Better Photography October 2010 Issue preview

CM YK

THE BEST IMAGE-EDITING FREEWARE • 16 Pg SUPPLEMENT: THE WORLD OF BATTERIES

BETTER PHOTOGRAPHY

www.betterphotography.in

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(Special Price)

A ON TR S ITI EX GE POS PA COM F SO IAL NT SE ES

October 2010 • Rs. 150

SPECIAL: ESSENTIALS OF COMPOSITION • THE BEST IMAGE-EDITING FREEWARE • GREAT MASTERS: K G MAHESHWARI

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT

COMPOSITION Simple and effective ways to see the world and make beautiful pictures

Discover how space can transform your images instantly The magic of frames within frames

VOL. 14 • NO. 5 • OCTOBER 2010

COLLECT OR’S I S S 200+pa UE!

REVIEWED Nikon 24mm f/1.4 Nikon 200-400mm VRII Olympus 9-18mm ON ASSIGNMENT

A window in the sky: Stunning vistas from airplane journeys

DIGITAL TECHNIQUE Give your photographs the unique lomographic look

reviews ges of expert & PLUS upd easy technique s ated Buy er’s listing 50 0+ produ Guide cts you can buy!

PHOTOFEATURE

An exploration of the lives of construction workers

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GREAT MASTERS

The journey of renowned pictorialist K G Maheshwari

October 2010

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SnapShots

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Website Review www.photojojo.com

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Book Review Twinspotting

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Look Who’s Shooting Akshay Harith

GearGuide

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Nikkor AF-S 24mm f/1.4G ED The sharpest f/1.4 lens, but at what price?

ON THE COVER

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photograph: Rafael Elias Model: Marta Rodrigo Design: pradeep kumar B nambiar

Nikkor AF-S 200– 400mm f/4G ED VR II As sharp as high-end prime lenses!

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Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 9–18mm f/4-5.6 ED The smallest ultra-wide lens in the world

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MICROTEST

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Feature

Bags, cards, chargers and more Free! Free! Free!

The six best freeware for image editing

BetterPictures

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SHOOTING TECHNIQUE

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Scripting Your Images Learn how to see the perfect frame

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The Lead Character Place the main subject to draw attention

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Act Art Director Realise the importance of backgrounds

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Lights, Camera, Frames!

The magic of frames within frames

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The Mysterious Spaces Discover how spaces can transform your photos

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Lure the Audience Use movement, lines, curves and more

The Fine Art of Telling Stories ... through photography

InFocus

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130 ShowCase

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The World From Various Eyes Play with vantage points

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The Supporting Cast The importance of elements that support

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Double Takes Images that can amaze

122 Benjamin Krain Profile

His images are as compelling as his opinions

ON ASSIGNMENT

Fallen Leaves Leaves on a wet, translucent roof

128 Soumitra Datta MY BEST SHOT

130 Window in the Sky 102 AStunning vistas from airplane journeys

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Persona A photo essay on the things people carry

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DIGITAL TECHNIQUE

Get the Lomo Look Give your images a ‘toycamera’ feel

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PhotoFinish

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DIFFERENT STROKES

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MARKET SENSE

Hanging at the Met History

A Happy Accident A history of Lomo cameras The Power of the Print Create impact with the right kind of print

CAll for entries for Poy 2010 India’s biggest photography awards are back - Page No. 42

GREAT MASTERS

Golden roll contest 2010

K G Maheshwari The renowned hobbyist and pictorialist

An award for those of you who love to shoot with film - Page No. 34

CAll for entries for WPoy 2010 The second edition of India’s biggest wedding photography awards - Page No. 52

PHOTO FEATURE

Mansi Midha An exploration of the lives of construction workers

Regulars Feedback.............................................................12 PHOTOCRITIQUE.................................................. 112 Tips & Tricks..................................................... 116 Q & A..................................................................120 1000 WORDS........................................................136 Your Pictures...................................................142 BP Buyer’s Guide...............................................196

Pro Features on a Budget in the Nikon D7000 N

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Samsung NX100

ikon has announced the D7000, an upgrade of the D90. This potential gamechanger has a set of features that not only improve upon the D90, but also exceed those of any other camera in the same category. Significantly, it is the only camera in the market that boasts of pro photo and video features, at a consumer-level price of USD 1200 (approx. Rs. 54,996).

