Delhi to Ladakh rejoiced (H series)

[zoossh]

dont make it your backup cam, throw it to me, will ya?

well, i need a backup body. kind of reliant (used to) on DSLR and unable to optimally utilise a compact (i always used the DSLR except for one occasion of whitewater rafting and the dry bag failed on capsizing, causing my rarely used fujifilm F11 to have yellowish stain at the LCD corner...)

i doubt that i can return to a compact although i always wonder if i can get used to a digital rangefinder.

and due to my reliance to DSLR and my inability to enjoy a holidy without photography, i need to ensure that i got my gear going good and functional despite of unexpected incidence. so extra lens, lens cap, memory cards and batteries need to be completed with an extra camera body (although few people does that, but i'm sure fellow travel photographers would understand).

superb shots with superior quality and technicalities. you create magic with all these shots. i shall one day bestow you my shifu. im amazed over and over again. Go join National Geographic already

i ain't got very good sharpness for big prints nor wide enough DOF for good landscapes, far from any professional standards. they look ok at 500-800px wide.

i also did my own cult way of processing and the pictures ain't realistic enough for photojournalism (where even enhancement requires some good judgement and discipline). check out reuters and NG, you will see much differences. they have stronger and more complicated compositional formats, and usually do not rely on atmospheric factors such as glare and haze, and are usually sharp front to back rather than with narrow DOF like many of my shots.

my shooting is just a personal enjoyment and satisfaction. everytime i have processed a photo, i'm happy 75% of the time. if i have any further processing skills, i hope i can do something that resembles (yes, even if it is an imitate) the works of Olivier Follmi.

and really, the opportunity to get to a place is the first and foremost important thing. that great photographs of nat geo or reuters or any other media, apart from good photographers and suitable equipments, also depend on their access to those locations, people or event. you can't produce pictures of the blue colored tuareg people if you dun get deep into north/west africa. i have once seen a nat geo coverage of female wrestlers in south america, and apart from flying there, and getting to that location in specific, getting close to these fascinating characters and photographing them in person or in the wrestling court, were all tough and timing consuming (and expensive).

i'm trying to find a place that is a little different from what i have shot so far, within budget, and without the need to take daily transport of more than 4hrs... i can't find a cheap way to fly to central asia which i'm looking last few weeks (sob sob) and it seems that i probably would have to settle for europe from next may onwards (maybe spain or estonia, while croatia is a bit difficult to travel due to long transport hours).

i sometimes envy those street shooters who can produce great pictures despite of the hot weather, more difficult lighting and less exotic subjects. i shot overseas cos i can't shoot locally. seriously, i dun shoot better than many others if i'm given the same local environment. and till date, i still dun really understand how to use a flash properly and will struggle with an indoor shot without flash... and if i do get comfortable with my skills, will try to get into TFCD and model portraits (along the line of ejunlow)...

 

[zoossh]

thanks, emlee and wendy.

and for the rest, sorry abt my OT. undecided for my next destination and hopefully with some blabbering, i can get down on my focus.

 

[zoossh]

#106

portrait of the tibetan spiritual leader, dalai lama. once again seen, and symbolically too, at spangmik of ladakh, bordering Ü-Tsang across the lake of pangong (pangong tso) at 4242m high. from here, looking over the lake, is their motherland.

 

[zoossh]

#107

one of the peaks at sarchu, between manali and leh.

 

[Pokka]

#107

one of the peaks at sarchu, between manali and leh.

​

what is those white streaks ?​

 

[raghnall]

Zoossh.. Your photos are simply awe-inspiring.. :lovegrin::lovegrin: Thanks for sharing.. :thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

[zoossh]

what is those white streaks ?

bits and pieces of snow. it is summer. for higher peaks, they are snow-capped all year round.

 

[zoossh]

Zoossh.. Your photos are simply awe-inspiring.. :lovegrin::lovegrin: Thanks for sharing.. :thumbsup::thumbsup:

thanks. just sharing. i hope to see works from others as well. you have some?

