Story Behind The Picture : "Alert & Watchful"

Story Behind the Picture

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“Alert & Watchful”

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Friends,

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This time I’m before you with one of my favourite photographs, “Alert & Watchful”. This was clicked at Ahichchatra; a historical site situated around 45 Kilometres from Bareilly (U.P, India). This widely expanded place has a rich historical background. The uneven land and bushes give a distinct look to this place. A good number of peacocks and Nilgais (the Indian Blue Bulls) reside here. I was on a trip to this place with some of my friends in 2004. When we were returning back from the place, a herd of Blue Bulls came into vision. As our car reached close to them, they went away from us quickly. But this young Blue Bull returned back after striding a little and started looking at us. Luckily I was sitting by the window of our car. I started clicking without wasting any moment. I took a few photographs. This is one of them. The thing which I like most in this picture is the posture of the Blue Bull. The young creature seems giving pose for a photograph with innocence.
I used a Nikon F-80 camera with a 170-500 mm Sigma lens. The film was Fuji Crystal, 400 ASA. The photograph was clicked at shutter speed priority mode (at 1/500 sec.)

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--Dr. Pankaj Sharma.

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Photo Gallery : Beauty of Abstracts

"Photo Gallery"

Beauty of Abstracts
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Friends,

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The opportunities of good photographs are everywhere. The important thing is photographer’s vision and his insightful attachment with the art. The abstracts found in nature and manmade structures offer us ample opportunities for brilliant shots.

Mr. Chandan D. N. Gaonkar of Panaji (Goa-India) is a multifaceted artist. He has mastery over capturing the abstracts, and that too with high aesthetic values. Here are some photographs clicked by him for our delight.

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--Dr. Pankaj Sharma

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“Great Masters” In Search of Truth: Mukesh Parpiani

"Great Masters"

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In Search of Truth: Mukesh Parpiani

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.Friends,

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“A good photograph is equivalent to a thousand words”. The photographs clicked by famous photo-journalist, Mukesh Parpiani corroborate the above saying. Mukesh Parpiani is a visionary who has a distinct vision. Born in 1951 in Bhavnagar of Gujarat (India), Mr. Parpiani completed his basic education in his hometown. As his elder brother was fond of photography, he naturally got attached with this form of art. He had a keen desire to capture the truths of life since his early days. This desire brought him to St. Xavier’s College of Mass Communication, Mumbai. After completing his education from this reputed institute in 1978, he started photography as a free lancer. Due to his industrious tendency and unique visualization, Mr. Parpiani emerged out as a popular photo-journalist. This is due to his devotion to photography that he has headed the photography departments of Indian Express, Mid-day and The Daily in the past three decades. He has seven photo-exhibitions to his credit. He is the first photographer in India to market a stock photo CD called "Bombay to Mumbai". The photographs taken by Mr. Parpiani have always portrayed the reality of life in the most candid manner.
Mr. Parpiani considers Dr. (Prof.) P. K. M. Pillai his mentor and source of inspiration. This is Dr. Pillai who actually taught him the basics of photography, admits Mr. Parpiani.
Presently he is the head of Piramal Art Gallery at the NCPA-Mumbai. As a head of this gallery he aims at promoting the students of photography and fine art. Besides the regular flood of exhibitions, Mr. Parpiani has also introduced the concept of “Students’ Exhibitions” in this gallery.
He calls himself a true "Mumbaikar" since he has been the part of the city for over four decades. He resides in the city with his wife, two daughters and a son. His daughters have chosen fields like management and history as their post graduation pursuits, while his son is following his father's footsteps. He is currently doing a graduation course in mass media and is an active pursuer of photography. Last year, he won the "Best Young Photographer” recognition in the "Wild Life Category" of a reputed contest organized by Better Photography magazine.

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----Dr. Pankaj Sharma

Learning : Creating A Pictorial Outdoor Photograph

Learning

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... Creating Pictorial Outdoor Photograph

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Friends,

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Almost all of us possess a desire of making a pictorial photograph. “The photograph which looks picturesque and attracts one intensely at first sight is pictorial.” A few guidelines mentioned here can help us clicking a pictorial photograph when we are on a trip.
Proper Light
1. Early morning or late evening sun light is most excellent for preparing a good photograph.
2. Since this light is soft by character, this lends a hand in highlighting the fine details of the subject. What is more, this light helps colors appearing in their natural form.
3. The angular use of the light adds depth and dimension to the scene. Sometimes light coming from behind the object creates magic to our picture.
Composition
1. We should always tend to compose the pictures with simplicity. Complex composition has to be avoided.
2. Composing the photograph so tightly is to be kept away. Openness of the frame is commendable every time.
3. Involving so many subjects in our photograph is not wise. We have to concentrate on one or on a few subjects.
4. The subject should be very much effective and must convey some message.
5. The harmonization between the subjects is another vital factor of an image. If subjects do not coordinate with each other, the photograph loses its charm.
6. Living beings should look spontaneous in our photographs.
7. Disturbing objects, like, electric poles/wires, discarded items etc. are to be avoided while clicking the image.
8. If we wish to involve a human being or a structure (like a house, temple, hut etc.) in a landscape, we should keep it away from the center of our frame. It is wise to place this type of subject a little away from the midpoint. This will add balance in our picture.
9. The feel of rhythm is an important part of a good pictorial photograph. This can be created by balanced arrangement of the subjects.
10. Leading lines play a dramatic role in outdoor shots. We can find these lines in the form of roads, rail tracks, boundaries of farm fields, rows of the trees, fencings etc. These lines lead our vision into the frame or from one point to another. In addition these lines boost rhythm in a picture.
11. The great depth is a requirement of a landscape. For this purpose we should use a small aperture (32, 22, 16, and 11) and set the shutter speed accordingly. If we have a digital compact camera, landscape mode will serve up our purpose.
12. The horizon of the scene should be straight.
13. There should be freshness of approach in our composition.
14. Above all, the aesthetic sense of a photo artist is the basis of creating a pictorial photograph. This is inborn in few cases. In some other cases, this develops through regular observation and one’s deep attachment with photography art.

--Dr. Pankaj Sharma

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