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!)

Good To Be Back!

It has been quite a long hiatus. Having launched the website www.abyjit.com, somehow started ignoring the amazing role that the blog can actually play. Recently, having interacted with some pros and semi-pros, I could see how their blogs make a difference to what they represent. So here I am at it again, hoping to draw attention to what I love doing and share whatever little I know about photography and its nuances through my experiences.

When I had started out with the blog having rediscovered photography with my first DSLR, I had somehow decided never to put up any portraits. I felt it would somehow dent the privacy of people I shoot. But as time passed and I kept on shooting, I ended up realizing that portraits are what my forte is! So, I had a re-think and decided to put up portraits as well. With the inevitable social media boom there are a zillion personal pictures flying around anyways.

For the records, I could add a Canon 50mm f/1.2 and a Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS (Mark I) to my kitty, both of which are excellent premium lenses for portraits. This was shot with the 70-200mm. 

Sparkles On Venetian Masks

Recently acquired a Canon 85mm f1.8 lens and tried it out on these Venetian masks that were hanging on the wall of our home. The sparkles on the masks turned into those lovely round shapes of different sizes, known as 'bokeh' in the world of photography. This becomes more profound on this lens as it has a large aperture of F/1.8 which gives a very shallow 'Depth of Field' or rather keeps a very narrow range of subject in focus (see the nose and lips of the mask here). The rest of the image goes into a mysterious blur and the shiny little objects turn into those round objects called 'bokeh'. They are much larger in the mask in the backdrop which is completely blurred out.

Sunset 'Framed'...

Winter is the time when you can oft see the wafting clouds around here. The sunsets, therefore,  have been quite dramatic lately. Though there were not as much cloud as I wished for, went up to the 20th floor terrace today and shot this out of a window. The old window broken off in few parts turned out to be a beautiful frame!

Season's Greetings

The kids had done up their X-Mas Tree and the spirit of the season is on! Shot this with my good ole 50mm F1.8. Wished I could get some more profound bokeh.

Out At The Beach...

It was one of those fabulous winter's days here in Kuwait. A perfect day to be out at the beach...and ..Oh! the lure of the azure!

In Search of Crowns and Pearls!

Was itching to push the camera to the edge do something strikingly spectacular. So this weekend was it. And the kitchen turned into my studio. Pulled out a black tray that I use to keep my knick knack stationery and a non-stick frying pan. Filled them with water and let some water drip from a polythene pouch hung from the top.

Put to use my new Canon 320EX Speedlight on an off-camera mode (the wireless mode is great for this). The flash was basically bounced at an angle off a white paper placed just behind the tray/pan. Then after a few almost B&W shots, pulled in a blue kitchen wipe that was lying nearby and placed it over the paper to get that blue hue!

Was myself amazed to see these images - of the beauty in the fleeting dynamics of the macro world!

Elegante Milano!

Milan...or 'Milano', as the Italians utter it with their singsong accent, does turn out to be the fashion mecca as it is reputed to be. Beautiful people whizzing about on the cute small cars, scooters and the bicycles! Unlike in the US or the Middle East, people here dont need to cruise around in the huge fuel guzzlers of SUVs or V8's to be cool or hip. These bikes which could be self-rented were on a stand at the Piazza del Duomo overlooking the endearing Duomo Cathedral. This fourth largest cathedral of the world for which construction began in 1386, supposedly took nearly six centuries to build!
Seriously contemplating on getting a Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 wide angle lens which could have made such compositions even more dramatic. The actual lighting conditions were pretty uninspiring and I did not carry any flash. So the image did go through a good amount of 'correction' on photoshop. And I am failing to take any sharper pictures. Don't really know where the flaw is. Maybe it was the relatively cheaper UV filter that I was using.

Magnifique Paris

It is interesting how gothic architecture can look even more ‘gothic’ in black white! The Notre Dame Cathedral looming large over me as we were taking the mandatory Seine river cruise in Paris looks spectacular and more so at the widest focal length of my humble Tamron 18-270mm VC PZD. A real wide angle lens of around 10mm is on the wish list and I am sure that could make such shots even more dramatically spectacular.

London 2012

Must agree that the London Eye is a brilliant piece of work added into the skyline of London. Nothing like a sunny bright day around it... and just click away! Loved the cloudscapes all around Europe during the summer holidays. Adds so much drama to the pictures!

Then dusk fell ...and as if the sky went up on flames!!

@ Zafran...

Been a long long time since I had posted anything. That too none after I got my new Canon EOS 60D about four months back! An evening out at the new chic Indian restaurant 'Zafran' roused my senses and I got these shots. The food was good but the decor was even the more enticing. The noise handling is remarkably advanced with the Digic IV image processor of the 60D. Haven't yet gathered the courage (and money) to lay my hands on a real fast lens, a.k.a. F/2.8mm but my new replacement Tamron 18-270mm VC PZD is stretched to its limits and put to good use here. And these are shot handlheld!

