If you have been reading my blog for a while now, you will have noticed the sudden and sharp increase in the frequency and numer of photographs I have been posting of late.
I would like to say that I discovered my interest in photography when at the tender and impressionable age of ten, I watched Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron and fell in the love with the idea of having a blast clicking and manipulating photographs. I would like to say that but it is simply not true.
It is a newly discovered interest. I still pretty much point and shoot and sometimes, only sometimes, get lucky. And I have no idea about editing tools; for the first time ever, I tried fooling around with photoshop and produced this – quite by accident.
[Best viewed in large size here]
This photograph was taken on my recent visit to Kakinada…
And now, I want more. I have been planning to do a short course in photography – just don’t know where to start looking. The best advice I have got so far is to just go out there and keep shooting. If any of you have any suggestions, advice, or just rude things to share (strictly with respect to this photography course thingy), now is the time to do so. Any ideas on where I can learn photography formally (and inexpensively) in Bombay?
you seem to be a natural..i think the picture needed very little editing because the composition is great.
I think the Indo-American Society offers something. Check them out.
Wow! After having seen lots of your photos at flickr I think you rather should start teaching us! 🙂
nice pic.
should try out some online courses that are free. end of the day it depends on the eye – and u already seem to have the eye for photography:!
Lovely picture Charu. Me too in the saem boat, as we travel, I take photographs and I want to take real good ones but till date I have just been dreaming to do a course and have done nothing about it really!
Don’t take a course, Charu! I’ll give you some books if you like (which reminds me, those other two books…?); I’ll also dig up some literature from a course I have somewhere. (I didn’t take the course, someone gave me the literature). I think the best advice is to shoot. Lots.
Depends how much and what you want to do and what camera you have. Like any other art, photography is vast. I just switched to digitalSLR from filmSLR, and it feels like a totally new world (in terms of post-processing, PS and some technicalities). Though the basics of composition, lighting etc remain same. For websites, goto photo.net and ask questions in forums. You’ll get some solid help there. For specific camera related queries there are dedicated websites. And recently came to know about photonotes.org (consider it as a wikipedia of photography). Ofcourse a course can help, but these days you can pretty much learn on the net. I believe there is a photography club somewhere in VT (or Dadar?). You shd be able to get more info there. But start with a book and some basic net lessons and see if it works for you. Don’t plonk down 1K+ on a course straight away.
And here’s something to improve your photos the very next minute. Just try to follow the “rule of thirds” guideline and you’ll be amazed how good the same mundane(touristy) shots turn out. (ofcourse it’s just a guideline, which means, every once in a while you have to break it — but only after you’ve mastered it :p) And if you have a SLR camera try to learn “depth of field”. It’s not that difficult and it has the power to make/break your shots. Without any further info from you, it’s difficult to tell. So feel free to ask me any specific questions, and if I know I’ll point it out.
Lastly, don’t get overwhelmed or obsessed by all of it (I know I was there for a brief period), otherwise you’ll lose the fun part of it.
All the Best 🙂
thanks, all! More than liking the framing (wrt discussing the merits of the framing here blah blah), I was just excited at discovering that it is possible for me to edit photos 🙂 or something like that… definitely plan to go out there and keep shooting, till something gives.
Kuffir, thanks! like I said, was just playing around with editing and produced this…
Patrix, yes they do, just checked out on the net – their course begins in March – hopefully by then I will have decided not to spend the money :))
Lorenz, you know you have made my day, don’t you. I spent hours everyday on flickr looking at some superb photopraphs and wondering when I will ever be able to match that skill level 🙁
Harini, yup, will do… checking out on the net…
Mridula, time to do something about it, then… start with joining some photography forum like flickr – my interest and ahem, skill have developed by leaps and bounds once I got there…
Dilip, please do, much appreciate… and er, what two books?
Suhail, thanks a ton… will email you… you hve a digital slr now? very cool – whcih one? I use a basic canon powershot and it is a while before I decide to move on to a better camera… I need to learn to use this fully first!
and yes about being overwhelmed and obsessed. I mean, will try not to be… (read my reply to Lorenz here – *weep*)
Hi Charu
You’re a natural photographer.
I’ve looked at some of my shots from India and I am ashamed to post them on the blog. I should have had my son take them. At least they wouldn’t be crooked and they wouldn’t have sliced off the top of my wife’s head.
Practice is probably the key.
Michael, thanks! and please remember, crooked and sliced-off shots can be artistic – or made to look artistic 🙂
but please do put pics from your India visit – would love to see them…
Why do you wanna attend a course and learn photography? You couldn’t find a better way of using your valuable time? Or its just you can’t think beyond that? I would like to know what do you do for living? 🙂 ..Or your parents work n u r just having fun? I looked for your profile..but seems u didn’t post it.
Hi Charu,
This looks cool, one suggestion I can give you is, try playing with Sepia instead of Black & White, the former has more impact for certain shots…like the one you took.
Sivaji, thanks! have been trying sepia too – will put pics here soon of my other efforts (basically, be warned)
Nice picture Charu. I agree with what most have said in that you are a natural. Keep shooting and posting.
The best bet is the net. Read on the science behind it. Shoot. That’s it.
Amazing picture…. I love photography too and ensure that I keep my camera with me all the time. My father was a great photographer and won many an award too. I guess I derive my interest from him. I just wish I had the talent too :). But like you, I want to do a course as well – I hope I can get to it someday.
Rahul, thanks! will do 🙂
TF, long time! yeah, there is loads of stuff avlb on the net – need to go find it – just that it is easier (for the lazy, like me) to listen to someone talk than read and understand 🙂
Emma, thanks! did you get a chance to learn from your dad?
Yes, charu a little bit. Have not really built on the knowledge gained though. I am dying to buy a good SLR camera. My trust in digital cameras is rather less to be honest. 🙂
Yeah.. its easier if someone demonstrates..
and true, long time.. but certainly better than your record :p 🙂
Emma, why don’t you get a good upper end digital SLR? once you get used to a digital camera, conventional cameras seem so inconveneint – but of course, die-hard photographers swear by the latter…
TF, yup, point taken *sheepish look*