-Dashboard- Fishermen at Godavari

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Fishermen at Godavari
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River Godavari plays an important role in the life of Indians. Fishing is an important activity in this river. The act of Fishing provides food to many and on the other hand gives money to the needy people. This picture was clicked at Papikondalu, Andhra Pradesh India. The camera was Nikon D-90. The exposure was f-5 at  1/2000 sec. ISO was 500.

--Pankaj Sharma

-Dashboard- Newly Wed

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Newly Wed

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During my visit to Kolkata (India) in January-2016, I was strolling on the bank of River Hooghly one morning. I met a newly wedded couple there with an elder woman, probably the mother of bridegroom. They had come here to perform some rituals, and seemed to have profound faith in their culture. I felt deep respect for them and wished to click some pictures. They did not oppose.  Out of the clicked frames, I personally like this picture a lot. I love the way; the post wedding rituals are being performed.  

--Pankaj Sharma

-Dashboard- Devotee

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Devotee

Sometimes a few people leave deep impact on our mind and soul. It was on the occasion of Holi, the festival of colours, I was in Barsana, in February, 2018. Barsana is associated with Goddess Radha.  The celebration of Holi starts a few days prior to the actual festival here. On one morning I was in Radha Rani Temple which is situated at a hill. After visiting this temple I went to another important temple which is located nearby. The whole atmosphere was full of divinity there. I met a lady in the campus of that temple who was sitting close to the sculpture of Lord Krishna. She was in deep meditation of her beloved God. The matchless dedication of the lady towards Lord Krishna, the colours of Holi smeared on the sculpture of Lord and the historic architecture all around, fascinated me intensely. I clicked a few pictures. Here is one of them.

I used a Canon EOS 6D Camera with a Tokina 17-35 mm lens. The exposure was: f 11 at 1/1250 sec.

ISO was set at 8000.

--Dr. Pankaj Sharma

-Dashboard- “Paradise on Earth”

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“Paradise on Earth”

Few places leave a deep impact on our mind and soul due to their indomitable beauty and peaceful aura. Munsiyari (Uttarakhand-India) is one of them. I was at this place in 2011. It was a serene morning when I was strolling at the outskirts of this place. I all of a sudden watched the fascinating view of Panch Chuli Peak. The trees all around along with a hut doubled the beauty of sight. Nature seemed gifting an opportunity to me for a good picture. I got down my vehicle and starting photographing with patience. A few frames were clicked. This is one of them.

I used a Nikon D-90 Camera with 18-105 mm lens. 

Exposure was f-16, 1/200 sec. ISO was set at 200.

--Dr. Pankaj Sharma

Dashboard: Magic of Stars

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“Magic of Stars”

 This time I am before you with a photograph, titled, “Magic of Stars”. I had an opportunity to photograph the attractive stars during a clear night at Shaukiyathal, (also known as Vriddh Jageshwar) in December-2016. I managed to click around 100 frames of stars by resting the camera on a firm tripod. An automatic timer was used to photograph multiple pictures with an interval of 5 seconds between two pictures. ISO was set at 6400. Exposure was f-4 at 25 seconds for each frame.  Camera was Canon EOS 6D with a Tokina 17-35 mm lens. After all settings done the camera was targeted towards starry sky. A portion of hut like structure was also included in frame to add charm. Then after timer’s button was pressed and the process of clicking started which took around 50 minutes. As earth travels continuously, stars changed their place in each shot. Later I merged those frames in a particular software (Star Stax) and the final picture was amazing. 

However we can click the star trails in a single frame as well by giving a long exposure through camera.

--Dr. Pankaj Sharma

-Dashboard- : Adorable Nature

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Adorable Nature

 This time I am before you with a photograph, titled, “Adorable Nature”. I was on a trip to Vridhh Jageshwar (Uttarakhand) during the mid of December-2016. This place is well known for unmatched nature’s beauty. The wide view of magnificent Himalayan Ranges can be witnessed form this place. I reached there on one mellow evening when the sun was about to set. I did not delay to get prepare to shoot. The carroty light of setting sun falling on the top of Nanda Kot Peak and the fantastic forms of clouds in the sky created a fascinating view. I clicked a few shots. This is among them. 

