2011 in Photographs

The real world is actually a dream
Illusion makes one blind towards reality
Reality is something we are blind towards
Every moment is knitted loosely
with gaps to be filled after a full circle
The future is unknown, the past questionable
As the gaps are filled,the dream turns to reality
Our mind awakens as the past turns to present
but the future ever remains blurred, doubtful and unpredictable

Acadia NP, Maine

What a beautiful place! It has everything a nature/landscape photographer needs , right from Mountains to Ocean Shoreline, woodlands and lakes. Although, I did not pick the right time to visit this National Park. A friend and I decided to make a trip during Thanksgiving weekend. After the trip I realized Fall or Spring would be a great time to visit.

 We drove 9 hours from New Jersey to Maine. The road is not so exciting. I really enjoyed the road trip from California to Oregon (Crater Lake). Anyways, I booked a hotel in Bar Harbor. We reached at midnight and from the moment on did not even waste a min. The sky was bright and clear and the Stars were twinkling bright. I had recently read the eBook regarding night photography from ALI, so decided to give it a shot.

“Infinite”

The shot above was taken from outside the hotel room. There was some Light Pollution but I think I managed well. If you look carefully you can spot a Constellation.

The next day we drove to Bass Harbor to check out the Headlight there. We planned to capture Sunset, unfortunately the light and the sky was not so dramatic. So I composed the images such that I capture the rocky coast leading up to the Headlight.

Later the light got better with the afterglow but we had to leave since it was getting dark and we did not have a Torch to find our way back up again. The next day early morning we decided to catch the Sunrise. We took the Loop road along the coast. Most of that route was closed dude to a snowstorm that came just the day before we reached. We found one spot and walked down to the water. There was still time for the Sun to rise and I was looking for a good spot. There were some good opportunities but the so called beach was full of small rocks and was so uncomfortable to walk or even set up the tripod firmly. But I had enough time and setup and waited for the Sun to come up, the timing was very close. The light was very soft and was bouncing of the rocks and some of them had moss growing in it. I decided on long exposure because the waves were not to high and reaching in, so thought if I keep the shutter open long enough, the misty feel of the water might do the trick.

I really loved the diversity in compositions and the landscape that spot had to offer. Looking slightly North I got the image below.

Later that day we decided to do the Mt. Cadillac Summit at 1500 feet. The summit was not too high but was steep and a tough one. There was no defined trail for the most part, no patch was paved. It was mostly rocks, snow, water and slush, and the winds were strong. The view from top was amazing.

I would definitely will have to make another trip here soon. There is lot much more to explore here. We completely missed the wildlife there, and a  lot more of that shoreline to be seen. Most likely in Spring I should be heading back there.

Manual for Newbies

I don’t mean the Mode on the Dial on your Camera. I mean the small booklet which comes with your Camera in the Camera box. A lot of newbies have a lot of questions on how to use the camera, which blogs to read, which magazines to buy. Just because you have a DSLR/SLR doesn’t mean you can start taking great images. You need to understand first what the Camera can do and how it can be done. Instead of spending money books or searching for free ebooks, all you need to do is open your box and read the manual.

I also used to buy all sorts of magazines, specially with ones having that extra booklet explaining the Camera functionality. Lucky for me, one of my mentors advised me to read the Camera Manual first. I tried the examples given in it and I learn’t a lot from that. The idea is to know your camera first, and what all it has to offer.

Once you understand and appreciate how to use your camera, then you get a better understanding of what kind of advanced learning you need.

Gear

Not that I am a professional but I get a lot of questions from my friends and FB/G+ peeps regarding camera gear. Most of them want an entry level DSLR and the ones who can afford want the best gear available.

This is what I am going to focus on this post. What is the best Gear? Initially when I started I was confused too, wanted most mega pixels and lens with lot of zoom, etc. But eventually I found my answers.

Essentially for me the Right Gear depends on what my requirements are. Brand doesn’t matter. You can go for a Nikon or a Canon or any other brand out there. What it eventually boils down to is what kind of photography you are interested in. Some (like me) are interested in nature and landscape photography and and some like to do portraits, some like fashion photography, and some just like to shoot what they see. So based on your requirements you can buy a Full frame or a Crop Factor.

I personally use a crop factor NikonD90/D7000 and that suffices my need. Largest of prints that I have got were 20X30. which is big enough, even if I want to sell. I mostly do Landscapes shots and some wildlife. And Nikon D90 and D7000 are just right for me. The Canon equivalent would be the 7D. Thats a great Camera as well. Of course the Canon 5D and Nikon D3s are a class apart and are full frame cameras, you might want them if you are planning to make it a profession eventually.

The other most important peice of the puzzle is the Lens. You need to have a good glass to get that great image. Lens between 18mm to 55mm come under wide angle/Landscape. If its a Crop Factor then 18mm will come to about 22-24mm (good for family/group photos) . For Close Ups, portraits you will require a lens between 50mm to 100mm . For wildlife/birds and sports you would require something like a 300mm to 600mm. You get combinations of 18-200mm (all in one) which are good, or you can buy two like 10-20mm, 18-55mm or 70-300mm.

