to see which filter meets up to its claims.

In this head-to-head, we were looking for effectiveness of automatic noise reduction presets, the manual control allowed by the filters and the kind of noise eliminated by the filters. Another deciding factor was that the filter should not compromise on image quality and sharpness while performing noise reduction. june 2010

test

Test

Test

Fujifilm FinePix Z700EXR Great results with minimal efforts

Nikon COOLPIX S4000 More than just a touchscreen camera?

Aperture3 We put Mac’s RAW editing program to test

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S p e c i f i cat i o n s

Picturecode Noise Ninja Pro 2 Picturecode Noise Ninja 2 removes noise based on the wavelet theory. The Noise Ninja plug-in and standalone software come in two editions—a pro edition and a home edition.

Features Noise Ninja has features like automatic profiling and automatic profile loading.

You can either create your own profiles or download device-specific profiles for a range of conditions from the official website. Noise Ninja then uses the EXIF data of an image to load the appropriate profile automatically. This feature is aimed at busy photographers who process hundreds of photos in a single batch.

Besides automatic profiling, users are also allowed manual control over noise reduction settings Also, selective noise removal has been made possible with a feature called the Noise Brush.

It can be used to paint on parts of the image to undo or redo the effects of noise removal. Additionally, Noise Ninja Pro also boasts of a batch processing feature that can automatically filter multiple images.

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Ease of Use The user interface takes some getting used to and is complex for a first-time user.

You will need a few hours of dedicated exploring to understand the functions of each tool, tab and their respective sub-options. Tabbed panels like the Noise Filter, Noise Profiler, Noise Brush and so on are placed close together. It becomes difficult to navigate through the interface due to the proximity of these tabs.

Another setback in the exploring of the interface, is the square-marqee like preview region. Toggling this region on and off becomes cumbersome. Noise Ninja could have simply included a split-screen preview which would display the effect of NR settings in a more simple manner.

Product name

Noise Ninja 2 Pro Version

MRP

USD 79.95 (approx. Rs. 3700)

Platforms Supported Photoshop, Elements, Aperture, Paint Shop Pro, Capture NX Minimum Requirements

Pentium-compatible Processor (Windows); G3 or better (Mac); 256MB RAM (for both users); 50MB HDD Space

Website

www.picturecode.com

Noise Test Red Channel

Blue Channel

Performance Noise Ninja lacks the ability to reduce noise based on the size of noise artifacts such as fine grains or large clumps. Yet, you can use available options to reduce noise without compromising on detail.

Once a profile has been generated, the default NR settings need further tweaking.

Spending a few moments adjusting them can considerably reduce the loss of detail.

r orme perf t s e B

37 Green Channel

All Channels

Noise Ninja excels in the use of device-specific profiles, fine control of luma noise and good automated results. It also filters colour noise separately from luminance noise.

FINALRATINGS Performance

35/40

Efficient NR with detail preservation

Features

20/30

Needs more manual NR control

Ease of Use

20/30

Complex interface that takes some getting used to,

OVERALL The interface supports greyscale previews of individual channels. This is especially helpful in identifying noise and the effects of NR in Red, Green, Blue, Luminance and Chrominance Channels june 2010

Value for Money

75%

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Fujifilm FinePix Z700EXR

Recognise Them All

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Shridhar Kunte puts the FinePix Z700EXR, the first camera from Fujifilm to offer a touchscreen interface and automatic web upload.

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he FinePix Z700EXR is not only the first touchscreen camera from Fujifilm, but it also has a number of interesting features. With a number of touchscreen cameras in the market, we were keen to see whether the usability and functionality of the Z700EXR is any different.

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Features Performance Build Quality Ergonomics Warranty & Support Better Photography

Features The Z700EXR is a 12MP camera that is based on a Super CCD sensor. It is equipped with the company’s proprietary EXR technology that allows you to capture an expanded dynamic range and minimise noise in images shot in low-light situations.

The camera has a 5x optical zoom lens, but its wide end only begins at 35mm (in 35mm parlance). The camera is equipped with other features like CCD-shift image stabilisation and HD video. The Z700EXR also has a Super Intelligent Flash mode for

better macro photography and even has a Film Simulation mode.

The camera offers Automatic Scene Recognition mode and also a brand new Auto Dog / Cat Detection mode that actually works quite well. Even the Face Detection function of the camera is quite sophisticated. For instance, the Couple Timer automatically shoots when the camera detects two faces close to each other.

Apart from detecting faces, the camera can tag and register up to eight names.

These names not only appear in real time, but also allow users to search for images by name. This is also useful because the camera lets you upload images and videos to websites like Facebook and YouTube.

