Photos & More

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I’ve Said it Before, And I’ll Say It Again

If you have been a regular reader, then you know my hobbyhorse: the iPhone is killing the standalone camera. And the latest data released by Camera & Imaging Products Association only reinforces my thesis from a few years ago. Just look at this chart:

Even though we are taking more photos all the time, we are not taking them with standalone cameras. Instead, we are using our smartphones for every kind of photography. Continue reading “I’ve Said it Before, And I’ll Say It Again”

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Leica SL: A Love Story

I am writing this four years to the day after I fell in love.

In the aftermath of the GigaOM shutdown, I left town to spend a weekend with friends in New York and to take a break from all the negativity that was enveloping. I needed to revisit the place where it all started. I was in search of closure, though finding it – I ultimately learned – would take much longer. After I arrived, I began my healing process, as many people do, with some retail therapy. I stopped by my favorite camera store and chit-chatted with the staff. Don who would later become a dear friend, showed it to me, though I am forever in his debt.

The Leica SL. It was love at first sight. Continue reading “Leica SL: A Love Story”

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Flickr Fabulous

Over the past few months, I have been trying to wean myself off Instagram and social media in general. There are many aspects of Instagram. I love dearly: my photography community and ability to connect and chat with others about the art, craft, and technicals of photography. And right in the middle of this rumination, … Continue reading Flickr Fabulous

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Life-changing magic of a bespoke preset

A few months back, when visiting Portland, Maine, I got a chance to spend time with Rebecca Lily and Johnny Patience, two talented photographers and visual artists. They have eschewed the obvious and the normal and instead carved out their trail through life, work, and creativity. Bijan Sabet, who is also a fellow photography enthusiast made the introductions. Dan Rubin, another stellar photographer, reinforced the relationship.

Those early introductions turned into a friendship, the kind where you are honest about yourself, your challenges and your fears. Over a coffee and some pastries in their favorite cafe in the city of Bath, Maine, we talked about photography. In particular, I spoke about my frustration with the time required to edit photos, when in reality one should be spending more time with the camera. Continue reading “Life-changing magic of a bespoke preset”

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The Cameras I used on my Ladakh Adventure

  • iPhone XS Max.
  • Leica M-A with a Leica f2/50mm Summicron.
  • Nikon D850 along with Nikon f 2.8 24-70 and Nikon 2.8 70-200 lenses.

I had initially planned to bring along a Leica TL2 with an f1.4/50mm (equivalent) Summilux, but somehow that didn’t work out, and at the very last minute, I decided to rent a Nikon kit from a camera rental operation in Bangalore. Continue reading “The Cameras I used on my Ladakh Adventure”

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Confluence

One of the most magical sights — at least for me — is the confluence of Rivers Indus and Zanskar. The two rivers have very distinct colors, whether you are looking down from the mountain road that hugs the mountain on its side, or right from the beach. And I am not the first one to stop and take photos at this spot. It is a tourist haunt, and perhaps that is why it was a challenge to find new perspectives and give my spin on this spot. Continue reading “Confluence”

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Gateway to Heaven: Ladakh

Photography oriented trips are a visual Marathon. You are always on the move; your eyes are still looking, scanning, cataloging and telling your brain what a photo worth making is. I usually drive around with a local and then stop at a location that clicks. Pun intended! And then I would spend either minutes or hours at a location, and work it.

But after a while, your eyes start to tire, and you stop looking. It usually happens on the last day and today was no different. Luckily, Arun Bhat, who helped organize this trip and our man-Friday, karma, were there to push me. “Why don’t we drive up to Tanglangla,” and stop along the way and look at some Monasteries,” Arun had suggested. The drive to the second highest motorable pass in the world (maybe) is beautiful, and with early snows coming, the roads are going to be empty and pass through a beautiful landscape, worth looking and not just photographing.  Continue reading “Gateway to Heaven: Ladakh”

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Leica, ready to flip?

After five years of using Leica products, I can safely say that Leica does make fantastic products, and expensive as they might be, they are going to last what seems like a lifetime. I bought my Leica SL, about three years ago. It was so advanced and perfectly built that even today, I find it at par with recent competitive products. The lenses — especially the M class of lenses — cost a lot of money, but I am leaving those for my godchildren. In other words, the very qualities that make Leica products expensive, make it hard for the company to monetize their customer base. With overall camera market shrinking, thanks to the rise of computational photography, like all its rivals, Leica must see the writing on the wall.

Continue reading “Leica, ready to flip?”