Shooting the KPC Building

Been a long time since the last post. I was planning to upload these shots that I had taken around the the Head Quarters of the Kuwait Petroleum Coporation (KPC) as a part of a photo workshop last summer. It was pretty hot and balmy that afternoon and moving around the huge complex and shooting was quite demanding physically too! It was a good idea to have carried the polariser filter. Guess it has done a decent job with the sky and the glass.

Looks like lately its a shift to architecture photography as can been seen with most of the stuff I have put up here. Really wished could get some real critique from some real players in the game or some pros. Really don't know if these are good enough.

Photographing Architecture: The Museum of Islamic Art, Doha

Photographing architecture is yet another area of specialization in photography. The Museum of Islamic Art at Doha, Qatar does seem to be an interesting piece of Architecture to raise the creative energies in a photographer. It’s interesting how the creative genius of an architect generates and can culminate into yet more expressions in photographs. Tried my hand at this aspect of photography here. Of course, with no formal training whatsoever.

The museum is an interesting piece of architecture designed by the renowned Chinese American architect I.M. Pei, coaxed out of retirement at 91, to work on this project (petrodollars??). The museum houses some of the rarest and precious pieces of Islamic art from across the world, including India.

Wonder what a pro might have to say about these shots!

Guitars!

Guitars have always been a part of my life. The association with the six strings has seen me through the thick and thin of life. No matter however little I may have excelled at performing with it, the guitar has helped me gather friends, sail through the 'ragging' period in college with relative ease, getting invited to parties where lesser mortals like me would have been forgotten about otherwise and of course, the opportunity to play with a band which actually 'got paid' for its performances! Picture above was taken at the store 'Guitar Center' in Las Vegas.

The one below was taken at a rather a unusually decorated Ozzy store 'Kosmic Sound' in Perth.

But the fascination with this instrument for an enthusiast does not remain to playing and listening. The myriad models of the guitar out there in the market is simply mind blowing! As a matter of fact merely learning about and following the numerous styles, makes, 'editions', technologies, etc. of the instrument in itself can be an engrossing past time or hobby. And only a genuine enthusiast and connoisseur can understand the value of a $25,000 Eddie Van Halen Frankenstein replica or a $17,000 Fender Custom Shop Stevie Ray Vaughan Lenny Tribute Stratocaster (one of which I could touch at a Las Vegas 'Guitar Center'!)

There is even a parallel art form of making miniature scale replicas of guitars which are interesting collectors' items for guitarists as well as non-guitarist enthusiasts. The pictures below are of such beautiful and spectacular hand made scale models of various 'famous' models and 'editions' of guitars at one of those colourful 'bazaars' in Fremantle, Perth Australia.

The little girl in the frame will give you an idea of the scale of the miniature replica guitars.

Smart Young City on Gas-Lift – Doha, Qatar

In petroleum engineering parlance gas-lift is a method of lifting oil from wells which do not have enough natural pressure in the oil bearing reservoir to bring it to surface.

Doha, the capital city of Qatar has risen from the Arabian desert sands bolstered by a skyrocketing economy driven by revenues from the huge natural gas reserves. It’s a brand new city with strange and spectacular skyscrapers that are products of the imaginations of the haute architects of the modern world.

And as with the rest of the Arabian countries of the gulf, the traditional ethos yet survive amongst the rising steel and concrete edifices.

The Waqif Souk is an interesting place to spend some of your time in Doha. You can soak in the traditional flavour of an Arabian 'souk' or bazaar, browsing through the little souvenir shops, lazying in one of the cafetarias or have a nice meal in one of the upmarket restaurants. No matter how hip or modern the inside of these places are, the facades are done up in the very traditional aesthetics.

Jal Tarang: Music from Water

That's the Jal Tarang. An ancient Indian concussion instrument comprising of a set of porcelain or bronze bowls (cups) of different sizes filled with water (coloured spectacularly here). The set consists of 15 or 22 bowls (cups), mostly only china bowls as preferred by artistes today. Water is poured into the cups and the pitch is changed by adjusting the volume of water in the cup. The number of cups depends on the melody being played. The bowls mostly are arranged in a half-circle in front of the player who can reach them all easily. The player softly hits the cups with a wooden stick on the border to get the sound.

Must be quite a task to tune this instrument!

This was in a Mumbai mall on Indian Independence Day 2009 and I was perched up in a higher floor to catch that 'top view'.

Las Vegas Surprises

In this age of Information Revolution it’s easy to become a ‘Mr. or Ms. Know-it-all’. You just have to spend some time on the internet and you can almost be there even before you are anywhere near it. Be it Youtube, Wikipedia, Googlemaps, or any such website, they can feed you with almost anything you want to know about a place. These days with the streetview option in googlemaps you can even take a virtual ride along almost any street in the developed world, specially the USA. So, well, almost nothing remains unknown when it comes to travelling to a new destination.
Yet Las Vegas surprises. Inspite of having heard, read, surfed so much about this place, it still held me in awe.