Editor Shreyak Singh Sub-editor Vallabh Design Artist Mahesh Goud snippet by packo alonso
Kala Kaaris magazine is a bi-monthly publication which showcases the talents of people be it photography,music,or anything which is one of a kind and features it in this magazine. Every issue of the kala kaaris magazine has it’s own theme. We look at the work of the artists,select the work on the basis of the theme. Founding Editor - Shreyak Singh
www.shreyaksingh.in
FEATURING PACKO ALONSO HARSHIL MAJMUDAR PRIYANKA BHUKYA KUMARAN TANVI JAIMAN RKD YASEERA MOSSA DEEPTI ASTHANA
wwww.valriyakmedia.com
I N D E X
intervi
Story
Cover S
Journey
iews Packo Alonso
8
Priyanka Bhukya
26
Kumaran
36
Tanvi Jaiman
46
Harshil Majmudar
18
Rajesh Kumar Das
58
Story Yaseera Moosa
70
y A Trip to Himachal with Deepthi
82
Packo Alonso
K I Kalakaaris Magazine I 11
K I Kalakaaris Magazine I 12
Packo Alonso Interview
Tell us a little about you, yourself? I live in Merida, a city in Mexico. I have been a photographer for a few years now. My major is graphic design. During my studies I took photography, ranging from traditional and up to digital. Since then I become a passionate photographer. What type of photography do you do most? And what do you enjoy most and why? My style is mostly in exterior: street and people. I find it much more appealing than working inside four walls, as I do not stage or prepare my pictures: everything is captured as it happens, which makes it more real What is the most challenging part about being a photographer for you? I believe that the easiest part of being a photographer is just that, taking pictures. The hardest is making a living out of it.
How important is it for a photographer to connect with his subjects to bring out their true self? When taking pictures I try to connect with my environment. I want to share this connection with the viewer, as if I was a painter and the atmosphere was my canvas. Can you walk us through the actual process that you use to set up a portrait? I consider that street photography is not easy. What I like the most is to freeze the instant, the moment, when someone enters his or her state of most relaxation or introspection in his daily life, and to give that picture an style of my own.
What was your scariest moment as a photographer? There have been many. The one I remember the most was when I was trying to photograph an old house and the roof fell down. Luckily, it did not Describe your photographic style? fell on me. Another issue is taking How did you develop your style? My style is free, sometimes involving pictures of people in my country: security concerns would non-traditional hdr, while mixing contrast and shadows to bring make some subjects to doubt your objects to the foreground and to give good intentions; they might suspect the technique a different style. I you are trying to kidnap them! think of my style as urban, with traditional subjects and natural landscape with a grunge touch.
What is your best post processing tip? I love shooting my pictures in RAW format with good lighting. Urban photography requires to be prepared for all situations, and so I take advantage of a neater, cleaner process. Do you find it hard to turn down a day planned with your family at the last moment because of a job put towards you? It is very hard for me to plan a whole day with my family. Because of this, whenever I have the chance of traveling or being out, I employ to fulfill my life passion: photography.
K I Kalakaaris Magazine I 17
Harshil Majmudar
K I Kalakaaris Magazine I 21
Harshil Majmudar
--------------------------------------collected and edited by shreyak singh
Photography which I inherited from my father started around two years ago. I never knew I was going to be this good. Being an automobile fanatic (cars and bikes) and having tough passion for them, I used to click photographs with DIGICAM. Finally my hobby turned into a passion when my dad gave me his one and only Nikon D3000. It excited me, and my parents too encouraged me. Dad helped me with his Nikon D3000 which was my very first SLR.My father was pleased with the result and also with my zeal as well. My grandfather has always been my well-wisher and a best friend. He is the one who supported me at his best. I have never been good in studies. But, in photography, I am. I was supervised under professional photographer, ‘Mr. Manish Chauhan’, a well-known photographer from Baroda. Since then, my father has helped me with new gadgets such as Canon 70D and other required accessories, helping me get better results. Harshil is today a proud official member and photographer of Baroda Superbikers Club, famously known as SBK BARODA.
