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Day #1 Update – Varanasi Photography Workshop

(For starters, apologies for missing the daily updates. As they say, the days were just packed!)

 

Picking up from where I left in my previous post – my flight finally left Mumbai at 1:15 p.m., touching down in Varanasi at around close to four. Peter meanwhile had written in saying that he’d grabbed lunch at one of the Lonely Planet recommended joints not too far from the ghats, and was quite – and I’m quoting him here – ‘Overwhelmed’…

I presume he was speaking about the sheer crush of people and the chaos (and not the food) that are part and parcel of Varanasi! 😂

“The trick is not to get overwhelmed because you won’t know what to shoot / point your lens at then. Don’t even think ‘I need to shoot’, because you won’t know where to begin. Just sit, observe and let the impressions and rhythm of the place wash over you. Let it tell you what of it and how to photograph it.”

My advise to him was – as it is to anyone else who find themselves overwhelmed with the visual and other chaos of a place is simply this: “The trick is not to get overwhelmed because you won’t know what to shoot / point your lens at then. Don’t even think ‘I need to shoot’, because you won’t know where to begin. Just sit, observe and let the impressions and rhythm of the place wash over you. Let it tell you what of it and how to photograph it.”

 

The ride from the airport to the hotel was a breeze, well, most of it at least. Travel time between the airport and city has been considerably reduced thanks to road-widening and several flyovers. Traffic in the city is another matter altogether; it took me as much as fifteen minutes to clear a stretch of road measuring just fifty meters or so, but then, that’s Varanasi for you – some things never change, and one really can’t expect the oldest continuously inhabited place on the planet to change much. And before I forget, let me add that I had to let go my cab and walk the last quarter of a kilometer to the hotel thanks to a roadblock the cops decided to enforce that day, the “better to manage traffic”; Hah!, as if that’s possible in Varanasi!

Got into the hotel at 5:35, met Peter in the lobby. Checked in, got up to my room and was down again in a few minutes, my camera gear in tow. Both Peter and I were putting up in the same hotel, strategically chosen as it was just a five or so minute walk from the ghats, which is where we were now headed for the evening aarti (worship ceremony) of the river Ganges.

 

No sooner had we reached the ghats that we met up with Aparna (a past-participant of my Art Of Seeing Photography Workshop) from Mumbai. Aparna – who was there with some of her friends – has an ancestral house in Varanasi, and on hearing that Peter and I were visiting, was kind enough to extend us an invite to dinner, one which was gracefully accepted. Some small – and not-so-small – talk followed; notable among the latter was Aparna pointing to the full-moon cresting the horizon and remarking “Tonight’s a full-moon, but there’s no way – what with both the scale of the aarti ceremony and the tonal contrast – that one can photograph it with the aarti...”

We agreed to meet up after the ceremony was over, and I guided Peter to a few spots from where I knew he’d get the photographs that matter. Looking around and giving him a run-down of what to expect and what to keep his eyes peeled out for, I suddenly blinked. Hard. And then I go “You know Pete, maybe we can’t photograph both together, but I do think we can photograph one in the context of the other…”

 

“Tonight’s a full-moon, but there’s no way – what with both the scale of the aarti ceremony and the tonal contrast – that one can photograph it with the aarti…”

Well Aparna, this one’s for you! 😊

The rest of the photographic part of the evening was spent in meeting up with the rest of our workshop participants – Tom and Sabrina,  both from Germany – and photographing the aarti ceremony.

I’d decided that I’d be shooting  with my Canon EOS 5,  tonight; given the coverage of the lens (100-400) I restricted myself to making some close-up story-telling images of the ceremony, as well as the people attending them. Image thumbnails are cropped; click on an image to see it large.

We wrapped up the evening with a boat ride to Kedar Ghat from where we headed to Aparna’s home for a delicious dinner and outstanding hospitality. I’d planned to call it an early night, but that was not to be; it was close to ten (or was it later?) by the time we got back to our hotel – the next day was going to be a long one!

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Varanasi Photography Tour Varanasi Photography Workshop

Varanasi Photography Workshop Update: Going, going, gone!

So here I am on Day #1 of The Gathering Of The Seers – Varanasi Photography Workshop, and I think this image says it all.

No, I’m not in Varanasi yet, this photograph is from a previous trip to Varanasi that I just decided to dig out of my archives. Is it apt? You bet!

For those unfamiliar with hindu religious customs, this is a photo of a religious ceremony in remembrance of the dead. It’s one of the innumerable sights that one is likely to come across along the river ghats.