The D7000 has a new 16.2MP sensor and a brand new AF system. It has a whopping 39 focus points, which is the highest number of AF points in any DSLR at this price point. Besides shooting 1080p Full HD video, the camera also features full-time AF during video shooting (like the D3100).

Not just that, you can also adjust aperture and shutterspeed while capturing videos.

The D7000 has a number of pro photography features that match the high-end, more expensive D300S. It has a 100% viewfinder, a magnesium alloy body, weather sealing, the ability to fine tune AF and the ability to meter with older film camera lenses. The camera is also equipped

The NX100 is an interchangeable-lens camera that is styled like the Olympus PEN and Panasonic GF series. It features a 14.6MP sensor, 3-inch OLED screen, an EVF, flash and GPS. It also contains an i-Function feature, which offers the use of the focus ring to control various camera functions when using compatible lenses. Samsung has also launched two lenses to compliment this feature—a 20–50mm kit zoom and a 20mm f/2.8 pancake lens.

Nikon COOLPIX Cameras

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Nikon has launched three COOLPIX compact cameras—P7000, S80 and S8100. Coming two years after the P6000, the P7000 is a 10MP high-end compact camera built around a 1/1.7inch sensor, featuring a 28-200mm equivalent image stabilised lens. It is slightly larger than its predecessor, and actually quite similar in design to the Canon PowerShot G11 and G12. The S80 is a 14.1MP touchscreen camera that has a stabilised zoom range of 35–175mm. It can also shoot 720p HD video. The S8100 uses a 12MP backlit CMOS sensor and has a 30–300mm equivalent stabilised zoom lens.

It also has features like 10 fps shooting and Full HD movie recording.

Ricoh CX4 Ricoh CX4 is a superzoom compact with a 10MP back-illuminated CMOS sensor. It offers a 10.7x (28–300mm equivalent) zoom lens, 920k dot 3-inch LCD and 720p HD video recording with enhanced image stabilisation. The image stabilisation gives an advantage of approximately 3.7 stops. Other features include subject-tracking AF and additional shooting modes.

with a 2,016-pixel RGB metering sensor-the first time that Nikon has updated its RGB metering system since the days of the Nikon F5. With 6fps shooting, professional video shooting capabilities and a wealth of topend features, it is no surprise that this little bundle is one of the most eagerly awaited launches of this year, so far. Besides this, Nikon also announced the SB-700 flashgun and two new lenses.

The World’s Largest Sensor Developed by Canon R ecently, Canon stirred up a lot of interest by stating that it has developed the world’s largest CMOS sensor of size 202 X 205mm. To put things into perspective, a regular full frame sensor measures 36 X 24mm.

According to the company, the increased sensitivity of the sensor will enable shooting in extremely low light

environments. It consists of advanced circuitry that allows video recording at 60 frames per second with 0.3 Lux illumination. The applications of such a sensitive sensor could include shooting videos of celestial bodies at night or even documenting the behaviour of nocturnal animals, but how soon one can see it being used in an actual camera is not known.

A photo seen in its totality is one single moment, like a painting, its composition is a melting together, an organic coordination of visual elements. You can’t compose gratuitously; there must be a necessity, and you can’t separate form from substance.

Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908–2004) Henri Cartier-Bresson was a French photographer, widely considered as the father of modern photojournalism. He was one of the earliest users of the 35mm format, and the master of candid photography. He was instrumental in developing street photography and his style is still influencing generations of photographers. He also contributed in the formation of the Magnum picture agency in 1947. His theory of the perfect moment, his eye for detail and his views about photography has made him legendary among contemporary photojournalists.

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Image source: www.fiba-filmbank.org/

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Kodak EasyShare M590 Kodak EasyShare M590 is a 5x optical zoom compact camera. Measuring 15mm on its thinnest side, the EasyShare M590 is supposedly the world’s thinnest compact. It offers a 14MP sensor, 35–175mm equivalent lens and 2.7-inch LCD. It also has features like 720p HD recording, direct online sharing options and Micro SD/SDHC memory card support.

The camera is priced at USD 199.95 (approx Rs. 9200).

