What is a Photography all about?

What is a photography all about? Just graph (drawing) with photo (light)? Casual records of good memories in Snapshots? Or larger than that?

  

More times you do photography, the more realization in photography will come down to one word: vision.  Call it vision, imagination, or seeing; it all comes down to the same thing: the ability to envision a final result in your mind's eye, and then to make it so with your tools at hand.

Photography and painting are the same. Each renders imagination in tangible form. The difference is that painters can work completely from imagination.

(mud clay in sea-beach)

A camera, no matter how many automatic features it may have, is a lifeless piece of equipment until a person uses it. It then becomes a uniquely responsive tool-an extension of the photographer's eye and mind.

(photograph taken by a simple digicam in 2007: canon A430; 4MPixol)

A photographer starts to create a picture by a process of selection. Photographers looking through the camera's viewfinder must decide what to include and what to exclude from the scene. They select the distance from which to take the picture and the precise angle that best suits their purpose. The selection differs from photographer to photographer because that is the beauty of any art.

As per the definition it is ‘recording of light rays’. That's why taking a good picture depends so much on choosing the lighting carefully. In a good proper light, a simple basic digicam gives you almost the same quality as an ultramodern camera. In a nutshell tips ‘it is better to avoid hard sunlight for portrait’.

(under the shades at outdoor, I took this portrait)

ISO number refers to the sensitivity to light. With a lower sensitivity you also get a better quality image too which is why you should always try and use the lowest sensitivity you can get away with. But in a low light condition, high iso is needed to capture the image with some noise (grain) on it.  The rule of thumb is to keep the setting as low as possible until you absolutely need to increase it in order to get the shutter speed you need. Just remember to turn it back down low again when conditions get better.

(due to very bad light, I had to choose ISO 1600 to capture this picture with the noise)

Aperture is referred to the lens diaphragm opening inside a photographic lens. The size of the diaphragm opening in a camera lens regulates amount of light passes through onto the lens. Aperture also affects an important photographic element called "depth of field". Depth of field is just technical term used to describe the 'zone' of sharpness' between nearest and furthest of a subject in focus (to be more exact, distance of sharp focus in front and behind, subject on which the lens is focused). The bigger the apertures used, the zone of sharpness is shallower or vice versa i.e. smaller aperture used will has extended depth of field.

(less depth of field makes the picture beautiful)

Shutter speed may be used to control the amount of light striking the image plane; 'faster' shutter speeds (that is, those of shorter duration) decrease both the amount of light and the amount of image blurring from motion of the subject and/or camera.

(in a movable car shutter speed had to be increased to avoid the blur)

Post processing gives the ultimate touch as per photographer. Photoshop gives lot of choice for a photographer. Photographer should make change in new layer, so that the actual photograph may be recovered later, if needed. But it is advisable to make your mind before pressing the shutter so that minimum change is required for post processing.

Storing is the final step for a photographer. For digital photographs, Bitmap image (*.bmp) is unacceptable for a photographer. Photographs should be saved as Raw file (*.CR2) before completion and as Tiff file (*.tif) after completion of post processing so that the picture is saved, as well as it can be changed further if required further. For printing, it can be converted to JPEG file (*.jpg) temporarily. It is better to keep two copies or more: one in hard disk and other in DVD to avoid unwanted vanishing of your photographs.

But after all these technical details, it is only the 3P which drives to an eye-striking photo: Passion, Patience and Practice.

At last, enjoy, watch others’ photographs and take too much snapshots; one time it would be a very good photography.

[P.S.: I am only an amateur student, not a good photographer, so don’t compare with my photo.]

(From the studio of Mr. Rakesh Soni [http://visualpoet2011.blogspot.com], the creator of all the sculptures)

Independence Day

Happy Independence day to all.

Friendship Day

"Chaichhi Tomaar Bondhutaa" (asking for your friendship).

"Bondhutto" (Friendhip) is a word which I can't elaborate, can't describe, can't give the perfect meaning. When Garry kirsten took over the charge as the coach of Indian cricket team, in the very first day he asked Sachin Tendulkar, "what do you want from me?" Sachin replied, "a faithful friendship". The next 2-3 years were in the golden history. This is a not a fictitious story, but the conversations are almost like epic in the cricket history. As I have said earlier, I can't describe the word 'friendship'- friendship in school days, at college, at hostel life, in professional area, nowhere I can describe the word except feel it.

Here I am showing some great moments of an innocent friendship between two little kids. These pictures are dedicated to all my friends and their unconditional friendship.

Everything is not Perfect

One Bengali Poet wrote in his poem

"Kichutaa Vejaal Kichu Khaad Diye Sab Modhurer Khelaa

                        Marter Maati Maylaa Bolei Ekhaane Praaner Melaa"
Really, if everything is perfect the life would loss its attraction. Here I am showing some imperfect situations / pictures, which I like very much. May be due to the imperfections only they are so close to my heart.

Nothing is perfect individually in this picture. The rose, the leaf. But I love this picture.

Tinni, my daughter did not want to wire her dress after bath. That day she was adamant not to take her dress in her hand also. I said 'would you take my dress?' She was very happy. But the picture I captured was not good. The background, the light in the surrounding area- nothing was not in proper shape. So I decided to finish my picture in the way presented here. May be the perfect picture could not be like this.

The basics of the photography is missing here. The picture, specially the eyes are not in focus.



Here also, the same problem arises. The face of the baby was not clear.

The same problem. The picture was not very clear.

Light and the situation is not favourable. A father does not want to capture such picture of his baby.

Door frame behind the kid was unwanted in photography. But sometime everything was not in your control.

After taking the bath on this day, Tinni was adamant not to comb her hair. At last I offered her a photograph where she would be with madly look with her hair. She agreed happily and the outcome is shown here. Imperfect hair with little spit on her lip. I think this photograph is the imperfectly perfect photograph.

Can you believe that the cropping is done in this way because below that area background was so bad to be edited. I think because of that imperfection only I cropped it like this and turn out to be a beautiful photograph. Really, imperfects can surprise us sometime even more than perfect things.

Greatest Innocence of the Universe

Journey of any of the children is a fairy tell. Even God can't express this by words, by writings, by any means of expressions. I woldn't even try that. What I can only do, I have tried to capture some of their beautiful moments.

This is, I think, the most innocent picture I captured in my camera. Beautiful and elegent, no decoration, no editing. Perfect lighting and composition. Only a simple border to complete the picture.

 

The smile of any kid is god gifted. No ego, no hide and seek, only a bright smile. I captured it in black and white to concentrate only to the cute face of the kid.

 

The activities with hundred percent passion without the fear of failure. Beautiful tone of the skin and matching background make the photo elegant.

 This innocence can be only expected from a kid, not an adult. Colourful hat, light and shadow in the background makes the photo attractive. Yellow dress would have been better option, but everytime you can't get all perfect.

Even just watching something or thinking is also greatly watchable. Again, same skin tone and background colour make the picture simple but attractive. The eyes make the picture perfect.

This picture is captured by my wife. But to edit it, I was very satisfied to get the final look of the picture. Sometime desaturation of the colour makes the kid so cute.

 

The cutest scene of the life, the sleeping beauty. Simple without any post processing except a border.

[Identity of the kids from top: 1. Rupsa, daughter of Mitali & me; 2. Son of Rupali & Shrikantada; 3. Daughter of Kalpana & Sabya; 4. Namrata, daughter of Girish; 5. Rupkatha, daughter of Sunanda & Atanu; 6. Tapur, daughter of my sister-in-law; 7. Rupsa]