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MAY 2015
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Vol. 27 - No.05
10 SHOTS
TIPS FROM THE PROS
Every Travel
TRAVEL Photographer
PHOTOGRAPHY Must Click
WITH PROS All about
SHOOT MY CITY Panoramas
Ratnagiri Choosing a
Destination
EXCLUSIVE REVIEWS
Guide to getting
SanDisk iXpand a perfect
Honor 6 Plus star trail
Go Pro!
Exclusive
Nikon
D7200
Travel, travel and some more travel
Submissions open for Artistique 2015 contest (Read Page 18-19)
The summer is here, and with the scorching heat and humidity, it also brings
the opportunity to explore great places. With most schools and colleges
EDITOR / PUBLISHER commencing their summer vacations this month, families make trips during this
Trilok Desai
period. So if you are one of those and also a photography enthusiast, then you
GROUP HEAD would enjoy each and every page of this month’s issue. And if you are planning
Bhavya Desai
a trip in the near future then it will give you some great information on several
DIRECTOR MARKETING destinations.
Aruna Desai
SENIOR As you might have already guessed by now, this month we have circled the
CORRESPONDENTS theme of the issue around travel photography. We have gone to great lengths
Fred Shippie to carefully think about the content in the magazine and come up with a
Lester Ledesma
combination of articles that will most benefit those who are travelling this season.
NEW DELHI BUREAU Not only have we lined up the content on these lines, but also have some of the
Amitabh Joshi
Toprit Saifi best travel photographers from the globe to provide you with some great tips on
Palak Sharma shooting great pictures.
EDITORIAL TEAM
Abhishek Desai Some of the articles that you must read in this issue include ‘10 Shots Every
Ushma Dhamdhere BHAVYA DESAI Travel Photographer Must Click’, ‘Choosing a Destination’, ‘Guide to getting
Souradeep Roy perfect Star trail’, ‘Travel Portraits’ among others. In fact, we even have a travel
Purva Damle
feature in the mobile section of the magazine.
SPECIAL
CORRESPONDENT Apart from this we also have a great review section this month, with a cross
Lopamudra Ganguly (Delhi)
section of products from the industry. The complete section is of Exclusive
DESIGN Reviews, which includes the Nikon D7200, the recently launched Honor 6 Plus
Goraksh Kokate
smartphone and the SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive.
Rajendra Gaikwad
MANAGER ADVERTISING Starting this month, the submissions for Artistique 2015 are also open for the
Laila Rupawalla
readers. Make sure that you see the creative, which provides all the information
DY. MANAGER in this edition. We have a beautiful exhibit lined up for this edition and if you were
ADVERTISING to make it to the finals then it will be something completely worth it.
Kora Ganguly
MARKETING EXECUTIVE Lastly, as I type this, there has been the tragedy of the earthquake in Nepal,
Ragini Desai
Mamata Bhide and the aftershocks felt in India. Our heart goes out to all the people that have
Indu Lekha suffered in this catastrophe, and hope and pray that everyone is safe and that
Hashim Khatri things are restored swiftly. May god give you and your family strength in this
Nikhil Kalyanpad difficult time.
Nishant Sharma (Delhi)
Ritesh Thakkar (Delhi)
Until Next Time….
COPY DESK
Sameer Gadkari Happy Reading!!!!
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Manoj Surve
w w w. a s i a n p h o t o g r a p h y i n d i a . c o m The 3rd edition of Artistique is back and it’s even bigger this time!
www.asianphotographyindia.com
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MAY 2015
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Andheri (W), Mumbai - 400 053. INDIA
MUMBAI OFFICE: Vol. 27 - No.05
Printed by TRILOK DESAI on behalf of Special Audience Publications Pvt. Ltd.,
509 & 511, Dilkap Chambers, TIPS & TECHS
509 & 511, Dilkap Chambers, Fun Republic Street, Off Veera Desai Road, Andheri
(W), Mumbai - 400 053. INDIA
Fun Republic Street, Off Veera Desai Road, 10 SHOTS
TIPS FROM THE PROS
Every Travel Printed at Indigo Press India Pvt Ltd, Plot No 1 C/716, Off Dadoji Konddeo Cross
Andheri (W), Mumbai - 400 053. TRAVEL Photographer
Road, Between Sussex & Retiwala Industrial Estate, Byculla, Mumbai, Published
PHOTOGRAPHY Must Click
Tel: 91-22-40401919 WITH PROS All about at 509 & 511, Dilkap Chambers, Fun Republic Street, Off Veera Desai Road,
Panoramas
Fax: 91-22-40401927 SHOOT MY CITY
Ratnagiri Choosing a Andheri (W), Mumbai - 400 053. INDIA Editor - TRILOK DESAI.
E-mail: info@sapmagazines.com EXCLUSIVE REVIEWS
Destination
Guide to getting All material covered by copyright; No part of the contents of this journal may be
SanDisk iXpand a perfect
Honor 6 Plus star trail
published or reproduced or transmitted in any form without prior written permission
DELHI OFFICE: SINGAPORE OFFICE: Go Pro! of the publisher. The views and opinons expressed by the authors do not
F-22, Green Park, New Delhi - 16. SAP Media Singapore Pte. Ltd. necessarily reflect those of the publisher or the editorial staff.
Exclusive
TRaVel pHoToGRapHY
WITH PROS
This month we spoke to three travel photographers from around the world who told
us about their journey around the world. From American photographer’s Gary Arndt’s Tips & Techs
stunning travel landscapes, Ralph Velasco’s sharp eye for capturing travel portraits, good sense of composition is also a must. your hotel, explore! Ask people around for the light. In seashores and mountains the
10 shots
to Delhi, India based photographer, Dheeraj Paul’s knack of shooting the colourful Amateurs always get confused as to how good vantage points that might make a good light changes constantly, and good lighting
essence of a city, we will take you on a journey across the world. These photographers much of the sky or ground to include in a landscape photograph. The locals are your can make a great photograph! Some hotels
talk about everything, from the reason they like travel photography to what sort of frame. Have a reason for everything that best hope to find amazing vantage point and also provide you with interesting vantage
is in your frame and why you chose to it has worked for me a lot of times. Even if points, especially if they’re facing
preparation goes into it. include it. While travelling, do not sit in you are in your hotel, keep an eye out for
the above mentioned things if
Which are some of your favourite required. You should certainly do some that every photographer is planning a trip or two this holiday season. But for beginners and for semi
not more. People portraits are
locations to photograph? research on a location before venturing, professionals who have never taken on travel photography before this is a good opportunity to take
interesting and fun to shoot.
Some of my favourite places to photograph but much of what I do is very spontaneous. their cameras out and go crazy. But questions like “What do I shoot?”, “What would make a good travel
And what better way to meet
are the Namib Desert in Namibia, the Most travel photography is done with photograph?”, “What kinds of photographs can I expect?” keep cropping up. this article is aimed to
GaRY Canadian Rockies in Alberta, Antarctica, the natural lighting and on location, so there is answer these questions in details and to clear the air about travel photography and name ten must have
shots while travelling.
new people! To create a good
portrait you need to keep a
photographing it ever since. He is most of the frame is occupied
known for his dynamic travel shots
and has been published across the by the face try to use depth of
world. Gary has won numerous field to your advantage and keep
awards, including the prestigious the background out of focus if
Gold Medal, Travel photographer it is uninteresting. Try keeping
of the Year, society of american
Travel Writers in 2014 and Travel colourful backgrounds as it adds
photographer of the Year, North to the image. Find interesting
american Travel journalists faces and expressions just don’t
association in 2013. randomly shoot portraits, wait in
a place and look for people with
distinct characteristics say, a nose
ring, wrinkles from old age, blue
34 may 2015 www.asianphotographyindia.com may 2015 35
eyes or even a beautiful smile.
1
Portraits can be very interesting
Photo: amlan Sanyal
take during a vacation and while travelling, in your travel album, landscapes are the ways that a photographer has to do little photographers tend to shoot a
Shoot My City
landscapes is one of the main reasons we easiest to shoot. Landscape photography to make the photo look good. If you are lot of environmental portraits.
all travel. Mountains, rivers, seas or forests essentially means shooting photographs of a serious photographer, then carry a wide
– a beautiful landscape scene cannot be natural beauty in a vast or even a smaller lens, tripod, neutral density filters etc. A
• Ratnagiri
Tips & Techs
All about
technique is used when a normal or a used in this digital age. With proper them. Here we will discuss them one
wide lens is not able to capture a scene techniques and proper equipments by one with examples and also talk
that needs a wider angle of view, for we can create high resolution about when to use them.
panoramas
example a mountain range spans for panoramas with the touch of a button! Wide angle Panoramas
kilometers and needs a much larger These panoramas essentially look
angle of view. With advancements Types of panoramas like normal wide angle shots in terms
in technology and improvements in There are four types of panoramas of length: breadth ratios and have a
cameras, panoramas are being widely and all have their own uniqueness to less than 180 degree angle of view.