National Photography Awards for Lifetimes of Achievement and Excellence

Olympus Micro Four Thirds Lenses Olympus has announced the addition of the M.Zuiko Digital ED 40–150mm f/4-5.6 and 75–300mm f/4.8-6.7 zoom lenses to its Micro Four Thirds lens series. The 40–150mm lens promises faster and quieter focusing optimized for video shooting. Weighing only 430g, the 75–300mm is the smallest and lightest super telephoto lens in the world. Much like the 40–150 mm lens, it promises fast and silent focusing for movie recording. Both lenses will be available from December 2010.

Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 1,4/35 18

Carl Zeiss has introduced the Distagon T* 1,4/35 wide-angle lens for Canon EF (ZE) and Nikon F (ZF.2) mounts. Featuring a large f/1.4 aperture, this manual focus lens is made up of 11 elements in 9 groups. It can be used on both digital and analog SLRs. Priced at Euro 1385.71 (approx Rs. 83,000) the lens will be available in the first half of 2011.

The Vice President is seen, giving away the award to the Mumbai-based pictorialist K G Maheshwari.

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he Photo Division of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry India, conferred Life Time Achievement Awards to four stalwarts of Indian photography– S Paul, K G Maheshwari, Homai Vyarawala and Benu Sen. The awards were the first of their kind from the Indian Government and were organised to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Photo Division.

The awards were held on the occasion of World Photography Day on 19 August 2010, at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi. In a

Pictorialist Benu Sen is seen receiving the Award from the Honorable Vice President of India.

Photojournalist S Paul receives the award from The Vice president of India M Hamid Ansari.

woman photojournalist, said, “This honour is for all those photographs and all those moments in time. I am glad that my work has been recognised. But for it, I would not have been anybody.” The final recipient, Benu Sen, is one of West Bengal’s most revered names, and is also an active educationist. He said that he does not give as much importance to the awards, but “it is great that photographers and the medium are finally recognised by the Government of India.”

glittering ceremony, the the Honourable Vice President of India, M Hamid Ansari, gave the awards to the four photographers.

Also present was Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni and a number of other high-profile dignitaries.

According to Ansari, “Photography dates back to the 19th century and the art of visualisation goes back much before—like the paintings in the Bhimbhetka caves in Madhya Pradesh. Modern photography in India has an excellent pedigree.”

India’s first woman photojournalist Homai Vyarawalla receives the award from the Vice President of India.

Sigma 70–200mm f/2.8 OS Sigma has announced the release of a 70– 200mm f2.8 EX DG OS HSM image-stabilised fast telezoom for Nikon F mount. Priced at USD 2470 (approx Rs. 1,12,000) the lens features a new optical design that uses two elements made of FLD glass plus three SLD glass elements to reduce aberrations, a 9-blade circular aperture, and features full-time manual focus override.

Metz 58 AF-2 and 50 AF-1 Flashguns Metz has released the Mecablitz 58 AF-2 and 50 AF-1 flashguns for Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax and Four Thirds cameras. The models feature metal mounts with enhanced locking systems for faster mounting and wider angle diffusers for focal lengths from 12mm equivalent. In the 58 AF-2, its slave/servo sensor has been integrated to the front of the unit to increase transmission of wireless flashes; while the 50 AF-1 sees a power increase to guide number to 50.

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The accolades and the well-deserved acclaim bestowed on the recepients left the award winners with fond reactions.

According to S Paul, a recepient and also an eminent photojournalist, “This award will motivate the youngsters and will strengthen the base for the upcoming talent.” The award came as a pleasant surprise for the renowned pictorialist, K G Maheshwari.

He sees it as the beginning of a new era for photographers. In an interview with a news paper, Vyarawala, India’s first

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Imaging: Santosh D Kamble

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Edit Photos... For Free!

Who says that the best things in the world are not free? Ketan Kundargi sifts through tons of freeware available online, to tell you the six best image-editing software you can download, without spending any money.

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ave you always wanted to make your digital photographs stand out? If you wish to tweak your photographs by enhancing parameters like contrast and saturation, and want to do it all without spending a single rupee, read on! There are a number of freeware available on the Internet, each of which have different capabilities and target audiences. Some are Better Photography

really good at making quick enhancements to photographs, while others are efficient at editing multiple images at one go. We decided to separate the wheat from the chaff, by selecting the six best freeware that you must download. So whether you want to give your family snaps a stunning touch, or actually need something a lot more serious and intelligent, we recommend you look no further. o c to b e r 2 0 1 0

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Picasa

picasa.google.com

For those who may not understand photo editing too well, but wish to enhance, sort and organise their family images.

