Top Three Tips for Photography in the Himalayas – and a possible give-away with this blog post!

*Read the entire post (especially the last lines) to find something really interesting; yes, a possible give-away! Make sure you leave a comment or two regarding anything interesting (regarding travel – like your favorite city, any tips for fellow travellers, etc.) in the comment section below*

 

I’ve always been in love with the Himalayas ever since I can remember. As a child, I always used to get excited whenever the entire family would take vacations, especially anywhere in the Himalayas. As years passed by, I became heavily inclined  and got introduced to my creative side, and writing & photography took the front seat as far as my passion and profession was concerned.

Ever since then, I have been going back to the Himalayas to frame them, and to write more in-depth about them, each time a little more than the last time. And every time I go there, I feel I leave a part of my being there while coming back. They are just magical! Photography in the Himalayas has been a major turning point for me when it comes to falling head over heels in love with the beautiful mountains. And hence, I wanted to share 3 top tips that I could perhaps think of, at this point of time, for photography in the Himalayas. These are not really  “rules” or hard-wired tips as such; rather, these are the 3 points that I could think of right now w.r.t photography & the Himalayas.

1. Golden Hour is good but don’t be afraid of the so called ‘hard light’ – Yes, we all know how all pictures (especially landscapes) can get that great depth and colors, if photographed during the so called “golden hours” (just before dawn & moments after dusk), but that should not stop you from photographing the mountains or the magical landscapes during the peak time of the day, afternoon, or when the light is not ideal. Impressive panoramic vistas of snow-capped peaks lining the horizon, multi-coloured rock layers and ridges poking through the deep blankets of snow which envelop the upper reaches of the mountains, violent winds whipping snow up in a plum as they strip the exposed peaks bare; All this set against customary deep blue skies sparsely populated with rising puffy cumulus clouds in the afternoon heat, coupled with a turquoise lake or two, it’s all about contrast and how could it not be photogenic under harsh light? In fact it’s at its most photogenic under the harsh midday sun!
2. Black & White – Yes, I know how colors and everything related to colors look fantastic. But, trust me when I say, black & white has its own charm. Next time you are in the Himalayas, just try and photograph the snow-clad mountains with the dark blue sky and then eventually turn it into a pure black & white image. And you’ll see how amazing it actually looks.
3. Well, explore! – This tip is not really related to photography per se, but it is true for travelling in general. When you are done travelling through the normal routes, try and explore. Try and find out different paths, get off the beaten path and  trust me, you’ll discover an entirely new world. I know I discovered such amazing vistas, met so many new and interesting people and got some great pictures, just because I took the ‘road less taken’.

If you have any other interesting tips to share with me, please do leave a comment below. Or maybe you can tell me about your favourite cities. Please share your views in the comment section, and I just might have something interesting to ‘give-away’ in my next blog post!

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Ford Ecosport Photo-shoot Campaign

Ford Motors is about to launch it’s SUV, the Ecosport into the market, and they wanted it photographed in a professional way. And it was such an honor and pleasure to have worked for Ford on the Ecosport project. I love the simple yet powerful looks of the Ecosport, it is attractive and has some brilliant design iterations. I fell in love with the vehicle when I first saw it back at the Auto Expo, but in it’s final production avataar, it looks as sexy as ever.

It was an extensive shoot, photographing such a beautiful vehicle is not an easy job. One has to really know what he/ she is doing before even starting out with the shoot. Some extensive home-work, looking closely at the vehicle, and then finally taking that first exposure, and eventually completing the entire shoot was a process in itself. I got to really love Ford to have produced such a brute, masculine vehicle as the Ecosport. Here, I present 15 photographs of the Ecosport from the official photo-shoot. Have a look, and I hope these photographs give you enough idea about the sort of beauty the Ecosport is.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I Miss You, Mom

I’ve been in Goa, for an assignment for Ford India (photographing their upcoming SUV, the Ecosport). The days have been extremely busy,  but one evening post pack-up, I witnessed a wonderful sunset on one of the beaches in Goa and photographed it as well. And during those moments, I missed my mom even more; I so wished she was around me, around the entire family to support me, to love me, to take care of me and to probably see me work and hopefully be proud of me.