So why am I posting this, and now? Well, I’m stuck at the airport in Mumbai what with my Air India flight to Varanasi now standing delayed by three frigging hours! The original flight time was 10:30, then pushed to 11:20, then 12:40, and now stands at 1:30. Owing to crew being unavailable before that if you please!

Well, I’m never going to fly AI again ever. But if you ask me, the ailing airline that AI is, I really think it’s gonna join the ranks of the also-ran soon. I think the airline is a gone case – going, going, soon to be gone!

On a lighter note, Peter from Mumbai has reached Varanasi, and messaged me to say that the cab driver at the airport tried to talk him into sampling Banarasi paan, and offered to take him shopping for sarees within minutes of Pete hopping into that-there cab! Ah, Varanasi! How I love thee!

Well that’s it for now, more updates to come. And that image – – apt, don’t you think?

Henri Cartier-Bresson's Decisive Moment - Women in a palace, Rajasthan - India

Of Life, a Song, and Henri Cartier-Bresson’s Decisive Moment

She choked on the sandwich she was biting into, I really should have warned her to put it down when she asked if she could look at the photos I’d made. My bad I thought, nonchalantly picking the soggy pieces from my shirt where they’d landed.

 

She apologized profusely. Only to promptly pick up my camera again.  I could have sworn the demeanor of the kings – long deceased – portrayed in the large paintings that adorn the walls of the Café Mehran became a tad bit sterner. Being around royalty does demand a certain decorum; coughing up a sandwich isn’t part of it. Nor are loud exclamations, and her exclamations were loud.

 

“It’s not fair, not one bit!” she went, for maybe the tenth time. Loud, again. The maître d’ looked our way, a slight frown creasing his forehead. I knew then that I’d have to do something before we got the boot – a royal one at that. It just wouldn’t have been the right note to end what had so far been an amazing photography tour of Rajasthan.

 

I settled back into my chair, raising the cup of tea to my lips. “What’s not fair, Aapti?”

 

She looked up from my camera – the one she’d been reviewing my shots on. If looks could have killed, I’d have died several times over. I hurriedly wiped the lop-sided grin off my face, not being particularly eager to join the paintings on the wall.

 

“The fact that you manage to nail The Decisive Moment almost every time!” she spat out. “Let’s face it, you and I saw the same thing — those beautiful colors, that brilliant pattern, and the gorgeous light. And then you waited – as did I – for what we felt would be Henri Cartier-Bresson’s Decisive Moment. I took a shot and you took a shot, and damn you – you with your little point-and-shoot managed to nail it, while I with my DSLR didn’t! And you’ve been doing so time and again since the last ten days while I always miss it!”

 

“It has nothing to do with the camera,” I replied. “Not in my case, and not in yours either, given just how at ease you are with its controls.”

 

“I know that,” she snapped. That’s why I decided I had to attend your Art of Seeing Photography Workshop on my visit to India a year back, frustrated as I was with my inability to make meaningful photographs despite having mastered the technical side of it.”

 

“And has it made a difference?”, I asked. “The workshop – has your photography changed after that? And if so, in what ways?”

 

“You know the answer to that!”, she exclaimed. “Of course, it has. My photography has undergone a sea-change – and for the better – since you taught me how to truly see. I’m so much more aware of the beauty of everything around me, just how photograph-able everything is. I’m seeing things I’d never ever have noticed before. And from what people who view my portfolio have to say,my ability to make a meaningful composition seems to have gone through the roof. But that last bit – the ability to nail Henri Cartier-Bresson’s Decisive Moment… I still haven’t got that!”

 

“Well, I did say during the workshop that that’s the last thing one is likely to master, and that’s why Cartier-Bresson’s Decisive Moment is the last thing I talk about in the workshop. Besides, it does need everything else that I teach to fall in place before one gets there.”

 

“I know,” she said. “And I do think that you’d agree that what goes before has fallen in place as far as I’m concerned. But The Moment… why can’t I nail it? I mean just look at your shots! Why? Why?”

Henri Cartier-Bresson's Decisive Moment , Rajasthan - India

 

I knew then that I’d have to answer her. Or risk ending up having her so disheartened that she’d hang her boots – or rather camera – up. The question was whether she was ready for what I had to say. I sighed, there was only one way to find out.

 

“If the truth be told, it’s quite philosophical. Sure you want to hear it?” I ventured.