S
ometimes a wide lens falls short
to capture the breathtaking
outdoors in terms of angle of
view. Sometimes we wish we could
see what the eye sees. An eye, no
doubt, is an extraordinary lens, and
cannot be duplicated in any camera.
However, what we can do is make
a panorama. We actually can stitch
two or more photographs to increase
the angle of view and somewhat
replicate or even go beyond the angle
of view of our eye! In this article we
discuss how to shoot, stitch and edit a
panorama. So the next time you are
travelling and you need to shoot a
panorama, this article might help!
Photo: masakazu matsumoto - flickr
WhaT is panorama/
panoramic
Photo: roberto ferrari
phoTography?
Panorama photography is the art
of taking several pictures of a particular
scene and then stitching them to form
a single picture of the said scene. This
Choosing a
destination Go pro!
T
his time of the year is when you must to swim against the current. You will have to course there are destinations like the wildlife
Y
be planning for a vacation, and it’s not choose a destination which would give you sanctuaries, and then the areas which are ou must have recently seen a small little
new that you would be struggling to the moody shots and the best photographs snow covered during the actual summers. camera on the shoulder, on the head or
get decide on the best destinations. While in the vacation season. Why go with the The timings get locked, because that is how on the bar handle of a bike; that very
seasons play an important part in travel, flow always and just hit the shores or hills nature works and we are quite helpless. teeny-tiny camera is the GoPro. It has taken
we are talking about vacations, so only the when it’s a little extreme and not the usual. Empty beaches, rusty forts, misty adventure photography and travel photography
summers and the winters would be the Crowd, distractions, unnecessary events mountains and green grasslands are to a completely different level. While GoPro
major seasons. The hill stations and the coming up in the vacation is anyways like adjectives for our compositions.
makes the news only for its videos, the
highlands like Cherapunji, Mahabaleshwar, disturbing. Even in the frames! Accessorising these frames are cherry on
photographs out of this petite camera can beat
Nuwara Eliya, Cameron Highland and many Generally, during the summers one the cake and your luck might be just good
your favourite DSLRs with wide lenses.
more, of course have their holidays during would head to the hill stations and during enough to have the perfect light, and
the rainy season and they just look fabulous the winters one would go to the coastal you are on a role for your vacation to be With GoPro’s user-friendly features, quick
during that time. areas. It’s been like this for ages. What if we photographed just aptly. response, water resistance, compact size, and
Every destination shows different break this thumb rule of travel and just do Every country in Asia has a diverse brilliant output, a surfer, travel photographer or
moods according to the seasons. If you some walking against the wind; to capture population, as well as diverse natural even a rider wouldn’t ask for more. Carrying a
want to get that edge, then, you will have our vacation in a much different way. Of conditions, from the Himalayas to the DSLR in the water and shooting with it is not
the easiest task. However, with the GoPro,
dipping in the water to swim, snorkel or scuba
dive and shoot images is easy.
GoPro would probably be less of a camera,
and more so it becomes become a part of
your body. You can carry it along by just start
strapping around any moving objects and get
some brilliant out of the box results. The new
GoPro Hero 4 black edition is making news
and people around are investing, in what is
probably the best possible equipment in the
current lot of action adventure cameras.
A camera with so many great features,
one can just work around the few negatives
and work towards making the shot turn out to
be better. There are other companies offering
similar type of cameras like Contour, Drift HD,
but battling with them, GoPro still remains in
the lead. The little camera gets out the best
shot with its super ultra wide lens. It gives us
the creative edge by getting the distortion.
Take it anywhere absolutely anywhere,
in busy markets, on streets or even dip it
into the waters. A camera which lets you go
underwater, straps around your shoulder, sticks
on to the helmet or even can be hanged on a
side street pole for getting the overview of the
entire busy street of that city of yours can give
you jaw dropping shots.
The camera can get you weird reactions
from people who see it for the first time
strapped across your chest. Capturing such
54 may 2015 www.asianphotographyindia.com
TIPS & TECHS
TIPS & TECHS
W
hile travelling during a vacation documenting; if not words, a smile would background. This can really help the face
one of the major things that you do too. It might only be a momentary one you’re shooting to pop out and capture the
end up shooting are portraits. - a glance in the street - or you may have viewer’s attention.
Portraits of people travelling with you, asked the person to pose for you. In travel Framing - Some of the best shots we
local people, they are an essential add-on photography you’re often communicating have come across of people while travelling
Startrail
thoroughly. you sense hesitation or hostility, smile and to the person, or having and using a good
Connect: Connecting with locals, move on. Don’t stand there and wait for zoom lens.
indulging in a light conversation with them them to look away – it’s annoying and can Subject: Most of the shots we’ve taken of
always works. We feel the most powerful also land you up in trouble. people over the years while travelling have
E
very day we come across a getting one perfect shot, you need to portraits are those in which the subjects are Background: Think about what’s in been of single subjects alone in the shot.
number of outstanding star trail spend sleepless night to get the shots, looking straight at the camera or the one’s the background behind the people you’re This is partly just a normal style of most of
Photo: aMIT vaKIL
images all over the internet and a lot of research and planning goes into completely candid – there’s no in between. photographing. Ideally, you want something the travelling photographers, but adding a
Photo: Abhishek Desai
on other platforms however getting it. Here are a few points that we have Looking at such compositions you can feel that’s not too distracting but that adds to second person into an image takes a photo
these shots is not an easy task because jotted down to help you get a perfect (as a viewer) as though the person is looking the context of the place you’re shooting to a different place. No long is the shot just
a lot of time and effort can go into startrail exposure. straight out of the photograph at you. To in. Another technique for shooting shots about a person and their environment but it
achieve this, you generally need some of people that ignores the ‘contextual’ rule somehow becomes relational. The viewer
sort of connect with the person you are is to find a brightly lit position with a dark of the photo begins to wonder about the
may 2015 71
92 Photoscape
96 Photomontage
Feedback Readers’ Comments and Suggestions...
The
Letter
of the month will
receive a gift
from Uniross
Hello,
I am a reader of the magazine and I am very glad to see such a wonderful
magazine is published here. I never knew about it until I got to see an issue of it in the market and
bought it recently. Going through your whole magazine I got to see the sections PHOTOSCAPE
and PHOTO MONTAGE in which you published the entries and portfolio of amateur as well as
professional photographers.
I too have a great interest in Wildlife, Architecture and Street photography and so want to
get my photos or portfolio published in your magazine. I would like to know all the guidelines,
terms and conditions to get published in the magazine or any other contest/post/articles in
which you choose and publish photographs. I am just a budding photographer, started three
months ago and I hope you guys like my pictures.
Please reply with the information/terms and other details. I will be very grateful to you for this.
Thank you.
I am a resident of Delhi studying BFA from JMI,New Delhi.
Dear Anonymous,
Firstly you haven’t left your name in the message that you sent through our website. Anyways
it’s good to know that you liked the magazine and would like to send in your entries to the
readers section. The process is very simple. You can send in the entries and every month,
we select the sort of pictures that come in depending on what are the best ones and they get
featured. There are no terms and conditions except that if selected than we can publish the
same pictures.
It’s as simple as that. But yes, on a monthly basis we get thousands of entries so the
work that we feature has to be very good. So ensure that you send in your best images. As for
contests, the biggest one called Artistique has already started and you can log into our website
or Facebook page to see the details there.
Dear Editor,
I am a follower of your page and I read it regualrly. I am planning to organise a Borneo
PhotoFest and wanted to find out if AP would be interested to joining in as an event partner?
What we are looking for is very simple.
1. Grab 5-20 event joining
2. Contact local International Artists to have a concert tour as our fund and prizes are coming
from these concert tickets. The Tour would be in India, Borneo Island, Dhaka and Indonesia.
We are still awaiting the revert from Philipines and Brunei on waiting list for venue.
All the concerts will be managed by our team and ideally your team would have to supervise
the event and the auditing of tickets selling.
Hope to hear from you really soon.
Regards,
Fauzi Junaidi Ganggalan, Malaysia.
Dear Fauzi,
Thanks for your mail but I am little confused of what we are doing here. We will get in touch
with you and take a look closely about the information. But I am happy that we have followers
in Malaysia as well.