Photography may not be something you do dedicatedly, but you have still fun while using the camera. You shoot a number of pictures at family functions and while with friends, and you wish to organise and enhance them. If the above

description applies to you, Picasa is ideal software for you.

Picasa is not only free, but also so simple to use that it allows absolutely anyone in your family to have fun with photos. The software has many one-click options that

All photographs by Ketan Kundargi

Photoscape

Pros • I nteractive user interface.

• No previous knowledge of image editing required.

• Users get 1GB of hosting space on Picasa Web Albums.

Cons • T ied to your computer’s folder-based system of organisation.

• Litters your computer’s folders with Picasa.ini files.

allow you to adjust contrast, saturation and other basic parameters in a quick, efficient manner. One unique feature of Picasa is a too called I am Lucky. This tool automatically enhances your image in a number of ways, by adjusting contrast, saturation and colour balance.

Picasa is also an excellent tool to organise photographs. Geotagging, captioning and tagging people in your images helps you to arrange your images better.

Picasa also allows you to watch video files within the software. Eventually, Picasa is a lot about fun—you can do a lot more with your images, like exporting them as webpages, collages, posters and a lot more!

www.photoscape.org

For photographers who want to add some fun effects in a software that may be limited, but is rather convenient.

Photoscape is an image editor that is packed with several easy-to-use features.

While there is no provision for RAW editing, you can at least convert your

RAW files to JPEG. The software has some interesting features. You can also split a single image into various parts or combine two or more images to create a single one.

Pros • L ets you apply a wide variety of effects.

• Has an excellent Page Layout Tool and provides great print results.

Cons • A llows you to work with only one document at a time.

• No facility to upload the images to Flickr, Facebook or other online Web Albums.

Photoscape also lets you create animated GIF images.

The software has numerous filters like Blur, Vignette, Noise, Fake Tilt-Shift, Graduated Tint make photo editing simple and fun. The ‘Film-Effect’ filter is not very accurate, but its settings of Velvia, Provia, Agfa and so on are effective one-click fixes that one can use. While Photoscape is a fun software, it has its limitations. Moreover, it is not adequate enough for editing low-light images, as the Noise Reduction feature performs rather poorly. o c to b e r 2 0 1 0

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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.

Nikkor AF-S 24mm f/1.4G ED

Wide-Eyed Nirvana Raj Lalwani tests the Nikkor AF-S 24mm f/1.4G ED, to see whether this fast prime is really as good as the hype suggests.

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

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

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

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Weightage of parameters 10% 15% 15% 25%

35%

Features Performance Build Quality Ergonomics Warranty & Support

hen the Nikkor 24mm f/1.4G ED was announced in February, we saw its release with great interest.

In the months that led up to its launch, Nikon had faced quite a bit of criticism online for the fact that its has very few f/1.4 prime lenses—most of which are rather old. Considering how late they came to the party, the lens’ performance was bound to attract a lot of scrutiny.

shallow DOF. I tested the lens by shooting portraits, rock concerts, flocks of birds and street photographs on a Nikon D700.

The 24mm f/1.4 has an optical construction that we have come to expect of most Nikkor pro lenses. It has a healthy mix of Extra-low Dispersion and aspherical lens elements, along with the company’s proprietary Nano Crystal coating. It also has a 9-bladed rounded diaphragm for better bokeh.

Features

Handling

A wide-angle lens with a maximum aperture that is as fast as f/1.4, can actually be used rather innovatively. The wide focal length allows you to exaggerate your main subject with respect to the background, but at the same time, allows you to throw the background out of focus by using

The build quality of this 24mm lens is quite good. It is slightly bulky, and does not balance well on smaller camera bodies, but that is alright considering that the lens does not target DX camera users. On full frame cameras like the Nikon D700 and D3S, it balances perfectly. o c to b e r 2 0 1 0

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Nikkor AF-S 200–400mm f/4G ED VR II

Power Packed Zoom

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Shridhar Kunte tests the Nikkor AF-S 200–400mm f/4G ED VR II, a telephoto zoom lens that rivals the performance of many prime lenses.

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hile the past few years have seen Nikon concentrating on the full frame market, 2010 has been a different story, with the focus being on pro glass. The company has introduced as many as five new pro lenses in the past year—the Nikkor AF-S 200–400mm f/4G ED VR II is the latest amongst them.