I get immense pleasure clicking photos of Supercars , I have shot many Supercars in Gujarat including Special Edition Lamborghini Gallardo , Rolls-Rolls Phantom , Maserati etc. . These cars being one of their kinds, it always feels amazing to click their pictures. The time has totally changed, from running behind cars and bikes to cars and bikes running behind me! My love for automobile is infinite. I always try to learn more and more from superior photographers or video tutorials . Travelling to places and to explore them is the unique part of photography. Talking about safety ‘yes it’s very important, but for me results are prior than safety! Creating your own photographs with your own vision is the best thing. What eyes can capture is equivalent to get captured through a camera; the difference is just that the camera is a man-made eye recording all the moments everywhere. Being Who I am at such a young age is quite a great achievement for me. This is just a beginning for me, a long way to go and many things to learn! I have always been supported and helped by my family & friends. Cheers!
K I Kalakaaris Magazine I 25
Priyanka Bhukya
Priyanka Bhukya Interview
From how many years are you engaged in painting? Painting is my hobby .I’ve started in my schooling when I was studying my eighth standard .Then I realized that It’s never too late to revisit a Dream. And now art is my passion. I advise to every novice out their trying to make a name for themselves but scared that they won’t be as good as the pros is that do it from the heart, at some point in life every pro was an amateur. What are the essential tools of an artist? The most important thing to do is Practise. So, that you can make your
hands move freely just like a
printer, which is always ready to print whatever you think. No matter what pencils you use or the brushes but i can give you a small advice Pencils are very important in drawing the higher the number before the letter B, the lighter the shades are.
What is your work knowledge? I continued to build myself in the field of pencil drawings, it was unusual and people didn’t know much about it. It has been quiet clear to me, that most of them are painters so, I want to be out of box and started with pencil shades .The blend of shadings which give details, expressions .Or merely I can say that to unfold the secrets of black and white. How did you get started in sketching? People’s emotions – a baby’s giggle, best friend’s laughing, a mother’s love, all these beautiful emotions inspired me to store them in my fantasy world thats the art. How would you describe your work style? I’m still not an Artist, drawing makes me happy and the appreciation motivates me to start it professionally. What kinds of situations do you find most stressful when your painting? While painting we often rub it so there is loss of media. And sometimes disruption causes ripples in
K I Kalakaaris Magazine I 31
canvas. But overall painting relieves your stress that’s the magic of colours.
My art must provoke thought.
How long have you been a painter? From past few years. I always prefer to think about a particular concept, and then convey it through my work. Each picture has a story behind it. What is your most challenging piece of work you have completed? Pencil artwork I can do it with an ease but painting is always a challenge for me as am not that good enough but still i do because I enjoy painting. It’s hard to choose any one piece but my creepy,emotional,the women themselves, in a manner most poetic art work would be my favourite. Time when you made a suggestion to improve the work? “Passion is which drives your life” and Since I’ve started my artwork their after I never looked back I just do it for my sake it winds up with creative thoughts. What do you believe are your key strength ? Friendly,expressive,Communication and my art .
K I Kalakaaris Magazine I 33
K UMA DOCUMENT
ARAN T OF LIGHT
K I Kalakaaris Magazine I 37
K I Kalakaaris Magazine I 39
K I Kalakaaris Magazine I 41
Interview� with Kumaran Tell us a little about yourself. I am a project management professional residing in Hyderabad. A nature lover and a self learned photographer. How did the passion you have for photography develop? My interest towards photography started from my school days. My first Camera was a Nikon film roll version in which I used to try some unique clicks whenever I go out on a trip with my friends. Since Photogrphy is an expensive hobby I could’nt pursue it during my college days. But once I got a job, I could afford the basic DSLR camera Canon EOS1000D and then moved towards Nikon D7000. The fuel that motivates me to continue my hobby is the appreciations that I receive from my friends and all those who follow my pages in Facebook. Document of light – Photography - https://www.facebook.com/that.moment KS Photofactory - https://www.facebook.com/KSPhotoFactory You seem to incorporate a lot of naturalistic elements such as birds, plants and leaves. What is it about the natural world that draws you into incorporating those into your images?