I hope she’d be watching from the heavens, and I really hope her blessings are with me. Happy Mother’s Day, mummy. I miss you, terribly…

 

Into the Evening…

Finding peace is not an easy task, no-matter how easy it might sound to you. On such a busy day, I made it a point to take an hour out in the evening, just to be with myself. Yes, I do love to be all alone; it does feel a little too alone at times, but then again, it is something which I choose for myself, and not forced upon. Moreover, if I have my beloved camera with me, I hardly feel the need to interact, talk, chat-up with anyone else. Having some great friends around is always a plus-point, but even if I am alone with my camera, I have found peace and solace.

Photograph things, daily things, things which you see on a daily basis but perhaps never took time to really “see” and appreciate is what I like to do, apart from writing about it, ofcourse. After all, I started writing long before I even thought about how interested photography is. So, you see, writing is and shall always be something that I give just a tad preference over photography, I believe. Anyhow, not boring you guys to death anymore; sharing a few pictures from last evening. These are not really technically superior or award-winning images which are ready to go to National Geographic or anything; just a few images created after dark while taking a nice , and more importantly a quiet stroll. Just being with myself, and enjoying  the time. 🙂

 

Loneliness is perhaps a blessing, at times, and at others it is pure punishment…

 

The dome of a old architecture contrasts beautifully with the blue sky just after sunset.

 

A black & white of the complex of Lodhi Gardens…

 

 

Blue skies and the lit historical beauty at Lodhi Gardens, New Delhi.

Bobby Roy Photography || Getty Images Contributor

It’s a proud moment for me today, as Getty Images has invited me to be an images contributor for them. It is really a matter of honor and respect. Just incase  you didn’t know, Getty Images is one of the world’s biggest stock images company and is based in Seattle, Washington.

It is a supplier of stock images for business and consumers with an archive of 80 million still images and illustrations and more than 50,000 hours of stock film footage. It targets three markets—creative professionals (advertising and graphic design), the media (print and online publishing), and corporate (in-house design, marketing and communication departments).

Thank you, Getty for this huge honor. 🙂 I shall strive to do better!

Photo-shoot of Miniature Liquor Bottles for Client

Today was a very busy and hectic day. I had a photo-shoot of some miniature liquor bottles, that I was commissioned to shoot for a client. It was a very challenging task ofcourse, not only because these are miniature bottles and it is tough to actually photograph these, but also because they are made of glass no-less!

But, at the end of a 6-7 hour photo-shoot, all is worth it after the client likes the pictures. I love such challenging photo-shoots, and especially when it is for professional purposes. I am sharing below a few photographs from the photo-shoot, and I have also included a photograph of the actual size of the miniature bottles just to give you all an idea of the actual size of these liquor bottles. These are beautiful to look at and wonderful to photograph.

P.S: Drinking / Smoking is injurious to health, and I, in no way support this. I do not drink/ smoke.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Professional Wedding Photographer? Do I really need one?

I understand the fact that weddings are expensive affairs, but it is also equally important to understand that there should be some room left in that expenses list of yours, to include a professional photographer for your big day. Now, I know very well that your best friend has a “professional D-SLR” and can take pictures of your wedding day for completely free, but like everything in life, you get what you pay for (or in this case what you “free” for).

You see, a pro knows what he/ she is doing right from some suave couple shots to capturing the moments beautifully under any lighting conditions, to the perfect exposure, composition, and framing, the pro knows exactly what he is doing rather than that “friend” of yours who is still fiddling with finding that “perfect” setting in his latest, flashy new D-SLR. Now, when somene hires me to cover their wedding, it is not because they have known me for years or only because they know my work. It is also because of the fact that working as a pro for years has made me learn and understand a lot of finer details which an amateur doesn’t quite know. For example, a pro knows exactly how to manipulate the existing lights (whether it be natural or artificial) and reflective surfaces in ways that you could never imagine.