 

“I’m all ears,” she said, quickly setting my camera aside. Movement outside the cafe caught my eye. People scurried for cover as the nonseasonal drizzle that had started a while ago picked up a little. I closed my eyes and collected my thoughts, wondering where I should begin.

 

I so wish Neha were here! I feel like singing. And how’s your hindi, by the way?”

 

“What???” she said. I’m sure she thought I’d lost it.

 

“Neha. Neha Chinmay Mandlekar .” I explained. “She’d attended the Art of Seeing Workshop a few months back, and she messaged me yesterday stating that back then she could understand only so much, but she feels now that her understanding has deepened. And she said that earlier she was too busy with technicalities, but now she knows exactly what I mean when I say what I do in the workshop, my philosophy — and she wants to understand it in depth. So yeah, I wish Neha were here, because what I’m going to say would be of interest to her too, I think. Anyway, how’s your command over the Hindi language?”

 

“It’s O.K.,” she replied. “As you’re aware, I am of Indian origin, but I’ve spent most of my life abroad ever since I was a child. So while I can understand – and speak – some hindi, I must state that I do have difficulty with it more often than not. But what’s that got to do with anything?”

 

I let out a long breath, it was time to get this show on the road, time to demolish some misconceptions. The problem was I didn’t know how the pieces would fall – would they fall all over her, leaving her bewildered and lost? Or would they blow the roof – the walls of her misconceptions – to smithereens, literally freeing her to what was?

 

There was only one way to find out.

 

“How would you describe The Moment,Aapti?”

 

“Henri Cartier-Bresson described The Decisive Moment as that in which the photographer captures, in a fraction of a second the emotion of a subject and / or the beauty of form at the very instant it presents itself… an instant when all elements in the frame come together for maximum emotional impact” she shot back, not hesitating in the least. “And as you said during the workshop, all that sounds very nice but doesn’t explain squat about just what is meant by the elements coming together. And that is key, as you explained – the elements really come together when…”

 

“The Description is Not the Thing!” I interjected, cutting her short mid-sentence. Maybe it was the emphasis with which it was delivered – and quite deliberately if I might say – whatever it was, she froze. I actually felt sorry then, but it had to be said.

 

“I.. I..  I’m sorry,” she stammered. “I  don’t understand! What do you mean by ‘The Description is Not the Thing’?”

 

“I’m afraid that calls for a song,” I said, stretching my arms and flashing a grin – the better to get her to relax again. “As I said, I feel like singing one.”

 

She smiled. “Go ahead. Should I be heading to the kitchen to see if they have some rotten tomatoes? Just in case you sound like you’re being slaughtered!”

 

“That won’t be called for,” I laughed. “O.K., it’s a hindi song, from this movie called Gol Maal. Not the one that came out a few years back, mind you. I’m talking about the original one, the one that was released in 1979. I don’t think you may have seen it. Or have you?”

 

She shook her head. “I wasn’t even born then!”

 

“I figured,” went I. “Things be as they may, it’s a song the hero sings to the heroine. And while it’s not a song about photography per se, it definitely is a song about Life. Or rather, how to get the most out of it. And maybe – just maybe – you may find it has something to do with your ‘Why’, and How to go about addressing the block you’re facing. As I said, it’s in hindi. Since you mentioned that you have some difficulty with that language, what I’ll do is translate as I go along. Is that fine with you?”

 

She nodded her consent, raising what was left of her sandwich to her mouth. I discretely moved a bit, just in case. And then, I began to sing…

 

Henri Cartier-Bresson's Decisive Moment - stairway in a palace , Rajasthan - India

Hmm mm mm mm….. aha ha ha hey hey hey…
Hmm mm hmm mm…. Aanewala pal janewala hai…
Aanewala pal janewala hai.
Ho sake toh isame jindagee bita do
Pal jo yeh janewala hai ho ho…...

(This Moment – The Moment – that is to come is but an instant and will flit away before you know it.
If you can – if you dare – make the most of it, Live your Whole Life in That One Instant,
In that Fleeting Moment which comes only to be gone before you know it!)

 

She choked on the sandwich she was biting into, spewing out bits in the air. Again! I mentally patted myself on the back  for having the foresight to  re-position my chair out of the line of fire.

 

“My God!” she went, when she’d managed to catch her breath. “I can’t believe it! It’s so Henry Cartier Bresson’s Decisive Moment! It’s literally what the man said – ‘Oop! The Moment! Once you miss it, it is gone forever!‘ ”

 

“Again, The Description is NOT the Thing!” I said.  Far less sternly than before, but emphatically nevertheless.

