Life through a lens

A new incarnation for "Life through a lens"

2007-11-14T22:22:00.000-08:00

Last night, I set up a blog on my custom domain. Just trying out wordpress....visit my latest blog with a different look and feel. I will be customizing this over the next few months. I intend to use the new blog to continue posting.

Moments meander around Gwalior Fort

2007-09-28T12:30:00.000-07:00

I visited Gwalior Fort again. It has been overcast and rainy the past few days but the Sun decided to shine again today, maybe, to mark the occasion of World Tourism Day. With Dada and Bobby, I drove up to Fort from Urwai Ghati instead of my usual hike up from the Gwalior Gate of the Fort. I had brought photos of Kushwahji and others that I had taken on my previous trips to the Fort and they felt happy on receiving the photos.

Man Mandir has undergone a fantastic cleanup. The blackened walls in the inside chambers have been cleaned and very few bats remain. The dark stairways leading to even darker circular dungeons now have lights as well to guide the tourists. This is where the Mughal emperor, Aurangzeb had imprisoned his brother Murad and had him executed. I took some long exposures of the dungeons and Jauhar kund.

After photographing the colorful tiles of Man Mandir Palace and visiting the chambers in Man Singh Palace, we went to see some older monuments in the Fort.

Some things never change: the desire of us mortals to leave our name etched in stone for generations to see. I have been to so many beautiful monuments and places that have inspired misguided lovers and mortals to etch their names on the walls thereby disfiguring those for others. Sometimes, all this reminds me of 'Ozymandias' by PB Shelley or even of that beautiful song by Kansas - 'Dust in the wind' (esp the lines - "all we are is dust in the wind").

This particular graffiti looked fresh and brought to mind my surprise at seeing graffiti on Eiffel Tower in Paris. Now I really digress but I must tell you this; still cracks me up on my stupidity. Having heard so much about the graffiti and the messages for Jim Morrison on his grave, I had gone to Cimetiere du Pere-Lachaise in Paris. It started raining and finally I saw a mausoleum with people around and graffiti on the walls proclaiming how Jim is loved and lives on etc. It easily seemed the most popular tomb around and I photographed it and the music lovers from all angles. I am about to head out when I see an American tourist taking a picture of his boys in front of a comparatively small grave behind the tomb. Wondering whose grave it was, I check out the tombstone. Lo and behold! It was Jim Morrison's! Having gone all the way to the cemetery, I had almost missed out the grave that I wanted to see. You can imagine how foolish I must have felt.

Anyways, back to Gwalior Fort: I sought out some of my favorite views of Vikram Mandir, ShahJahan Mahal and Karan Mahal.

I keep returning, hoping to find better, more dramatic light. Still have not found what I am looking for but hope remains. I am sure I will be back again, to relive the moments I have spent with near and dear ones while walking, playing around the monuments in the Fort. The clock keeps ticking as this very moment passes us by. 'Dust in the wind', indeed!

Calm in the Ripples

2007-07-28T00:52:00.001-07:00

I saw this solitary swimmer floating in a pool surrounded by ripples in the water.

It reminded of the countless hours spent swimming in the Beldih club pool in Jamshedpur, India. When it rained, other folks would go inside the club building. Most of the times, I would be the solitary swimmer in the pool.

Have you ever had a swim when it is raining? Imagine yourself in a pool as raindrops fall, one after the other, on your face, as the body floats in the blue waters. I always felt a strange exhilaration, calm, at peace with myself.

A day at San Francisco Carnaval

2007-05-31T23:45:00.000-07:00

'Was an overcast day for the San Francisco Carnaval parade in mission district this year. After the parade, I went to the street festival on Harrison St. I have not been doing any street photography for quite some time. I have always liked meeting and photographing strangers on the streets. The photos in this post incorporate the colorful murals along Harrison.