I used Canon EOS 6D camera to click this picture. The lens was Canon-70-300 mm.
Exposure was: f-13 at the shutter speed-1/100 sec. ISO was set at 400.

--Dr. Pankaj Sharma

-Dashboard- “Look at Me”

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“Look at Me”

Our planet is full of different types of beautiful creatures of nature. A photographer is always in search of such pretty beings. I was toiling in the lush green jungle like area at the outskirts of my own city a couple of years back. I suddenly noticed this colourful grasshopper which was resting on a leave in leisurely mood. I slowly proceeded towards this nice-looking creature and pointed my camera at it. It was amazingly looking at me. I clicked a few frames. This is one of them. The things which attract me in this picture are the posture of grasshopper and its lovely surroundings.

Technical Details:

Camera: Canon Powershot, A-580

Exposure: f – 7.1, 1/60 Sec.

ISO: 80

--Dr. Pankaj Sharma

-Dashboard- “Walk into the Lap of Nature”

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“Walk into the Lap of Nature”

This time I am before you with a photograph titled, “Walk into the Lap of Nature”. This picture is important for me because this is full of sweet memories of Sheetla khet, a scenic place near to Almora (Uttarakhand). One nice morning I was on a walk near to Sheetla khet with my beloved friend and a renowned mountaineer, Mr. Gopal Sharma. While having a leisurely walk I noticed a beautiful tree with yellow leaves on the left of a curve in road. This was a co-incidence that my friend was also wearing a yellow jacket. The yellow leaves of tree, my friend in yellow jacket, the curve of the road and greenery all around offered a good opportunity for a pretty picture. I clicked a few frames. This is one of them.
Nature is full of wonderful compositions. The important thing for us is how we visualize a picture.
I used a Nikon D 90 Camera with a Nikon 18-105 mm lens.

--Dr. Pankaj Sharma 

-Dashboard- "Made for Each-Other"

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Made for Each-Other

This time I am before you with a photograph, titled, “Made for Each-Other”. This picture was clicked during January-2016 at Babu Ghat, Kolkata. I had a chance to visit this Ghat on one morning. This was an entirely new experience for me to be there. I could see people busy in different activities and rituals. While being there I watched this newly-married couple. They had come here to perform a certain ritual which is supposed to be of big importance after marriage ceremony. The Bride with innocent expressions and the Bridegroom curious to say something to Bride seemed so interesting that I got motivated to take a picture. In addition their sitting postures appeared very spontaneous.  The ritual-materials in front of them added feel to the occasion.

I clicked a few pictures. This is one of them.

I used a Nikon D 90 Camera. The lens was Nikon, 18-105 mm. Exposure was f-5.6, 1/400. The ISO was set at 500.

(Sincere thanks and best wishes to this newly wedded couple)

--Dr. Pankaj Sharma

Dashboard: “Whipping to Win”

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“Whipping to Win”

On the occasion of Kartik Poornima (after Deepawali) there takes place a grand annual event of Horse Race at Chaubari Village of District Bareilly of Western U.P (India). This village is situated very close to river Ramganga.  A number of activities are organized in this fair. Horse race is one of them. Actually this race is a type of display of the capability of horses. The horse-sellers come from different parts of the region to this fair. They try their best to show the skills of their animals. The purchasers observe the race alertly and the horses which are found most excellent are sold at high prices. 

This photograph titled, “Whipping to Win” is an attempt to portray the expressions of a rider who is whipping his horse in order to win the race. On the other hand the body language of horse confirms the influence of the hit of whip. The other riders in the background seem to be the reason of leading rider’s action. The dust all around seems adding to the beauty of the picture. 