Weightage of parameters 10% 15% 15% 25%

35%

Features Performance Build Quality Ergonomics Warranty & Support Better Photography

Features The company’s first 200–400mm f/4 lens was a manual focus AI-S lens, way back in the early eighties. In those days, few people gave too much importance to a zoom lens as they believed that a telephoto zoom could not match the performance of a prime lens. However, things have changed in the recent years, especially with optical advancements.

This lens, too, has most of the features that Nikkor lenses have incorporated recently. Significantly, the 200–400mm continues to be the only telephoto zoom

lens in the world that has a constant maximum aperture of f/4.

This is a perfect zoom range for aspiring sports photography professionals. With an APS-C-sized sensor camera, the lens gives a field of view similar to a 300–600mm, which makes it an invaluable tool for a die-hard wildlife photographer.

A Silent Wave Motor (SWM) rear focus system helps facilitate quick, silent AF. You can fine tune AF by turning the focusing ring at any time. The lens also has an A/M focusing mode, which has been used in some of Nikon’s recent lenses. In this mode, autofocus is given priority—even if the focusing ring is touched accidentally, the focus is not changed.

An optical structure of 24 elements in 17 elements may seem rather complex and susceptible to flare, but this lens has been updated with the proprietary Nano Crystal coating, so it would be interesting to see its performance. It also has as many as four Extra-low Dispersion (ED) elements.

P lu s • VR II performance • Excellent sharpness • Quick and silent AF Minus • Weight • Cost o c to b e r 2 0 1 0

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The Fine Art of Stunning stories will have you in their grip even after they are over. You will find yourself thinking about the characters, situations and actions.

Similarly, a great photograph needs to convey a compelling story, that makes you think about its minute details and discuss its contents. So, how do you go about telling your own brand of fascinating stories? Well, all you need to do is turn the page. Ambarin Afsar helps you discover what goes into the shaping and creation of flawless compositions.

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On Assignment

On assignment

tips & tricks

Fallen Leaves Exploring torn, old leaves on a wet roof

A Window in the Sky Wonderful vistas shot from airplanes

For shooting chairs, monuments and more

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Telling Stories Lure the Audience.....................................................80

The Lead Character..................................................60

The World From Various Eyes.....................................84

Act Art Director.......................................................64

The Supporting Cast.................................................90

Lights, Camera, Frames!........................................... 70

Double Takes!...........................................................94

The Mysterious Spaces............................................. 74 OS ecpt toebme rb e2r0 1200 0 8

Better Photography

Shivnarayan Joshi

We present a simple guide to creating visually stunning photographs: Scripting Your Images...............................................58

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Two monks have been captured midway through their walk down a long, desolate road, effectively conveying the remoteness of the terrain and the length of the monks’ journey.

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Sho o t ing T echnique

The Lead Character We tell you how to identify, emphasise and accurately place the star of your story to create compositions that immediately rivet the viewer’s attention.

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egardless of whether it is a romance, comedy, satire or even a tragedy, each movie has one constant character—the hero.

The story is woven around and centred on this leading man. Similarly, a photograph needs to have its own star or main subject. Just as the hero pulls the

audiences to the theatre, the main subject too, acts as a point of interest and draws the viewer into your picture. However, a bad placement can put the viewer off—if he cannot locate the main subject almost instantaneously, then the story fails to make an impact. The viewer’s eyes wander all over the frame as he cannot tell the

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The deep blue of the sky in the background, contrasts perfectly with the bright hues of the mountains.

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Act Art Director

You have the script, you have the lead in place, and now for the backgrounds.

Do you know that backgrounds can completely transform images?

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can even portray a few defining qualities of the main subject. Here are a few ways to ensure that your art direction is successful and that the backdrop turns out as stunning as the main subject.

Look Around You Before you release the shutter, take stock of your surroundings. If you are shooting outdoors, then is there a particular object like a branch, tree, person, signboard or Better Photography

Tuhin Kanti Das

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oothing music, great actors and scenic locales instantly transport you to the place shown in a film. However, if the backdrop was dull and drab, then you would immediately lose interest in the movie. Similarly, if you have a great subject and a stunning concept, but a boring or distracting background, then the photograph loses its impact. Backgrounds can convey habitats, moods, colours and

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The wonderful orange sky acts as negative space and surrounds the flock of birds perched on a wire, effectively conveying a sense of scale and magnitude.

