Photographs

I have been thinking about a blog of my photographs and writing something about my new hobby. Let's see how well i can write about it. 


I started clicking photographs early when my father got a Yashika MF2 film camera. The photography bug bit me once again when i bought my first phone camera in 2006, it was labeled as a smartphone, now when i compare that to the phone models available today, it looks silly. Moving on, i kept on clicking whenever i saw a clickable frame. During those days i was impressed by the works of one of my school seniors - Ronjoy Gogoi. He is one of the most creative persons i know. I went through his works and  it left an impression on my mind. Never before i thought that photographs could express so much! 


The real interest in photography began, when i got hands on a Nikon Coolpix camera. My bosses in US provided me this camera to click and email photographs of the machine which on which i was working. The camera features and the jargons used in the camera manual forced me to google everything about cameras and photographs. 


However, i left that job and pursued MBA. During the summers of the program i met one of the alumni - Satrajit Basu. He showed me some of his pics  and i was inspired to dive deeper into this field. However, i knew that photographic equipment cost a lot. I made a mental note to myself - "save all you can from the job u get from this PG degree". 


Two years went by, i did not stopped clicking i kept clicking with my cell phone and posted my pics in my orkut profile. (Yes! i was alive when Orkut was a "thing" in India). 


I started my second innings of my professional life in 2009 and i was posted in Bhopal. We all stayed in a company accommodation, this helped me to save up for the camera i wished to buy. I got a DSLR Nikon D3000 as my first camera. How did i choose? I liked the Nikon tag and searched for the cheapest DSLR that Nikon offered, simple.


Bhopal, as a city has a lot to offer to the photographic minds. It is  calm, serene and yet modern. The city has these scenic lakes that define the city. In addition the old Bhopal city area has lot of heritage buildings which adds to the charm of the city. I stayed in a posh area - Shamla Hills. This place was in a hill top overlooking the Upper Lake and Van Vihar. The photographs of sunset over the upper lake instilled a confidence in me that i can click good pics. Trust me,  its the beauty of this city's scenery that makes every photographer feel like this. 

Upper Lake, Bhopal

VIP Road and Upper Lake, Bhopal

4 Sec Exposure of twilight in VIP Road, Bhopal

I was lucky to stay near the upper lake and the Van Vihar National Park. Every morning i would go out with my camera for a walk around the lakeside road and click pictures of birds. My interest in bird photography started as an accident. One fine morning, while i was testing my new zoom lens i saw two mid-aged persons clicking birds in a tree. These guys seemed very professional and were carrying fancy photography equipment (Nikon D700, 400 mm zoom lens, tripod etc). I approached them out of curiosity, they said they were clicking pics of a Barbet which is difficult to capture as they are quick and shy. They also told me that they had identified 3-4 locations in Bhopal, where during that time of the year (spring) these birds are found in plenty and are easier to capture in camera. Their dedication and passion was inspiring and humbling. They gave me their introduction, these guys were very senior journalists and have published many books on the flora and fauna of the region. They told me "it does not matter whether you are clicking a bird or a stone, what matters is the sense of satisfaction that you gain from clicking". So true. 

Indian Roller, seen in Shamla Hills

Green Bee Eater,  seen in Shamla Hills, Bhopal

I started gaining interest in bird photography from that day and the fact that i had recently bought a 200mm zoom lens helped a lot. I went around and observed that there were birds all around that hill top and some birds that i had never seen or observed (i know its a shame, being from Assam i never got myself to praise mother nature's creations around me). I slowly developed interest in identifying the birds around me. I bought Dr. Salim Ali's book to learn more about what i have clicked. 


I became active in Facebook during this period and i befriended many people who shared similar interest with me. It was good surprise for me to know Dr. Kalpa Kakati, who was from Assam and stayed in MP. I saw his album of bird pics and was overwhelmed by his clicks and his extensive knowledge about the birds of the region. 


During my stay in Madhya Pradesh i got opportunity to visit the tourist attractions of the state like Panchmarhi, Kanha, Mandu, Shivpuri, Gwalior and Indore. These places are photographer's delight. I kept on experimenting with my camera and kept learning from Google searches and photography magazines.


That's how my interest in photography developed. I must add that it has somehow filled the occasional loneliness inside me. I am sure about one thing i will continue to click and will keep on improving. 




Thanks, for reading through this :) 


PS: While reading the above text one might get a feeling that i am some kind of a high achiever in photography, which i am not. At the best, i am a mediocre DSLR user who is learning to play with camera settings and loves to play with sliders in photo editing softwares. 


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