Birds of Sanibel

As mentioned in my last post, I wanted to share some of the bird photography that I did during my last trip to Sanibel Island, Florida. Though Sanibel is known for great birding, I went there in December which is not an exceptional time to see birds (March- April is the best). During my short stay there, I ventured into the famous Ding Darling reserve area a number of times and also shot on the shores. This is my favorite bird shot from the trip, which was taken on the shore as the last rays of sun illuminated these busy terns and I was looking for a natural pattern, warm reflection on blue water and a great background...


Since I am not really a bird photographer, I tend to shoot birds more of a "part of landscape". That's the way I see most of the time and the intimate bird portraits are not-so-interesting for me. I also don't have any huge telephoto lens to shoot close up of shy birds. Here is one group portraits that I liked - as the grouping of pelicans formed a wonderful diagonal pattern and I waited for the middle pelican to do something - it eventually did spread its wings and fly away...



The other shot that I liked beacuse of the low angle of light made the tidal water so dark and helped the wading bird stand out nicely - adding a smooth reflection too. This one looks great on a large print..

The last shot was a very close encounter with a heron. It just posed for me for a long time - until another very loud photographer showed up with his large lens and irritated this guy away. Until then, we (the bird and me) were enjoying each others company. Observe how the curves of the branch mimics the gentle curves of the bird's body. Again I took advantage of the light to make the backgroun go dark and let the bird stand out.

Graphic sunsets from Sanibel Island

Last winter, I took a family vacation to Sanibel Island, Florida. I wanted to go there for a long time - I heard about the seashells, the birds and exceptional ocean views. The island did not disappoint at all - though it was mostly a family and relaxing trip, I did use my camera and photographed for several hours at a time to capture some of the fleeting moments. The island was not busy which made it even more wonderful to slow down and enjoy the tranquil moments.
The sky was void of any cloud on this particular evening when a gorgeous day was coming to an end. I used my Sigma 150-500 lens with a 1.4 multiplier on my D700 to shoot some really graphic shots using the ocean and the sun. The bird action was not there (I am not much of a bird shooter anyway) - so I focused on something different that I never did before. To my delight, I had some boats and a lone paddle boarder floating into my scene to help me make the most of the situation. The color of the water and reflection was just out of the world.

And the final shot...

I am planning to make a triptych with these 3 shots.

I will share some of the avian images in the next post.

Part 2 - Busting the myths on photography – Photography is NOT ALL about capturing the light

I wrote about how Photography is not really about painting with light in the last edition. But then what is it? Many claim that it is all about capturing the light. This is a claim – I have seen made by photographers from many genres – but mainly by nature and landscape photographers. I think that they sell themselves too short on making these statements.

There are photographers who create their own light – a photographer working in his studio or a commercial photographer working on location using many artificial lights, etc. But most nature photographers generally use the available light – when the light is good, the images look good. From that perspective, many have described their work as simply “chasing or stalking the light” or “light comes first, everything else is trivial” or even "I was just there when the mother nature offered me the light" , etc. I know many nature photographers do not even shoot beyond the golden hours (early morning or late afternoon when sun near the horizon). But giving all the credit for the wonderful art that they create on something (light) that they have no control over is just silly. If photography is ALL about that light – which you don’t even create or modify – then what exactly IS your role? Just be there at the right spot, at the right moment? Sounds like a hunter – rather than an artist.

Some claim that they made many hours of trek to go somewhere to shoot that location and waited for hours for that perfect light – well, that’s nothing to do with creating art. We often wrongly interpret “effort” with “artistry” – just because we spent hours to make an image, the image has to be “great” – a work of art. It really does not matter – all that matter is the end result (the photograph) – whether it can stir any emotion in the viewer, whether it can make an impact on the viewer. The impact of the image is critical – not how one created it. And if you say all that impact come from the light and the nature gave you that light – you were just there to record it …then you are selling yourself too short Mr. Documentarian.

A good photographer look for the ideal light, but he is not the slave of the light. He looks for stories, he looks for messages, he looks for design and compositions, he looks for mysterious, spiritual and unusual meaning of a scene – then he thinks of how to use the light to interpret it. Light is just a part of the equation – not THE equation. A midday shot can be powerful if it tells a story, a beautiful sunset shot can be just a pretty and soul-less image without any impact on the viewer

We should all think about it when we go out to shoot next time – light is your friend, light is NOT your master. Use it to make great images; don’t let it overpower your thoughts. And, don’t ever under-sell yourself claiming that it was ALL about the great light that you FOUND – as that does not make you an artist. Great light can make an ordinary image look good, it does not make it great or anything extra-ordinary. So stop chasing the light, and start chasing your inner vision and artistic goals.

