PhotoTalkies Magazine - January 2015

talkies

PHOTO January 2015

Issue 12

A Joint Initiative of Kunzum and ZEISS

10 PLACES

LIGHTS IN FOG Lights in the Night Sky

7 PHONES FOR BEST SELFIES

BOOKS

Lincoln's Last Days

PHOTOTALKIES COMPLETES ONE YEAR!!!

It seems only yesterday when we launched PhotoTalkies. So engrossed were we in putting it together month on month that we almost missed an important milestone – we have completed a year!! The current edition is the 12th in the series. Wow, what a ride it has been!!

Published in partnership with ZEISS camera lenses, we can take pride in being trendsetters in digital publishing. For perhaps the first time, two brands – ZEISS and Kunzum – came together with the idea of digital-first magazine. An experiment initially, we knew we were onto a good thing almost from the beginning. And were we right!! Our readers have loved the mag, and so have we. And this is only the beginning.

As we enter the second year, we want to make the magazine an even more compelling a read.

And back it up with offline activities in the form of photo workshops and tours. As well as masterclasses from the best in the field. ZEISS has promised to bring in their experts from all over the world to India in the near future for starters.

We plan to add more features written by an even wider pool of photographers. A special emphasis can be expected on sports optics – no one can compare to ZEISS when it comes to this segment too.

More surprises await. Watch this space. And let’s click together.

AJAY JAIN ajay@ajayjain.com

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PHOTOTALKIES IS A MONTHLY DIGITAL MAGAZINE. AND IT’S FREE!! DOWNLOAD AND READ ON YOUR IPAD, IPHONE OR ANY OTHER TABLET, COMPUTER AND SMARTPHONE.

A Joint Initiative of Kunzum and ZEISS

www.kunzum.com/phototalkies

CONTENTS 10 PLACES TO GET AWAY TO WITH YOUR GIRLFRIENDS

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LIGHTS IN FOG - LIGHTS IN THE NIGHT

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LIGHTS IN THE NIGHT SKY - LOST IN ANOTHER WORLD

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Want to Share Pictures? Five Online Communities Worth Joining

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Love to Take Selfies? Try These Seven Phones!

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7 Reasons Why You Should Consider Grabbing the BlackBerry Classic!

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BOOK REVIEW: Lincoln’s Last Days - The Story of an Assassination

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Ping us at mail@kunzum.com Disclaimer: All articles and photographs in this magazine are the opinions of the respective contributors. It is understood that they own the copyright to the same, or have the rights to offer the same under their bylines. ZEISS is not responsible for the authenticity of any of the articles and photographs, nor will be held liable for any disputes, claims and liabilities arising out of ownership or copyright issues of the content in the magazine.

10 PLACES TO Get Away to with Your Girlfriends AJAY JAIN Girls just want to have fun, or so crooned a famous singer. What kind of fun? Many kinds, but little compares to the high of getting away to awesome places with just your girlfriends.

And what kind of places would women-only groups like to go to? Ask around, and they want it all - it is a no-holds barred bucket list for them. So here are 10 places for girls to head out to...with only other girls.

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1. Gokarna, Karnataka: Where Goa meets Pushkar Land in Goa, but drive out a few hours southward down the coast. And stop at Gokarna. Virgin beaches, shack fun, luxury hotels, cramped rooms, music, youthful energy - it is all here, take your pick. Hike on the ghats, laze on the beaches, meditate, seek a dose of wellness, or go for day excursions to Yana and Jog Falls - Gokarna is Goa rolled into Pushkar and more.

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2. Wayanad, Kerala: God’s Own Country has this too Wayanad is the lesser (talked about) cousin of the beaches and backwaters of Kerala, but the region merits its own place under God’s sun. Rolling hills, tea estates, wildlife parks, stunning landscapes, water bodies, festivals, culture - it all waits for you in Wayanad. Again, with options to suit every budget. Go discover. You may not want to come back in a hurry.

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3. Bikaner, Rajasthan: Food, Camel Fair, Sand Dunes, Shopping and History Rajasthan has many an attraction, but few venture towards Bikaner. The city is fun, especially when you visit during its annual Camel Fair in January. The region, like much of Rajasthan, is steeped in history with its own unique forts and other structures. Its bazaars are for shopping till you drop, with dollops of food to keep you going. Its festival has a setting where few can compare - it is organized under moonlit nights in a crater surrounded by sand dunes in the village of Ladera, an hour outside town. Don’t miss it.