 

I laughed as she gaped at me.  “I’ll come to that, but I hope you see the parallels in what that stanza from that song says to what I say in my workshop –the importance of being in the moment, being present in mind, body and soul. Just how important Mindfulness is to the process of Seeing overall.”

 

“Yes,” she nodded thoughtfully. “I think I do now. This is so amazing, the intertwined nature of every thing! As you put it, to truly understand one thing is to begin to understand the common thread that runs through everything! Wow!!

 

“There’s more,”  I grinned. “That was just the first stanza from the song. Want to see just how deep the rabbit hole goes? Wanna follow the thread home?”

 

“Yes!” she nodded enthusiastically.

 

I reached forward, gently sliding the plate of sandwiches out of her reach. “Just in case!” I said. She laughed.

Ek bar yu milee masum see kalee…
Ek bar yu milee masum see kalee.
Ho khilte huye kahan khushbash mai chalee
Dekha toh yahee hai dhundha toh nahee hai
Pal jo yeh janewala hai ho ho……

(I once chanced upon a bud, a bud in the very act of blooming.
And it said “Behold, I am gone!”
When I saw it, it was there,
but when I looked for it, it wasn’t
That Fleeting Moment that arrives,
only to be gone before you know it!)

“I want you to take your time thinking this stanza through Aapti” I said, leaning forward for emphasis. “Apart from describing so eloquently the oh-so-transitory nature of life’s moments, what else does this stanza speak about?

 

She thought long and hard. Then she thought longer and harder.

 

“I don’t know…”

 

“Maybe this will help,” I ventured. And then I sang a line from that stanza.  “When I saw it, it was there. But when I looked for it, it wasn’t…

 

Her eyes went wide as saucers. “In photography trying too hard to see can actually prevent you from seeing!

 

“Bingo!” I said. “Very often, the act of trying too hard to get something itself prevents you from getting it. As long as you’re going ‘I have to do this, I have to do this…’, you are separate, disjointed from whatever you are trying to get right. We don’t seek separation, we’re seeking fusion – a state where you, the object of perception, The Decisive Moment, and the process of making an image of The Decisive Moment are One! And you cannot achieve that Oneness if you’re subconsciously going ‘I [have to], I [have to], I [have to]…’. Your trying too hard is in no small measure preventing you from nailing The Moment. So my advice is this: Stop Looking for The Moment. Be in The Moment. Let The Moment come to you.

 

“You make it seem effortless!” she grumbled.

 

“It is effortless, trust me. You should be aware however that it does take a lot of effort to get to being effortless. The effort lies mainly in demolishing your notions of what you think, and instead learning to be and go with the flow. And when you ‘get it’, that’s a Moment by itself – The Moment it Clicks so as to put it – The Moment it Clicks in your head that you have to let go and just be there and observe. Cartier-Bresson himself said it – ‘all you have to is live and life will give you the pictures.’ ”

 

“You’ve given me a lot to think about,” she said. “A hell of a lot. This is as revealatory as The Art of Seeing Photography Workshop. More actually!”

 

“Well, thank you for your kind words, mademoiselle. But it ain’t over till the fat lady sings! I’m yet to deliver the coup de grâce.

 

She frowned. “I presume it calls for singing what comes next in that song, and then putting it in context…”

 

“You presume wrong,” I laughed. Actually, for a change it involves me saying what I have to first, and then singing what’s left of the song.” I leaned forward, the better to get my point across.

 

“Tell me, do you remember the section from the Art of Seeing Workshop that deals with Henri Cartier-Bresson’s Decisive Moment, specifically the parts where I display pictures from my own portfolio and walk participants through the events that led to me capturing those decisive moments?”

 

“Yes,” she said. “And they’re extremely illustrative those stories. You highlight the entire thought process, what you saw, what you thought of, and the coming together – the confluence– of elements for maximum emotional impact.”

 

Exactly,” went I. “I describe – post-event – the circumstances and thoughts that came to pass before The Decisive Moment. I repeatI describe – post-event – what happened before The Decisive Moment…

 

She buried her face in her hands. “Oh My God! The Description is Not The Thing! It’s never about The Thing itself! You describe the before and the after, but never The Moment!”

 

“It never is and it cannot be!” I replied, exhilarated to see she’d got it. The Tao – The Way – that can be spoken of is not the True Tao or Way. Words have their limitations and at best can be used to describe or point to an experience, but cannot substitute the experience itself. One can speak of what The Moment is like and about it as Henri Cartier-Bresson did, but not what The Moment is itself. One can speak as I do of what thought processes and events leading to The Moment, but not The Moment itself. The Description of a thing is not The Thing, and this is true of everything.”

