Rohit Chaudhari

Photographer

http://thephotographersblog.com 

1) Tell us something about you and how you developed interest in photography.

I am a foodie, have passion for night photography and love capturing stories. I co-founded The Photographers Blog portal dedicated towards photography in India and beyond.

2) What are the various types of photography you indulge in?

Night Photography | Landscape Photography | Streets

3) What is the inspiration that keeps you going ?

Photography has always been my passion. I resigned from my IT desk job in Aug 2017 to complete my dream of forming a platform for photographers where they will get to learn and grow with other photographers in the community. The Photographers Blog (TPB) Team has been successful to establish the community in Pune, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolhapur and slowly growing the network pan India. Its the passion of the TPB Team to share the knowledge with the community that inspires me and keeps me going.

4) How do you feel when your work is viewed and appreciated by a large audience?

The complements a photographer gets from the community is what keeps him motivated and inspired to keep going ahead on the journey. As a photographer, I always prefer using the best quality archival papers for prints. Honeycomb Team has always helped our team to get the best results in final prints of the exhibit. The editing and priting job done by their team is superb. When the visitors saw the prints they were very happy looking at the quality, colours, and the beauty of the images.

5) Tell us about photography and its inception.

A photographer freezes a moment in time in its actuality and shares the same moment in a form of photograph with the world. The photograph connects the viewer to the actual moment and they form timeless memories.

6) What, according to you, is photography and how do you perceive it?

For me, photography is the way I perceive the world around me. It is an expression of what I see around me, and how it makes me feel. It is also a medium which connects me with many creative minds around the globe from different fields and helps me learn new things about life. The art of photography will never seize to energize my mind to get going.

7) Please share some of your achievements in the photography profession.

• Co-Founded The Photographers Blog and The Photographers Company
• Conducting Night Photography Workshops from last 2 years.
• Successfully arranged photography workshops of international photographers in India.
• Continuous for two years my photos have been exhibited in prestigious photography exhibition in Pune.
• Conducted TPB Photography Exhibition in Thane successfully
• Currently CEO of the company – The Photographers Blog.com running successfully in 4 cities in India

8) Tell us something about the photography community you belong to.

TPB was founded in 2016. Our main vision was to form a common platform for photographers to share knowledge. Initially we started with our online blog portal and started sharing knowledge through blog articles and videos. Later we started with offline activites of workshops and photo tours. Recently we started our free and paid photo walks, coffee meet-ups, monthly photo challenges, photo exhibits and many different activities to keep the community engaged in photography and provide a common platform for everyone to share the knowledge. We are also working on a photography forum for our growing community to cater to all their photography needs and will launch the platform soon. Parallaly our technical team is also working on online products like mobile apps, adobe photoshop plugins to serve the photography community in the best way.

9) Tell us about the general response you receive in exhibitions.

The visitors are surprised looking at the digital vs print copies of the images and they always love the prints compared to digital image. Thanks to Honeycomb team for making one of the worlds best printers and archival papers available for prints at our doorsteps, it has changed the way people in general appreciate the photo prints.

10) What do you think about the scope of Photography in the modern Digital world?

Photography is an huge market and its filled with incredible talented photographers. The technology advancement has made our job very easy for capturing perfect moments with just a small mobile phone.

11) How do you feel about your association with Honeycomb creative support?

Its been a privilege working with Honeycomb team for TPB exhibits. The team really works hard to deliver the best prints on archival papers. We would recommend all photographers to get their images printed from Honeycomb doesn’t matter where you stay they will provide you the best prints at your doorsteps.

12) What are your future plans and dreams?

My dream is to form worlds largest photographers community by providing them the platform to share knowledge. I am also looking forward to explore Wildlife Photography.

Ganesh H Shankar

Engineer by Profession & Photographer by Passion

www.naturelyrics.com

1) Would you tell us more about you and your interest in Photography?

As of now I am an engineer by profession. Photography is my deep passion. Today, I do photography for myself, to quench my emotional and philosophical hunger.