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4. Sangla, Himachal Pradesh: Apple Picking and Blossoms, Day Treks, Landscapes and More Truly a wonder on this planet, Sangla was kind of discovered for tourism by Banjara Camps when they set up their camp along the Baspa river in the Kinnaur region of Himachal Pradesh. You will be hard pressed to find more serene and tranquil landscapes. Head out for day treks along meadows and glaciers, or indulge in adventure sports. Come spring, admire apple blossoms. Or pick your own crunchy apples in autumn. Make your own chutneys too.

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5. Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh: Ladies, don’t let your imagination run wild There is no doubt Khajuraho is home to some of the most beautiful temples in the world. Admire them for their architecture and design, while making it a ‘study tour’ of the Kama Sutra - the temples are famous for depicting the messages from the book through carvings on its facades.

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6. Little Rann of Kutch, Gujarat: Go Wild Driving through the endless saline desert of the Little Rann is an adventure you cannot skip. For miles on end, you see flatlands with mirages tempting you to take a plunge. And before you assume it is as lifeless as the Dead Sea, you will be surprised with a rich offering of bird and animal life. Spend the day in the desert, and party at night.

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7. Ladakh: No list can be complete without this The ultimate high - literally and figuratively. You have to go to Ladakh at least once in your lifetime. Plan with time to spare. Ideally, travel by road. The landscapes will soothe your senses for long after you are back, and Ladakhis will be your friends like none other. What are you waiting for?

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8. Shekhawati, Rajasthan: Appealing to a Woman’s Senses This region boasts of havelis, or old bungalows, that many women would like to make home. Spacious yet intimate. With architecture, carvings and frescos that modern interior designers cannot emulate. The air is clean, and the environment serene in its rural setting. And if you browse around, you can shop for many artefacts and works of art all stocked up for generations in these havelis.

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9. Kashmir: Good reasons why everyone wants a piece of itRolling hills, temperate weather, tea estates, wildlife - and cut Kashmir catches our attention all the time, but for the wrong reasons usually. But let that not deter girls from heading out. It is safe, for starters. Go skiing in Gulmarg, book Shikara rides on the Dal Lake, sit by the Lidder river in Pahalgam, go on treks or simply sit back and do nothing. Best time to go: Spring and Autumn.

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10. Toy Trains of Matheran, Ooty and Others: Go Scream!

This is for girls who want to scream their lungs out. Book a toy train - you have many in India including Matheran in Maharashtra, Ooty in Tamil Nadu, Kalka - Simla in Himachal and Darjeeling. Go for as many joy rides up and down, and scream through the windows to hear your echo back from the mountains. Or just feel the fresh air give you a facial.

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LIGHTS IN FOG LIGHTS IN THE NIGHT

Like many photographers, the Golden Gate Bridge is one Matt Walker’s most popular motifs. When the fog lies low in the bay of San Francisco he’s off, searching for the best spot from which to capture the lights of the Golden Gate Bridge in the far distance – especially at dusk and at night. And with his ZEISS lenses in tow, he produces impressive images every time.

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“Morning Glory”: View of the Marin Headlands and Golden Gate Bridge. In the background: San Francisco

The Bay Area of San Francisco is densely populated and among its seven million inhabitants are many avid photographers. Matt Walker is part of the Bay Area’s passionate photographic community that specializes in pursuing a very special weather phenomenon: the famous low fog that hovers above the bay. “You need to constantly keep track of the weather,” explains Walker, “because low fog is so rare. We photographers are all connected and keep each other informed. There’s something mystical about low fog. Once you start doing fog photography, it becomes a real obsession.”

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It’s an obsession for which Walker puts his full trust in his ZEISS lenses — in addition to trusting his network and his intuition. The exact setting of the mechanical stop on the focus ring for infinity plays a key role when he takes pictures, as the smallest deviation can lead to out-of-focus images. “I’ve now switched over almost completely to ZEISS lenses. I bought my first one, the Makro-Planar T* 2/100, three years ago. I first experimented with high-speed images and classic macro-photography before moving on to landscapes and portrait photography. The results were terrific. Recently, I acquired my Distagon T* 2,8/15. I can hardly wait to photograph the sunset tonight.”