Nowdays the digital cameras pack a great sensor which is important because that’s where your image is captured. I will not tell you which brand to go with but just to mention few of the good Entry Levels are Nikon D3100 and D5100, and Canon EOSRebel T3 and T2i. Semi professional cameras would include D7000 and Canon 7D. And for Professional you can try Canon 5D and Nikon D3s.

Although I have only spoken about Nikon and Canon because they are the most popular in Digital photography, and thats what I have experience with. If you are interested in any other brand then check out the reviews at DPReview.com. Rest figure out what your budget is and go get yourself a DSLR.

My Thoughts on HDR

Some of my images (very few) sometimes get confused for HDR image, in the sense of having a Surreal Effect to them. Here are my thoughts on the technique. Essentially the concept of HDR is to capture more dynamic range of light. The Camera captures 5 to 6 stops less than what a human eye sees, hence, losing out details, specially in the shadow area. So what the HDR technique helps in acheiving is to merge 2 or more images of different exposures to highlight the shadows clearly. This is a very old concept. After taking a shot the photographer would rewind the film roll to the previous frame and take a shot again. In digital photography you can do that with computers.

The Image above has been confused for a HDR. It was shot in Princeton,NJ. The image below was shot in Bear Mt, NY (Appalachian trail). It is an actual HDR. I took two images, the underexposed one was for the shadow and to get that small Sun Burst. The other one was Overexposed for details. It is also an example of how I compensate for not having a good Grad Filter.

I generally shoot in natural light, and mostly at sunset or sunrise, and I love bad weather because then clouds add a lot of dramatic effect. I don’t have expensive glass filters, thats why sometimes end up using the HDR technique. The more popular form of HDR is what you see with the Surreal effect. it makes the Image extraordinary and poster like.
I don’t use the surreal effect on the outdoor and landscape images I take. However, it works perfect for indoor shots, giving that very awesome look and feel.

The Image above, shot in Island Beach SP, NJ, is an HDR of two images. The one below is the same image but not an HDR. The one above has that slight surreal effect to it. I personally prefer the non-HDR version.

I use Photomatix to merge my images and then process them in lightroom buy adding contrast, tweak the clarity and sharpness.
it eventually is a personal choice of how you want your art form to look like. If HDR interests you then may I suggest you have a look at the work of Trey Ratcliff. Also Jay Patel has a free tutorial on Manual HDR technique.

Unexpected Surprise..

Just heard the title of this post on Two and a Half men . Last week I went to Island Beach SP in New Jersey 3 times. May sound crazy, but I was absolutely obsessed with wanting to take some Red Fox photographs. I recently discovered that there are a few there, till now I used to have to drive 2.5 hours to Bombay Hook in Delaware.

However, I wasn’t too lucky. Out of the three trips I made, just got one decent shot.  The Image below is from the first trip. I reached well in time but had no clue about the park, so had to scout a bit. Unfortunately we saw nothing, and moreover it was a boring day for landscape shots as well. There were no clouds in the evening sky. So decided to head back, and just then, close to the exit we saw it. Light was too dim by then, Sun had almost set and I had to jump out the car quickly ..

On the 2nd trip, almost the same thing happened and saw this one at the same spot. Just when I was about to take the shot a few cars went by at speed higher than what was the limit was. The poor thing got scared and ran away. I didn’t want to stalk it and scare it even more. I did though manage to get the face in focus.

Third time’s a charm, well not in my case. The very next day I was back and unlucky for me I didn’t see nothing, not even a bird. It was so disappointing, you really need a lot of patience for wildlife photography.

There was a small trail right next to the parking lot, so decided to do that. I was quite irritated and was hoping to at least get a good Beach Shot. There was still some light and the Sun was almost setting. Thankfully the trail wasn’t too long and at the end of it got the unexpected surprise.

The Last image (above) is an HDR of two shots, one with a 30 second exposure to get the movement in the clouds.

The Sun had already set, clouds broke out at the horizon and the afterglow just lit up the entire scene. Landscape looked very dramatic.

Conversazioni da Flickr

Last year I did a photo shoot for a friends Car in India. We drove towards Dagshai and took some photos of his Fiat Punto. You can see the photos here . Few days back the official Fiat Punto Blog contacted me via Flickr and wrote a very nice note on their Blog . Do Check it out. The blog is in Italian so you would have to use Google Translate.

A Pleasant Morning

I love to shoot during sunset and sunrise because the light is at its best. With the right amount of clouds in the sky, the landscape can look amazing. I have been wanting to shoot in dense Fog for a long time, I just figure it will add a lot of drama to the scape.

I was at Lake Pleasant last Sunday morning in Adirondacks, NY. We were driving to Whiteface Mt. when we discovered Lake Pleasant en-route, so we decided to come back the next morning. My friend and I woke up early and reached the spot by 5:45 in the morning. To our surprise there was a lot of fog and there was still time for sunrise. There were no clouds and the stars were still shining bright.

We got a few great shots as the Sun came out and the fog was drifting. There was so much fog that it did not complete clear out but it was still amazing.