Gwalior Fort

2007-02-27T11:47:00.000-08:00

I visited the Scindia School after what seems like ages. The drive up to the fort via the steep Urwai ghati brought back memories of the days spent at the school. The old houses (our hostels) still look the same with the trees that seem as young as ever. I remember hurling my hockey stick at the tamarind tree in front of Jeevaji house for some juicy imlis. Sometimes, the stick would get entangled in the old limbs of the trees only to be rescued by the forceful strike of another stick borrowed from a housemate. And then, we would rush to the games fields with pockets full of the loot, content. Ah, those beautiful moments remain as fresh in my memories...

We visited Astachal with the statue of Mahatma Gandhi, the young eucalyptus tree and remembered looking at the old ramparts of the fort in the background as the sun went down over the hills beyond the fort walls. I remembered Mr Chatterjee with reverberations of his voice as he sang - "surya ast ho gaya..gagan mast ho gaya...pag pag hum gaate chalein...aha gaate...aha gaate" (The sun has gone down...the sky is rosy and ecstastic..we are singing with every step..."). It looked just the same but there were no boys, no roll-call and no school astachal this evening.

Also, I finally got to see the light and sound show in the vicinity of the beautiful Man-mandir built by Raja Man Singh. As the deep voice of Amitabh Bachchan started the narration of the chequered history of this famous fortress at Gwalior, multicolored lights spot-lighted the historical buildings around the area one by one as the sound-bytes changed.
A mild winter breeze blew as I sat on the edge of the wall, trying to keep my camera steady and wishing I had brought my tripod with me. I was under the impression that photography with-or-without flash was not allowed. The lights of the Gwalior city below, twinkling like stars, winked telling me that I will be back again.

Yuyi's Carnaval Portrait featured on San Francisco Arts Commission website

2007-02-22T00:45:00.000-08:00

It was a pleasant surprise to see my photograph of Yuyi featured on the website of San Francisco Arts Commission.

Maybe one day, I will get a grant to pursue my photography projects too. :)

Mirror, mirror on the wall...

2007-01-06T23:22:00.000-08:00

Mirror conjures dreams
dreams mirror the inner self
the simple, muddled, lucid dreams...

I see you...
looking at me in my dreams
Mirror, mirror on the wall
am I dreaming after all?

Invoking the Spirits: Happy New Year 2007!

2006-12-31T23:59:00.000-08:00

Driving back from Lake Berryessa, I saw this beautiful oak tree shorn of the leaves. So, we decided to stop and invoke the spirits for all happiness everywhere. Here's wishing all of you a very Happy New Year!

Apache Indian at Scorpio Ball

2006-11-30T23:52:00.000-08:00

I have been guilty of keeping too busy yet again. Couple of weeks back, I attended the Scorpio ball in San Francisco as a photographer. Although, I would love to be dancing but taking pictures is what I love more than anything else. The decor by Bonnie and folks was fantastic...a rainforest had been created and superb music permeated the mind.

Till I post the pics, I thought I would share a picture of an Apache Indian at the Scorpio ball. The red and green light coupled with no flash is what makes this photo for me. I loved it! What do you think?

Surya: Burning man 2006

2006-10-31T23:56:00.000-08:00

The last couple of months have been incredibly busy. Just haven't had the energy to post anything for a while. It's halloween and this time I did not go to San Francisco to take pictures.

This was also the first year I went to burning man in Black Rock desert. I have been to two Kumbh melas and this was the closest to Kumbh mela. I was there for only two and a half days and sure hope I get to go again. There was so much energy and art around; I loved it! I slept about four hours each night getting back after my feet hurt - tottering back to my tent with my camera bag which felt even heavier. I met some real nice and cool people at burning man. Having had this experience, I can officially call myself a 'burner'. :)

At the belgian burn, I met Surya, resplendent in a dazzling silver dress. She is a rafter and a real estate agent and very kindly agreed to pose. I am posting two images that I took of her. More pictures of some cool people to follow on my website...hopefully soon!

Happy Halloween to you! Take pictures and don't get spooked.

Spreading happiness around...

2006-08-31T23:39:00.000-07:00

A few days back, I photographed my friend Henrik and Mina's wedding.