Dear Sir,
Feedback
Hope you are good. I am a regular reader of your magazine
LEOMASTER launches new privacy protection app: LEO Privacy Guard 2.0
L
EOMASTER has launched a brand her control over duration, location, as well video recorders, and media can be shared
new privacy protection app called as other presets. LEOMASTER introduces with the rest of the world in seconds. While
LEO Privacy Guard 2.0 that helps in an innovative way to categorise privacy it’s fun for the user to have the latest videos
securing both the mobile phone and the protection across several levels, and they and images at their fingertips, there are some
apps it contains. The app claims to have are: Dangerous, Vigilant, Normal, Good, and content that are not meant to be shared.
introduced incremental protection levels Perfect. The app makes recommendations LEO Privacy Guard 2.0 makes it easy for the
to match the needs of phone users better. for the appropriate privacy level according user to hide their personal photos and videos
The LEO Privacy Guard 2.0 app is available to the user’s conditions, so that they may and keeps them private.
on Google Play for free. According to the make an informed choice. Smartphones LEO Privacy Guard 2.0 reportedly also
app developers, the LEO Privacy Guard 2.0 have largely replaced traditional cameras and monitors the data usage, battery level, and
design philosophy emphasises simplicity and app installation status, keeping the user’s
utility. Main interface includes features like App relationship with his/her smartphone
Lock, Privacy Protection and Settings tabs, hassle-free. It also has a collection of design
where the user can see status and features. interfaces for the phone’s lock screen.
For example, under Privacy Protection, the
user can see the current protection level and
toggle privacy control for photos, videos,
messages, and call records.
The tremendous popularity of
smartphones has fuelled the rapid
development of the digital world. Digitimes
Research predicts that in 2015, there will
be over 14 billion smartphone users in the
world. As the smart phone market continues
to boom in South East Asia as well as Latin
America, social media and e-commerce
apps are vulnerable. LEO Privacy Guard
2.0 App Lock claims to allow the user to
anticipate multiple scenarios by giving him/
T
he One School Goa, starting September 2015, will offer
students India’s first 3-year Degree Program in Photography
& Multimedia. While the programme is still pending statutory
approvals, officials at The One School Goa are confident of them
and are gearing up to receive their 1st batch of students to their new
Degree Program in September 2015.
The 3-year course offered by The One School Goa covers
S
ony has added another feather to their flagship smartphone both theory and hands on training. The course is designed to
cap recently as they quietly unveiled the new Sony Xperia Z4 accommodate changing dynamics of the industry. Through this
. Similar in design compared to Xperia Z3 the new Xperia course, The One School Goa lays emphasis on building a powerful
Z4 is packed with new features both in terms of hardware and and professional portfolio. The programme also reportedly gives
software. It also reportedly weighs less at 144g, compared to the time to students to acquire advanced skills and also develop their
Z3’s 152g. The Xperia Z4’s launch comes almost seven months minds in the fields of Photography & Multimedia. It is aimed to
after the Sony Xperia Z3 and is powered by an android lollipop enable students to get an understanding of the allied areas such as art
5.0 and has a 5.2 inch full HD triluminous display with the signature appreciation, film making, creative writing & marketing, thus making
X-reality mobile picture engine. The smartphone also boasts of a them a complete photographer, while at the same time offering
1.5 GHz processor and a whooping 3 GB RAM. Keeping mobile students the flexibility to choose their area(s) of specialisation.
phone photographers in mind the phone has a 32 Gb storage space In addition to the above, The One School Goa is also adding
and boasts of a 20.7 megapixel camera. The mobile is currently another new course to their existing curriculum - the Foundation in
limited to Japan and will not be available in all countries just yet. Visual Communication, which will last for a period of one year. The
The company has not yet come up with a press release regarding yearlong Foundation in Visual Communication course is designed to
it’s worldwide availability and speculations are being made that the introduce students to various forms of visual communication such
same will be released with a different name in other countries. as photography, multi-media, graphic design, sketching and painting.
The phone also reportedly received a IPX5/IPX8 equivalent According to The One School Goa, the rigorous course will provide
certification making the device waterproof and IP6X certification students with hands-on training from different faculty members who
making it dustproof. According to media reports, the smartphone specialise in each of the disciplines the course covers. The school
will be available in White, Black, Copper, Aqua Green. It measures believes that through this course students will get the opportunity to
146x72x6.9mm and weighs 144 grams. Connectivity features on develop their creative portfolios.
the Xperia Z4 includes Bluetooth, Wi-Fi with hotspot, 3G, 4G LTE,
GPS/ A-GPS, Glonass, Micro-USB, DLNA, and NFC.
Dear Syed,
There is no specific stream that you can enter
in order to earn more money. The way I see
it, if you are good then you will earn money
either ways. You can refer to our article last
month on different genres of photography to
see which one you like best.
As for the possibility of having an apprentice- In my experience, all good photographers are always
ship with a photographer, then the only way looking for good assistants, and if you are good at
is to check them out online and approach your work, then I don’t see any reason why anyone
them with your work. wouldn’t want to hire you.
Dear Sir,
I am new to reader to your magazine and till now
the experience has been very good. I am looking
for a good DSLR from Nikon. With your little
help I may develop my hobby better and I will be
very glad and grateful.
Chinmay Singh
Bhubaneswar
Dear Chinmay,
Good to know that you are enjoying the magazine.
Well, it is very difficult for me to sit here and suggest
a good camera, honestly. For the simple reason that
most of the products in the market are good, and I
have no idea what is it that you want to do, and what
is your budget like. So if I were you, I would ask
myself the following questions.
1. What would I like to do with the camera?
2. What is my budget?
3. What are the features that I am looking for?
4. What genres am I looking to shoot, even as an
amateur?
5. Am I planning to take this up seriously later on? THE
May be this might help since there are many question
that you need to answer before investing in a camera.
QUESTION OF
THE MONTH
WINS
AP CAMERA
QuesMtio n CLEANING
of theonth
KIT WORTH
`600
MAY 2015 17
Tips from The pros
TRaVel pHoToGRapHY
WITH PROS
This month we spoke to three travel photographers who told us about their journey across the globe.
From american photographers Gary arndt’s stunning travel landscapes, Ralph Velasco’s sharp eye
for capturing travel portraits, to Delhi, India based photographer, Dheeraj paul’s knack of shooting
the colourful essence of a city, we will take you on a journey across the world. These photographers
talk about everything, from the reason they like travel photography to what sort of preparation goes
into it.
Why your interest in travel Islands, and many of the national parks in the
photography over other genres? United States, Canada, and Australia.
I travel for a living. I don’t have a home and
live on the road 365 days a year. If it wasn’t What sort of preparation is required
for travel, I probably wouldn’t be interested for travel photography?
in photography at all. I think, there is very little preparation
required. You should certainly do some
Which are some of your favourite research on a location before venturing,
locations to photograph? but much of what I do is very spontaneous.
Some of my favourite places to photograph are Most travel photography is done with
the Namib Desert in Namibia, the Canadian natural lighting and on location, so there is
GaRY Rockies in Alberta, Antarctica, the Galapagos less work than studio photography.
aRNDT
Having visited all seven continents,
over 170 countries and territories
around the world, every Us state
and territory, every canadian
province, every australian state and
territory, over 125 Us National park
service sites and over 285 UNesco
World Heritage sites, Gary arndt is
no novice to travel photography.
This american photographer
sold his house in 2007 and has
been travelling the world and
photographing it ever since. He is
known for his dynamic travel shots
and has been published across the
world. Gary has won numerous
awards, including the prestigious
Gold Medal, Travel photographer
of the Year, society of american
Travel Writers in 2014 and Travel
photographer of the Year, North
american Travel journalists
association in 2013.
may 2015 23
Tips from The pros
RalpH
Velasco
Ralph Velasco has been travelling
since he was as young as 15, and The rich diversity of each of these to be spontaneous, but the amount of
started shooting with a point places; and by that I’m referring to preparation and research a person does
and shoot film camera. Today,
he is a photography instructor the people, the food, the music, the can often be directly correlated to the
and international guide who has history, the customs, the culture and success of their trip.
photographed in over 50 countries more; adds so much to the overall
on 6 continents. He was selected experience. What are some of the key things
as one of the Top 100 Travel one must keep in mind when
photographers in the World by
a site in the UK, also as one of What sort of preparation is doing travel photography?
the Top 10 Travel photography required for travel photography? I think it’s extremely important to
Bloggers by Usa Today’s 10best. I recommend to my clients that they give the viewers of our photography
com. additionally he was chosen do a fair amount of research before a an overall sense of the place, so I
as the “open photographer of the trip so that they know what to expect. always recommend working from a
Year” for two years in a row by
the professional photographers of I’ll also send out a very detailed set of shot list so that you come back with a
orange county. Orientation Information to help each variety of images, and not just people
participant to prepare for each trip, and photographs, or just monuments, or
this includes a gear list, cultural tips, just plates of food.
dos and taboos, information on safety,
Why your interest in travel photography how the money works, etc. It’s great How important is equipment in
over other genres?