 

[zoossh]

#108

this is a travel mate whom i know dun mind being named, but since i dun do for most of the others, so it shall be. an independent person who goes well in a group too, as can be seen he's both a trekker, a backpacker and a photographer... and so he dashes down the slope (and need to climb up later of cos...) to have his view, and i have mine (as i dun intend to climb up, i can't go down). location is the vast emptyness of the hunder valley. actually it is not that bad... just that after 8hrs of travel, we are all expecting dropdead gorgeous landscape which isn't really as good as say, sarchu with the really rich blue and browns. but having someone to get down and scale the perspective against the mountains is what i did not get or probably cannot get at sarchu (cos the valley is flat at sarchu while the road at hunder is raised)

 

[Pokka]

#108

this is a travel mate whom i know dun mind being named, but since i dun do for most of the others, so it shall be. an independent person who goes well in a group too, as can be seen he's both a trekker, a backpacker and a photographer... and so he dashes down the slope (and need to climb up later of cos...) to have his view, and i have mine (as i dun intend to climb up, i can't go down). location is the vast emptyness of the hunder valley. actually it is not that bad... just that after 8hrs of travel, we are all expecting dropdead gorgeous landscape which isn't really as good as say, sarchu with the really rich blue and browns. but having someone to get down and scale the perspective against the mountains is what i did not get or probably cannot get at sarchu (cos the valley is flat at sarchu while the road at hunder is raised)

breathtaking!

 

[zoossh]

thanks, pokka.

#109

shooting morning prayers (puja) and capturing the horn blowing is one of the aims of the trip. with the influx of curious westerners (and us also, but there ain't many asians though) about the mystical tibetan culture, many monasteries did not allow entry during these processions (probably didn't want to be disturbed). thiksey monastery is one of the few that allows visitors to sit in the puja, but in return for respect, visitors are expected to behave in a manner that would not distract the monks (i will show a photo later on the rules laid down)

we did not reach the monastery early. by the time of entry, the seats at the back are occupied and we settled ourselves at the corner of the room. i shut off the autofocus illuminator and autofocus beep, and moves in slow motion like a sloth (an animal that moves very slowly) in the dark corner behind a pillar, with a shot at different vantage spaced out roughly once per minute, moving minimally only when no monks are looking at my direction (some of the child monks may occasionally peep behind) while keeping to the rules laid down. i did made my motion inconspicuous to the monks at a distance, but failed to notice that is conspicuous to the foreigner sitting about a metre behind me (though not blocking his view). he whispered to me to request that i reduced my movements. and i subsequently spaced out my shot to once every 3-5mins in that about 1 hr where i sit in the same position and that seems ok for all thereafter. i should have been more cautious earlier on.

for any one visiting these monasteries, do learnt from the mistakes as above. try to avoid them so that future photographers can still have the opportunity to show the pics to the rest of the world.

the best is to visit early and stay seated in a good position. the best point is probably next to the door (where a travel mate of mine was seated). it is closest to the central walkway, and have a good angle of view to the monks sitting at both sides of the room, so one can alter vantage easily without moving much at all. the lighting through the door is also great at illuminating the monks nearest to the central walkway, which will reduce the low light difficulty just a little deeper in the room. you will also make the least movement if you decided to creep out of the room halfway through the puja. some of the principles remain the same for finding a seat in the lecture theatre during school.

most of my shots are blurred becos of the low light. my nikon D50's usable ISO is at most up to 800, which is as below with relatively good light from the door and at a wide angle of 10mm. i have very little vantage also. the shots of the foreigners sitting behind are probably among the better ones.

 

[zoossh]

#110​

well written rules laid down by thiksey monastery for the puja.

"Dear Friends ...