 

A pause to catch my breath before continuing. “The problem is that we get so caught up in words – that we fail to realize this – and enslave ourselves. We need the words – the descriptions – to help us find the way, but we have to realize that the words are not the way itself. And so, my advice to you is this — learn from the words, but don’t get enslaved by them, they’re just meant to help you forge your own way. Don’t chase Henri Cartier-Bresson’s Decisive Moment, choose to find your own moment. Let it find you!

 

She nodded. “I understand you, I truly think I do.” She paused and then looked quizzically at me.

 

I smiled, knowing she was waiting for the rest of the song.

 

Ek Baar Waqt Se Lamha Gira Kahin...
Wahaan Dastan Mili, Lamha Kahin Nahin.
Thoda Sa Hasaake, Thoda Sa Rulaake...
Pal Ye Bhi Jaanewala Hai Ho Ho...

(Time - in passing - dropped ‘A Moment’
You will find there – of that moment and leading to it and its aftermath – narratives, stories and at times History itself...
But of that Moment ITSELF, you will find little - if any -mention.
The Moment – so elusive it is...
Sometimes it makes you laugh,
and sometimes cry...
This Moment – like every other – will come only to pass.)

“You’re lucky I wasn’t chewing on that sandwich you know,” she said, a thoughtful look on her face.

 

I nodded, partially distracted by the stimulus of something tugging at the tendrils of my consciousness. I looked around to identify it; the shower that had pelted the Mehrangarh Fort a few minutes back had retreated, but I delighted in what it left in its wake. I closed my eyes, breathing in the smells deeply.

 

“What are you doing?” she asked.

 

“Savoring The Moment” I replied, my eyes still shut. “Savoring the smell of the earth that only the first – or nonseasonal – rains can bring. Ho sake to isme zindagi bita do pal yeh jo jaane waala hai — if you can, savor the whole of life in this one moment!”

 

I heard the sound of a camera shutter and opened my eyes, only to see Aapti grin and show me the shot she’d just taken Of me, my eyes closed, savoring The Moment. I grinned.

 

She’d got it. She’d captured The Moment!

dslr photography workshop mumbai dslr workshop mumbai

On ‘f/8 and be there’

Fellig. Arthur “Weegie” Fellig. He’s the guy who responded with that  simple “f/8 and be there” statement when asked how he consistently came up with those outstanding photographs that he made. And in making that statement he alluded to what was a philosophy of sorts that hinted at how to go about making great images…

 

A philosophy that in my humble opinion is  understood by few people, totally misunderstood by most. And I must hasten to add that this-here post is going to be frowned upon by many a “photographer”, but then I’ve never been known for pulling my punches. So here I go again, upsetting a couple of hundred souls as I’ve done before…

 

To understand what Arthur Fellig meant, a bit of background is called for. Arthur Fellig was a photographer and photojournalist, known for his stark black and white street photography. Working  in Manhattan, New York City’s Lower East Side as a press photographer during the 1930s and ’40s, and he developed his signature style by following the city’s emergency services and documenting their activity. Much of his work depicted unflinchingly realistic scenes of urban life, crime, injury and death.

 

Now, think about those terms above. Specifically “unflinchingly realistic scenes of urban life, crime, injury and death”, “photojournalist”, “city’s emergency services and documenting their activity” for a while, and three very obvious things should come to mind:

 

  1. Arthur Fellig had an uncanny instinct – a flair of sorts – of being exactly where the “action” so as to put it was playing out

  2. His compositions (the co-relationships) – between so-called subject, supporting subjects and context were highly effective in making an image. An image that…

  3. … literally transported  viewers of the image to the location, made viewers see the scene as it was through Arthur Fellig’s eyes. And most important , actually feel what it must have been like to be there.

 

When asked how he managed to do so – and so very consistently at that – Felig simply responded with “f/8 and be there”. And therein lies the tale.

Let's start with the f/8 thingie, shall we?

I’m going to get just a wee bit technical here, but ever so slightly. So if you feel you’re technically challenged (no such thing IMHO, it’s just that you haven’t met an instructor who could simplify it enough. Till now, at least!), rest easy! You won’t even feel a hiccup!

 

All cameras have an opening in their lens through which light is admitted, light that then goes on to strike either film or a digital sensor. This opening in the lens is called the aperture. With me so far? What a foolish question, of course you are!