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Sho o t ing T echnique

The Mysterious Spaces Perfect use of space can make your images look fascinating. Decode the mystery of these vast spaces and find out how each of them can affect your images.

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ackground? Check! Main Subject? Check! Frame? Check!

Once you have all the essential elements in place, then what do you do? Well, you create some breathing space. You might ask how do you create or utilise space in

a still image? Firstly, it is important to understand that all the area surrounding the main subject acts as space for the subject to move into, move out of or even perform a certain action within.

Imagine a dancer performing a very graceful dance. Now if the dancer had no

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A top angle shot of fishing boats out at work, makes the viewer feel like as if he is peering down at them; while a blue-green expanse of water fills his field of vision.

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Sho o t ing T echnique

The World From Various Eyes Learn to view the world from the perspective of other people and find out how each perspective lends new meanings.

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Shailendra Singh Rawat

ould you like it if your favourite movie was filmed in one straight shot? What if there were no bizarre angles, sleek cuts or fadeouts? Would it still be an iconic film for you? Similarly, images that are repeatedly taken from one viewpoint might get a little less interesting.

By adding a touch of drama to your images, you can give your viewers a feeling of seeing a unique angle of an oft-covered subject. So what if you need to get down to your knees or crouch like a hidden tiger?

Explore subjects like buildings, rickshaws or even insects with a unique enough

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My Assignment Description An attempt to produce a series that shows the delicacy of forms and textures, while capturing the deeper meaning that I derived from it

Duration An hour of observing the patterns to identify potential frames and two hours of shooting

Notes The angle of the roof, low and constantly changing levels of light, and reflections were the challenges O c to b e r 2 0 1 0

Fallen Leaves The almost spiritual nature of the structural breakdown displayed by fallen leaves on a wet, transluscent roof left K Madhavan Pillai fascinated and humbled.

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eekend getaways are the best times to have your camera with you. It gives you a chance to unwind, relax, and leisurely look at things. On a recent weekend trip, after a wonderfully muddy, six-hour trek,

I checked into a quaint, secluded, ecofriendly hotel called ‘The Lion’s Den’, at Lonavala, a hill station near Mumbai. It was raining heavily without respite. At the hotel, I spotted a tiny pathway, leading to a backyard greenhouse and an open lawn.

The pathway was sheltered from the rain Better Photography

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After the first few shots in this series, which were silhouettes, I started composing my frames with a single green leaf in it.

To my eye, the images immediately became more meaningful.

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You can compose a frame by including the airplane window as well as the clouds outside.

This creates a feeling of actually peeping through a window in the heavens.

Exposure: 1/1250sec at f/4

A Window in the Sky

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When Bhaskar Dutta shot an image of the outside view from inside an airplane, he was surprised at the unique perspective. He shares these stunning vistas.

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My Assignment Description To take stunning images from inside aircrafts.

Duration Various flights in the last one year.

Notes Cropping helps remove distracting elements in the frame.

W Sometimes, the fluffy white clouds make one feel that there is a bed of cotton in the sky.

Exposure: 1/1600sec at f/4.5

hile making frequent airplane journeys, it occurred to me that shooting pictures from the plane would give me a unique vantage point as well as unusual vistas. Usually, I have a camera in my hand baggage during the flight. Once, I acted on an impulse and took a few pictures from my window seat. I was stunned by the outcome and when I viewed the

final results on a computer, I felt inspired enough to do a series of photographs from my ‘window in the sky’.

My Perspective The world looks completely different when seen from an aerial perspective. Everything seems minimised to scale models—entire cities, rivers, forests and even mountains look amazingly miniature from that height. I was awestruck by what I was seeing. In a way, it is challenging to take good photographs from the window of an airplane. Most professional aerial photographers hire a helicopter or their private aerial vehicle to make stunning photographs. Of course, they face a different set of challenges.

However, I discovered that the right settings and some practice could help me make a beautiful record of my journey as well as the world around me.

Airplanes give you a unique vantage point as well as unusual vistas.

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I used wood to create a connect in this image.

It forms the background in both images in this diptych.

Persona

Jason Travis sets out to capture the essentials that people carry daily and discovers how it portrays their unique identities.