Travel photography is a blend of most, if not all,
genres, so I think that this potential for variety
keeps me interested and allows me to tell the
complete story of each destination. I consider
myself a traveller first and a photographer
second. I’m much more interested in the cultural
exchanges and experiences I have, but great
photo ops always seem to present themselves
along the way, although, they’re just the icing on
the cake.
may 2015 25
great content for other uses, whether it be a book,
presentation, website or blog post. There are so
many outlets for our photography these days.
may 2015 27
Tips from The pros
DHeeRaj
paUl
Hailing from a family of well-
known skilled professional
photographers, Dheeraj paul has
been surrounded by cameras another wonderful place for a photographer which is known as the largest gathering of
since his childhood. after being
mentored by his father, the to be at during the famous Camel Fair. I humans on planet earth.
legendary photographer, s. have been mentoring Photo Expeditions
paul, he went on to shoot across to all these places for photo enthusiasts What sort of preparation is required for
various genres, from travel and from across the globe and they just enjoy travel photography?
street to editorial and advertising photographing these cities. Lastly, witnessing I recommend travel photographers to travel
photography, and have his
work displayed in a number of Kumbh Mela is a photographer’s delight. light but at the same time take your favourite
countries. His proficiency and Travel photographers from all over the world lenses along. Unlike advertising, travel
the quality of his work have visit India to capture the Nagas at Kumbh, Photography is not about showing off.
helped him bag numerous
awards in India and across the
globe.
may 2015 29
TIPS
Best time for taking pictures is
two hours after the sunrise and
two hours before the sunset.
Utilise these 4 hours of the day
the most for your travel pictures.
For taking travel pictures one
needs to get out from their
comfort zone.
Try to capture candid moments.
However, talk to the strangers
on streets, and make them
comfortable before you ask
them permissions.
Don’t argue when you are in
new city, if they don’t want to be
photographed, leave them on
their own. There is always next
opportunity coming up.
Don’t hesitate to experiment with
light and exploring new vantage
points.
How important is equipment in travel In this megapixel wars of 24MP, 36MP and miss and you have to repent forever.
photography? 50MP cameras, one needs a camera which There is no second chance in street and
A photographer needs vision to frame his is fast in capturing with precise AF capabilities, travel photography. Lenses play a vital
composition but to make it happen ones as during travel people are always on the go, role in travel photography. If one needs
needs a modern sophisticated camera as well. and it’s all about capturing in real time; one to captures architectural monuments,
may 2015 31
SHOOT MY CITY
May 2015 35
is a sight for sore eyes. I kept on shooting
as the clouds made different formations and
the windows gave me a beautiful view of
the ships. The time was running away and
so was the sun setting fast.
I noticed that all the old houses and forts
are made of this specific coloured stone,
the red stone. I found that this red stone
or the red soil is all around the city, and
to my knowledge from school geography
textbooks, I recollected that it’s found only
in this part of the country and is useful
for plants which grow here and produce
abundant mangoes, coconuts and jackfruit
attendant gave us the information about the beaches. I descended from the lighthouse trees.
place, and I got some shots as photography and started planning to see my first sunset Village areas and exploring the roads
was not restricted. The height to which at the fort, right besides the lighthouse. during the mornings are something which
one gets when you reach the top of the When I reached Ratnadurga and Bhagwati I was looking forward to. I could travel by a
lighthouse is mesmerising. The time just Mandir, to my knowledge the timings cab but the locals travel by the ‘Laal Dubba’
flew-by photographing, and the lighthouses were restricted to 6pm. I had to plan for (Red Bus). These buses reach the smallest
were ready to close down for the tourists the sunset all over again. I planned to visit of the places in the Maharashtra state and
by sunset. the Mandhvi beach reclamation which was thus commuting for all the people of all
There are number of options when it also near the fort itself. Watching the waves classes is possible. As I saw the commotion,
comes to sunset captures on the coastal through the small windows, the sun trying I hoped for their good journey as I headed
regions, and a place like Ratnagiri has the to dodge itself from the clouds, and small for Pawas. Temples are other attractions
forts, the small reclamation roads and the ships floating against the golden sea water, of the Konkan areas of Maharashtra. They
May 2015 37
have their own history and stories attached. rush to the places before time, as they are
While going to the villages there are hills full very particular about closing timings. The
of mango trees. There are these sharp turns travel continued and I reached the temple,
which force us to peep out of the window and after my temple visit, I headed for the
and see the village from the top of the ghats. forts.
The ghats are very scenic and one would be Ratnagiri has many forts, all being
mesmerised observing the beauty. Ratnagiri small in the diameter. They can be visited
is all about efficient timings. You will have to and spent time well on. I chose to visit the
May 2015 39
Tips & Techs
10 shots
every travel photographer
must click
Summer is right around the corner and photographers are particularly excited about it! It’s no surprise
that every photographer is planning a trip or two this holiday season. But for beginners and for semi
professionals who have never taken on travel photography before this is a good opportunity to take
their cameras out and go crazy. But questions like “What do I shoot?”, “What would make a good travel
photograph?”, “What kinds of photographs can I expect?” keep cropping up. this article is aimed to
answer these questions in details and to clear the air about travel photography and name ten must have
shots while travelling.
1
Photo: amlan Sanyal
Landscape
One of the most important photos to neglected by photographers. A must have area. Nature itself unfurls its beauty in
take during a vacation and while travelling, in your travel album, landscapes are the ways that a photographer has to do little
landscapes is one of the main reasons we easiest to shoot. Landscape photography to make the photo look good. If you are
all travel. Mountains, rivers, seas or forests essentially means shooting photographs of a serious photographer, then carry a wide
– a beautiful landscape scene cannot be natural beauty in a vast or even a smaller lens, tripod, neutral density filters etc. A
2 peopLe/
portrait
This is one of the most widely taken
photo category by most travelling
photographers. India is a huge
country in terms of size and it
has a diverse culture. With area
people’s facial features, culture,
dressing sense and language
changes. A portrait without a
doubt captures at least two of
the above mentioned things if
not more. People portraits are
interesting and fun to shoot.
And what better way to meet
new people! To create a good
portrait you need to keep a
few things in mind. A portrait
is not just a photograph of a
face. There are a few things
that you need to keep in mind
while shooting portraits and
people shots in general. Firstly
make sure the background is not
cluttered. If the background has
too many disturbing elements
then the photographs loses its
charm as the eye tends to get
distracted from the subject very
easily. If it is a tight portrait where
most of the frame is occupied
by the face try to use depth of
field to your advantage and keep
the background out of focus if
it is uninteresting. Try keeping
colourful backgrounds as it adds
to the image. Find interesting
faces and expressions just don’t
randomly shoot portraits, wait in
a place and look for people with
distinct characteristics say, a nose
ring, wrinkles from old age, blue
eyes or even a beautiful smile.
Portraits can be very interesting
if a little of the environment is
added to it as well. These are
called environmental portraits
and these can say a lot about
people and their profession
or lifestyle. Documentary
Photo: amlan Sanyal
May 2015 41
Photo: thomaS Wanhoff
3 LocaL
cuisine/
food
Who doesn’t love food? Indians love cuisine
4
LocaL
markets
Local markets are the best
places to shoot since it is always bustling
yourself comfortable amongst the locals.
Early mornings are the best time to shoot
since that is the busiest time of the day for a
market. Look for interesting colours or lights
of overhead shades, lamps or light bulbs etc.
Look for patterns and shapes. You can also try
and documenting the local cuisine of a
place can be interesting. Every place has its with people. Do not shy away because it is a to create chaos by experimenting with slow
own unique food and beverage depending new place, go with the flow and try to make shutter speeds etc using a wide angle lens.
on the geographical area it is situated in.
Colourful fresh food, new recipes and new
experiences are worth documentation.
Food photographers might find interest
in one of the largest growing sectors in
photography in India. Not just food but even
the cutlery used to serve that food can be
interesting. For example, some tea stalls in
the Bhutan border serve tea in excellently
crafted porcelain cups and plates. They make
for interesting photographs and can excite
people who have never been to that place
and inspire them to actually take a trip! Look
for eye catching colours, shapes. Go behind
the scenes and shoot the entire process
and maybe you can also make a diptych or
triptych of it for your travel album. Look for
good ambient light and go to the markets
when the food is fresh – that is – early
Photo: amlan Sanyal
5cuLture/
festivaL
Culture is the way of life of people
in a local area, their festivals, their
language, religion, dance, music
festivals etc. A documentary
photographer has a keen interest
in documenting and uplifting the
culture of a locality. And travel
provides the perfect opportunity to
do so. For example photographing
dance and music can make for
amazing and colourful pictures.
Naga dances, Bihu, Bharatnatyam,
Kathakali , Chau dance etc
make for colourful photos and a
photographer can play with light,
expressions and figure study as
well. Photographing festivals are
also a part of culture. It is best
to check for any festivals before
making a travel plan. Festival
photographs are interesting for
people living abroad and get a
lot of attention in photography
websites and competitions around
the world. Everyone loves festivals
and merrymaking and it is best to
do a thorough research before
documenting. Every festival has
its own unique features and
knowing the festivities makes a
photographer’s job that much
easier. Once you figure out the
Photo: amlan Sanyal
May 2015 43
Photo: amlan Sanyal
6 LocaL
Life
An interesting part about travelling
and visiting new places is the fact
that you get to meet new people and your
knowledge and experience grows with you.