2) Can you please tell us about the types of Photography you indulge with?

I started with the so called ‘Nature photography’, in the sense that photography of subjects in nature – birds/animals/landscapes/insects etc. I then moved on to the fine art and creative nature photography. However, the scope of the word ‘Nature’ got evolved to a large extent over the years in my photographic attempts. What I now do is ‘Philosophical Nature Photography’.

3) What is the inspiration that keeps you going?

The definitive knowledge that we humans as one of the species don’t know how/what/whys of Nature in a larger context makes me always ponder and at best wonder about the Nature. Of late I have been trying to make images (for myself) which expresses mysteries of nature, which we take for granted. A sprouting seed is a wonder which I had taken for granted, not any more. However, effective portrayal of such expressions are hard.

These words by Albert Einstein always resonates within me:

“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. He to whom the emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand wrapped in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed. The insight into the mystery of life, coupled though it be with fear, has also given rise to religion. To know what is impenetrable to us really exists, manifesting itself as the highest wisdom and the most radiant beauty, which our dull faculties can comprehend only in their most primitive forms-this knowledge, this feeling is at the center of true religiousness”.

4) How do you feel when your work is exhibited and viewed by tons of people?

If you had asked me this five years ago my reply would have been different.
Every creation in Nature tries to preserve itself and continue its progeny. Survival is an instinct that comes by birth to any life form in the nature. In human species part of it appears as ego. While I say, ‘I sing for myself’, I don’t need to write my name in the title page of my book of poems if I were a poet.
I think there can’t be a larger purpose beyond wondering about scheme of things in Nature. At one point I thought my photographs can become powerful if I portray human emotions. No more so since I can reason about it better, now. While emotion has its roots in survival of the self and progeny, ethics and morality is our own creation intended to preserve human species, in general. All of these lacks meaning when earth is seen through a telescope, appearing as a tiny faint dot between the rings of Saturn from Saturn (reminding myself of NASA’s Cassini’s images of earth from Mars).
My ego got diluted over the years. I must admit the ego did not get evaporated fully. The day it happens I will stop sharing my images or doing an interview like this one.

5) Can you tell us something about Photography and its inception?

It started as a copying machine, then people used it as a tool to create art. Of course we may use it to say something too.

6) To you, what is Photography?

A tool which I use to wonder about Nature.

 7) Can you tell us something about your Photography community?

I have a small circle of friends who share similar interest. We have an online community of photographers called Creative Nature Photography Forum, CNP for short (www.creativenaturephotography.net). This is a place where we discuss creativity, different forms of art and of course photography.

8) Can you tell us about the general response you receive in exhibitions?

Perplexed, disinterested, tired, bored, refreshed, energized, exhilarated, at times awe-inspired.

9) What do you think about the scope of Photography in the modern Digital world?

No doubt, photography is a powerful medium which has a great potential to refine human ethics and make earth a better place for life that inhabits the earth.

10) How do you feel about your association with Honeycomb creative support?

I have met Honeycomb team a few times. Honeycomb has the state of art fine art printers. Printing is a different challenge altogether. Preparing an image for printing, taking care of all the nuances of profiling and color management are very important for making beautiful and meaningful prints. Honeycomb has all this in place.

11) Can you share us your future plans and dreams?

I have no big plans or dreams. After I retire from my current day job I may make photography as my profession. Right now I don’t know what it means. For now I continue to wonder about Nature and make images when possible.

Remember these 10 tips if you want to be a professional freelance photographer.

Are you your own boss? That’s the best feeling in the world. We know that! But then seeps in the worries and insecurities of being on your own and no one to give you advice. Free yourself from such worries.

Here are 10 tips that successful freelance photographers from all over the world swear upon.