Playback on the large touchscreen of the camera is a joy, as it allows you to categorise photographs, depending on whether they are solo shots, couple pictures or group portraits.

What’s in the box • Rechargable battery • Battery charger • USB Cable • CD-ROM • Camera strap june 2010

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Kodak EasyShare C142

Commendable Performer The Kodak EasyShare C142 is an inexpensive camera targeted at the first-time buyer. But does its performance match up? Neha Mutreja takes a closer look to find out if it is worth your money.

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odak is known to produce cameras that are extremely simple to use. The EasyShare C142 is no exception. The camera targets a first time buyer, who wants to click images without getting into the details and complexity of photography.

Features This 10-megapixel camera has a 3x optical zoom lens (34–102mm in 35mm parlance).

The camera is packed with 20 scene modes that include Self Portrait, Night Portrait, Night Landscape, High ISO and many others. The Smart Capture mode reads a scene and configures the settings according to the scene. The camera includes Face

Detection, but lacks the Face Recognition function that is present in the slightly more expensive Kodak cameras. Additionally, the camera allows you to upload your images and videos instantly to social networking websites like Facebook and YouTube.

If you wish to steer away from the Auto and Scene modes and experiment, the C142 also has a Program mode that allows you to control settings like White Balance, Exposure Compensation and ISO. The video mode of the camera can shoot at a resolution of 640 x 480, at 30fps. The camera uses two AA batteries, which is handy because you can purchase extra rechargeable batteries easily for extended use.

What’s in the box • Kodak Easyshare C142 • 2 AA batteries • USB cable june 2010

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Nikon COOLPIX S4000

More Than Touch?

Shridhar Kunte tests the COOLPIX S4000, a touchscreen camera from Nikon to find out if it has anything more than the touch functionality.

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he recent surge of touchscreen technology has meant that every prominent camera manufacturer has at least one touchscreen compact camera in their lineup.

The COOLPIX S4000 is a successor to the famous COOLPIX S230.

Features The S4000 is a 12MP camera with a 4x zoom lens that begins from 27mm and goes up to 108mm (in 35mm parlance).

The camera is equipped with a 3-inch touchscreen LCD that has a resolution of approximately 4,60,000 dots.

Available in six different colours, the S4000 has a number of features that will appeal to casual photographers. The Smart Portrait mode combines a number

of efficient technologies to enhance portrait shots. The mode ensures accurate Face-Priority AF and also smoothens skin.

It detects smiles and also uses the Blink Proof and Blink Warning technologies to ensure that the subject’s eyes are open.

Finally, the Smart Portrait also has an InCamera Red-Eye Fix that digitally corrects the image within the camera.

To reduce blur, the camera has a maximum ISO of 3200 (at full resolution), but no other form of image stabilisation.

It also has a Motion Detection mode that reduces camera shake while shooting moving subjects. The Best Shot Selector mode shoots a sequence of ten frames and automatically saves the one with the sharpest focus. In addition to this, the camera can also shoot 720p HD video.

What’s in the box • Camera • Rechargeable battery • Battery charger • Strap • A/V cable • Quick start manual • Software CD-ROM (user manual included) june 2010

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Imaging: Santosh D Kamble

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Too Little, Too Late?

Aperture 3 claims to have over 200 new features, but how many of them are actually groundbreaking? Raj Lalwani tests this Mac-only software to see how it compares to the competition.

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Sho ot ing T echnique

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June 2010

ON ASSIGNMENT

ON ASSIGNMENT

DIGITAL TECHNIQUE

Hidden Urban Textures Search and capture beauty in urban spaces

Cell Phone Artwork Creating art with a cell phone camera

10 Quick Fixes in Picasa Basic editing in this simple software

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On the occasion of our thirteenth anniversary, 13 great masters draw from a lifetime of experience to give you over 150 carefully selected tips on photography and ways of seeing. They debate the idea of ‘the perfect moment’ and share their personal practices. Turn the page for an insight into the minds of some of the biggest photographic legends in the country.

June 2010

Better Photography

o n a s s i g nm e n t The vivid blue hues combined with the deep, dark gouges on the side of a container convey a sense of neglect and seem melancholy.

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Hidden Urban Beauty Pül Gladsø explores the coarse textures and typography found on urban streets and structures which usually remain hidden and unnoticed.

E The beauty of ordinary things becomes apparent when captured with a camera.

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veryday, people walk past objects like old vehicles, torn out posters, graffiti on walls.

However, I have found that these day-to-day objects remain unnoticed till someone captures them with a camera. When such commonplace things are presented to viewers in the form of a well-composed photograph, the inherent beauty in them becomes apparent. It is a sort of a paradox.