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eople have always inspired me and my work, especially their individuality and distinct identity. Each day is new for people around the city. And with so many variegated personalities, one is bound to find endless fascinating subjects to photograph.

My Perspective I have always been fascinated with why people tend to carry their whole world in their handbags. Traditionally, when people set out of their homes and head to their Better Photography

My Assignment Description To capture a portion of people’s lives in terms of what each individual considered essential enough to carry around with them every day.

Duration I began taking “Persona” diptychs in November 2007. While I started with a few photographs, the number is now nearing 150, with no end in sight.

Notes Look for people different from yourself and you will find the most interesting item they carry around with a trail of fascinating stories that tell you something personal about them.

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workplace, they always carry a bag with them. They carry what they deem to be the most essential needs—things not just for work but also for personal reasons. This, I believe, defines them to a large extent.

Without intending to pry, I aim photograph every single item in my subject’s bag.

For me, creating diptychs of people and their belongings results in interesting portraits. My necessity to capture a portion of their lives in such detail adds more meaning to their portraits. In doing this project, I discovered that certain interesting similarities in what different people carry around can produce intriguing communal semblances. I have also come to realise the beauty of being the voyeur in identifying the various tokens people carry with them and their personalities. It allowed me to discover what ordinary objects mean to different people.

Since the number of items were less, I let the bag dominate half the frame here.

The Process To begin with, I looked for people who I was already friends with. It meant that I

would be able to capture their possessions with relative ease. I made sure they were comfortable as that would help me in understanding the relationship with the things they carried. I normally start by shooting a portrait of the person and only then begin to empty their bag. My subjects should be at ease so that their personality can show through the picture and ‘who they are’ can be understood. Eventually, that translates through the photograph of their belongings in their bag.

The placement of various objects is important and the frame must be balanced too.

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I normally start by shooting a portrait of the person and only then begin to empty their bag.

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Prof i l e

Benjamin Krain

• If not a photographer, Benjamin would have been an astronaut.

• Krain gets inspiration from looking at pictures in various news sources and photo blogs.

• He gives a lot of importance to people skills. He says that you should make people so comfortable that they forget that you are even there.

ShowCase

The Krain Effect You cannot help but be awestruck by the photos of Benjamin Krain.

Ambarin Afsar finds that his opinions have the same compelling effect.

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he city of Little Rock, Arkansas, USA, has an extremely lucky photojournalist called Benjamin Krain. Beginning as a photo intern, Krain got what people dream of having—a really stable job just after they finish college.

He has worked with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, a local newspaper—one of the oldest published newspapers in the area—for 15 years. “It is my first and only photography job. I must have impressed someone because they kept me around after I graduated,” he quips.

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My Best Shot

Great masters

Photofeature

Soumitra Dutta On his favourite image

K G Maheshwari The National Award winner speaks

Mansi Midha Profile On the lives of Mumbai’s construction workers

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Taken with a LensBaby in Nevada, USA, this is a photograph of the alternative arts fair known as the Burning Man. The fair has become a showcase for obscure, outrageous and odd art. oO c to b e r 2 0 1 0

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KG Maheshwari Renowned pictorialist K G Maheshwari has dedicated almost seven decades of his life to the art of photography. In a conversation with Neha Mutreja, he reveals the facts about his journey so far.

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rishna Gopal Maheshwari could not sing, and so he took up photography. He reminisces, “my father wanted me and my brothers to learn singing, so a teacher was called to train us. After the audition, he promptly declared that I had absolutely no talent for it.� He was only 15

years old then. But this incident, far from disappointing him, spurred him towards discovering, practicing and excelling in some form of art. It was a completely new beginning, one in which he discovered an eternal love for photography.

During those days, he was inspired by Illustrated Weekly, a famous magazine that

February Morning

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History

Hank Leung

A Lomograph of a Lomography store in Hong Kong.

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A Happy Accident

Margaret Alexander finds out how an unusual camera went on to become an entire art movement called Lomography.

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he world of Lomography is a unique one indeed. It is a style of photography that takes a light-hearted approach to photographing daily activities.

It is spontaneous and candid and does not care about the conventional rules of photography, which is why it is also called ‘Happy Accidents’. But did you know that Lomography emerged as a style of photography only because of a camera that was originally designed for military use?