Yes, infact I love to shoot nature. It is so dynamic that everytime I approach her I encounter something new.The lush green farms, woods during the monsoons and winters, the lakes, water falls, streams, rivers and the unexhaustive list of nature drives my passion. Clicking nature in turn gives me a sense of relaxation. Photography is about creating, exploring and trying to develop skin and attain a sense of style for your images. What is it about photography that you enjoy most and how do you think you will further your career over the next few years? I never tried to develop a style of my own, but my photographs generally reflect my mood and the way I see the world through my eyes. The thing that I enjoy most in photography is capturing the moment that will never come back. Though I am not in the frames It makes me feel that I am inside every single photograph that I click. In the next few years I would like to take photography as my career in commercial categories like candid wedding shoots, Kids, family, fashion and couple photography. If you could describe your photography in under a sentence, what would it say? “ My photograhs reflect my mood” Finally, any advice for aspiring photographers? I would suggest all the aspiring photographers to learn more and try out what you have learned. The best way is self learning with lots of resources available in the web.The key is continuous learning.
I love this quote “Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst” – Henri Cartier-Bresson
K I Kalakaaris Magazine I 43
TANVI JAIMAN
N
K I Kalakaaris Magazine I 47
K I Kalakaaris Magazine I 49
Tanvi Jaiman TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF WHO ARE YOU AND WHERE ARE YOU FROM? - I’m one of those people that belongs to everywhere and no where. It’s not like I’ve lived in different places (been in Hyderabad for most of my life) but I’ve managed to call the strangest places “home”. The exposure I’ve received thanks to my parents has made me grow emotionally and mentally and all of it has made me who I am today. Who that person is? I don’t know, I haven’t found out yet. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR WORK TO SOMEONE? - It’s a big hodgepodge, really. I stick to photographing people most of the time. Can? dids, conceptual art, I’ve tried my hand at editorial work too… but my main focus no matter what I shoot, whether it be a pretty sunset or just someone’s hands, is to capture stuff no one would pay close attention to. In the past four years I’ve spent photographing, I’ve learnt to use my own vision as a prime lens or something to look closer into tiny details that truly make something beautiful.
WHAT IS THE POST PROCESSING TECHNIQUE FOR YOUR IMAGES? - I’ve come a long way with this. The 12 year old version of me used web-apps such as Picnic to literally over-edit an im? age with as many filters as possible. Today I stick to either photo-manipulations and basic color tweaking. WHAT KIND OF TOOLS DO YOU USE FOR POST PROCESSING? EXPLAIN YOUR WORK FLOW. - For the longest time my sole companion for editing was GIMP and the Pixlr Express web-app. Got my hands on PS CS6 just a few weeks ago and there’s no going back. I don’t have a pre-planned work flow as such. I just decide on a particular mood I’m trying to create and leave the rest to random experimentation. AMONG YOUR WORKS, WHICH ONE IS YOUR FAVORITE? WHY? - “Searching For Oasis” is probably always going to be my favorite. Mostly ‘cause it depicts every aspect of the person I want to
grow into. Also, while taking it, I man? aged to overcome one of my biggest fears: heights. Looking at the image now makes me feel invincible, almost.
ordinary, even if you’re taking photographs of flowers or even food. Stay genuine with your art, originality is rare but it’s also the most appreciated thing about any person.
WHAT HAS BEEN ONE OF THE MOST INTEREST? ING EXPERIENCES FOR YOU WHILST OUT PHO? TOGRAPHING? - A few months ago my dad and I were out on a drive to scout for locations. I was looking for a medieval kind of place, and the only one we found had a “no trespassing” sign right outside it. Obviously, we stopped our car right there and went right in anyway. While shooting people started gathering and watch? ing as if we were filming a movie. It was so great! FINALLY, DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHERS OR PEOPLE WHO ARE JUST DIPPING THEIR TOES IN THE PHOTO? GRAPHIC FIELD? - Don’t let what other people have to say bring you down. Take any criticism positively and implement it instead of just interpreting it as “hate”. Do something that’s out of the
K I Kalakaaris Magazine I 53
Rajesh Kumar Das
K I Kalakaaris Magazine I 59
K I Kalakaaris Magazine I 63
Rajesh Kumar DaS Collected&Edited by Vallabh I was born on April 1990 in New Delhi. My dad being in Indian Army has travelled across different destinations in India. Now I am pursuing B.com final year in M S Ramaiah College of Arts Science & Commerce in Bangalore. I think my interest in photography came from my dad. But, for him photography means clicking my photos. I still have the 27 year old camera that he used. I got my first camera (point and shoot from Canon) when I was in my 10th class in Rashtriya Military School, Bangalore. I I first started By Clicking Photos of different events, functions and tours conducted by the school. To my surprise few of my photos got exhibited by the school photography club during our annual day and this exhibition has definitely motivated me to do better with my photography.
