Tagore's thoughts in images - An interpretation.

When I had read “Gitanjali” the very first time, I was in high-school. I had received the masterpiece as one of my prizes for the Best Student of the School Award. All through these years, I have read the poems of the book for several times, and still, it has not lost its charm. I am a huge admirer of Rabindranath Tagore, the philosopher, the poet, the creator of the National anthem of India (& Bangladesh too).

To Indians, Tagore needs no introduction. But as many readers of this blog are non-Indians too, who may not know him, let me add here that he was the first Nobel laureate from Asia winning the prestigious honor for his collection of poems, “Gitanjali”, in 1913.

I am in absolute awe of the way he has contemplated nature and life through his simple but surreal words…And therefore while creating photographs, unknowingly or knowingly I keep getting inspired by those words. 

Here is a collection of some of my photographs where I have attempted to translate some short jottings of Gurudev Tagore into the form of images.

(1)

 

I do not ask thee into the house.

Come into my infinite loneliness, my lover.

(From:"Stray birds")

 

 (2)

”What language is thine, O Sea?”

“The language of eternal question.”

“What language is Thy, O Sky?”

“The language of eternal silence”

(From: "Stray birds")

(3)

 

The earth looks up at the midnight moon and muses,

‘What language is this she speaks,

When she wordlessly smiles and gazes?’

(From:"Jottings")

(4)

The leaves of the trees,

In the spring and the rains,

Tell a tale

Of which nothing remains

 

When they fall

To blend with the soil

(From:"Sparks")

(5)

 

"How may I sing to thee and worship, O Sun?" 

asked the little flower.

"By the simple silence of thy purity," answered the sun.

(From:"Stray birds")

Images & Article Copyrights © 2012 Gyaneshwari Dave

A Telephoto Lens For iPhone!

So you are enjoying your iPhone camera, but don’t you wish you could zoom more, that it had a Telephoto lens? 

Well, in case you did not know this, at around $35 you can actually attach an 8X Telephoto lens to your iPhone4/4S.

Looks like some seriously handy stuff to me... 

Here is a nice hands-on review of this lens:

For once you can slip your “Telephoto Lens” into your trousers’ pocket! :)

You can buy it here: http://photojojo.com/store/awesomeness/iphone-telephoto-lens/

                                                    Article © 2012 Gyaneshwari Dave 

“YOUR CAMERA MUST BE VERY GOOD!”- Top 5 Myths & Realities Of This Statement!

This post is for the benefit of those who believe, that there was a VERY GOOD TYPEWRITER behind a best-selling novel, A VERY GOOD FRYING PAN behind a mouthwatering dish, A VERY GOOD GUITAR behind a melodious music, and A VERY GOOD PAINT-BRUSH behind a beautiful painting...

“My images are not as nice, should I buy a “Better (Costlier)” camera?” Well, this is the question and these are the top 5 myths that (almost always) accompany it...

Myth : Your images are so sharp; YOUR CAMERA MUST BE VERY GOOD!

Reality: No matter how advanced the auto-focus or image-stabilization features of a camera get, it cannot help shaky hands and tilted focus (of eyes).

It is the manual judgment of right focusing distance, optimum shutter-speed, and perfect aperture that will make razor sharp Images, which no “Auto” mode of any given digital wonder can ever achieve.

Only the person who is behind the camera can attain this perfect co-ordination of mind, eyes & hands, not the camera.

Myth : Your images look so "Different"; YOUR CAMERA MUST BE VERY GOOD!

Reality: Well, one can create “Different” images even with the help of a cell-phone camera if he/she has the eye to look at things differently.

The insight to capture a subject from unusual angles, the ability to shoot a cliched subject from a fresh perspective or the sense to see a story  in common subjects are all human. No camera ever, will be able to suggest you the “compositions”.

Myth: Colors of your images are so vibrant; YOUR CAMERA MUST BE VERY GOOD!

Reality: Sure, the sensor quality of a camera affects the colors to a certain extent but that is where it ends. 
Even the best of best cameras can produce “flat” or “dull” images. It is your job to instruct the camera about the ISO, white balance and overall exposure. After all, human eyes can handle much wider dynamic range of colors than what a camera can “see”.

Also, it is your call on when and where and what you choose to photograph. For instance, if you choose to shoot a flower on an overcast day, your camera won’t be able to render those vibrant colors. It is your choice to shoot it in the early morning light that makes your flower photographs stand out in terms of colors.

Myth: Your images look so "Bright" YOUR CAMERA MUST BE VERY GOOD!

Reality: Well honestly, it can take books to break this myth or it can be done in a second- provided you know the simple fact that the whole tale of a photo begins and ends with one thing, “The light”.

“Exposure (Combination of ISO, Shutter-speed & Aperture)” is one thing that decides “Brightness” of an image. And with digital cameras exposure set manually is always more accurate than its “Auto”-counterpart, simply because metering systems of even the most sophisticated of cameras is not superior to a human’s judgment of light distribution in a given condition. Your camera can only capture the scene on its sensor; it’s your job to actually “see” that scene in the right light and make your camera “see” in the right light as well!

Myth: Your images look so "unusual/unique”; YOUR CAMERA MUST BE VERY GOOD!

 
Reality: Now this one is the funniest...It is not the camera but the photographer who goes to unusual places, at unusual times, chase that illusive bird, wait for hours to get everything right, get down and dirty, afford to look weird, rise really-really early in the morning...and so on...

… And yes, the button to rise early in the morning too, does not come with a camera…

Bottom-line...

First explore and understand your camera to the fullest. Make it do everything it can. And when it actually starts holding you back with “genuine technical limitations”, stopping you from creating the images you desire, then only upgrade to the next level camera.

Until then remember, that it is never the camera, it is the photographer!

“Before I learned the art, a punch was just a punch, and a kick, just a kick.

After I learned the art, a punch was no longer a punch, a kick, no longer a kick.

Now that I understand the art, a punch is just a punch and a kick is just a kick.”

-- Bruce Lee

Article Copyrights ©2012 Gyaneshwari Dave

Cartoon strip courtesy: whattheduck.net

Photography Tip # 3

While photographing food, always try to highlight the "Yum factor", use shallow depth of field to achieve this.

View more Food Stock photos - Still life and candid,  here.

Image Copyrights ©2012 Gyaneshwari Dave