Local life is a part of that experience. You become
a part of that city or town or hill station or beach
for a few days. Use that to your advantage and
try to document as much as you can. It may
seem uninteresting, but little things like the local
lifestyle grow in importance with time as lifestyle
and life in general changes. It will be clearer
7
with a couple of examples. In West Bengal, till
Photo: amlan Sanyal
these behemoths to photograph and document that place unique. The crowd, the colour
them. While photographing monuments, always the hawkers, the drivers, the heritage?
keep in mind the quality of light that is falling on Having a good understanding of its
them. The best time to shoot is either dawn or uniqueness will help in photographing
dusk when the sun is not directly overhead. Use them in their true light. Try to include
of wide lenses or panoramas is also a good way. two different heritage sites in one frame carriages and Victoria Memorial in the
Find different angles and perspectives and play to create a better impact. Remember backdrop? Having two or more elements
with light and shadows for better photographs. that shot of the bullet train with Mt. in one frame creates a better impact in the
Sometimes having a human figure changes the Fuji in the backdrop? Or the Horse viewer’s mind.
photograph completely and brings about a
mystique to it.
May 2015 45
Photo: davId laW
10 cityscapes
Cityscapes look very visually
interesting and can be made even
more interesting with a little bit of effort from the
Ten must have accessories for travel
• A sturdy and spacious camera bag is a must as it protects your
equipment from getting damaged while you travel. make sure
you have a rain cover for your bag or your bag is waterproof.
• Camera cleaning kit is a very useful and inexpensive tool
to have during travelling. the kit includes brushes, blowers,
photographer’s end. Travelling can be hectic in itself but cleaning cloth and cleaning solution.
photography, being a passion driven hobby or profession, • A tripod comes in very handy while travelling if you want to try
means that the extra effort does not seem like one. Find to shoot at night or shoot slow shutter speed images, startrails
or even panoramas.
a spot to shoot your cityscape from, maybe somewhere • Extra accessories for example extra batteries, extra memory
high, somewhere empty or somewhere that can provide cards etc.
a good view of the city and it’s landmarks. Finding the • It is good to always carry a small external flash. Sometimes use
right spot to shoot and the right time to shoot is what of a flash in portraits can change the quality of the photograph.
differentiates a casual tourist to a photographer. Use • External hard drives are often carried by people along with
laptops to minimise the risk of losing data in any way. try to
exposure bracketing if there is a vast difference in shadows backup everyday’s work once you return to the hotel. you also
and highlights. In low light conditions use a tripod and get portable backup units which can copy and backup directly
shoot. If there is a river between you and the buildings/ from the card if you do not want to carry your laptop around.
monuments try keeping the reflection in the frame as well. • Choose your lens wisely according to your travel needs, try to
If you think a building or a terrace can give you the best cover from wide angle to zoom when you pack depending on
the place you are visiting.
view of the cityscape go ahead and ask for permission to • Sometimes carrying a second small camera in your pocket
shoot from there. There is no shame in asking and being comes in handy, as taking a dSlr out of your bag very quickly
rejected, you never know they may accept and you might might be a problem. Small cameras produce amazing pictures
come out having a great shot! sometimes.
If you keep these pointers in mind while travelling you • Carry portable chargers for your phones in case your DSLR
loses power due to extreme weather conditions. With
will have amazing pictures for every trip. You can also print advancements in phone cameras, shooting in phone has
them and make a diary of it. These ten must have shots if become widely popular.
mastered should cover most of your travelling. Remember • Carry lens filters. These work as lens protectors as well. ND
life begins at the end of your comfort zone. So go out, filters are used a lot during travel.
shoot good photographs and enjoy life!
TEXT : souradEEp roy
All about
panoramas
S
ometimes a wide lens falls short
to capture the breathtaking
outdoors in terms of angle of
view. Sometimes we wish we could
see what the eye sees. An eye, no
doubt, is an extraordinary lens, and
cannot be duplicated in any camera.
However, what we can do is make
a panorama. We actually can stitch
two or more photographs to increase
the angle of view and somewhat
replicate or even go beyond the angle
of view of our eye! In this article we
discuss how to shoot, stitch and edit a
panorama. So the next time you are
travelling and you need to shoot a
panorama, this article might help!
Photo: Masakazu MatsuMoto - flickr
WhaT is panorama/
panoramic
phoTography?
Panorama photography is the art
of taking several pictures of a particular
scene and then stitching them to form
a single picture of the said scene. This
technique is used when a normal or a used in this digital age. With proper them. Here we will discuss them one
wide lens is not able to capture a scene techniques and proper equipment we by one with examples and also talk
that needs a wider angle of view, for can create high resolution panoramas about when to use them.
example a mountain range spans for with the touch of a button! Wide angle Panoramas
kilometers and needs a much larger These panoramas essentially look
angle of view. With advancements Types of panoramas like normal wide angle shots in terms
in technology and improvements in There are four types of panoramas of length: breadth ratios and have a
cameras, panoramas are being widely and all have their own uniqueness to less than 180 degree angle of view.
May 2015 49
These are sometimes used in place shots stitched together since the angle called planets because of the way
of wide angle lenses since stitching of view to be covered is more. While they look. These panoramas create a
four photographs taken with a 50mm travelling a 180-degree panorama will spherical image in a square plane and
has less or no distortion compared satisfy most of your wide angle needs require a special editing technique.
to a photograph taken with a wide and more. These are rarely used but used
angle lens. They also have a greater 360 degree panorama nonetheless.
resolution compared to a single image, Panoramas that cover almost 360
since the single photo is actually four degrees of angle of view are called sTacking images
photos stitched together. So if a wide 360 degree panoramas. These have Taking vertical images
angle lens is too expensive for your a super wide angle of view and cover Taking a series of vertical images
travel landscape needs this is the way a large area in one single stitched and stitching them together is a
to go. shot. Reasons to use this are plenty. preferred way to create larger
180 degree panoramas While travelling you will often find panoramas like a 180 or 360 degree
As the name suggests, these types yourself with breathtaking 360 degree view, as they tend to capture more of
of panoramas cover a wider area views of mountain ranges and valleys the top and bottom half of the images,
that is, a 180 degree angle of view. surrounding you and no wide angle or giving you a larger room to crop after
These are most commonly used in fisheye lens can capture the view the post processing. These also allow you
panorama photography. A large valley, way a panorama can. to get higher resolution since more
a cityscape and mountain peaks are Spherical Panoramas data is included into the frame.
best shot using a 180 degree view. These are amazing, visually Taking horizontal images
These usually have four or more odd-looking panoramas that are also Taking horizontal frames has its
own advantages. It allows you to is necessary. Try to get a vantage Find the exposure. Figure out
overlap two images much more, thus point on top of a mountain or a hill the exposure beforehand, keep your
assuring you a better and seamless or a sunrise spot etc and make sure camera in manual mode and set the
edit. These are used in wide angle no tree branches or rocks etc are exposure for the frame. Auto modes
panoramas. But this reduces the ability blocking your view. are avoided because the camera
to crop from the top and bottom of Check the weather. If it is windy reads different exposures for the each
the final edited image. and the clouds are moving fast then frame thus giving different results in
Both these styles allow vertical stitching would be a problem since each and every frame.
stacking which means shooting a the frame changes between two Decide on how you will shoot. If
horizontal row of images and pointing consecutive shots. Overlapping you use a tripod, then place it firmly
the camera up or down and shooting would be a hassle. If it is a sunrise and make sure the horizon is straight.
another set of images. There are or sunset the light will change every Make sure you can pan it without
several parameters for image stacking second, thus exposure will change obstruction or without moving the
to work perfectly and we will talk between frames. The stitching will not tripod. While shooting handheld make
about them later in this article. be seamless. sure you are holding the camera close
Check for moving objects. If to your body. Do a mock panning to
shooTing a there are moving objects in cityscapes make sure you can hold the camera
panorama for example people walking, cars, steady while panning. Use the
First identify the frame. Deciding cyclists then panorama would not be viewfinder for better stability.
the number of images needed to a preferred option anymore for the Lock focus - Once you are
cover the complete angle of view same reason. satisfied with the placement of your
May 2015 51
Photo: Steve D’SouzA
camera focus on the subject and then less number of images for the stitch panoramas often then investing in a
set your lens to manual focus so that but it is always advised to get as much panoramic tripod head would be a
the camera does not try to refocus in overlapping as possible but nothing good investment. This reduces the
subsequent shots. more than 50%. Keep repeating this headache of worrying about parallax
Shoot - Start from the extreme process till you reach the end of your error while shooting. These panoramic
left. Shoot one picture and then pan desired frame. You can also point heads have plates that move around
your camera slowly to the right. upwards or downwards for vertical the axis and provide a much more
Make sure you have at least 40-50% overlapping. You now have a series accurate set of pictures to stitch. Having
overlapping in between the frames. of photos serially numbered for the said that, even shooting handheld with
The computer while editing looks at editing software to work its magic on. a little caution and knowledge of how
the overlapping parts of the frame as panorama works, can provide amazing
stitching points. This is very important Using panoramic results. It is easier and quicker to shoot
since this is what helps in seamlessly heads handheld and you do not have to carry
stitching the images. You can overlap If you are a serious panorama a cumbersome bag while travelling and
lesser amounts of each image to have photographer and like to shoot of course saves on the cost!