Henrik was a lieutenant in Swedish air-force and looked dashing in his airforce dress. Mina, tall and pretty, complemented him. The wedding was a small family affair in a quaint little church in Sausalito. Henrik called me last month to ask if I would photograph his wedding. Ofcourse, I was more than happy that he would ask me to photograph their special day. After the wedding, I took them to Marin headlands overlooking the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco bay area for a few portraits. As usual, it was windy and cold. I was hoping to see a golden gate swathed in sunlight. But, when it is warm inland, the cold rushes in along with fog. So, braving the wind and cold and accepting compliments from the usual swarm of tourists, they posed for a few pictures. Happy and so in love with each other, they spread the happiness around. Henrik and Mina - I wish you both a very happy married life!

The feeling Called Love

2006-07-21T22:33:00.000-07:00

The Feeling Called Love...certainly shines through in this photo I took last year at Tim and Giuliane's wedding. I had been going through some of the photographs and portraits I took at their wedding last year and thought I'll share it with you.

Photographing a wedding is fun, yet stressful and tiring. One needs to be mentally alert all the time to capture the fleeting moments that would not come again. A photographer really does not have any time to relax during a wedding except maybe during a quick dinner interrupted by more pictures. So why shoot a wedding? Just because...for a people-lover like me, a wedding is a chance to capture some spontaneous moments filled with love and happiness. And that's the reason why I shoot weddings sometimes, mostly for friends and acquaintances. It is hard work but very satisfying when the couple like your work. In this post, I'll just share some portraits that I liked of Tim and Giuliane.

We had gone to a beach next to Golden Gate Bridge where I wanted to capture their exuberance. This was after the wedding day as they wanted some more portraits. We stopped at Lucas Arts Campus in Presidio for some photographs. I really wanted to photograph them with Golden Gate as a backdrop. After Presidio, we went to the beach. Light was getting low and had me wishing we had more time. And, it was cold as usual in San Francisco. Tim and Giuliane braved it all and I got to capture some dynamic portaits along with their happy, sporty attitude.

I love this shot of the couple in the church with Jesus seemingly blessing their vows. The light in the church is usually dim and here's where the fast lenses come in handy. The lighting inside can be daunting but ofcourse that's where one rises to the challenge.

The next two portraits were taken after the ceremony when we were off to reception at the Golden Gate Yacht club. Oh, and this was the first time I actually got to ride in a limousine. That could be another reason - shoot a wedding and got to ride in a limo. :)

I really like this B/W portrait of Giuliane with the veil happily fluttering with the wind. There is something about B/W that imparts a timeless feel to a frame. Just two minutes before this, Giuliane was very cold and feeling tired; wanted to rush to the reception. I told her that I would like two really nice shots and we may not have a chance to shoot their portrait again. Suddenly, she was not cold anymore and took charge posing with effortless ease of a model. I was pleasantly surprised and happy with the energy that was being revealed though my camera shutter.

This portrait shows a tenderness as they are about to kiss, a kiss full of love.

And that is precisely what I love when shooting a wedding...all that energy and the air filled with this feeling called love.

SF Carnaval Portraits

2006-06-13T18:18:00.000-07:00

Drum beats and colorful dancers. Add a gorgeous day to the mix and this would sum up the San Francisco Carnaval parade this year. I chose to drive and got to the parade bright and early and walked to where the participants were warming up, getting ready for the parade. Along the way, met a photographer friend and we walked some ways together, ready for a long day taking pictures.

I always want to shoot portraits but then, I am also interested in action portraits of the beautiful people dancing. Ofcourse, it's another story that I end up liking the posed portraits much more. Maybe, next year, if I am around to photograph the parade, I'll shoot more portraits instead of action. Or maybe not. I am too fickle, maybe too moody.

I met the three musketeers warming up next to the gray wall.

Yuyi, my friend, is an accomplished artist. You can see some of her illustration work on Yuyi's site.