Photography as a profession, for me is almost an obsession. When I go to cover a wedding, I always look for different view-points, different ways of capturing the same old cliched scenes which every wedding photographer creates. It’s like transforming what you would’ve thought to be just another normal, may be even unremarkable setting into almost a photo-studio sort of an environment, but never losing the important candid moments for which I am hired for in the first place. Since I majorly shoot candids, I have access to places where a traditional photographer generally doesn’t, and these moments are when I, as a photographer do not quite have the time to think of what the exposure should be, what the framing must be. It all comes with years of shooting; just looking at the light inside a room makes it click in my mind instantly, what the aperture/ shutter combination should be and what to do so that I can get the exact image that I had visualized in the first place.

Staying on top of the new technology in this digital ae has its own set of challenges, one that takes a lot of professional comittment and ofcourse a lot of expense as well. Be it wedding photography, or even photography in general is a very equipment-intensive business and all this equipment is expensive. So, it really does feel bad when the client negotiates time and again, till the time it is almost like working for free! I sincierly feel that if we, as photographers are giving our 100% to each assignment that we are hired for, it is also the client’s responsibility to see to it that we are paid for the job that we are doing in the right way.

Now, I am not someone to charge exhorbitant amounts for the weddings that I cover, but it is important for the clients to understand the entire wedding does not end with just the end of the wedding. It goes on well beyond the wedding day, with the post-processing of pictures, choosing the right pictures, and then working on those for days on and upto 18 hours in a day.

Please understand, professional photographers, like any other artists or business owners need to spend money to make money. When you hire them, you are actually helping them pay for their investment and in return you are getting memories for your lifetime; memories which you’d cherish for the entire life. And when you give this huge responsibility to your “friend”, cousin, or someone who has almost next to zilch experience in shooting weddings, you are taking a huge risk for a few thousand bucks that could make the difference between you looking at the photos and crying out of disgust and tears flowing down those beautiful cheeks out of nostalgia.

Think about it…

…to the Queen of Hills.

Yes, it had been quite a while that I travelled last, and when a bunch of friends suggested, or rather asked me to chart out a 3- day plan of driving to the hills, I just couldn’t resist! I mean, how could I!? I checked my schedule (no photo-shoots were planned during those 3 odd days), and I was off.

A plan was made within a couple of days, emails sent with proper descriptions, and the entire plan, and we were off during the weekend, early morning at 0400hrs. Without going into the details, let’s just say, we had a fabulous time, not only because of the company that I had, but also because of the fact that a few people in this group of 6 people, had infact experienced snow for the first time, and it was a sight seeing them go crazy at the first glance of snow.

The first night, we halted in Narkanda, while for the 2nd night, we came down to Shimla, where we halted for the night, before returning to Delhi and to our busy chores the next day. But, there is that bug inside me, which keeps pinching me from time to time, to go out, travel and travel some more. So, who knows, where I am off to next month! For the time being though, please enjoy these few pictures which I managed to create during this 3 day trip. 🙂

The Drive Uphill…

A man walks on a small path, in Kasauli. Photo: Bobby Roy

There are certain places that you get way too familiar with. So familiar infact, that you can close your eyes and remember it just as if you were right there. You can almost feel the movement of the roads, the curves, and absorb the smell of the pines, breathe in the fresh air and enjoy the beautiful vistas – all this sitting at that boring workstation of yours, inside your office cubicle! It has almost been a year now that I visited a nice, cozy, quaint place where there is absolutely nothing to do, but take a long, quiet walk through the ‘kuchha’ roads and enjoy the beautiful scenes all around, and spend the entire day photographing and documenting it all.

Well, winters are here in North India and it is (almost) that time of the year again to start travelling and that is precisely what my mind had been thinking for quite a few weeks now. And FINALLY, tomorrow, I leave for Kasauli (Himachal Pradesh) with a few buddies, for the weekend. For me, it’s the tranquility, the views, the friends, coupled with lots of old-time memories that, I hope will keep me captivated in this wonderful little town.

And do I even need to mention about the photography part? 🙂