May 2015 53
TIPS & TECHS
Choosing a
destination
T
his time of the year is when you to swim against the current. You will have to course there are destinations like the wildlife
must be planning for a vacation, choose a destination which would give you sanctuaries, and then the areas which are
and it’s not new that you would be the moody shots and the best photographs snow covered during the actual summers.
struggling to decide on the best destinations. in the vacation season. Why go with the The timings get locked, because that is how
While seasons play an important part in flow always and just hit the shores or hills nature works and we are quite helpless.
travel, we are talking about vacations, so when it’s a little extreme and not the usual. Empty beaches, rusty forts, misty
only the summers and the winters would be Crowd, distractions, unnecessary events mountains and green grasslands are
the major seasons. The hill stations and the coming up in the vacation is anyways like adjectives for our compositions.
highlands like Cherapunji, Mahabaleshwar, disturbing. Even in the frames! Accessorising these frames are cherry on
Nuwara Eliya, Cameron Highland and many Generally, during the summers one the cake and your luck might be just good
more, of course have their holidays during would head to the hill stations and during enough to have the perfect light, and
the rainy season and they just look fabulous the winters one would go to the coastal you are on a role for your vacation to be
during that time. areas. It’s been like this for ages. What if we photographed just aptly.
Every destination shows different break this thumb rule of travel and just do Every country in Asia has a diverse
moods according to the seasons. If you some walking against the wind; to capture population, as well as diverse natural
want to get that edge, then, you will have our vacation in a much different way. Of conditions, from the Himalayas to the
Coastal Regions
Costal Destinations give immense space
and time to make your vacations full of
photographs. Beaches play an important
Malaysian Islands, from the river banks of choosing a decent enough destination from part of the countries which have long
the Ganga to the desert-lying areas of the a photographer’s point of view does take a coastal regions.
different countries. Asia comprises of too lot of time and thinking. One can find a lot of temples, churches,
many options for photographers who are Hit the beaches in summers and the stone walls up near the beaches which
crazy about photography and also exploring hill stations in winters. Just that, start a little have a long history behind it, and capturing
new destinations. From all these options, early so that you would also get the mix this history and making it memorable
may 2015 57
towards growing and preserving its wildlife
world by coming up with the sanctuaries
for birds, snow leopards, lions, tigers,
rhinos and of course the Asian elephants.
There are a lot of endangered species,
we as photographers would love to
capture and make a mark in our own set
of photographs. The tiger sanctuaries, the
rhino sanctuary, the bird sanctuaries in the
South Asia are brilliant getaways. Plan and
keep days in hand. In wildlife sanctuaries
luck plays an important part. Even the
winters are good to catch up with these
sanctuaries but the summers would surely
give you that chance of sighting the animals,
frequently. Tiger Sancturies like Pench –
Kanha, Ranthambore and also Tadoba.
Other than Tigers even Leopards are well
sighted here.
There are also sanctuaries which are
open and make sense of visiting only in
winters; like the Hemis wildlife sanctuary
where you could be lucky enough to sight
the snow leopard, red fox; which are rare
and shy species in this world. The Rhino
Sanctuary, named Kaziranga in Assam is one
beautiful spot and ads on to the beauty of
India. You can also find the Indian Elephant
crossing by from the Kaziranga, it being the
major area where you can see the Asian
Elephants migrating. North East India is
indeed a brilliant place to visit during the
winter season and just after the rains and
also before the rain starts.
may 2015 59
TIPS & TECHS
Guide to getting a perfect
Star trail
E
very day we come across a getting one perfect shot, you need to
number of outstanding star trail spend sleepless night to get the shots,
Photo: aMIT vaKIL
images all over the internet and a lot of research and planning goes into
on other platforms however getting it. Here are a few points that we have
these shots is not an easy task because jotted down to help you get a perfect
a lot of time and effort can go into star trail exposure.
Location: Of course, one of the major
points to get a perfect star trail exposure is
to find the right location to shoot. Whether
you’re shooting by moonlight or on a very
dark night, the foreground elements do
matter, they have to be well lit in order to get
a good composition. A lot of photographers
will choose something very close and light it
with a flashlight during the exposure to add
an element of interest. Whether you do that
or not, you still want to have a good horizon
line, be sure to evaluate the horizon critically
because a little tilt there can cause great
difference to your composition.
Point North: There’s no law saying your
star trails have to orbit around a single point,
Photo: KK baRSaDIa
but for your first attempts, we recommend
that you point your camera generally to the
north. You don’t need to center the North
Star in the frame, but it’s a good idea to have
it near the midline of the frame. This is a
general rule, and like all rules, it’s made to be focus and lock, just focus at infinity. You’re from trying to hunt. If you’re shooting with
broken after a couple of years of practice and going to have a very long exposure, so you something close to the camera, you need
experimenting. need to lock down the camera with a sturdy to focus carefully to be sure everything from
Lock and Focus: There’s nothing more tripod and a good head. We suggest you your near object to infinity is sharp. Positive
obvious when it comes to star trails than the use manual focus mode to keep the camera locking is the key.
Photo: yOGI
night.
Photo: naSa
may 2015 63
Things you will
definitely need while
Photo: JuSTIn KeRn
out there:
• A digital camera with
manual settings and
focus
• A lens (the focal length
of your lens matters)
• A tripod with something
to weigh it down that
will not swing in wind. If
there is any movement
at all, your photo will be
blurred.
• A shutter release
mechanism. Use an
interval meter but many
Photo: veRnOn SwanepOeL
charged battery.
TEXT: ushma dhamdhErE
may 2015 65
Tips & Techs
Go pro!
Y
ou must have recently seen a small little
camera on the shoulder, on the head or
on the bar handle of a bike; that very
teeny-tiny camera is the GoPro. It has taken
adventure photography and travel photography
to a completely different level. While GoPro
makes the news only for its videos, the
photographs out of this petite camera can beat
your favourite DSLRs with wide lenses.
With GoPro’s user-friendly features, quick
response, water resistance, compact size, and
brilliant output, a surfer, travel photographer or
even a rider wouldn’t ask for more. Carrying a
DSLR in the water and shooting with it is not
the easiest task. However, with the GoPro,
dipping in the water to swim, snorkel or scuba
dive and shoot images is easy.
GoPro would probably be less of a camera,
and more so it becomes a part of your body.
You can carry it along by just strapping it around
any moving objects, and get some brilliant out
of the box results. The new GoPro Hero
4 black edition is making news and people
around are investing, in what is probably the
best possible equipment in the current lot of
action adventure cameras.
A camera with so many great features,
one can just work around the few negatives
and work towards making the shot turn out to
be better. There are other companies offering
similar type of cameras like Contour, Drift HD,
but battling with them, GoPro still remains in
the lead. The little camera gets out the best
shot with its super ultra wide lens. It gives us
the creative edge by getting the distortion.
Take it anywhere absolutely anywhere,
in busy markets, on streets or even dip it
into the waters. A camera which lets you go
underwater, straps around your shoulder, sticks
on to the helmet or even can be hanged on a
side street pole for getting the overview of the
entire busy street of that city of yours can give
you jaw dropping shots.
The camera can get you weird reactions
from people who see it for the first time.
Capturing such reactions is something which is
May 2015 69
TIPS & TECHS
may 2015 71
Photo: Ushma Dhamdhere
Photo: Abhishek Desai
relationship and a new layer is added Variety: Quite often it’s the costumes that tend to attract
to your shot. shots of people dressed in regional photographers when travelling.
While these shots can be very
effective, it’s not necessary that they
are always really representative of
a culture. Quite often these people
have dressed up especially for a
show or tourist attraction and the
majority of people in that country
look quite different. Mix up the
types, gender and ages of people
that you take photos of and you can
end up with a very effective collage
of faces of a place.
Arrange an extended photo
shoot: This goes against the nature
of travel photography which is
usually very fast and spontaneous –
Photo: Ushma Dhamdhere
may 2015 73
TIPS & TECHS
How to protect
your camera
Photographers hold one thing more dearly than their life - their equipment. Without equipment, a
photographer is nothing. Thus, caring for it is the utmost priority of a photographer. But while travelling,
we have all faced difficult weather conditions and have all been, at least once in our lives, worried about
our equipment. What if it rains and moisture spoils the lens, how do we protect the equipment from
extreme heat or cold? In this article we discuss how to keep your camera and all other equipment safe
while travelling.