It is this paradox that I have attempted to capture in my images. I do not like to style or arrange the elements in my photographs. They just present themselves to me in a particular manner and I simply capture them. However, I do make it a point to actively look for beautiful, hidden details.

My Perspective When I shot the first images of this series, I was the marketing manager for a TV station. In those days, we were in constant need for images that had strong textures.

So, I began shooting images that were mainly to be used as backgrounds for onair promos.

My Assignment Description To capture stark urban textures and themes, ones that seem ordinary and usually go unnoticed

Duration It is an ongoing project.

Notes Uneven lighting can add depth and make images look less flat. Such lighting also brings out the colours by making them look vivid.

The frame is divided into equal halves by the horith. The dark foreground adds to th

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o n a s s i g nm e n t

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The combination of shapes like the square of the bolt and a weathered background make this image of the side of a barrack look striking. june 2010

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o n a s s i g nm e n t

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Cell Phone Artwork

Cell phone diptychs are easy to create, and are a lot of fun too.

Commercial photographer Chase Jarvis goes shooting with his cell phone to prove that the best camera is the one that is with you at all times.

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fter years of shooting commercial assignments with high-end cameras and lenses, I have found myself wishing that I had a simpler device to work with. For instance, I wanted a device with which I can take snapshots of

everyday, interesting things I see around me in my daily life. This is an activity I greatly enjoy, but using a heavy DSLR for such pictures can get rather cumbersome.

I found myself wishing for a camera that is easier to use, pocketable and something that I do not have to bother about much.

My Assignment Description To document, understand and describe the world around me, by using a camera that is simple and always with me—my cell phone.

Duration An ongoing project, which I started almost three years ago when I bought my first iPhone camera.

Notes Cell phone cameras are an alternate way of seeing. Do not care so much about the final result—just go out and have fun.

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The quality of cell phone photos is not great, but they have a unique contrasty look.

june 2010

o n a s s i g nm e n t

The advantage of a cell phone camera is that it is always with you, so that you can make use of any photographic opportunity you get.

june 2010

So, when I first bought an iPhone almost three years ago, my first instinct was to check how good its camera was.

That started my photographic tryst with these tiny, unassuming things that are always with us, wherever we go. Over time, IÂ realised that the experience of shooting with any cell phone camera is a visual delight as it allows you to see the world in a completely different way, as compared to a regular compact camera or DSLR.

My Perspective Cell phone cameras have sparked off a huge revolution. The whole idea of having a camera with you all the time is something we always talk about, but it is usually wishful thinking. Over the years, IÂ have bought a number of point-and-shoot cameras with the intention of carrying one everywhere I go, but they only end up gathering dust in my drawers. However, in this age of communication, we never

Diptychs are useful for forming visual associations in daily life.

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Better Photography

ShowCase Manu Anand

Prof i l e

Vidura Jang Bahadur

• If not a photographer, he would have been running a small café as he enjoys cooking. Else, he would have been working on a farm.

• He is currently based in New Delhi and has been a practitioner of the medium for over a decade now.

In Personal Terms

Shobhan takes a closer look into the world of Vidura Jang Bahadur, for whom photography is a medium of telling intimate stories.

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is area of interest in school was arts: he drew, painted and sketched. Music, theatre and literature excited him and the experience of soaking it all in was fascinating. He took photos in school too. But he never imagined that he would one day, be better known as

a photographer. He still does not really know how photography “happened”. He does not recall a specific moment or stage when he realised that photography was going to be an indispensable part of his life. It is something that happened very naturally, and he just went along with the flow.

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J U N eE 2 0 1 0 jun

My Best Shot

Great masters

Photofeature

Amit Madheshiya On his favourite image

David Alan Harvey His world of joy and celebration

Mark Story Profile A series on centenarians

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From ‘Tsampa on my Shoulder’. Shot en route to Kailash, Tibet in 2005 J U N eE 2 0 1 0 jun

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This photograph of a boy in a vintage Chevrolet car is one of David’s most famous images and was also used as the cover of his book Cuba.

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David Alan Harvey

Raj Lalwani enters the vibrant world of joy, celebration and reflection, through the enchanting photographs of David Alan Harvey.

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hen I sent my first email to David Alan Harvey, requesting him for an interview, his reply was prompt and friendly. That was a little more than a year ago. Since then, this photojournalist extraordinaire has shot for weeks in Rio de Janeiro and Spain, and also finished his latest project American Families. With each email, ju n e 2 0 1 0

IÂ would get a nugget of information about his latest work, and I slowly started getting an insight into his mind.