Busting the myths on photography – Photography is NOT painting with light

There are many myths and general perception on Photography. Some of these myths even generated from practitioners and artists of the medium – others from observers, admirers or critics. The biggest problem with Photography is everyone has an opinion about it – because it’s such a “public” art. This vast amount of opinions has created a lot of confusion and misunderstandings about the medium. It’s one of the most talked about and at the same time least understood medium of arts you will ever find out there.

One such a big myth is “Photography is painting with light”. Now, the word “Photography” literally means that – painting with light. So no argument there. But whatever was the reason for the origin, photography is as far from “painting” as it can be. Lets explore it in a little more details.

A painter starts with an empty canvas or paper – and then adds her elements (color, brushstrokes, etc.) to create objects or abstractions to form an image. Photography is completely opposite – the photographer starts with a scene full of existing objects – she selects which one to show in her rectangular frame and she selects the viewpoint and light for appropriate messaging. Painting is additive, photography is subtractive.

Painting is also about imagination. A lot of painters do not even follow a scene – they draw from their memories, blending various impressions and ideas together. A photographer has less room for such imagination. She has to work with whatever given to her. She uses her skills in a completely different way – by analyzing the scene or object, by understanding what she wants to show about it and by understanding her options to do so. Painting is imaginative, photography is analytical.

Painting is also less about the equipments. A simple canvas, some pigments, a brush or pencil – is all that a painter really needs to create a masterpiece. A photographer needs serious equipments – even a simple camera on the market represents and embodies hundreds of years of scientific and technological progress that mankind has made. A good photographer often has a very scientific mind – if not, at least a learning and intuitive mind to understand how the complex thing in her hand works. The technology is becoming easy to use – but still more you know about it, the easier it gets. Painters do not have to worry about this too much.
Only true similarity between painting and photography is the output – both results in a 2-D piece of art –on paper or canvas or similar media – representing a personal portrait, or a natural scene or a an abstract or whatever. Sometimes photography can be very painterly – depending on the subject and light. Sometimes painting can be very photographic – if the painter’s intention was to produce something very real. The comparison ends there in appearance.

Now, about the “light” in the “painting with light”. Unless you are a studio photographer using strobes and flashes or you are light painter (a type of photography where one captures a scene in the dark and uses some kind of light sources to “paint” a subject), photographers have very little control over light. They are a patient bunch – they wait for their turn. They wait for the light to work in their favor – they can wait for hours, days, years – for that fraction of seconds when they press the shutter to get the light they want. A painter paints her own light – no need to go out there in wee hours and waiting for the best light – though they have learned how to do create the light using their tools and that may take years. Because a painting is created from nothing, a painter has more flexibility in creation. A photographer is always given something and trying to overcome the restrictions or making a sense of it.

So, Photography has little to do with “painting” or “painting with light”. In fact, I think that one medium that you can compare photography with is sculptures. It sounds not too intuitive – right? But a sculptor starts with a piece of rock or other materials – and then gets rid of the parts that she does not need and ends up with a work of art (I make it sound very simple – oversimplification is my passion!). Photography works the same way – start with a scene you like and subtract the elements that does not fit your message (lighting is also a part of the scene…if you don’t have the ideal light, either create it or wait for it to happen).
Photography is NOT painting with light. But is it all about light? The next myth that’s out there “Photography is all about capturing the light”. I will tackle that next…stay tuned.

Photography Exhibition in MasterCard's Corporate Building

I opened an exhibition today inside Corporate Headquarter of MasterCard Worldwide in Purchase, NY (where I happen to have a full time job as well :)

The exhibition is on India - there are 8 photographs framed and displayed. There was a CEO panel in the morning (where MA CEO Ajay Banga, D&B CEO Sara Mathew and MA Board member Jack Tai talked about Diversity and Leadership - great talk BTW) - my displays were outside the Auditorium for that event and had a formal opening. Later we moved the exhibition in the lobby so that all the MasterCard employees will be able to enjoy it for the rest of the month (May). I already heard very good feedback from many - looks like everyone loved the concept and enjoying the pieces a lot.

Here are some shots...