T
s he first step while packing your Extreme Heat
A DIY camera rain cover equipment for a tour is to research on Most of our camera bodies are black in colour
is a cheap and effective
way to protect your
the weather. Is it usually rainy this time and get heated up really fast. This especially
expensive equipment of the year? What is the temperature? What is happens if you are shooting in the desert or
from rain and dust. the expected moisture level? Beginners usually somewhere really hot like near a volcanic
Make sure to use as never look into things like this and come back eruption. If the camera gets heated up too
many rubber bands as with fungi in their camera sensors and lenses. much, it will damage the sensor and also
needed so that water
does not seep through
This small step goes a long way of saving money the electronic parts as well. The easiest and
the openings. and time to get your sensor cleaned later on. quickest way to deal with this is to carry two
So how do we deal with extreme weather hand towels. Place one on your camera to
conditions? We will go through four steps in the cover it from the sun and keep another in your
article. bag. Every half hour or so, your towel will
may 2015 75
Carrying extra
batteries go
a long way in
cold climates as
batteries seem to
get discharged in
cold.
beach, water is not the only thing that will affect your
camera. Sand/dust and all other particles flying in the air
is a concern. The first thing that you need to ensure is
that the lens opening is safe. A simple fix is a UV filter that
inevitably stops the wind from flowing sand particles into
your lens. The best way to sand-proof your camera so to
speak is to waterproof it entirely. Using camera housing is
an expensive and efficient way to deal with sand. Finding a
shelter to change lenses is a must since even a few grains
of sand will cause immense damage to the camera if not
prevented. Always point your camera body downwards
(towards your feet) while changing a lens since it will block
the wind that flows horizontally.
Carrying a camera cleaning kit and a pair of clean
clothes are a must these days. A small investment like this
can earn you in gold. A camera cleaning kit consists of
s too difficult. We had done an article on this called ‘DIY different brushes, a cosmetic cleaning gel and cloth and
A camera Rain Cover’ in our July 2014 Vol.26 – No. 7 issue. You also a blower. You can blow dust off of the sensor but be
cleaning kit can refer to it for detailed steps. very careful while doing so, since a sensor is very delicate
helps to clean
the outer
If you are more of a beach person and love the water and needs to be opened and cleaned carefully and in a
surfaces of the and travel frequently to beaches, lakes etc. it is suggested dust free environment. A lens-pen is also available which
camera and lens you buy a GoPro as well. Always keep a dry cloth handy has a carbon coated vacuum that cleans the lens surface
and keeps it in case some water drops do fall on your camera. There removing finger prints, dust etc. The pen also has a brush
clean from dust, is just one more thing we need now: silica gel. A silica on the other side that works well to remove dust and
water etc. use
it after every
gel is a dehumidifier that works wonders once you have sand. These are the basic things that need to be packed
shoot once you put your camera in your bag. The silica gel absorbs the while travelling. And remember, while these might cost
return to the extra moisture from your bag and camera and keeps the a lot, they are a onetime investment and will last you for
hotel. internal circuits dry. years. So, protect your camera and keep shooting!
Mobile Travel
Photography
With the turn of the century, phones started getting cameras, and slowly, today, they’re battling against
DSLRs. With almost each new phone being launched there is either an increase in the megapixel or a
new camera feature introduced. Now, everyone has a phone with a camera. A lot of times, when you
travel, you might not want to carry a bulky DSLR, and might choose to rely on your phone camera for
clicking your travel images. Trust us, it might not rival the DSLR, but it will get the job done just fine, at
one-tenth the weight. We are going to discuss some travel photography tips and tricks for mobile phone
cameras that you can put to use, to get the best shots possible.
Keep your phone charged out of charge on your phone. at all times, when you are going to
When you are travelling, you One of the first and foremost be out shooting with it all day. If you
are constantly using the phone things to do, if you’re serious about have no juice in your phone, there
to click pictures, checking maps, doing travel photography with your is no way you are going to be able
looking up stuff online etc. Most cellphone, is to always ensure you to get any shots at all.
times of the day, you’re out in the are charged. If you were using a To ensure that you don’t run
city sight-seeing, and come back to DSLR, you would ensure that it is out of power, it is a good idea to
the hotel only later in the day, and fully charged. Similarly, you have to have portable chargers. This way,
there is always a problem of running make sure your phone is charged even if you run out of power, you
may 2015 79
photography articles, just like in camera to help you compose the images, like a shot of the local busy
DSLR photography, composition image. market.
is king in mobile photography. Pay Wide-angle Bird’s eye
attention to what you are clicking, Most phone cameras have wide- Travel photography is not just
and then frame the image. Use angle lenses. Make good use of this. about the streets and the markets.
rule-of thirds, golden triangle and Step back, and take the whole scene If possible, do not miss out on a
other compositional principles. You into view. If framed correctly, wide chance to photograph a city from
can always switch on the grid in your angle shots can make great travel top. You can lookout for a nearby
may 2015 81
This section
TIPS & TECHS brings you the
APP REVIEWS
reviews of all
the new and
noteworthy
apps available
on the various
platforms
Every month we look for photography apps to review that a mobile or DSLR photographer can use. This
month we decided to find something different, a photo centric app that adheres to the hunger for travel,
made specifically for photographers and daydreamers. The app’s name itself is catchy and unique - Stuck
on Earth. The app created by three people from three different places in the world is amazingly designed
and well thought out. Let’s talk about the app in detail.
STUCK ON EARTH
A much needed application This app is an amalgamation of five are mostly from Flickr and one of
Over the years a huge number six different tools that would’ve Trey’s other app, Stuck in Customs,
of applications have been developed needed different apps, but have compiled into a neat bundle. Trey
both in the android and iOS base. been compiled into one single being an HDR enthusiast himself, has
Some very useful ones, and others as app. The creator of the app Trey uploaded a ton of amazing drool-
useless as an app developed to ping Ratcliff, being a photographer himself worthy HDR photos of places.
a person to say ‘Yo’. However, there understood the necessity of this app Design
never was an app for daydreamers, and took things in his own hand. The The app is designed very
who dream to travel the world but application is simply a huge map of meticulously and seems like a
never had the chance or opportunity. the world with a list of millions of handiwork of an experienced artist.
For people who save up and travel places for a photographer or photo It instantly catches one’s eye. You
to places only to be disappointed enthusiast to visit. One click on the are greeted by a siri-like voice when
and finding out it was not what they place brings up a library of hundreds you use the app and every time
expected, this app incorporates of pictures to go through so that one you open the app, the voice grabs
features that will help you to find can – visit the place before visiting your attention in an instant. The
the right places and plan your trip. - so to speak. The photographs background images are crisp and
MAY 2015 83
CAMERA REVIEW
e
PRiC 50
` 86,4
Nikon D7200
With a resolution of 24.2 million pixels DX-format CMOS image sensor, together with EXPEED 4 image
processing, Nikon launched the D7200 recently. Free of an optical low-pass filter, the D7200 boasts of
ISO 25,600 (two full stops higher than the D7200’s predecessor) for low-light images. The camera also
features NFC to establish a Wi-Fi connection. We got hold of a D7200 this month and tested it, read on
to find out how it performed.
Performance
Nikon D7200 features a 24.2MP CMOS
sensor with no optical low-pass filter with Sample Image
a Multi-CAM 3500DX II 51-point AF
system, all sensitive to -3EV. With offering a
2,016-pixel RGB metering sensor, used for
3D subject tracking in AF-C to an amazing
ISO performance of 100-25,600, with ISO
51,200 and 102,400. The camera offers
a 6 fps continuous shooting with increased
buffer depth with a maximum shutter speed
of1/8000 sec. It comes with a 3.2” 1.2M dot
RGBW LCD display, 1080/60p video, with
clean output over HDMI and Flat Picture
Control. It offers a Dual SD card slots with
Wi-Fi via NFC.
The skin tones processed in the camera
are extremely nice and neat, with excellent
may 2015 85
when shooting at extreme ISO25600 with
Specifications less noise. Built-in HDR works to extend
Effective pixels 24.2 million the tonal and exposure range of a single
image by recording sequential exposures
Image Sensor 23.5 x 15.6 mm CMOS sensor and blending them together in order to gain
Processor Expeed 4 greater highlight and shadow details with an
ISO 100– 25600, Auto ISO sensitivity control available extended range of mid-tones. This mode
is best suited for working with stationary
Maximum shutter 1/8000 sec subjects and if you are a serious landscape
speed
photographer.
