THE MAGIC OF KALA GHODA ARTS FESTIVAL, MUMBAI.

THE MAGIC OF KALA GHODA ARTS FESTIVAL, MUMBAI.

Mumbai occupies a special place in my heart - not because my photo-artist son, Ritam lives there, but because this great city shows a indomitable spirit and does not know how to lose heart in spite of whatever hurdle comes its way ! I salute this city for more reasons than one. In fact, I expressed my admiration for this great city through my earlier Blog posting dated 27 May 2013. This time, my posting is on the famous "Kala Ghoda Arts Festival" held annually for 9 days during end-January/early-February in the Kala Ghoda area of south Mumbai, India.

Since its inception in 1999, Kala Ghoda Festival claims to be the largest multicultural festival with a kaleidoscope of carnivals consisting of street stalls, eateries, magic, entertainments, music, dance, theatre, photography, painting, sculptures, literature, films, workshops for children and adults, heritage walks and what not ! Even prestigious galleries in the Rampart Row area in Mumbai - the Jehangir Art Gallery, the David Sasson Library, the National Gallery of Modern Art, Max Muellar Bhavan, Elphinston College and others offer their premises to host various exhibitions and shows. Thousands of visitors from not just from the city, but from all over India and the world visit Kala Ghoda in order to relish the flavor of the great extravaganza.

Photography is allowed almost everywhere and you can take any or all of your photo gears to shoot "Kala Ghoda", but I would prefer to walk light and would carry my SLR camera fitted with a short zoom of 18-55 mm or 18-70 mm for the best of comfort and convenience. Using 'Flash on camera' is entirely one's own prerogative.

Today, I introduce before you, this great carnival and fair of Kala Ghoda through few of my pictures captured consecutively for two years. Please feel free to post your comments or criticisms by clicking the "No Comments/Comments" button below.

Happy viewing...

EXPLORING THE BEAUTY OF CHANDNI CHOWK AND JAMA MASJID IN DELHI.

EXPLORING THE BEAUTY OF CHANDNI CHOWK AND JAMA MASJID IN DELHI.

Another Sunday... another day off from my Blog ! I was away from the routine of writing my daily post. Today I am back again... and that too with stories on Chandni Chowk and Jama Masjid near the Lal Quila (Red Fort) in old Delhi. I have visited Delhi at every opportunity and in fact, have lost counts of my visits to this great city. Almost every time, I made it a point to frequent the charming Chandni Chowk in old Delhi area in order to have the tastes of delicious Paranthas,  Biriyanis, Kebabs and Firnis from the roadside eateries or at Karim's.

Chandni Chowk or the moonlit square, as it was named during the reins of the Mughal emperor Shahjahan was designed and established by none other than his favorite daughter, princess Jahanara in 1650 A.D. One of the major trading places in old Delhi, the Chandni Chowk is famous for its 'galis' or lanes, of which the 'Paranthewale Gali' is very famous for the paranthas. Today, Chandni Chowk stands at the crossroads in time joining the old medieval era with the modern times. The iconic 17th century mosque, Jama Masjid is also situated in Chandni Chowk and stands testimony to the excellence of Mughal architecture. Let's visit these areas through some of my pictures.

Cameras are allowed inside the Jama Masjid complex on payment of a fee, but make sure, you do not make attempts to encroach into the restricted areas inside the Masjid complex and always be respectful to the customs and rituals practiced by the devotees. Women are normally not allowed to enter inside the Jama Masjid complex after dusk. But, I can assure you that a visit to the great places of Chandni Chowk and the Jama Masjid will be remembered by you for a long time. Happy viewing...

ANGELS OF PARADISE... OR DEVILS IN DISGUISE?

ANGELS OF PARADISE... OR DEVILS IN DISGUISE?

Some of us affectionately call them the "Angels of paradise". And others - "Devils in disguise"! And both the groups have reasons to justify their statements. Children - cute, naughty, playful, affectionate, unpredictable... even devilish! But all of them - lovable. It is difficult to predict their moods... and their movements! They giggle, they smile, laugh, weep, cry, they throw tantrums, they imitate our activities, they throw away things, they try to draw attention all the time or they want to be just alone. But whatever they do, they do it in their own inimitable style.

Photographing children is one of the most difficult task for a photographer. They are continuously moving or running - thus making it difficult to properly focus or to fix 'exposures'. Every now and then, they have 'mood swing' and it becomes extremely difficult to capture the mood we want to capture. The angels (or devils?) are never ready to give a 'pose'. O my gosh! How can one press the shutter at the right moment? Needless to say, photographing children needs patience, and tact on the part of the photographer. Beware!!!!!

Give them space. Take them to a place where the child feels comfortable and at home. Allow them time to get relaxed. And keep the camera controls ready beforehand. Set your camera to Auto or Programmed Mode. Set the lens to Auto-focus. Get the 'flash' ready to fire at the right moment, if need be. And 'click' the shutter at the right moment. With a little experience, it will be possible to use a 'large aperture' with a proportionate 'speed' to have the correct 'exposure' with your camera. A large aperture will throw the clustered background out-of-focus, keeping the child in 'right focus'. But, don't worry, any camera - compact, SLR or mobile is good enough to capture the angels of paradise (or devils in disguise?) to your satisfaction.

The pictures below were shot by me over a long period of time after having spent lots of  hours with them, and by showing tons of patience, perseverance and tact. Please feel free if you want to comment or criticize. Just click the "no comment/comment" button below. Happy viewing...

WHEN CLOUDS WEAVE MAGIC !

WHEN CLOUDS WEAVE MAGIC !

Wikipedia says : "In meteorology, a cloud is a visible mass of liquid droplets or frozen crystals made of water or various chemicals suspended in the atmosphere above the surface of a planetary body... Terrestrial cloud formation is the result of air in Earth's atmosphere becoming saturated due to either or both of two processes; cooling of the air and adding water vapor. With sufficient saturation, precipitation will fall to the surface; an exception is virga, which evaporates before reaching the surface."

I have always tried to study cloud formation with much interest and and also have read a  few books and papers on them to enhance my knowledge. Cirrus clouds form at 10,000 m or 30,000 ft above the earth surface and look wispy and are made up of  ice crystals which melt as they fall. Cumulus clouds appear soft and downy and they may be several kilometers thick and are formed by rising thermals. Stratus clouds are low, flat and extensive. Light continuous rain may be associated with them. Cumulonimbus clouds develop from cumulus when the top layers freeze. They bring snow and rain. In the tropics, they may be 20 km or 11 miles deep.

Shooting clouds do not demand an expensive camera or too many sophisticated lens or accessories. At the most, a wide angle lens fitted into an SLR may be helpful. You'll have to read the "cloud pattern", choose your composition and shoot. An occasional or deliberate underexposure by one to two stops may add more 'drama' into the cloudscapes... and that's all.

I am no specialist in this subject, but the clouds have ever attracted me in their various colors, shapes and formations and whenever possible, I tried to capture them with my camera. The pictures below were taken by me over a span stretching two years or more. Your comments/criticisms are always welcome and you may click the "comments/no comments" button below to register these.

Happy viewing...