Another Denial

Phew .. Over a year has passed since I have been contributing my pictures to National Geographic viewer section for their daily selection and not a single one published.

You would think I am crazy in thinking about a publication with NG. But it is a different story as NG has a viewer section where amateur viewers submit their pics and out of them, 12 pictures are selected daily.

I would have had no issues had all the pictures been worth. I dont say all are crap but some of them are so shit that you feel like jumping off the cliff, what with one bugger sending his passport size pic and the editor happily selecting that. There are many more examples to that.

By the virtue of the fact that I myself have been an amateur for some years now, I can at least make out if a particular pic is a bit worth. On the other hand, considering the other pics which have been published, comparison becomes all the more easy.

Yesterday I sent another pic which I thought could make it. But no !!!!

What to say !!!!

MTC

Nice Evening

Last evening, tired of all day of sleeping and TV, I got out in the night to have a stroll in the gallery. I must say it was a lovely climate. Cool breeze.

Night light and the broken clouds presented a really beautiful picture. I took my camera and snapped a few pics. Suddenly, I remembered to experiment with a LONG EXPOSURE (a technique in which the shutter of the camera is kept open for longer duration and the camera is moved so as to blur the picture intentionally). I tried that and I must say that the result was satisfying.

One more nice picture and one more acid test....PHEW !!!!

Lets see.

MTC

Planning Kills

It actually does. Don't you think that we spend hours and hours together in order to plan for a thing but the best moments do come out when unplanned. At least, I have seen so. I am talking about the photos that I have snapped and have been liked by people.

I am not a professional and so, I am never out on an ASSIGNMENT but still, despite the fact that I have a camera, some of my best photographs have been UNPLANNED in the true sense -- while just strolling on the streets, descending the stairs and seeing something, lying on my bed and seeing a pigeon on my open window. Though I have a decent camera with me, all the photographs I am talking about have been taken from my CELL PHONE.

Last evening was again one of those days. I don't know about other people but with me it happens. Sometimes, my ego comes into the way and I get hell bent on GETTING A PICTURE out of something. I had been seeing a wooden plank lying on the roof adjacent to my PG for months and every time I saw it, I was like "Why Can't It Be" ??!!?? So I took my camera, jumped over and took some pictures. But I found the pictures were not worth. Then my PG staff came over and I suggested I take some pictures of him, looked for a background and found this one quite suitable. After snapping him, when he was off, I found that this setting was a beauty in itself -- the evening colors (in photographic jargon, this is called The Golden Hour), the low clouds -- and VOILA !!! Here was my picture.

Like I said, planning may not get u the thing but being unplanned does. However, the acid test it still left. Not for others to know but my brother knows it well as to what that would be.. :p

MTC

Hobbies

Pursuing a hobby is a different thing and pursuing a hobby SERIOUSLY is a pain..Boy, I have been trying to pursue photography as you all know. I am thankful to this gentleman in Lucknow to whom I mail my pics over and he sends his critique.

I think that a particular pic is good but when I receive his critique, he just blasts me off. For example, this pic. Apparently, it looks, if not good, OK. I mailed it over to him, as usual. And as usual, he slammed it saying "could have been better but for the 2 red flowers". Visually, they look good but aesthetically, for a photographic image, they are DIVERSIONS !!!!!

Whatever you do is less if you wanna be good.

On my way, lets see.

MTC