Though violence with animals is being opposed everywhere in the world, such acts still exist. People take these activities as a part of their culture and tradition.

(I took this picture with Nikon D-90 DSLR camera at shutter speed priority mode (at 1/1000 sec.). The lens was 18-105 mm (Nikon). ISO of the camera was set at 500.)

--Dr. Pankaj Sharma

Dashboard : "Emotional Bond"

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“Emotional Bond”

This time I am before you with a photograph, titled “Emotional Bond”. I was on a trip to Munsiyari (Uttarakhand) a few years back. One pleasant morning, while travelling on the outskirts of this town, I saw this girl with her goats. She was carrying them for grazing-land. I came out of our car and started clicking her pictures. She asked me to wait for a while and took a small goat in her lap with innocence. This act of her appeared very spontaneous and heart touching and depicted true emotional bond between two living beings. I can never forget the way she took her goad in her lap, and of course for a photograph. Her love for the goat seemed teaching us the value of emotional attachment, not only for our fellow beings, but for innocent animals as well.

--Dr. Pankaj Sharma

Dashboard : Galloping Rhino

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Galloping Rhino

This time I am before you with a photograph titled, “Galloping Rhino”. I was on a trip to Dudhwa National Park of U.P (India) during the May of 2015. This park is situated in the Terai area spread near the Indo-Nepal border in the Lakhimpur Kheri District (U.P). This place has buffer of reserved forest areas on the northern and southern sides. Major attractions of Dudhwa National Park are the tigers, swamp deer, rhinoceros , sambar deer, barking deer, spotted deer, jackal, wild Boar etc. I had an elephant safari in the grassland of this park on one pleasant morning. There I spotted few Rhinos who were busy in grazing. I suddenly noticed a young Rhino who seemed over alert of our presence. As our elephant proceeded towards him, it started running from the spot where it was grazing. Rhino’s movement was quite thrilling. We stopped going ahead and began to click the interesting gallop.  A few frames were clicked at continuous shooting mode of camera. This is one of them. The speed of shutter was kept at high end in order to capture the fast move of Rhino. I used a Nikon D 90 Camera to take this picture. The lens was Nikon, 70-300 mm.

--Dr. Pankaj Sharma

Dashboard “Beautiful Past”

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“Beautiful Past”

This time I am before you with a photograph, titled “Beautiful Past”. This photograph was clicked in the winters of 2012 in “Sui” village situated near to Lohaghat (Uttarakhand). While strolling in a street of this village I suddenly watched a traditional blue painted house which was made of wood. This house attracted me deeply due to its conventional construction. The charm of this building doubled when an old lady in yellow dress reached the window. She seemed looking for someone. I did not delay and clicked a few frames. This is one of them. The chief thing which fascinates me in this picture is the presence of complementary colours, i.e. blue and yellow. Occurrence of complementary colours, such as blue and yellow, green and red, orange and light blue etc. adds appeal to the images. Furthermore I like the presence of old lady with a conventional house in this picture. Both co-relate to each other very well.

I used a Nikon D 90 SLR camera. The lens was Nikon 18-105 mm.  

Exposure was f -10; 1/400 Sec. The ISO was set at 200.

--Dr. Pankaj Sharma

Dashboard : “Through the Window of Past”

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“Through the Window of Past”

This is due to the noble efforts of Mr. Naveen Jindal, an Indian industrialist, and a former Member of Parliament that the right to fly the Indian National Flag with due respect on all days of the year has been restored to every Indian on legal ground.

In respect of our National Flag Mr. Naveen Jindal dreamed a book titled “Tiranga”. The photographs portraying our National Flag were invited from the photographers of different parts of the country for this project. The dream of the book, “Tiranga” came true in the year 2005. It was a great honour for me that one of my photographs was selected for this esteemed book. The book has been edited by Vijay S. Jodha and Samar S. Jodha.