The Golden Gate Bridge in the morning fog during the “blue hour” 19

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“Deck of Diamonds“: Golden Gate Bridge with fog flowing down to the water’s surface If it’s an evening when the fog hovers above the bay, Walker will be in his element. He mainly takes pictures at dusk, or at night when the city and bridge are lit up. This motif is particularly impressive during the “blue hour” shortly before sunrise or dawn. Such images show very intense colors: you see the lights’ reflections on the buildings and the shimmer of the rising or setting sun. The fog is purple, blue or pink. “The lenses’ balanced color rendering and stunning sharpness make it possible to capture such a surreal mood. The picture above shows a phenomenon I’d never before seen: when I saw the image on the computer, I first thought the blur came from a shaky camera. But then I realized that I had captured one of those rare moments when the fog is caught inside the bay behind the bridge for just a short time before streaming out into the ocean. That’s how the spooky-looking reflections around the lights on the bridge were created.”

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The Golden Gate Bridge during fog is certainly Walker’s favorite motif, but not his only one. He travels frequently, taking pictures of landscapes, stars and typical cityscapes. But when he returns from his shootings, his hometown provides more than enough reasons to pull out his camera: “The Bay Bridge is a subject that’s neglected too often. In this picture, you see the bridge on the left and the financial district in the background in the weeks before Christmas. Like every year, the skyscrapers are festively lit. Above the skyline you can even recognize Venus. And on the TransAmerica Building, a blue light shines like a bright star.”

“San Francisco in the Spirit” 21

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“Under the Bay Bridge”

For Walker, the blue “star“ atop the skyscraper underscores what he likes so much about his chosen lenses, especially when used at night — namely, that highlights before a dark background appear evenly in their star form, without any bothersome reflections. This happens with both light sources located far away and smaller light sources, such as the lights on a bridge. “All of the features of ZEISS lenses that I like so much are ones that help me compose images that work every time: reliable focus at infinity, excellent sharpness and colors, and minimal reflections. You can see that on this last picture, which I think is a very “intimate” depiction of the skyline of San Francisco. It’s stylishly framed by the Bay Bridge, and the blue fire of light on the roof of the TransAmerica Building reflects itself so intensely in the bay, as if the beam of light were that close to the lens.”

About Matt Walker Matt Walker has been taking pictures since he was young, but only got seriously interested in photography at the start of the digital age. A horticulturalist for large estate gardens in the San Francisco area and a father of three, Walker is currently active in architectural and product photography, though his main passion remains taking pictures of landscapes in low light. Walker’s work has appeared in Popular Photography Magazine and POP Photo. In 2013, he won “Best Landscape/Nature Shot” by Popular Photography Magazine. http://www.flickr.com/photos/rootswalker/ 22

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LI G H TS IN THE N I GH T SKY LOS T IN A NOTH ER WO R LD

A clear night sky has always appealed to Loscar Numael. No smog and no light pollution — conditions you will only find outside in nature. When Numael points his ZEISS lenses at the sky — toward the Milky Way above California, for example, or the Northern Lights — he loses himself in another world.

With fascinating photographic results.

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Around four years ago, Loscar Numael was gripped: during a trip to Oregon (USA) he experimented for the first time with taking landscape images at night. He liked the results so much that night photography has been a fixed element in his photographic adventures ever since. During these trips he always takes five ZEISS lenses with him.

He entered the “world of ZEISS” around five years go. He used his first ZEISS optic — a head loupe needed for his studies. From there it was just a small step to the Distagon T* 2,8/21, whose precision thrilled him so much that he gradually came to augment his photo gear exclusively with ZEISS lenses: the Distagon T* 2/35, the Makro-Planar T* 2/50, the Makro-Planar T* 2/100 and finally the Distagon T* 2,8/15.

„Existence“: Northern Lights above Tombstone Territorial Park, Yukon, Northwest Canada 25

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During a trip during the fall of 2013 to Yukon territory, in Northwest Canada bordering Alaska, Numael was able to take stunning night images with the Distagon T* 2,8/15.

The last leg of his tour took him to Tombstone Territorial Park, which he reached by helicopter as the region is difficult to reach by land. On arriving he first had to wait for the right weather conditions that would let him take pictures of the polar lights, or ‘Northern Lights’ (aurora borealis). These are created when electronically-charged particles from the solar wind collide with the upper latitudes of the Earth’s atmosphere. Due to the Earth’s magnetic field, which leads the solar wind to the Earth’s poles, the Northern and Southern Lights travel close to the polar regions with high frequency and intensity. On the fourth day of his visit, the weather was good and Numael began with his preparations: investigating the terrain, trying out different perspectives and setting up his equipment.