Origins in the Streets of Russia Back in 1982, a Japanese camera company, Cosina introduced a camera called the CX-2. It was rigid in terms of settings and was very compact. This camera was not really a success. But after a while, General Igor Petrowitsch Kornitzky of Germany, who was the right-hand man to the United States Soviet Russian Minister of Defense and Industry, brought the camera to the head of LOMO, Russia—a company that primarily made optics for

Famous Adaptations of the Lomo Camera

Diana (1960)

Holga (1982)

Lomo LC-A (1984)

Autosampler (1998)

Crafted entirely of plastic, this camera rendered soft images, super-saturated colours, blurring, and vivid contrast.

A medium-format 120 film toy camera, the Holga yielded pictures with vignetting, blur and other distortions.

This 35mm compact camera’s only automatic function is of exposure. All remaining functions are achieved manually.

Launched in 1998, the 4-lensed Autosampler takes four sequential images in one 35mm Lomograph.

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History

The 10 Golden Rules of Lomography The lomo trend motivated the snap shooters to follow certain rules of lomography

According to Viennese tradition, a society is formed when a group of people with a common interest come together.

military use, and also tools for astronomy and medicine. He proposed that a similar camera be made for military and espionage use, as the camera had a wide angle lens, was extremely sensitive to light and had robust casing.

So the optical genius of LOMO, Professor Radionov, created the Lomo Kompakt Automat, an imitation of the CX-2. It came to be referred to as the LC-A and turned out to be not just a great camera for the General but also a practical one for the citizens of the Soviet.

Quirky Camera, Quirky Style However, it was not until the early 1990s that the Lomo camera became really popular. In 1991, two students from Vienna found the quirky LC-A camera from an old camera shop in Prague. Since this plastic camera did not have motors, meters and controls, the images produced often had ‘faults’ and revealed vignetting, blur, light leaks and other distortions. They started shooting with these cameras to make use of these characteristics. Upon their return to Vienna, the results fascinated everyone.

The images looked great despite the fact that they were casual.

Worldwide Acceptance Soon the demand for this little Russian treasure grew. According to a tradition in Vienna, a formal society is formed whenever a group of people with a common interest come together, and thus, the Lomographic Society was formed. The group also advocated 10 Golden Rules of Lomography and soon, the society went international.

In 1994, the group invaded the web space and formed an online community.

One of the remarkable outcomes of their

1. Take your camera everywhere you go.

2. Use it any time – day and night.

3. Lomography is not an interference in your life, but part of it.

4. Try the shot from the hip.

5. Approach the objects of your lomographic desire as close as possible.

6. Don’t think.

7. Be fast.

8. You don’t have to know beforehand what you captured on film.

9. Afterwards either.

10. Don’t worry about any rules.

efforts was the creation of LomoWalls and LomoFloor where a large bunch of lomographs are put together in the form of a collage on a wall or a floor. For instance, the LomoWall at the first Lomographic World Congress in Madrid was over 120 metres long and consisted over 35,000 lomographs!

The End of an Era In 1996, the production of the Lomo LC-A was discontinued. A delegation from the Lomographic Society made an appointment with the Austrian Consul in St Petersburg and sat in front of the ViceMayor, Vladimir Putin, who convinced the LOMO officials to reconsider the production.

However, in 2004, the production of the Lomo LC-A was permanently discontinued. Though crushed, Lomographers put together a plan to build a new Lomo camera and the Made in China LC-A+ was launched.

Today, lomography is still popular and followed around the world, especially among the youth. The online community has more than 30,000 registered members!

The digital age has given rise to a new kind of lomography. Cell phone cameras produce images that are not of great quality and a large number of people are shooting spontaneous shots of absolutely anything.

Your cell phone may not be a Lomo camera, but it surely ensures that the true spirit of Lomography is still alive.

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The digital age has given rise to a new kind of Lomography.

Fisheye (2005)

Lubitel+ (2008)

Hipstamatic (2009)

Fuji Instax mini-7 (2010)

With a built-in wideangle lens, the camera yields nearly 180-degrees of circular Fisheye distortion in a 35mm photograph.

The multicoated glass lens of this camera shoots pictures that are often vignetted at the edges.

This iPhone application replicates the look, feel, unpredictability, and fun of Lomo toy cameras.

This instant camera has an autofocus lens as well as a self-shoot mirror for self-portraits.

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