• Keep Working No Matter What: You may not have a lot of paying clients everyday but don’t fret about it! Keep working. Take shots of your city, your surroundings and anything that you find inspiring. It gives you a happy feeling and self satisfaction for the time being and will generate sales later.
• Social Media: Use the power of social media to achieve more than you have already achieved! Post about your services on a weekly basis and let clients reach you organically.
• Passive Income: Remember we asked you to keep clicking good pictures no matter what? Here’s why! Everyone needs stock images often. Use your extra pictures to create a stock photography portfolio that gets you passive income.
• Networking: Interact with more people and get both online and offline contacts. You never know when someone might want professional photos.
• Stay Up-to-date: Be it news, updates or any other topic, stay on top of every thing going on in the world.
• Update Your Gadgets: You’re your own boss! Keep your gear updated to stay on top of the game.
• Legalities: Keep yourself legally clean and sound to start up your own thing. Read every clause in an agreement with your client very carefully.
• Don’t Stalk Just Talk: Don’t try to sell your services to every customer you meet. A client will have faith in your skills only if they want to. The more you push, the more they get annoyed. Let them know what you do in a subtle manner.
• Understand Your Client: Think straight from a customer point of view. Imagine what your needs would be if you were in their situation. Present your services to them after you know what they need.
• Stay Cool: Ever seen a serious photographer? Being cool is your forte! Just know that you need to stay focused yet have a happy-go-lucky attitude. It works like a charm!
• Start Today: There’s no tomorrow if you don’t begin today. Plan your work and worry less! You are sure to succeed soon. Just be happy and enjoy!

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Soumabrata Moulick

Passionate Wildlife Photographer

About Him:

Soumabrata Moulick is a passionate wildlife photographer, trainer and nature enthusiast. Primarily interested in behavioural and conservation photography, he believes that knowledge and awareness is the key to conserve our natural heritage. Devoting most of his time to the observation, study, and documentation of nature, he loves to share knowledge through his writings and workshops. Through his works, he aspires to contribute towards the conservation of fast vanishing natural wonders. He is associated with DCP Expeditions as a Panel Expert and Consultant Strategy Team.

On a Quest to find the Phantom

Clouds kiss the tree-line and rhododendron blooms

Moss covers the ghostly trees is where the phantom looms…

My journey into to the fascinating world of wildlife photography started with photographing birds many years back, it was a very natural choice as l had been watching them for sometime and they were rather easy to find. As time went by, diversifying my subject portfolio became a priority and I moved on to photograph mammals, insects, reptiles and amphibians.

It is generally said that tracking down a cat in the wild is one of the most difficult feats to perform, which in my humble opinion is only partially true. Any animal in the wild depends heavily on it’s ability to blend-in with its surroundings and is equally difficult to track down. Try finding an elephant in a pristine grassland or dense woodland habitat and you will realise that it is no less than a magic trick how wonderfully it vanishes behind the veil of vegetation when it wants to.

Although all of them are excellent in the art of blending-in, yet some have acquired a legendary status; which can be attributed to their small population size, terrain they inhabit and behavioural traits. One such bird I longed to see and photograph in the wild is the Ward’s trogon (Harpactes wardi), which is venerably called the “phantom of the jungle”.

The opportunity presented itself very recently when the photography groups I was leading in North-East India left after their successful trips and I had a few days in hand before I was to return to Mumbai. Discussing the options of visiting lesser known habitats with a friend over brunch, Eaglenest wildlife sanctuary in the district of West Kameng, Arunachal Pradesh was decided. Even though the sanctuary is famous as the home of Bugun liocichla, it offers extraordinary diversity in terms of flora and fauna and can be termed as a heaven for photographers looking to go off the beaten track. It was an easy choice and by late afternoon arrangements were made and I set off on my quest to find the phantom.

Over the next couple of days we drove through Tezpur and entered Arunachal Pradesh through the small town of Bhalukpong after obtaining the Inner Line Permit for the visit. The drive ahead through Tippi, Elephant Flats, Sessa and Zero point to the town of Tenga is an extremely enjoyable one as the roads passes through the lush mountains of the region. After reaching Tenga, I met my local friend, who is currently involved in various research projects in the area and we planned on targeting specific spots where trogon habitats exist in and around the sanctuary. Taking the stock of the situation, I realised that the phantom was not sighted easily, no wonder it was seen by few, and it was going to be a real challenge to obtain decent images.