David is a photographer who is loved and revered by millions across the globe, but when you see him interact with his fans and students on the Web, you simply forget his iconic status. Simply put, he is one of us. David Alan Harvey has always had this quality and it is something that Better Photography

History

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The Underwater Eye Dive to the seabed with Sukruti Staneley, as she traces the 150-year-old history of the underwater camera and its rather eventful development.

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he underwater world is filled with wonders and astounding life forms. But how do we all swim down to look at that rare Triggerfish or the truly bluemouthed Blue Mouth Fish that you can find only at the bottom of the ocean?

And once you do, how do you share with

the rest of the world what you saw? Behold!

The underwater camera…

Slowly Sinking In War never did any one good, but one particular war led to a discovery.

The Crimean War, fought between France and Russia, included naval attacks. In 1850,

A Chronological Swim Through the World of Underwater Cameras

Calypso (1960)

Nikonos I (1961)

The Calypso camera operates from 200 feet The very first Nikonos camera after Nikon below sea level. It was conceived by marine took over Calypso. It was an all-weather explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau. camera and was completely air-tight.

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Nikonos IV (1980)

Nikonos V (1984)

This was the first underwater camera with electronically controlled shutter, conceptualised and developed by Nikon.

This camera had Auto exposure. It was the first camera that performed well on land and underwater. june 2010

History

By acting as an oversized, airtight container, William Bauer’s submarine prevented water from seeping into the camera.

German Inventor William Bauer built a submarine for the Russian navy in Kiel.

Unfortunately, the submarine, along with Bauer and two terrified seamen, sank 55 feet to the seabed. Despite his obviously uncomfortable situation, Bauer clicked pictures through the portholes of the submarine. This was the first attempt at underwater photography. Eventually, they managed to escape. Bauer realised that the camera was able to function below the surface because it was protected from the seawater by the submarine, which was acted as an oversized, air-tight container.

Stepping Out of the Container Almost six years later, solicitor and natural historian William Thompson was in England, when a storm drowned the village of Weymouth. Days later, rescuers needed to determine the extent of damage underwater, and would need a camera.

With help from a friend, he made a large, watertight wooden box in which he placed his camera. Then, the two set up a tent where they could expose and develop the photograph taken underwater, within the hour. They lowered the wooden box 18 feet into the water, by attaching it to a pole.

Their first attempt, a five-minute exposure, registered nothing. But the second time, by doubling the exposure time, he attained a visible negative. Unfortunately, the camera began to flood. But the accident did not cause the negative to be damaged.

The First Underwater Camera Almost half a century later, French scientist Louis Boutan invented the ‘zero-pressure’ underwater camera with a compressible air bladder. Officially, this was the first underwater camera and its principle is

being used in underwater cameras even today. Boutan and his mechanic Joseph David used the camera to capture the first underwater photograph of marine creatures in 1899, 45 metres below sea level.

The exposure for this shot was 30 minutes.

A Colourful Explosion In 1926, National Geographic photographer William H Longley eager to capture the mysterious underwater world, used his camera to photograph and study the flora and fauna in the island waters of Florida, USA. Longley and staff photographer Charles Martin used 0.5kg of magnesium flash powder—a dangerous quantity— to illuminate the scene as the light was scarce underwater. The explosion almost killed Longley, but gave him the first underwater colour photographs ever—that of a Hogfish.

A New Chapter Soon after that, in 1957, marine explorer, inventor and researcher Jacques-Yves Cousteau desired to reveal the beauty of the underwater world to the public. He conceived the idea of a self-contained amphibious camera called Calyspso.

However, it was a Belgian engineer Jean de Wouters who designed the camera for Cousteau. Soon enough, cameramanufacturing company Nikon took over the production of the Calypso and transformed it into the legendary Nikonos—the underwater eye of this era.

And that is how we crept into the sea with our moment-freezing instrument, to capture new life forms. With recent advancements in underwater photography, new discoveries are constantly being made.

But the goal remains the same: to bring back an image that will entertain and educate.

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Motor Marine II (1989)

SeaLife ECO Shot (1993)

Pentax Optio WP (2005)

Panasonic LUMIX DMC-TS1 (2009)

An alternative to the Nikonos, this camera came with a built in flash. It set off the development of underwater housings.

The world’s first waterproof and shockproof digital camera, suitable for both land and underwater photography.

Now discontinued, this 2MP camera had a built-in flash and was waterproof upto a depth of 13 feet.

This was the company’s first waterproof, shockproof and dustproof camera with 12.1 MP resolution and a video mode.

june 2010

Better Photography