I met Nina with her friends at the Carnaval wall in Mission district. This was her first time participating in the parade.

Monique is the reigning queen of SF Carnaval 2006. Dressed in bright fluorescent green feathers, apparently her creation, flashes me her brilliant smile.

Christy has a beautiful smile with dimples. Dancing with her contingent, Mara Reggae, she stopped briefly, to allow me to compose the picture.

Kim Anderson sashayed down the Mission street with the Mara Reggae troupe. She has has an infectious personality with a ready smile, makes you want to take a picture of her.

Throughout the day, my senses have an overload of visual and auditory stimulations. And, I keep on shooting. At the end of the day, after I am back home, I feel dehydrated, sunburnt, yet happy with a long day's shoot. It energizes my spirits. Does photography energize you too?

Royalty of San Francisco Carnaval 2006

2006-04-11T23:01:00.000-07:00

I have been away from the blog for quite some time. To make amends, here are some images from the King and Queen contest of San Francisco Carnaval 2006. If you like, see many more unprocessed proofs in my event galleries.

Carnaval is always colorful with fantastic rhythms, music and spirited dancing by the beautiful people.

In the first photo, Cristianne Marina Junqueira of Aquarela is caught up in the carnaval spirit.

Though it looks cool, it's very difficult to take a photo when the only light seems to be red. I wish the light folks would mix some yellow, green or blue light as red does not seem to register very well on the film/sensor. This is one of the images I liked.

Luis Fernando, the newly crowned king of SF Carnaval is all smiles with his electrifying moves.

I chatted with the newly crowned queen, Monique Perry after the event when I took this picture. She was very gracious and soft-spoken. As I waited for the ballroom light to shine blue, she posed very patiently.

My congratulations to the newly crowned royalty of San Francisco Carnaval!

Dance Photography: Abhinav

2006-01-15T02:47:00.000-08:00

I love dance photography.

In Dec 2004, I was in Bangalore on an assignment. It was the last evening of Bangalore Habba '04 at the Palace grounds. A grand stage was set in front of the majestic Bangalore Palace. Thanks to Inayat, I was able to photograph a spirited dance performance by Nirupama-Rajendra and Abhinava Ensemble. All the photos in this post are from that performance.

I have been thinking of putting up a portfolio of dance photography on my website. Over the past two years, I've photographed quite many dance performances but I have just not been able to share the pictures on the web. Slowly, I am gleaning pictures from those performances.

Have you seen the studio photography of RJ Muna? About two and a half years back, I saw his dance photography. Even though those were studio images, my heart yearned to shoot dance performances. His images inspired me to shoot dance.

Photographing dance performances is fun and challenging as well. One has to shoot without flash, have fast film speed, an arsenal of fast lenses and like everything, you learn to anticipate movements and shoot on instinct.

Long back, I read somewhere -
"Work like You don't need the money.
Love like You've never been hurt.
Dance like nobody's watching."

Maybe, I should add to this -
"Photograph something like you've never seen it before."

Happy New Year!

2006-01-02T02:23:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to you all!

Driving on the road, my brother and I saw this group of horses on the hill.
My brother says -"wow brother! this is cool. You should take a picture of this. "
And I want to stop too. So I ask - "Well, may I?"
W are on our way somewhere and I feel bad stopping in the middle.

So, I stop, take a few pictures and start back on the road. I am stopped at the traffic light when I see the horses running. The camera and the lens is still handy and I quickly shot three frames before the light turned green. I really wished I was not in the middle lane stopping the traffic.

I remember a poster I saw way back when in college which said - "To get the most out of life, paddle slowly." Most of the times, it is not the destination but the journey that matters, don't you think?

Memories of a Geisha

2005-12-25T02:38:00.000-08:00

Not keeping well the past couple of days, it was not very pleasant to be in bed all the time. I usually keep fit so the sudden fever, cold and cough totally caught me unawares. I utilized the time by reading when I had the strength. I just finished the "Memoirs of a Geisha" by Arthur Golden. It is a totally engrossing novel and very well researched. Being set in Gion district in Kyoto, it brought back memories of my visit to this part of Kyoto in August 2005.