Next morning, we started when it was still dark and reached the forest check-post at day break, after obtaining a permit to enter the sanctuary, we visited the nearest trogon habitat called Alubari. Although we didn’t see any success in terms of our target species, I was able to make images of the rhododendron against a backdrop of the rising sun and species including the green-tailed and Mrs. Gould’s sunbird, red-tailed minla, rufous-headed parrotbill, spot-winged grosbeak, white-tailed nuthatch, beautiful sibia etc. were sighted and photographed. At this spot I had an unpleasant experience getting stung by a stinging nettle while chasing a bugun liocichla for an image; the burning sensation subdued in sometime but my hand and leg remain swollen for the rest of the trip…well, a small price to pay for such diversity encountered.

After a satisfying birding and photography session I moved on to visit another trogon habitat called Bhoot Golai, the spot has dense vegetative cover and almost all the trees were laden with moss, we found fresh elephant tracks there, most probably from before daybreak. The deafening silence at the spot justified it’s name; I’ve seldom encountered such a silent zone in a forest with no sound of insects or birds to be heard. After about two hours of searching, we gave up and decided it was time for lunch. We drove down to Lama Camp which is a basic tented accommodation camp nearby to the spot and though we hadn’t informed in advance, we were welcomed with a hot cup of tea and some super-delicious lunch at the camp. At this elevation the temperatures were cold and it was obvious why the pet cat at Lama camp was so possessive about her favourite spot near the earth oven in the kitchen 🙂

Thanking the kind staff profusely we started on our journey ahead towards the Eaglenest pass, stopping and checking intermittently for the presence of the bird at various spots. The view at Eaglenest pass was breathtaking; it was late afternoon, and there was no sign of the sun anywhere, the forest around was shrouded in mist as if trying to hide the secrets it holds. After spending some time here, we started back towards Lama camp to visit our last spot of the day called the Tragopanda trail, the trail is named so as it is frequented by the two species of tragopans found here and the red panda. Moving some distance into the forested trail we heard some movement in the bush, it was a hoary-throated barwing inside a thicket, we stayed still and it came so close that I was not able to focus with my super-telephoto lens, we moved back a little and were able to make some good close-up images of the bird. While we were busy photographing the barwing, I heard a faint, haunting call from deep within the trail….Phantom??!! I exclaimed inquisitively and my friend nodded confirming that it was not a hallucination. We left everything else and started walking towards the direction of the call and after sometime heard another one from not very far away, we could figure as this time the call was much louder but we were confused about the direction as it echoed. Looking around and moving cautiously, after about walking for 10mins, I spotted what looked like a streak of bright red to our right which settled on the first row of trees next to the trail, I put a hand on my friend’s shoulder and he immediately sat down knowing that I’ve spotted our grand prize. I slowly raised my lens as the bird sat immobile, observing us. After making some images it flew off and sat on a mossy perch at some distance. I took a good look and the colours were magnificent to say the least, it was a male.

I kept clicking, while it cleaned it’s beak by rubbing against the moss and kept flying from one perch to another, sometimes diving close to the forest floor maybe to catch insects and after sometime perched high up a branch where getting good images were not possible anymore; light was getting low by the minute and we stood there observing the fabled “phantom of the forest” in all its glory. Satisfied with the sighting and images made, we left the spot wishing the phantom a good luck for the upcoming breeding season. Back to the vehicle, my driver asked me if I got the bird? I asked him back, what do you think? And he replied, “from the smile on your face, I think your mission is over!” 🙂

Few of his works:

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Krishna Bhat

AFIAP, AFIP

Fineart travel photographer & trekker

Services:

Outdoor Photography Workshops | Digital Post Processing | Talks and Slideshows | Fine Art Prints | Photography Salons & Contests
Contact: +91 9945 336 316 | dinaabaa@gmail.com
Facebook: @chithra.santhe | Instagram: @krishna.bhat3

1) Would you tell us more about you and your interest in Photography?