I got my first DSLR a year ago and started learning photography on my own. Social media and different magazine on photography was the major means to learn photography for me. Till now I haven’t attended any classes on photography. I have won a photography contest conducted by BMS college of Engineering in Bangalore. According to me photography is a continuous process of learning and experimenting with different settings. Being an amateur photographer I would like to add one have to be active on social media and marketing of this skill apart from learning and taking great clicks. To me nature & wildlife is the biggest motivation to do better with my photography skills. Sometimes I have to wait long for the right click but when I get the right click , Which I aimed for, My happiness knows No Bounds. Along with my studies I get time only during weekends to go out into the field for birding, landscape and macro photography. I even go out in nights during the weekdays for long exposure frames across different locations across Bangalore. As of now I want to graduate and work in my stream as well as take photography at the same time because “Photography” is what I enjoy doing whatever the situation is ,irrespective of the time.
“Photography� is what I enjoy doing whatever the situation is ,irrespective of the time.
K I Kalakaaris Magazine I 67
YASEERA MOOSA
K I Kalakaaris Magazine I 71
K I Kalakaaris Magazine I 72
YASEERA MOOSA
infinitely more powerful than pretty bokeh and sharpness.
Which photographer do you look up to and why? How long have you been in the This is a really difficult thing to Field of Photography? answer, because I’m so involved I started taking photos around five in so many different genres from years ago. so many different time periods. I think the most powerful thing any What initially interested you into photograph can achieve is to photography? grant viewers a perspective that I’ve always wanted to make art, challenges their perceptions, but I’ve never been very good at and Brandon Stanton of Humans traditional mediums. I have of New York epitomises that. I dabbled in painting and music admire him so much for his vision and crocheting and just about and compassion and ability to every other creative endeavencompass the human or you can imagine, and I have condition. been hopeless at all of them. Photography was this window What genre of photography are that finally you most interested in? allowed me to create some I love photojournalism, and that tangible, visual evidence of how I comes in so many forms. It’s a perceive things. mother holding her child’s dead What would you say is more important Good Knowledge/ Good Equipment? Knowledge, undoubtedly. Some of my favourite photographs have been shot on disposable film and iPhones. Good composition and subject matter is
body in a warzone, it’s lovers holding hands in the street, it’s the way a city looked fifty years ago, it’s anything that is contextual and tells a story. Those are the kinds of photos I love most to look at and dream of creating.
K I Kalakaaris Magazine I 75
Would you say photography is a hard line of work to get into? It’s difficult to say because I don’t work as a Photographer full-time. I’m studying Architecture at University and I do Photography in between. I think there’s a big market for wedding and commercial Photographers, but most other genres aren’t quite as easy to break into. If you could work alongside any one photographer who would it be? There are so many photographers that I’d love to meet and talk to. It would be an absolute dream to learn from someone like Steve McCurry. What goal are you working towards within your photography and when will you know you have reached it? I don’t have a goal that will ever make me feel like “This is it. I’ve succeeded.” The greatest reward I get for my photography is the process of doing it. It makes me immensely happy. I would love to someday work for a publication and take photographs that affect people but if that doesn’t happen I wouldn’t consider it a failure. My daily goal is just to notice the world a little more and preserve
something interesting in it. It sounds simple but it is immensely difficult. Do you find it hard to turn down a day planned with your family at the last moment because of a job put towards you? I generally only take on photography jobs if I have the time and the assignment is something that I expect to enjoy or learn from, so when I have to pass up a day of sleeping in or being social, it’s usually worthwhile.