Finally, at 2 am, the surprise.

„Celestial Crown“: Northern lights above Tombstone Territorial Park, Yukon, Northwest Canada 26

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“The sky began to light up green – two hours long.

The Northern Lights were very active that night. It felt like you could see more with the camera than with the naked eye. Therefore, it was extremely important for me that I could rely on the Distagon T* 2,8/15 in two ways: first, once the focus was set it stayed exactly in the same place the entire night. And secondly chromatic aberrations, which are common during such night images, are almost absent with this ZEISS lens.”

Transient“, purple-green changing northern lights above Tombstone Territorial Park, Yukon, Northwest Canada 27

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„Tendrils“: northern part of the Milky Way above the calc-tuff formations, Mono Lake, California; in the background the ‘light pollution‘ of a nearby town

In early 2013, Numael took a second “journey into the night” into the untouched nature of California. Before leaving, he had selected promising locations along Mono Lake and in Death Valley. During the trip Numael constantly kept track of the weather reports so he could be at the right place at the right time. With a smartphone app, he also determined when and where the Milky Way would be visible in the sky and then waited as long as was necessary until the galaxy appeared exactly in the motif where he wanted to have it — just as he had done with the calc-tuff formations and the Joshua palm lilies.

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„Perveniens in Astra”, a Joshua palm lily “reaches for the stars“, Death Valley National Park, California

„This picture was taken during a particularly clear night in Death Valley National Park. Just before it got dark, I planned how I wanted to compose the image and then set up the equipment: I covered stray lights, for example the status LEDs from the camera, with black tape. Whether it was the rising moon or light pollution from Las Vegas shining in the background, I can’t say for sure. This picture is composed of four separate images: one of the sky and three of the Joshua palm lilies at different distances. With this technique and by using the Distagon T* 2,8/15, I achieved an excellent depth of field.

Already with an open aperture, this lens has an extremely large depth of field and is very well suited for night images.”

About Loscar Numael Born in Puerto Rico, Loscar Numael today lives in Atlanta, where he works in healthcare. Landscape images have fascinated him ever since he began to photograph seriously about seven years ago. Several times a year he goes on photographic tours into nature. At the top of his wish list are regions with a clear sky in which the beauty of the night sky can be interpreted in a special way. His upcoming photographic adventures will be taking him, among other places, to the highlands of Bolivia, Patagonia and his native Puerto Rico. www.flickr.com/photos/numael/

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Want to Share Pictures?

FIVE ONLINE COMMUNITIES WORTH JOINING

NIMISH DUBEY

Want to share and/or show off those amazing snaps you took on your travels? Well, there are apps and communities for that. And these are five that really rock if you are photographer, whether an amateur, a professional, or just someone who snaps away on a handset.

Flickr

Yes, some might thing that this is a bit of an oldie, but we insist that it is a golden one. We love the fact that you can share images in their high-resolution glory here and also get details of the cameras that took them. Still the best option for the hardcore and amateur photographer crowd

Instagram

The polar opposite of Flickr but compulsively addictive because of the level of interactivity built into it, Instagram is quick iamge sharing at its best. The filters might seem olde worlde and limited in number and purists will harrumoh about original image resolution being lost, but for basic editing and sharing, this is the app for mobile photographers.

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Facebook

Yes, THE social network. Yes, we know we have already included Instagram, which belongs to Facebook. Yes, we know that original resolutions get butchered again here. But even with all that, the stark fact remains that Facebook remains the uber social network when it comes to sharing any sort of information, be it with the public or with select friends. So ignore it at your peril.

FrontBack

All right, this one is for the selfie crowd. Frontback started out as a app that combined pictures taken from both the main as well as the front facing camera of the phone, but it also had a very strong community of its own. And it is this that makes the app special in our book. Yes, the format is a bit staid, but if you want reactions on selfies, head here!

500 px

Another social network designed for the die hard photographer, 500px lets you upload your pictures and comment on those put up by others. Sounds routine? Well, what is not so routine is the high number of professional photographers in the network, and the fact that you can actually buy and sell photographs there. It has also been given a design makeover since its early days, making it a lot more fun to use.

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LOVE TO TAKE SELFIES? Try These Seven Phones!