Well, I can converse for hours on photography but have yet to figure out “Who am I”! I am a scientist/engineer in the field of aeronautical research and development with 16+ years of experience. In addition, I am an avid trekker and a self taught photographer. The Himalayas and the Western Ghats are my favourite outdoors. I, being born and brought up amid western ghats and coastal regions of Karnataka, am fortunate to stay connected to nature since beginning. By seeing my childhood interests, when I was in 5th standard, my father gifted me a basic film camera! I did try out and wasted a few film rolls but the passion soon went into hibernation mainly due to lack of guidance and high cost involved in developing the films. Meanwhile, my thirst with nature pushed me to trek extensively in the Western Ghats. My interest in photography was rekindled in the year 2006 when my brother & family gifted me a bridge camera! Blog and social media became my platform to showcase my works with art lovers. A few years later, inspired by eminent fine art photographers like Digwas Bellemane, I ventured into international fine art photography salons and contests. It was a real turning point in the sense, so far I used to photograph whenever I travel but now I am traveling to make photographs. Meanwhile, my treks in the Himalayas including the famous Zanskar Frozen River Trek (Chadar Trek) gave me immense opportunities to make competitive images.

2) Can you please tell us about the types of Photography you indulge with?

Travel and photography go together for me and hence I mainly concentrate on travel photography. Travel photography is a vast area in itself. I mainly focus on landscapes, long exposure shots, people and their culture/lifestyle. I also enjoy macro photography.

3) What is the inspiration that keeps you going?

Curiosity and longing to be with nature/people. Nature always turns me curious towards it. It has plenty of surprises to offer. I keep visiting the same place again and again and I find something new every time! Apart from these, I get motivated by awards from national and international contests, encouragement from family, kith and kin and off course from social media.

4) How do you feel when your work is exhibited and viewed by tons of people?

No doubt, I get thrilled. That’s the minimum what an artist can expect but “tons of people” itself is an exaggeration in this digital era unless you include online art galleries. Just viewing may not be enough. The real happiness will be when art photographers get equal treatment on par with photojournalists as we play a greater role in documenting biodiversity and promoting tourism. Government could make maximum use of us by providing ample opportunities, granting special permissions to document the state and treating us on par with other artists. Forgot to mention, I get really thrilled when my works find buyers… ha.. ha.. as photography is a costly hobby!

5) Can you tell us something about Photography and its inception?

This is a well documented and is available on the world wide web. Photography is a science of capturing lights and shadows which is based on the principle of pinhole effect wherein light passes through a small hole (aperture) forming an inverted image on the opposite side. I would like to highlight here that our ancestors were very well aware of this pinhole effect. Classic example of this effect still exists at the Virupaksha Temple, Hampi which is at least 700 years old. Here one can see inverted shadow of 160ft high raja gopura falls on the western wall of the temple through a small opening behind the sanctum. In the recent years, the science has evolved by leaps and bounds into digital photography.

6) To you, what is Photography?

People are now pursuing photography for various reasons including passion, art, commercial, forensics, journalism etc. For me, I cherish to the core the various stages involved in making an image including reaching the location (travel, trek, waiting), studying the location, composing different POVs, organising and record keeping, post processing, entering competitions, sharing on social media, photo club activities and interactions with the like minded, regardless of the resulting image which may be of fine art, travel/culture, nature, photojournalism type. I am sure, this excitement can’t be replaced with pure digital creation. Each time I see my images, I recollect the events which led to its creation. Therefore, photography is an emotion to me rather than mere documentary evidence.

7) Please share us some of your achievements in Photography Profession?