I am sharing the above said photograph here along with the cover of the book, "Tiranga". I clicked this photograph in National Public School, Baheri (District Bareilly-India) on the occasion of 50th Anniversary of Indian Independence. I noticed a great zeal among the students of this school on this occasion. They were holding Tri-Colour Flags of India in their hands and running in the play ground. I asked them to give me a chance to portray them. They happily agreed and I clicked a some images. This is one of them. This photograph has been appreciated widely. The enthusiasm on the faces of children symbolizes the joy of freedom truly.

  I wish my all friends a *Happy Independence Day* of India.

--Dr. Pankaj Sharma

-Dashboard- Composition of Nature

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Composition of Nature

A good artist is known for his artistic compositions and presentation of the subjects. But from where he/she learns the art of composition? In fact this is nature itself which teaches an artist about the art of composition. The nature is full of numerous amazing compositions. The chief work of an artist is to observe them through his inner eye and then to present them in perfect manner in front of art lovers. Here the visualization of an artist means a lot. The person, who possesses unique vision, can easily find pretty compositions in nature. The vision is not bound to a single person. Anyone who has true love for nature can enjoy these wonderful compositions of nature.

This time I am before you with a photograph, titled, “Composition of Nature”. I clicked this picture a few years back from Abbott Mount. This place is situated near to Lohaghat (Uttarakhand -India). On one pleasant morning I was at this place with my friends. The Himalayan Peaks were well visible with a few streaks of clouds over them. The weather was crystal clear. While having a stroll I came under a tree. I was surprised to watch the Himalayan Peaks from this view point. Nature had provided a good composition. The branches of trees in the foreground and a small bush on the bottom doubled the charm of view. Moreover, the milky cloud in the valley gave heavenly touch to the scene.

Note

1. While capturing such scenes the use of small aperture (Like 16, 11 or 8) is always recommended in order to get maximum depth of field.

2.  As snow covered mountains reflect excessive light, we have to underexpose the picture to get details in highlighted areas. But in such case we can lose details in shaded areas. For achieving full details in both, the highlighted and the shaded areas, we have the option of HDR images.

--Dr. Pankaj Sharma

Dashboard “Childhood Glimpse”

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“Childhood Glimpse”

This time I am with a photograph, “Childhood Glimpse”. This was clicked in July-2014 when I was in Jodhpur, a picturesque city of Rajasthan (India). We can see the true traditional life style of India in the streets of this city. The houses in blue colour and the people in traditional colourful dresses take us into a different world. One fine day I was on a walk into the streets of Jodhpur with my friends (Mr. Sarvesh Joshi, Mr. Samir Madhukar Mohite and Mr. Dinesh Mowar). Mr. Sarvesh Joshi is the resident of this city. He took all of us to the best areas. While strolling in a street situated near by Mehrangarh Fort, I saw an old house with blue walls where an innocent boy was sitting near the entrance. There was an old bicycle in the background. The yellow T-shirt of the boy and the blue wall together presented an ideal example of complimentary colours. The small boy seemed unaware of the worries of human life. After an informal interaction I pointed my camera towards him. As I starting clicking, he put his both hands on his face in a distinctive way. He perhaps felt shy of the camera. However, his gesture portrayed a spontaneous glimpse of “childhood”.

The world of children is unique in all regards. Every child has his individuality and self respect. All of us not only give them due respect and love, but must help them in shaping their personality. They are the future of nation.

--Dr. Pankaj Sharma 

-Dashboard- “Innocent Childhood”

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"Innocent Childhood"

This time I am before you with a photograph, titled, “Innocent Childhood”. This image is one of my favorites. This photograph was clicked in Abhaypur Village of District Pilibhit (U.P, India) around 10 years back. I was there for documenting the archaeological excavation conducted by The Department of Ancient History and Culture, MJP Rohilkhand University, Bareilly (where I work). A day I was strolling nearby our site in leisurely mood during the tea break. I suddenly saw this small girl standing in the field of wheat. She was watching at our team with curious expressions. Her innocence fascinated me deeply. Furthermore her red-colour dress against the golden crop of wheat seemed quite eye catching. I did not delay to portray her. Out of the clicked frames, this is one of them. I used a Nikon F 80 camera with a Sigma 170-500 mm lens.