STOP PIRACY by ALL MEANS
DON’T DOWNLOAD ILLEGAL PDF’S
A trip
to himachal with
DEEPTI ASTHANA
K I Kalakaaris Magazine I 82
K I Kalakaaris Magazine I 84
K I Kalakaaris Magazine I 87
K I Kalakaaris Magazine I 89
DEEPTI ASTHANA To travel is to live. I couldn’t agree more. Doing a full time job and also maintaining your travel goals seem like an impossible thing to do. But we all have excuses not to travel more when we can and when we have time. We always imagine going to offbeat beautiful places as we read it in the travel magazine but we keep dreams on the backburner. Either we are not ready to put our head into planning or we easily accept that these places are far from our reach.
yas to wildlife of Karnataka, there has been a lot on my cards for this year. And as I write this, in the back of my mind I am planning a trip To Meghalaya for quenching my thirst of monsoon. The More you travel , the more you realize how beautiful this world is; and may be you are losing time sitting at home or being in your small cubicle.
However, balancing the passion and everything else is a Key, and that’s what I am trying to do. Being a travel photographer, you ensure to do as much For me travel around the year comes with pre-work as might do and read about a lot of planning, whether its managing the places and visualize your photos beforehand. I had a very successful trip leaves, finding out offbeat places or to Himachal this year and visited making my itineraries after lot of research. Google has all the answers; all beautiful villages of mountains. you need is to ask right questions. And there is a lot of information on the blogs The memories of this trip are deeply engraved in my heart. Whether taking a that you would feel, there is no place where you reach first and write about it. selfie under the hoarding that said ‘Hindustan ka akhiri Dhaba’ or This year I set some new limits for myself tasting the purest water from the and planned the trips which were out of glaciers of Kinnar Kialash. Hugging the my comfort zone and mostly solo trips. most beautiful black shining stray dog From colours of Mathura, to temples of during my morning walks, or chasing a white wagtail bird in a jungle trail; Cambodia and from Valleys of Himala
having a cup of tea in the warm wooden house with a kinnauri family, listening to their family stories or meeting a lama predicting the future of a lady. Visiting the Buddhist forts during the morning prayers or tasting the homemade apple alcohol distributed after evening worship of Gupt devi in a temple. And I swear, I can keep on continuing about these lovely memories which are still fresh in my mind. I was keen to know the lives of Kanuri people, understand their culture and feel their hardships in this inhabited village. I found the feeling was mutual to know about each other’s life to live the life for a few moments which is different from us. I have never met such cheerful and warm people. I got invitations from the villagers as I smiled and nodded to say hello. Sitting in their small wooden houses they talked about social and cultural values of Kinnaur. They are big hearted people who love to drink and celebrate. In the weddings they would consume as much as 600 liters of homemade apple
alcohol, that would be quite a wedding to attend I guess. The ladies do all the hard work of making the drink and storing it however they don’t consume it except the one, that is being served for the Puja of Goddess- Durga. Hinduism and Buddhism are the major religions here. I had the chance to meet a Lama in the village and was curious to know how he actually predicts the future. It felt it to be like a game of ludo where he would roll the dices and match the number in his holy book. He looked at me if I wanted to ask something about my future and there was absolutely nothing about which I wanted to know, I was living the happy present.
K I Kalakaaris Magazine I 91
Get 3$ off on p printed co maga
offer valid only
purchase of the opy of this azine.
y till 25th AUG.
DISCLAIMER: This magazine is the official representation of Kala Kaaris and is a product of Valriyak Media. No part of this publication may be copied,stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior permission of the publisher. The book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by the way of trade, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise disposed of without the publisher’s consent,in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published. This book or part thereof may not be reproduced by any person or agency in any manner.
www.valriyakmedia.com www.thekalakaaris.com facebook.com/palmediaofficial facebook.com/thekalakaaris
PUBLICATION BY
VALRIYAK MEDIA