Say “cheese” ladies n gentlemen: its World Photography Day today.

Hi, so what is so special that all you budding photographers are up to today ? not much if you ask me. I think its that time of the year when you can raise a toast to none other than… yourself. Yes, you, the creator behind the lens, the worshipper of light, the alchemist of composition, trying to bend every bone in your body to get that magical POV. This day, marks the invention  of the Daguerreotype, a photographic processes developed by Louis Daguerre.  On January 9, 1839, The French Academy of Sciences announced the daguerreotype process. A few months later, on August 19, 1839, the French government announced the invention as a gift “Free to the World.” Another photographic processes, the Calotype, was also invented in 1839 by William Fox Talbot (it was announced in 1841). Together, the invention of both the Daguerreotype and Calotype mark 1839 as the year that photography was invented, also, Joseph Nicéphore Niépce created the first photograph around the same time. But I am not going to bore you stiff with facts best displayed on Wiki. The reason I feel this day,19^th august should be marked with big neon sign in ones calendar is because I believe today one should take an opportunity to hold back, close your eyes, turn around and reflect on how time just flew by in front of your  lens.

                                  We as photographers are constantly in turmoil. In search of the next adventure, the next big model, the next big project. Sometimes I feel we take the words “My best photo is the one I’m going to click next” quiet too literally. With the advent of digital tech, even my pet iguana wants to be a photographer..!! The speed at which people are thinking/executing/exhibiting /selling photographic art Is fast approaching the boundaries of possibility. We are forgetting far too many things than we can remember. The attention span is nanoseconds at best. Where is the time..!!

Take a deep breath, lets ponder. What possibly makes a photograph different? Why does photography as an activity even exist? As of now, there’s hardly anything unseen, any place unexplored, any composition untried in the thousands of years of history of visual art. It’s the ability to freeze a moment in time which would have otherwise been lost in the mundane life, and be able to derive visual and intellectual pleasure from it later on what makes photos so special.

                                    Our mind remembers life in images, not in moving video clips. Visually, we memorize things by its color, texture, emotion, expression and context. It is the ability to preserve that experience that makes photography so special..! Imagine you are out near a fountain with your toddler. The splash of at water on his little face can be enjoyed best when you can fully absorb the sight at the leisure of your couch, may be a few years later, with that same young man now sitting besides you. The same moment would have otherwise been lost while worrying about your tiny tot catching fever or breaking a tooth while you were at it actually. Many events in history would probably have not been that impactful without images.

We celebrate photography every time we pick up the camera , isn’t it? Turn the tables around today. Kiss your camera (not a sloppy one;-), spend some time hearing its nuts and bolts again, get your own pictures clicked, meet and share pictures of people you must have clicked with them, go to your fav places just to chillax, rather than shoot.
ENJOY.

Thanks for dropping by, would love to hear from you..!

Happy ? Independence day.

Not long before I remember gladly watching the the T.V. and unfurling the flag on two days of the year. I used to feel special and glad about the whole country being painted with the tri-color. But then, primary education ended, the ‘Civics’ text book took a back seat in some remote corner of my memory, left to wither in solitary confinement. By this time I had also understood the meanings of the terms corruption, politician,inflation,land mafia, diesel mafia, terrorism, scandals, bomb blasts, reservation, Right To Information, etc etc…..cut to today, when in the backdrop of violence and unrest I fail to realize the ‘happy’ and ‘independence’ angle of the whole ‘happy independence day’ celebration.

when I think over it, I can only share happiness today with Indias citizens who have  been bearing the grind for so many years. With its soldiers who still believe in dedicating their lives for the country. With a few people who are taking the heat head on. With the few people in the govt. machinery who are still trying to keep the extinct species of honesty alive..

my words fail me now. The independence from the evils of corruption and violence would actually be a worth celebrating occasion.

This is a song by a band called the “Indian Ocean” which beautifully presents the topsy turvy state of affairs in this country :

Published.

This picture clicked by me got published as as center spread in the above magazine.

The story the picture represents is about online groups which meet up in real life and carry out interesting activities.

you can find the original picture here :

http://www.flickr.com/phot​os/vishaltomarphotography/​5855331019/in/photostream

the article can be found here :

www.youthincmag.com/index.​aspx

To live for sunshine, freedom and a little flower….

When I was writing this post, it was all meant to be a food for thought kind of experience regarding simple people that I come across pretty often and wind up with interesting experiences to share. But then something happened on the 13th of July 2011 and suddenly my thoughts about happiness, violence, wars over barren lands, nuclear weapons and murders to cover the truth; developed a meaning much deeper than human mind can decipher. Why do we do it ?how did we reach here ? what drives us to kill ? are we still more of animals than human beings ? are we sure that someday we would not die of our own mis-deeds ? While all it takes to be happy are simple and still, free pleasures of life….

Not to mention the havoc human race can raise over ego clashes among leaders, fight for religious supremacy, hunger to govern the masses… sounds like a race to value anything else more than human life itself. Amidst all this despair, anger and frustration are we the common people even counted..or becoming the baddest beast of the jungle only ensures a life less hassled.

P.S.  a quote I had read just struck me : “Often people attempt to live their lives backwards; they try to have more things, or more money, in order to do more of what they want, so they will be happier. The way it actually works is the reverse. You must first be who you really are, then do what you need to do, in order to have what you want.”

                                                                                                – Margaret Young

Thanks for dropping by, would love to hear from you..!!

Wilderess in my backyard

Who doesn’t love rains..!! but you go all the more bonkers when you realizes that a heavenly scape like this was residing right in you backyard and you had no clue about it.!!

This brings us to another trip with Mumbai Weekend Shoot. This time, the place is Asangaon, a far flung suburb of Mumbai, practically untouched with the evils of industrialization (almost). i happen to live close to this place, but never imagined it to be such a picturesque treat. The day was full of discovering new landscapes, jaw dropping landscapes, creatures of more colors than this LCD screen, pristine air and a camera to go with..what more could you ask for..!

Till now, all I new was that this was a place from where people travel every morning for hours to reach the business districts of Mumbai, and come home in the evening to their humble abode.

ISO 6400 ! kudos EOS.!!

yess..there is no match to a piping hot cup of tea, some hot snacks and a photo-walk in the countryside to go with

I like my landscapes dramatic and heavy, impactful, larger than life. HDRs come in handy especially for such pictures.

The Monarch

After we reached Asangaon, many of us scattered away to different places to leave nothing unexplored.
Me and some of my friends decided to walk to a near by temple called Manas Mandir, I had heard about. It is a Jain temple situated in the lap of blossoming green hills. The walk to it was certainly our best decision for the day.

This man could have easily been me. Even I was lost in thoughts throughout the whole journey. I had heard about the place quiet often as trains regularly stop here, but had no idea what to expect..plus it was raining like crazy a few moments back, I had almost dropped the plan.

Hope you enjoying your monsoon too..! thanks for dropping by.

Comments and critique invited.!!

Pictures from the Palki 2011.

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