Number of focus 51
points ISO Performance
Screen 3.2” TFT LCD screen The test was performed with the
Video Full HD 1,920x1,080 / 60 fps (1.3x image area only) in-camera ISO sensitivity switched off
in the Nikon D7200. Lower sensitivity
Battery EN-EL15 Lithium-ion Battery settings, that is from ISO 100- 800 the
Size 5.4 in. (135.5 mm) x 4.2 in. (106.5 mm) x 3.0 in. (76 camera handled noise and artifacts quite
mm) effectively. But ISO 3200 and above the
Weight 23.9 oz. (675 g) camera body only noise increased gradually visible upon digital
magnification at 100%, but the image was
still usable. Considerable amount of noise
results in the portrait shots. Although, a also the colour saturation is upto the Nikon and artifacts crept in at ISO6400 and so on.
direct flash in a portrait shot can cause standards. One of the most selling points of From ISO 12800 the image suffered a loss
red eye, we did not see anything while the camera is the thing of the camera in low in detail and sharpness and became unus-
shooting on the D7200. Camera delivers light which was quite impressive, and which able at ISO25600.
good amount of details in the picture and should make shooting decent images even
Sample Image
ISO 1600 (100% Crop) ISO 6400 (100% Crop) ISO 12800 (100% Crop)
may 2015 87
CARD Review
SanDisk iXpand
Flash Drive Review
The non-capability of iOS devices to be able to expand their memory capacity has been a teething issue
for many consumers since the launch of these devices. But with Samsung and some other manufacturers
also following the same route with the launch of their recent Galaxy series, probably Apple has something
going for themselves. Having said that, I have found many users complaining about the handicap of
iPhones memory capacity, especially if it’s the base version of 16GB. And SanDisk believes they have the
answer to this problem. The company recently launched its iXpand Flash Drive which gives the apple
users an external memory device option.
We were at the launch and got our hands onto one and thought it would be great to review it.
Parameters
Since we haven’t reviewed a device like this before, there’s no real full-proof manner in which it can
be reviewed. So we will stick to the combination of our regular parameters and add some other
ones.
• Design, Build Quality and Ease-of-Use (Since that is something important to Apple users)
• Performance
• Price
may 2015 89
SMARTPHONE REVIEW
Honor 6 Plus
E
PriC 99
`26,4
H Specifications
uawei recently launched their new
brand phone Honor 6 Plus. It was
said that that this launch would Hardware • USB:USB 2.0, 480 Mbit/s
change the way we look at phone cameras • Processor: Hisilicon Kirin 925 CPU, • Frequency:4G TDDB40+FDD B3
and it did! The Honor 6 Plus is a 5.5-inch A15 1.8 GHz quad-core+A7 1.3 GHz 3G UMTS900/2100
quad-core 2G GSM 900/1800/1900
phone, falling under the category which is • GPU: Mali-T628 MP4
popularly known with the term “Phablet”. • Dimensions: 150.46 mm (L) x 75.68 Camera
The phone has metal accents and dual 8MP mm (W) x 7.5 mm (T) • Primary Camera:Dual 8 MP, 3264 x
• External Interface: Standard micro 2448 pixels, Auto Focus, Dual-LED
cameras on the back. It features Huawei’s USB, microSD card Flash
own Kirin 925 octa-core processor with an • Weight: 165 g (including battery) • Features:Geo-Tagging, Touch Focus,
integrated GPU, and packs oodles of power • SIM Card interface: Micro SIM card Face Detection, HDR
• TouchMulti-touch sensitive screen • Video:1080p@30fps
to take on some of the best phones available • Secondary Camera:8 MP FF Camera,
right now in the market. We got hold of one Display 1080p@30fps
of these to review it thoroughly for you, let’s • Size: 5.5 inches
• Type: IPS LCD Capacitive Touchscreen Storage
see how it fared. • Color: 16.7 M colors • ROM:32 GB (User available 25 GB)
• Resolution: FHD 1920×1080, 401 ppi • RAM:3 GB
Design and hardware • External Memory Support:microSD
Connectivity card (up to 128 GB)
The 6 Plus looks pretty smart and solid. • Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.0 + EDR Battery
The front looks fairly plain and most of it is • Wifi:802.11b/g/n, 2.4G/5G, Wifi Direct, • Battery:Non-removable Li-Po 3600
taken up by the 5.5-inch screen. The lack of Hotspot mAh battery
• GPS:GPS/AGPS/Glonass/Beidou
main function button on the front makes it a
little difficult at first to get used to the interface.
On the right side, you’ll find a volume you can place sideways. Honor says, “The looks sharp. The dual rear cameras, metal
button, power button and two identical glass fibre back is extremely durable and is trim on both sides and minimalist speaker
slots — one for your 4G Micro-SIM and the stronger than military-grade helmets.” The 6 port are all well designed and nicely finished.
other for a MicroSD card or a nano-SIM that Plus weighs 165g. From the back, the 6 Plus Overall, it’s a good looking device.
Sound, Display and features about the cameras. It has an 8-megapixel Google’s Camera app, but is much easier
The 6 Plus features a 5.5-inch Full HD front camera which works way better and faster to work with and produces
display. The brightness of the screen is than an 8-MP usual resolution should, and significantly better results.
pretty less compared to other phones in also a dual 8-megapixel camera behind The rear cameras perform well in low
the market but its sharp, clear and works which gives you a power packed mega light situations. The colours reproduced
well enough in the sunlight. The speaker is resolution. This phone captures amazing are beautiful and the image is sharp. The
located on the back near the bottom left bright pictures even given in any low light front camera is surprisingly good. There’s
corner, and it is not very loud. The 6 Plus condition. Colours are fairly accurate, really no situation where you’ll need
supports dual-band 4G, and supposedly details are crisp and the cameras do a good 8-megapixel selfies, but you could certainly
can handle two SIM cards as well. Besides job of handling highlights and shadows. The use a clear image with sharp details, and
the Micro SIM that goes in its own slot, camera app is also really quick, so you don’t the 6 Plus’ front shooter delivers just that
the MicroSD slot can also accommodate have to worry about losing a frame if you pretty well.
a nano SIM placed sideways, this slot does are planning on a multiple frame shot. The
support high-capacity MicroSD cards and dual camera setup allows you to shoot in Conclusion
allows to 128GB more expandable space. Wide Aperture mode, where you can set The Honor 6 Plus is a great phone with
That’s over and above the 32GB of internal the aperture to get the amount of depth powerful cameras, good build quality and
storage, of which you can use 25GB to of field you want – which looks superficial a decent user experience. However, it’s
stash your files and install apps. There’s also after a certain value. However, if it’s used priced at about `26,499, which seems
a Suspend on-screen button that brings the creatively, it can help you create amazing a little overpriced, compared to other
home/menu/back buttons into a circular composition by letting you easily separate models in the market. That being said, the
pop-up menu that you can place anywhere your background from your subject in the camera is really quite good and you’ll be
you like. You can also lock the screen and foreground. able to store loads of photos, movies and
clear apps with a tap or two from the While this feature lets you go as music with a high-capacity memory card.
notification area. wide as 0.95, we recommend you stick The 6 Plus is available in black, white and
Now that we have discussed almost with values close to 2.0, as anything less a slightly more expensive gold version. If
every aspect of the phone let’s move on to makes portions of images look like they’ve you’re looking for a solid shooter, this is a
the main function and the best aspect that been blurred out manually, making it look great buy.
we found in the phone – the camera. superficial, as we mentioned before. You
can also adjust the focus and aperture after
Camera shooting a picture in Wide Aperture mode. TEXT and imagEs:
Like its predecessor, the 6 Plus is all This is similar to the Lens Blur feature in ushma dhamdhErE
may 2015 91
PhotoScape
Send in your entries to photoscape at asianphotographyindia@gmail.com
Û
Picture by: Avishek Mal
Camera: Nikon D7000
Shutter speed: 1/100 sec
F-Number: F/16
Focal length: 18mm
ISO: 100
Picture by: P. N. Nithin
Camera: Canon EOS 60D
Shutter speed: 1/512 sec
F-Number: F/4
Focal length: 30mm
ISO: 100
Û
Picture by: Sayantani Basu
Camera: Nikon D5200
Shutter speed: 1/125 sec
F-Number: F/5.6
Focal length: 55mm
ISO: 400
may 2015 93
Û
Picture by: Ankit Maheshwary
Camera: N/A
Shutter speed: N/A
F-Number: N/A
Focal length: N/A
ISO: N/A
Picture by: Sanjeev Kr
Camera: Canon EOS 6D
Shutter speed: 1/395 sec
F-Number: F/8
Focal length: 200 mm
ISO: 100
Û
Picture by: Debajit Bose
Camera: Canon EOS 60D
Shutter speed: 1/160 sec
F-Number: F/8
Focal length: 17 mm
ISO: 400
Picture by: Chandan Kumar Mukherjee
Camera: Canon EOS 70D
Shutter speed: 1/256 sec
F-Number: F/9
Focal length: 21mm
ISO: 640
may 2015 95
Photomontage Looking to get your portfolio featured??
Send your entry to asianphotographyindia@gmail.com and tell us why we should feature it
Every year in Kolkata The Statesman organises a rally of Vintage Classic Cars. The picture of the beautiful old cars is very common to us.
This year I also went there to shoot something in a different approach. As I have always loved Abstract colors and framing, I tried to shoot
the frame with enriched colours from the cars which make for a different abstract pattern. All these frames display lines & curvature which
gives an ultimate abstract feeling.
MAY 2015 97