NIMISH DUBEY Yes, we are verily in the middle of the ‘selfie’ revolution, with everyone wanting to click pictures of themselves using the front facing cameras of their devices. But, of course, not all front-facing cameras are the same - some are good, some just about adequate, and many utterly forgettable. So, if selfies matter a lot to you, here are seven phones that will definitely make your day in that department: 1. Gionee Elife E7

Yes, we know we had mentioned this device in our ‘best cameraphones’ story too, but it makes its presence felt here through an excellent 8.0-megapixel front facing camera that comes with auto focus, face detection and lets you take some excellent photographs of yourself.

2. Lenovo Vibe X2

The latest colourful, multi-layered handset from Lenovo packs in a host of features for its front facing 5.0-megapixel selfie camera. One touch that we like in particular is that it automatically “beautifies” your face, ensuring you look at your best. Top it off with voice and gesture control, and you have a very decent reason to shoot yourself...with a camera.

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3. Lumia 730

Microsoft and Nokia have been going to town with the ability of the front facing camera of the Lumia 730.

And while we did not find it the easiest to access and use, the width of the lens did mean we could capture not just ourselves but a lot of what was around us as well.

4. HTC Desire 820

Right, we know that some people will wonder why we did not bring the HTC One M8 Eye into this list, which sports a very good 5.0-megapixel front facing cameras? Well, the reason is because the 820 actually has a 8.0-megapixel front facing camera that we think comfortably outperforms the One M8 Eye in the selfie department. The fact that it comes with a lower price tag is a huge bonus.

5. Sony Xperia C3

A 5.0-megapixel front-facing camera on a Sony device automatically means two things - good colour and detail. And the Xperia C3 delivers in spades on both fronts, topped off with a superior auto setting for the front camera too. A superb front facing camera.

6. Xiaomi Redmi Note

It has just come into the market but we must confess that we already like the 5.0-megapixel front facing camera of Xiaomi’s phablet. It might not do colours as spectacularly well as some other devices in this list but was superb in terms of quality, and again, at a relatively low price, is a great device for selfie lovers.

7. Lava Iris X5

A selfie camera on a tight budget? Well, this very good 5.0-megapixel front facing camera on this compact is a good option. No, we are not impressed by the presence of the flash which we think tends to distract subjects but hey, you are getting a decent self-image in a surprisingly low-priced camera - that’s got to count for something.

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7 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD CONSIDER

GRABBING THE BLACKBERRY CLASSIC! NIMISH DUBEY

Yes, it is a blast from the golden past of the company that one straddled the smartphone world as a colossus, but even though some people - all right, a LOT of people - are writing off BlackBerry, we still think the company has not lost its ability to make great devices. The latest of which is the BlackBerry Classic, which sees it return to its classic (pun intended) QWERTY roots. Yes, we know people will complain about its price (“too expensive at Rs 31,999”) and its specs (“dual core processor, 8.0-megapixel camera in a high end device in this day and age?”), but we still think the BlackBerry Classic packs in enough to be considered a viable purchase, especially if you are the type that travels a lot.

No, we are not intoxicated. Here are our seven reasons for purchasing the BlackBerry Classic:

The form factor

In this day and age of massive phones that fill our palms, we like the delightfully compacy Classic. You can actually operate it with one hand without too many problems, and it will fit your trouser without making you look like a victim of Viagra overdose!

The rock solid design

The metallic accents on the keyboard of the Classic give it a very solid look. No, we do not drop our phones often (it’s something travellers can scarce afford), but we suspect that this is one phone that will take a licking and keep on ticking.

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Those navigation buttons...

Yes, BlackBerry had given us QWERTY keyboards on the Q10, Q5 and the Passport too, but they had lacked the touchpad, the menu and cal receive and end keys. As a result, one had to keep fiddling between the keyboard and the touchscreen. The Classic brings those keys back. And most of the time, you can get along by not even touching that 3.5 inch touchscreen. Now, THAT’s more like it.

...and THAT keyboard Which of course, brings us to the QWERTY keyboard itself, which has gone back to its classic roots and is not the three-row affair we saw on the Passport. Typing is a whole lot easier than fiddling on a touchscreen, mark our words, not just because the keys are well laid out and give a real ‘click’ while pressing them but also because of the compact form factor of the device.

The messaging muscle Yes, we know iOS, Windows Phone an Android do mail and messaging very well indeed, but we still think BlackBerry has got an edge over them because of the way these functions are integrated into it. You don’t have to download any special apps - just log in and get going. And well, that keyboard does help when you want to do a lot of writing and do not want to pull out your notebook.