 

It follows that any opening must have a size. In the context of  the opening in the lens (the aperture), that size is represented by a value that we’ll call Aperture Value (extremely imaginative, ain’t it?). And just like millimeters are represented as mm, centimeters as cm, meters as M etc., Aperture Value is represented as f-value, or more commonly f/value. And I’m not going to ask if you’re with me so far, because I already know the answer.

 

Trust me, it ain’t important to understand just why it is so, but f/values have the following typical… well, values:

 

f/1.4,   f/2,   f/2.8,   f/4,   f/5.6,   f/8,  f/11,  f/16,  f/22,  f/32,   f/44

 

Now, repeat after me: “I am not going to get scared by what Neville has to say, he will make it clear as clear can be!”.  Good, read on…

 

The f/value determines what is called the Depth of Field or DOF. And before you go  “Help, what’s this DOF thingie!!!!”, let me state that it’s really very simple.

 

Think of some of the photographs you’ve seen. In some of them, everything from foreground to background is clear, in sharp focus. And in some of them, only some things are in sharp focus, other objects in the background and / or foreground being rendered as soft, dreamy and out-of-focus.  So what’s that got to do with that DOF thingie, and what’s it got to do with f/value?

 

When your camera lens focuses on any damn thing, it will be in sharp focus. In addition, there will be area in front of what you focused on, and behind it that will also be in sharp focus. That, in simple terms is DOF or Depth Of Field – the area in front of – and behind the subject focused on – that will also be in sharp focus.

 

Essentially, images with everything from foreground to background (typically landscapes) have a large DOF, while most portraits where the subject is in sharp focus and the background is blurred have a small or narrow DOF.

 

OK, so you’re nodding your head in understanding, but are still wondering what that’s got to do with our f/value. 

 

Here’s how it goes: The smaller the value part of the f/value, the smaller (narrower) the DOF. And, the larger the value part of the f/value, the greater (larger the DOF). Or to put it simply – all other things being equal, a photograph taken at f/16 will have a large DOF, while a photograph taken at say f/5.6 will have a much shallower DOF. The three photographs below illustrate this; from left to right they portray images with a shallow Depth of Field (thanks to a small f/value), a medium Depth of Field  (courtesy a medium f/value) and a large Depth of Field (owing to a large f/value).

 

Clicked on the Pushkar Camel Fair leg of my annual Five Stops of Light India Photography Tour, the photograph above  is a classic example of the the use of a shallow Depth of Field. Seeing as I did the very real sense of closeness between these two friends, my objective was simple: To highlight the joy of the meeting between two friends after a long gap of time. I cropped closely to eliminate everything that would take away from this sense of intimacy. It was also important that nothing in the background take away from what I wanted to portray. The solution was simple: A small f/value(f/4 or f/5.6)  resulting in a narrow depth of field.

In the case of the image above, what caught my eye was the colorful turban and muffler sported by this camel herder leading his camels to the fair. The camels in the backdrop are important to this image, providing as they do the much-needed context of what this image is all about. However, it was important that the camels – and the people behind them – not be so clearly in focus that they would take away from the herder in the foreground. Hence, I decided to use a medium f/value – typically f/8 or f/11 –  which would result in elements behind the man dropping out of focus in a gradual fashion.
Photography Tour Varanasi
In the above photograph, the man in the foreground serves several purposes, but he is not what the image is about. What the photo is about is the sheer sweep of the ghats at Varanasi. What was called for was to ensure that everything from the man in the foreground to the distant buildings far in the background is in relatively sharp focus. Achieving this called for a large Depth of Field, a large f/value (f/16, f/22 or larger) being what the doctor ordered.
 
Simple, ain’t it? That f/value thingie and its relationship with Depth of Field.  But it still doesn’t explain that “f/8 and Be There” admonition.
 

Fellig's f/8 fetish

When asked how he managed to get the images he did, Fellig would just go. One But why f/8? The answer is to be found in the very nature of his work – work that involved photographing urban life, streets, photojournalism…

 

Now think about all these genres and you’ll realize that there are times when – depending on what would have been unfolding in front of his eyes – Fellig would have needed to either (a) render everything from foreground to background in sharp focus, (b) have the focus drop off in a nice gradual fashion, or (c) only have the main subject in sharp focus and throw everything else dramatically out of focus. And of course, as we saw above, he’d have to essentially achieve either of these results by changing his f-value. Seems simple, till you think about just how rapidly real-life events play out out in the context of urban life, street photography and photojournalism…

There’s no scope for error. No question of posing of subjects. All you get is an fraction of a second to decide on what f-value to use, and set it!