Putnam Arts Council show and thoughts on Photography among other medium of arts

I submitted some of my work for the Katonah Museum of Arts’ Artist Association’s annual competition sometimes ago. They selected one of my work and along with another 20+ pieces, the work (Top Station) is now on display in the Putnam Arts Council, in Mahopac (http://www.putnamartscouncil.com/).
I went to the opening reception last Saturday and not too surprised to find that my work is the only photography work. All others are painting, mixed media or sculpture – all very high quality, thought provoking and visually striking. I loved the exhibition – loved the mix, the ideas, the range and the artistic adventures that I saw there. The show will be on display for rest of the month (May) – I will highly recommend a visit to anyone in the area.
For me, it was a great thing to see my own work among other top quality works. This also reminds me how photography, specially nature or landscape photography, is yet to find its place in the mainstream. One artist mentioned that how the pieces are unique and non-traditional – except my piece, but even that has a very non-traditional look. Art, as viewed by most critics and knowledgeable observers (should I call them “elistist”?), has to be some sorts of interpretation of what we see or what we feel or something more abstract. Photography, on the other hand, is too real – it just captures a scene with incredible details. The photographer has much less room to inject her imagination and interpretation than any other forms of arts.
The argument is undeniable – photographers also fall into this very trap and they often claim that they captured “the reality”. It’s a double edged sword – if a photographer manipulate the photo too much, she is blamed for cheating; if she captures the true reality, she is discarded for not creating the art.
My particular work, Top Station, is a photograph which captured a very dramatic scene with an even more dramatic light. But I have used Photoshop to enhance, emphasize and elaborate the vision that I had – am I a cheater? Don’t know – but looks like I did create a piece of art that was selected by other artists (mostly from other mediums) and was placed in the show with the same due respect.
You need recognition to create art – you also need vision and execution. Don’t let the muddy debate of digital processing hinder your creativity – do whatever it takes to express yourself. Photography has moved beyond the documentary medium a long time ago – so move on, think, visualize and create.

Thought of the day

A bengali poet once said "It does not matter if the flowers are blooming or not, today is spring". The feeling matters, not the objects....same is very true for photography or any medium or art. You dont need a pretty subject or object to shoot, if you are feeling it, go for it

Photography in this age

During the last few years, I have wondered, studied, discussed and analyzed this a lot - where is the photography going? More importnatly where it is now? There is no easy answer. But more you think about it, you will understand it is a fast moving space.

Only a few decades ago, photography was more of a science - not recognized as a form of art. Over the years, certain genres of photography have made inroads into the mainstream of arts, but at the same time, the technology has completely changed the medium. The days of darkroom and cumbersome equipments are gone - now slick, modern, highly capable and easily affordable cameras are everywhere. The democratization of photography has made the profession of photography very competitive, but it has also attracted a lot of talents and new ideas. I believe that the digital age will open the floodgate of photography and will firmly establish photography as a more mainstream art in the future.

Unlike many other medium of arts, photography is not easily understood by many. Why? Beacuse it's so obvious. You pick up the camera, you aim to something and click - you have an image. Where's the art in it? A painter imagines, uses pencil and/or brush strokes for hours to finish a work, A sculptor works hours with her materials and after meticulous hours of work, produces a piece of art. Compare to that, a photographer's work seems simple to public. Photography is also the most "realist" of all arts - these are some of the key reasons why many did not and even still do not consider photography as a serious art.

The extreme progress in technology now helps anyone with decent knowledge of camera and some photographic eyes produce pretty nice looking images. How do a "photographic artist" differentiate themselves from these works? How will they demand the attention and higher respect for the work they do - for which, they spend a lot of time in creation, preparation, training and pre-visualizing/planning. Simple - it has to be much better, stronger and powerful than the "normal" stuff. Period.

So - what am I trying to say? I am simply saying that this is going to be the golden age of photography. Talented photographers are now being pushed by millions of amateurs, wanna-bes - which is a bad thing for the professionals out there, but very good for the "art" of photography. With all respect for the old masters, just wait to see what the new masters offer - I expect that the new stuff will be far more exciting.

Restarting the blog

After a long break, I am restarting the blog. I started writing about 3 years ago, but then abruptly stopped. Not sure why? I like writing, I like expressions, but I guess that I became too busy. I was trying to make some progress as a photographer - started working on a book project, I had my son born in 2007.....all those took a toll.

But I like to start writing again. It's refreshing. I used to only write before about my travel experieneces and photography - may be I will be much more broad based now. But still, I will still like to keep it focus on photography-related topics.

Stay tuned for more