Below is the summary of my achievements in the world of photography.
The FIAP (Fédération Internationale de l’Art Photographique), Belgium conferred the Artist FIAP (AFIAP) in 2017
The FIP (Federation of Indian Photography) conferred Artist FIP (AFIP) in 2017
Awarded “Honorable Mention” for my work “Misty Mountains” in Landscape category at the international Monochrome Awards 2017
Awarded “Highly Commended” for my work “Porters on Frozen River” in Man in the Mountain/Nature category at the 28 MML- Photo an International Mountain, Nature and Adventure Photo Contest, Spain.
Fifteen international awards, 250+ exhibition acceptances across 20+ countries with 75+ unique works
First award (Best Landscape) at The Confluence 2016 by Landscape Wizards
Picture of the Month award (First award) at Karnataka Tourism Photo Contest Feb 2017, theme: Karnataka Beaches
Picture of the Month award (First award) at Karnataka Tourism Photo Contest May 2017, theme: Karnataka Arts and Culture
Certificate of Merit award (2nd award) at Karnataka Tourism Photo Contest Jul 2017, theme: Karnataka Waterfalls
First award in travel section at SKPA Contest 2017 organised by South Kanara Photographers Association, Udupi zone
First award in Unusual category at Alva’s Chaayaachithra Siri 2017

8) Can you tell us something about your Photography community?

Membership of Youth Photographic Society, one of the oldest photography clubs in India gives me huge opportunity to mingle with learned masters, peers, budding photographers and art lovers. Every Saturday, we meet and discuss various aspects of photography. I take part actively in organising salons and events. Apart from this, I often travel with a group of like minded photographers and trekkers who understand each others needs well. I get a good appreciation in social media too. I even try to answer their genuine queries.

9) Can you tell us about the general response you receive in exhibitions?

Though my works have been exhibited in more than 20 countries, I could not take part in those exhibitions. I got few opportunities to exhibit my works at Karnataka Chithrakala Parishat as well. Though the crowd was limited in numbers, there was no dearth of appreciation. I answered many queries regarding my works. Happy to claim, my works attracted their attention. But in my opinion, overall response is low. May be the present materialistic world controlled by time is one of the reasons! It is known for snatching away the opportunities to enjoy diverse fields like art, music etc!

10) What do you think about the scope of Photography in the modern Digital world?

With the advent of digital photography came the powerful processing applications. These have given wings to one’s imagination/perception/artistic mind, resulting in surrealistic and creative outputs. Many effects were guarded secrets in the era of dark rooms, not any more. Possibilities have widened and so the expectations! One needs to put extra effort to meet these expectations. Going back is not an option. Any technology has pros and cons. We have to make use of the technology for common good like social awareness generation, humanity, peace, conservation, drug abuse etc. These messages can be conveyed to society more effectively through creative photography. Photographer is inching close to painter! Photography societies the world over have defined various categories of photography like “Open”, “Nature”, “Photo Travel”, “Photojournalism” and so on with clearcut processing/manipulation restrictions and penalties for violations which are helpful in managing the contests/salons. As I said earlier, digital technology cannot replace the excitement behind making a photograph. Traveling has its own advantages which can’t be replaced either. So, photography will remain relevant.

11) How do you feel about your association with Honeycomb creative support?

It is very interesting and pleasant. When I visited Honeycomb for the first time, along with exhibits, I appreciated the pencil sketches too especially that of my spiritual Guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ji. To my delight, that pencil sketch was delivered home as a gift. Second special moment was in the year 2016 at the award ceremony of “The Confluence 2016” at IISc. I won the first award there in the form of large printed frame of my award winning picture. Do you know who had sponsored the awards? M/s Honeycomb Creative! Even today it is decorating my wall. No one else could have promoted photographic art the way you did. I have come across your contributions on numerous occasions. I am extremely happy with the kind of encouragement, service, quality and warmth you provide to photography and to photographers.

12) Can you share us your future plans and dreams?

I will continue my hobby as it gives me a deep sense of satisfaction. Dream is to write a few picture stories to magazines and newspapers but only time will decide when it will happen. I am open to share my knowledge with serious photography aspirants in the form of workshops, talks, slideshows etc. One more goal is to achieve few more international distinctions in the world of art photography.