Let’s try and visualize this, shall we? There’s Fellig out there in the street and he sees this thing unfolding in front of him that tells the story. And he needs to photograph it with a shallow Depth Of Field with an f/value of  f/5.6 or lower. Except that the f/value on his camera is set to f/16. So there goes Fellig turning that dial that changes the f/value, and several turns at that to get to f/5.6. Except that by the time he gets there.. “Oops! Sorry Mr. Newspaper Editor, but I couldn’t get the shot. My camera wasn’t at the settings called for, and by the time I got around to setting them the moment had passed…”

 

Or, how about this:

 

There’s Fellig out there in that  street again and he sees this thing unfolding in front of him that tells the story. And this time he needs to photograph it with a large  Depth Of Field with an f/value of  f/16 or higher. Except that the f/value on his camera is set to f/4. So there goes Fellig again, turning that dial that changes the f/value, and several turns at that to get to f/16 . Except that by the time he gets there.. “Oops! Sorry again Mr. Newspaper Editor, but I couldn’t get the shot this time across too. My camera wasn’t at the settings called for, and by the time I got around to setting them the moment had passed…”

 

Of course one can’t be certain, but I have a lurking feeling that  Mr. Newspaper Editor’s reaction wouldn’t be much different than that of J. Jonah Jameson – the editor of the The Daily Bugle newspaper where Spiderman held his day-job!

 

And that’s where Felling’s f/8 fetish stems from. Let’s look at it in greater detail, starting with that list of f/values I listed out towards the top of this post.

 

f/1.4, f/2, f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, f/16, f/22, f/32, f/44

 

And viola! What do we see? That f/8 is right there in the middle. It’s middle-ground, offering a compromise between a shallow depth of field and a large one.

 

Essentially, if Fellig set by default a f/value of  f/8 before he went prowling those streets, he would be in a position to make a shot which struck a fine balance between everything being in sharp focus on the one hand, and contextual elements being slightly out of focus. If there was no time – not even a split second – to change his f/value, he’d just take the shot. And the chances would be that the shot would achieve its objectives of showing what he wanted to show. Yet, that’s just part of it…

 

The other part to the f/8 bit is that being in the middle, it’s not too far from either end. Essentially, if Fellig had a moment or two to change his settings based on whether he wanted a shallower or larger depth of field, being at f/8 ensured he could get to his desired f/value faster, with far fewer turns of the dial.

And that’s that about the f/8 thingie in Fellig’s equation; why he chose to keep his camera by default on that aperture value. I’d encourage you to do so too. Time we moved on to the second part of the equation I think.

 

"and Be There"

“Be There”. That – according to me – is the most misunderstood part of Fellig’s equation on how to go about making great photographs. The misunderstanding stems on account of two things: (a) paying too much attention to the f/8 bit in Fellig’s formula(essentially, the technical issues of photography, thinking it’s all about the camera), and (b) thinking that “being there” is about being at a place in the physical sense.

 

“Wait a minute,” did I hear you go? “What the hell else would it be? Of course you need to be there to make an image of whatever is unfolding! How else would you get the shot?!?!?!”

 

That’s what went through your mind, didn’t it? Thanks for admitting it! And therein lies the problem.

 

The mistake that many a photographer makes – as did I – is about paying attention to the “There” in “Be There”. In the process, they ignore the importance of both the word “Be” in itself, as well as that of what’s really implied in the sum total of the words “Be There”. And since a picture is worth a thousand words, I think an image or two would best illustrate this…

Varanasi Photography Tour Varanasi Photography Workshop
photography workshop varanasi

Even a cursory examination of the above two photographs makes one thing obvious: Impeccable Timing. Not just in capturing the action, but capturing it in a fashion, and that very moment when – as Henri Cartier-Bresson described it – “… the elements are in perfect balance”. And that’s the ideal photograph for you – when all the disparate elements come together just perfectly in a cohesive whole. Without it, there’s an imbalance. Without it, there’s chaos. Without the elements being in perfect harmony and working together, the eye is lost – and a picture is broken.

 

The trick hence lies in seeing the confluence – the coming together – of elements to form a cohesive whole. Coming together – again to quote Cartier -Bresson – for maximum emotional impact“. Seeing it before it happens, anticipating it, visualizing it. And then taking the shot when it does happen…This is Being There.