The children in the villages are often far away from the complexity of the cities’ life. They are much down to earth, and so they are unique.

Dr. Pankaj Sharma

-Dashboard- “Little Hands That Toil”

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“Little Hands That Toil”

This photograph, “Little Hands That Toil” was clicked in Bareilly (India) during July-2013. I was on the highway from Bareilly to Pilibhit. On my way I noticed this small boy that was busy in roasting the corns on his movable shop (that was on a trolley). Three linemen were waiting for their order. The boy seemed deeply involved in his task. He appeared totally unaware of the world around him. His gesture left a deep impact on my mind and soul. This is very sad to see that a big number of small children are engaged in working hard for their livelihood. They don’t have time to enjoy their childhood, nor do they have opportunity to get education in order to ensure their bright future. This miserable situation can be seen in both, the big cities and in small villages of various countries. Measures to strengthen such children are to be taken at large scale so that the brilliant future of poor children may be ensured. No doubt, such steps are being taken by the governments of different countries and some international organizations, yet more is needed. In fact children are very flexible and they can be easily molded in any direction at their tender age. The need is to shape them in positive way so that the future of their own and also of the world may be guaranteed in constructive way. We can also land a hand to such children by giving some financial aid in their education. This will be a positive sign. 

I used a Nikon D 90 Camera to capture this shot. The lens was Nikon 18-105 mm. Exposure was f-13, 1/250 Sec. The ISO was set at 200.

--Dr. Pankaj Sharma

-Dashboard- “Education for All”

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“Education for All”

Education is the basis of all round development of the citizens of any nation. India’s effort to educate the people, specially those of villages, is praiseworthy. During last few decades a number of schools have been opened in the rural regions of the country.

I clicked this image on the way from Almora to Binsar (both in Uttarakhand State) during December-2013. It was late evening when I noticed these young girls returning from their school. The children of many rural areas, particularly in hilly regions, have to walk extensively to reach their schools. I was happy to notice that these girls were full of enthusiasm and seemed to be in high spirits. There was no feeling of fatigue created by their tight schedule. The beam of light was approaching them in exclusive way and seemed giving impression of optimism. The curved road in front of them appeared leading them on the path of success and the dark surroundings around them added to the beauty of frame.  I clicked a few frames and this is one of them.

I used a Nikon D 90 Camera to take this shot. The lens was Nikon 18-105 mm. The ISO was set at 200 and the exposure was f 7.1 ,  1/160 Sec.

--Dr. Pankaj Sharma

Dashboard : "Getting Ready for Daily Routine"

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“Getting Ready For Daily Routine”

India is a fast growing country with huge population. Different means of transportation are used here by the people for travelling locally. Fast local trains, buses, personal cars, taxis, auto cabs, motor bikes etc. are popular means of travelling. On the other hand tricycle rickshaws are also well-liked means of transport in many cities. These rickshaws are pulled manually by their owners. Rickshaw pullers do hard work throughout the day to earn money for their living. These persons are satisfied enough with their profession. There are various examples in India where such hard workers have successfully helped their children to build the career. Their children are at higher posts in important departments.  The tough labor done by these Rickshaw pullers is commendable.

I clicked this image (Titled “Getting Ready for Daily Routine”) in my own city (Bareilly) on one morning. This man was busy in cleaning his Rickshaw before starting his daily routine. I liked the way he was busy in his work (lifting the Rickshaw with one hand and cleaning its wheel with another one).

I used a Nikon Coolpix L820 Prosumer Camera to take this shot. As I wanted to capture the man without bothering him, I set the zoom of my camera at high end.

--Dr. Pankaj Sharma