On our way back from the Lake back to the Inn we got some more surprises along the way.

Fall in Adirondacks

Last weekend a friend and I drove up to Adirondacks to get some peak fall colors. We got a bit late for Vermont and New England area .. well mainly because we did not plan. I have never been to Adirondacks and thought this was the perfect time. We started early and drove 5 hrs to Flip Inn ( Feels like I am in Paradise) in Northville. Though there was nothing “Paradise” about the Inn but location wise it was very well placed. It was right at the North tip of Great Sacandaga Lake.

We reached early and after some rest and little planning drove towards Lake Placid and Whiteface Mt.  The drive needless to say was awesome, but we could only see the colors in patches. The drive also was a good scouting exercise. We found Lake Pleasant en-route and decided to go there next morning to catch the sunrise. Unfortunately we did not do our research properly, by the time we reached Whiteface Mt entrance it was 5pm and it turns out all these parks operate 9-5. Considering this to be one of the sought after vacation destination we thought they will have the parks open at least till sunset.

We got lucky tho, there was a lake right at the foothill of the Peak, sun was setting and it lit up the colors..

You can see the rest of the images from Adirondacks here ..

Interview with Ian Plant, A Nature Photographer

Ian Plant is one of the most fascinating and inspiring Nature Photographer I have come across. His photography and articles have been published in various magazines, books and other media. He also holds many photography workshops ( at-least one I intend to attend in the coming months), if you are looking forward to one as well then you can check out his website.

Below in a small Q&A with him where he has answered a whole chunk of questions always troubling my mind.

KK: When you look at a photograph ( your own or your fellow photographer’s) what are the first 3 things (or more) you look at?

IP: The first thing I look at is composition. Composition is the primary aspect of a photograph that is under the creative control of the artist. The second thing I look at is the mood of the moment captured. Photography is all about capturing, as Henri Cartier-Bresson put it, the “decisive moment.” Because of the nature of the medium, photographers must react to the world around them. The mark of a great photographer is recognizing when there is a pleasing convergence of elements in the natural world. The third thing I look at is color and light. Although these are important to nature photography, they are usually more a product of the efforts of Mother Nature than of the artistic vision of the photographer!

KK: When you compose a photograph, are you always sure that this composition would be the best or do you take multiple shots from different perspective and decide later when you download it to your computer?

IP: I try to take as many different compositions of a promising scene as time allows. There’s no such thing as the “best composition” for most scenes; rather, there are often several or many different interpretations that have merit. Digital cameras give one the freedom to easily experiment, so my advice is to take advantage of this and shoot as much as possible. Sometimes I am convinced I have found “the one” when looking through my viewfinder only to be disappointed when I review the image more carefully back on my computer. It pays to take the time and explore other possibilities!

KK: Being a Nature/Landscape photographer, you need to be at the right place at the right time. How do you figure that out?

IP: I find it is important to develop a “weather sense.” Checking weather forecasts and satellite images helps, but nothing beats spending a few days or more on location observing the local weather patterns. Sunset and sunrise are always good bets, but developing an understanding of the local patterns can really help fine-tune one’s timing. Weather is extremely important to nature photography, as it adds mood, drama, and light. Learn the weather and you will have an advantage.

As for being in the right place, scouting a location looking for interesting compositions is the best thing to do. I spend as much time on the ground exploring as I possibly can in order to find the best opportunities, in order to return when I think conditions will be best to bring a scene to its fullest potential. There’s also something to be said for dispensing with a “right place/right time strategy,” and rather just wandering about reacting to changing light as it happens. I often do this, chasing the light rather than sitting on a specific location waiting for something interesting to happen.

KK: Do you have a favorite quote about photography? taken from others or your own?

IP: I guess I have two quotes that I often repeat, one from Ansel Adams and the other is my own. The Ansel quote is: “There is nothing worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept.” Developing a clear artistic vision and learning to effectively convey that vision to others is very important. The second quote, my own, is: “Don’t have rules, only tools.” There are lots of so-called “rules of composition” out there. Never forget that they shouldn’t be treated as ironclad rules, but rather as tools that should be at your disposal. If you need to break a rule to make a great image, then do so!

KK:  Are there any photographers you are inspired from? If so, please could you share their name and how do they inspire you?

IP: ”Growing up,” photographically speaking, I studied the work of many of the latter-day film-era landscape masters, such as David Muench, Jack Dykinga, Tom Till, andCarr Clifton. The most significant influence on my work probably comes from my good friend and Arizona legend George Stocking. My discussions with him about composition, use of light, and all things related to photography has had a profound influence on my development as an artist. Of course, for most of those conversations we were completely drunk, so I’m not sure if it has been an entirely positive association!

KK: What is your advice for the new folks trying their hand at photography as a hobby or planning to go pro?

IP: My advice is simple, whether photography is a hobby or a profession: immerse yourself in it completely. Take photographs of everything that inspires you or catches your eye. Study the work of others you admire, and think critically about their work and your own photographs. Get out and shoot as much as you can. There’s only one way to see how deep the rabbit hole is: just plunge in and go for it!

Thank You Ian for your precious time answering my questions.