 

Being There is not being there physically. Think about just how many “photographers” go to Varanasi. Or Ladakh. Or anywhere. They’re all there physically. But how many come back with really evocative photographs? Evocative original photographs, and not mere copies of the compositions of others? Few and far between, I’d think.

 

The reason is this: it’s not about the f/8, f/anything, ISO-anything or Shutter-speed-anything. It’s not about the “being There” either. What it is about really is Being Wherever You Are!

 

What do I mean by “Being”? It’s a heightened state of awareness. Of the world around you, its building blocks, and how they are connected both to each other and to you. That, is Being. And when you can just Be, you can be that state – for that is exactly what it is, a state – anywhere! You are – literally with eyes, mind, heart and soul – wherever you are! That’s why I say my gear consists of “eyes that see, a mind that thinks and a heart that feels” – that’s Being.

 

And that’s the single most misunderstood part about Fellig’s “f/8 and Be There” formula. It’s about Being. It’s more about You than it is about Place. ‘Nuff said!

 

Ooops… almost forgot about the bit where it’s time about the shameless plug. Scroll below, willya?

 
 

from snapshots to great shots

the art of seeing

Photography Workshop

“Because Photography is just this: Being!”

Fine Art Photography India : A Day in the Life of India - NH 8

Fine Art Print: A Day in the Life of India – NH 8

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“A kind of golden hour one remembers for a life time… Everything was touched with magic.” ~ Margaret Bourke-White

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The Making of  “A Day In The Life Of India – NH 8”

National Highway 8 (NH 8) is a highway that connects the Indian financial capital Mumbai with India’s capital Delhi. According to estimates, it is the busiest highway in the subcontinent.

I’d started off very early that day from Mumbai; my final destination was the picturesque hill-station of Manali in the Himalayan region of India, with a night’s stopover each in the cities of Udaipur and Delhi. By late afternoon I’d passed the city of  Ahmadabad in the state of Gujarat, and it was then that those few moments that defined this one day in the Life of India on NH 8 came to pass. The huge – and I mean HUGE – herd of cows, with several cowherds in tow trundled onto the highway. Step on brakes – check! . Leap out – check! Grab camera from backseat – check! Stop drooling long enough to make this  fine art photograph of A Day in the Life of  India on NH 8. Check!

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The Photograph

Apart from the sheer spectacle that presented itself to me, what really caught my eye was the play of light that was perfect for photography – soft , golden angular light, the magic of which was accentuated by the dust kicked up by this bovine herd. The pattern of U-shaped horns of these magnificent creatures does a lot for this image. I needed something to break the pattern, something that would yet provide context – the two herdsmen. I made several shots of the spectacle as it  played out before me before settling on this one.  On the technical front, it was vital I get my exposure right, mastering your dslr and exposure helps.

In post-processing I adjusted contrast to do further justice to the play of light and shadow. I also gave this image an impressionist touch. To be quite frank the image as viewed here does no justice to the final fine art print; if there was ever a fine art photograph that portrays the essence of India, this is it!

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Wah, Taj!

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 The Making of  “Wah, Taj!”

Who hasn’t heard of it? That most wonderful Monument to Love. One of  The Seven Wonders of  The World. The One and only Taj Mahal…

Photographing it would be a breeze. If it weren’t for the fact that it ranks among one of the most photographed monuments on the face of the planet. And personally, I do dislike making cliche photographs – that’s just not my style – a photograph must be uniquely me – my personal vision, my personal style…

I made this photograph on the last day on one of my annual Five Stops of Light India Photography Tour. Before sunrise, my workshop participants and I headed off  to this vantage point I’d discovered. We then waited for the sun to rise and the fog to clear. The former did, the latter didn’t seem to be in much of a mood to cooperate. I finally decided to trip the shutter as a bird flew across the frame, knowing that I wouldn’t have any detail in the structure itself worth writing home about; but that wasn’t my purpose anyway. As I mentioned, the cliche image just isn’t my style – my focus here was to capture the shape of the structure which is what I did.

In post-processing I boosted contrast to accentuate the shape of the Taj as well as the foliage in the foreground. I also applied a nice warm-yellow graduated filter (the better to give a warm, inviting feel to the image). In ending, I added a texture to the image to give it that weathered and cracked feel of an old parchment. My aim was to try and recreate the magic felt by those early western explorers — the awe they must have experienced upon finally breaking through the jungle and setting eyes on this truly magnificent building for the first time.

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