I had a long day walking and shooting pictures as usual and since all the beautiful temples closed around 4:30 pm, I decided to see if I would be lucky to see a Geisha or an apprentice-Geisha. I had heard of the famous Geisha district of Gion and about how one might see a Geisha rushing to an engagement in Gion. When I reached this street called Hanami-koji, I felt as if I had been transported to another world altogether, devoid of flashy neon signs with beautiful traditional Japanese architecture of teahouses with paper screens and wood. I walked up and down carrying my heavy camera bag but it didn't seem that I would be lucky to see a Geisha that night.

About Hanami-koji...Shimogama-san told me - "koji means street,hana is flower,mi is seeing". Among the interesting people I met in Hanami-koji were Shimogama-san and his steady, Sukada-san who were visiting from Kobe. They were taking pictures of each other using a cell phone and seeing them in traditional yukata, I wanted to photograph them too. Both of them loved the pictures I sent them. In the picture, Sukada-san looks lovely in the light of a paper lamp hanging outside a teahouse.

I also met Yurika-san and Yuka-san who I photographed with their camera. Then, I asked if I could also take their photograph. It turned out that they were friends of Sukada-san. As I was changing to a wide-angle lens to take a picture of them, suddenly the screen-door to the teahouse opened and there stood a lovely Geisha, looking flustered to find me sitting on the door, changing a lens. I was stunned too and by the time I recovered to ask her permission to take a picture, she was gone. Uhhh....I missed it!

Anyways, I walked quite a bit more and then, I saw a Geisha and a Maiko (apprentice-Geisha) walking with a patron of theirs. Lot of young girls were excitedly trying to take a picture of them with small cell-phones and ofcourse, they missed it. The patron saw those girls and asked the Geishas to stop for a picture for them. They stopped since the patron had asked them but now, their beautiful smiles were not visible for the camera. I also took a couple of pictures of them before they walked away. As they walked, their smiles were back. One day, I'll get to photograph a smiling Geisha too.

If you have a chance, read - "Memoirs of a Geisha" - you might like it. And, if reading does not interest you, see the movie based on the novel which is out in the theaters.

Talking of theaters, let's see when I get to post the pics of the dance troupe from Osaka that I took at National Theater of Japan in Tokyo.

I love experiencing different cultures and must say, I loved Japan!

A sunny winter day on Mission Peak

2005-12-16T00:39:00.000-08:00

It's supposed to be rainy season in San Francisco bay area. But, the rains continue to play hide-and-seek.

Saturday came and Sun was out inviting us for a not-so-leisurely walk up the mission peak in Fremont. It sure feels nice to be out again with my camera. The pond is still waiting for the rains to fill it up; it has filled up partially since my last visit two weeks back. With the cows stomping around, the texture looks cool.

And, ofcourse in the picture are my two favorite people discussing who gets to carry her big white jacket.

With the Sun slowly going down, the shadow of the first hill falls on the track, highlighting the dried stalks of grass. The two specs towards the left in the shadow area are two hikers coming up the hill to see the Sun going down. Reminds me of the lyrics of the Beatles' song - "The fool on the hill sees the sun going down...".

I want to stay for the sunset too. Everytime I hike the mission peak, I usually descend after the sun has gone down. And, I have seen some glorious sunsets and moonrises from here. But, this particular day, I could do with some food. :)

Could not decide whether I like the color or bw version more. Always, decisions...

Taking the easy way out, I am putting up both. Take your pick.

New beginnings...

2005-12-05T21:39:00.000-08:00

Saw the photoblog of Clay Enos and figured I could also use a blog to share random photos. Thanks Clay for the idea! Many of my friends have had blogs for a long while but I never thought of using it like Clay did. Well, better late than never.

So, I look forward to sharing photos with folks much quicker than I could before on my website. :) Here's a detail of a church photographed two days back.