Burst!!

I had been eagerly wanting to do this for quite sometime... and this weekend was it!
The first thought that might come to interested beginner photographers would be that this was shot at a very high camera shutter speed. But actually the camera was at a slow shutter speed of 2.5 secs in a very darkened room with a black background. The image was exposed with an off-camera flash (Canon 430EX II). So the image was captured with the fast duration of the illumination by the flash. The exposure duration by the flash was approximately 1/15000 sec i.e. the flash fired light into the scene for a duration of 1/15000 sec. The flash was set at 1/64th power and as per available information by various third party tests at that power the flash duration is 1/15000 secs. The duration becomes longer at higher powers. The reason the camera was put on a slow shutter speed was to get enough time within that duration to move and burst the water-filled balloon! And of course, use manual focus to pre-focus the camera at the balloon before the final action.

And now the question of the timing! Well there is a very simple yet very effective phone app based contraption called 'triggertrap' (www.triggertrap.com) which can be used to trigger the flash or camera by sound through your smartphone. So the flash was triggered by the sound of the bursting balloon catching the exposure at that exact moment! The triggertrap can be used for many more interesting creative applications like time-lapse, motion detection etc.

Camera: Canon EOS 60D, Lens:  Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM FLD
ISO: 100, Shutter Speed: 2.5s, Aperture: f/11, Flash: Canon 430EX II at 1/64th power

Shooting at Sunrise!

In winter the skies here in Kuwait turn quite dramatically beautiful and spectacular, especially during dawn and dusk when the clouds throw out myriad hues against the sun. That is the season when there are clouds all over the skies and form wonderful cloudscapes. And I really enjoy getting those natural yet dramatic backdrops of the cloudy skies for my portraits.

This was shot last winter with my Sigma 17-50mm F/2.8 lens when friends Ashis and Samir agreed one day to venture out into the seashore to enjoy the glorious sunrise. As the sun rose over the horizon I got this silhouette on the pier and the birds added to the beauty of the moment.

Papon Magic!

I thoroughly enjoy shooting live concerts and more so because music has been an integral part of my life too! The lights, the smoke and the energy of the performers always throw out such spectacular images. And my loyal Canon 70-200mm f2.8L IS simply does its job really well. The large aperture throughout the zoom range and the premium optics lets me get the tack sharp shots.

This was at a concert by Anagrag Mahanta 'Papon', the effervescent lively artist from Assam, India who has made a mark in the world of Bollywood music scene. It's just a pleasure to see the young performer revamping folk songs from the North East India with touches of Reggae, Techno, Rock etc. and thus making them so appealing to the young crowd at large.

Baggy Denim Shirt

This has been a favorite so far... Shot with the very affordable yet effective Canon EF 85mm F/1.8, which I had owned for sometime before selling it off and acquiring the Canon EF 50mm F/1.2 L. The shallow Depth of Field (DOF) was well utilized to bring about that hazy foreground created by the foliage nearer the camera.

Plabita added a lot of flair with that baggy denim shirt, which she had actually fished out of her Dad's  wardrobe (but shhh... that's a secret!)