The call quality It does not get discussed as often as it should in our opinion, but we think that the call quality of most high-end BlackBerry devices is in a league of its own, especially when you compare it with the competition, which seems to be focussed on the non-voice side of things. Reception is always good and in the Classic too, call quality is crystal clear. And believe us, that is SO important when you are on the road.

Battery life A few exceptions aside, the battery life of most high-end devices these days is very ordinary. If you are going on a long-ish trip and access to power outlets might be iffy, you will need to pack in your portable chargers. Well, not if you have the Classic. The phone saw us through a day and a half of heavy use and we reckon will see us through even more if used carefully. You know, you can actually leave your wires behind for that weekend trip!

No, all this does not make BlackBerry’s weaknesses disappear - the cameras are not rock stars, apps remain scarce (even though a lot of Android apps run on BBs too), and well, a BlackBerry is never going to be the sort of spec monster that an Android flagship will be. But well, on the flip side, a device like the Classic keeps things simple. And just works beautifully. When you are on the road, you don’t worry about downloading apps, and chances are that you will be having a rather powerful DSLR handy. On the phone front, what you want is something that works and is dependable.

The Classic is both!

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The Story of an Assassination Lincoln’s Last Days

By Bill O’Reilly

Pan Macmillan Rs. 750

NIMISH DUBEY Bill O’Reilly has been making waves with his series of books on famous assassinations including those of Lincoln, Kennedy, Jesus (!) and most recently General George Patton (who he claims was killed and did not die in an accident, as most historias say). The reason for his success lies in his simplicity - O’Reilly’s books are not massive, meaty tomes that take days to read. They are relatively small and his brisk yet trivia-laden style of narration makes them easy to read.

Which is perhaps why some of his titles are being reissued in a larger format, complete with illustrations and photographs. One of these is Lincoln’s Last Days which is based on his previously released Killing Lincoln. Written in the form of a timeline of sorts, it begins on April 2, 1865 and ends on July 7 of the same year. Interspersed between these dates are the last days of perhaps the US’ most famous president, his assassination and the hunt for his assassin and those who conspired with him.

Yes, this is an extremely shrunk version of Killing Lincoln, but truth be told, it is far more entertaining. Simply because the direct narrative is now backed up by dozens of images that are interspersed throughout the book and not clustered in one place as they were in the paperback edition of Killing Lincoln. Some of the pictures are ‘expected’ - the typical portraits of key political figures and members of Lincoln’s family - but there are some gems too, such as the posters announcing a reward for Lincoln’s assassin, John Wilkes Booth, and the rather chilling picture of the conspirators being lined up for hanging when it all finally came to an end.

The main book itself spans about 240 pages, with remaining sixty-odd being dedicated to some rather quaint and I suspect space-filling trivia, from pictures depicting the aging of Lincoln to a tour of Washington DC in the late nineteenth century to interesting facts about the Civil War. Honestly, these do not add much to the book itself. But yes, for those first 240 pages, O’Reilly will keep you riveted, with the pictures adding an atmosphere to the book that its simple paperback edition lacked. The details might be fewer but believe us, you will be through the book in one sitting.

All of which makes Lincoln’s Last Days pretty much a must-have for those who want a quick read about one of the most significant assassinations of modern times.

Yes, we think it is a little pricey but on the flip side, it is well produced and for the most part, well written, and straddles the gap between a coffee table title and a paperback page turner very well indeed.

Buy it if you are interested in Lincoln. Even if you have read Killing Lincoln!

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About Ajay Jain

Ajay Jain is a full time writer and photographer, and has authored eight paperback books and over 30 e-books. He promotes his photography as collectible art, runs the popular Kunzum Travel Cafe in New Delhi and publishes e-magazines on travel and photography.

He is also a regular speaker on Mindful Travel, Personal Branding, Photography and Business Networking. All his creative ideas came to the fore only after he started travelling - mindfully.

He has pursued careers in Information Technology and Sports Management before he took up journalism and writing. He holds degrees in Mechanical Engineering, Business Management and Journalism.

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More on Ajay Jain at http://ajayj ain.com.

Connect with him at ajay@ajayja in.com +91.9910044476. Or call his offic e at +91.9650702777.

T-49, GF, Hauz Khas Village New Delhi 110016, India Tel: +91.9650 702 777 / +91.11.2651 3949 mail@kunzum.com Timings: 11:00 a.m. - 7:30 p.m., Mondays Closed