1. Please wear appropriate dress, e.g. no shorts/skirts or showing of bra straps etc.
2. Please do not sit in or around the middle walkway.
3. Once seated, please keep your movements to a mininum and do not move around, as this will distract those who are trying to concentrate.
4. In line with the point above, please do not engage in any behavior, which may distract others, such as talking/whispering/non verbal communication etc.

These rules are not meant to reduce your enjoyment, but are intended to maintain the necessary atmosphere of the chanted meditation so that it can still be enjoyable and meaningful for the devotees. "

 

[zoossh]

#111

statue of gandhi in the salt march

 

[zoossh]

#112

yet another young monk at rizong

 

[raghnall]

thanks. just sharing. i hope to see works from others as well. you have some?

I don't think I've got any worth of posting yet.. :embrass: Didn't have much luck with the weather over the last couple weeks or so..

 

[zoossh]

I don't think I've got any worth of posting yet.. :embrass: Didn't have much luck with the weather over the last couple weeks or so..

what do you usually shoot? citiscape, urbanscape, coastal photography? if you like the latter, maybe join ikkang and emlee, they seem quite fruitful with their trips.

 

[raghnall]

what do you usually shoot? citiscape, urbanscape, coastal photography? if you like the latter, maybe join ikkang and emlee, they seem quite fruitful with their trips.

Usually shoot landscapes and cityscapes.. Finally got lucky today. Manage to catch sunset at Labrador Park.. Now gotta find time process it.. Heh.. ;p

 

[Lolrence]

Love your portraits... how do you normally approach your subjects? Do you ask for their permission for photos and get them to pose for you?

 

[zoossh]

Love your portraits... how do you normally approach your subjects? Do you ask for their permission for photos and get them to pose for you?

when i first started, i was quite abrupt in my approach. nowadays, i would gesture and smile as big as i can, and proceed if my subject responded positively. they usually pose on their own preference, and i do not interfere at all on how they pose (if that is what you mean by get them to pose) as i think they are already obliging and i shouldn't ask for more, but there are a few exceptions... if they are backlit and the face is all black, i may gesture them to turn to another direction as i change my direction so that the face is at least quarter lit... or if in a group photo of 2 or more ppl who knew each other, i may gesture them to come closer... and especially if they are expecting to see or even to have their photos, i will further enforce the above so that they can have decent pictures.

there are situations that i do not get to ask for permission. when i shoot from the moving jeep... and when i use a telephoto for a distant shot that do not allow me to gesture effectively, but i would usually stand in an open position so that at some point of time i can be seen by the subject too.

i'm sure most of us faces some degree of apprehension when photographing strangers. some of us probably have been burnt by unpleasant experiences. i'm fortunate enough to face not as many unpleasant experience as some other does, but there are still situations that i would rather not be in. i would consider myself rather an aggressive portrait shooter in the sense that i tend to proceed to shoot more often than i hold back, and my focal length and composition preference requires me to shoot at very close distance (within a metre). that shooting pattern is fine for me in the past as the group is smaller and slightly more dispersed, but the group size for the current trip is a little bigger and more concentrated, and sometimes one have to hold back the shooting or take random turns in approaching a single subject. if you find that the shooting session is a little longer than expected for the subject to feel easy, you can consider chatting with the subject before asking for another shot, or even offers to be in the photo while your friend shoots you and the subject.

it may also differs from culture to culture. some nationalities tend to be warmer or more friendly while some people tend to be more suspicious or paranoid. i may have to change from time to time, and probably ask others when i come across a new place or people of different social or cultural background. it also depends on who you shoot, e.g. a hawker that you dun intend to buy things from, or a girl who is wearing rather scantily. all these may be considerations. i tend to avoid situations that may get me into unpleasant outcomes, and there was once i didn't think of shooting a group of bakers who are full of beard and big moustaches and they didn't really smile... but my travelmate who is more enthuasiastic feels that we would have a good chance and he is right, the bakers are actually very keen.

 

[Lolrence]

when i first started, i was quite abrupt in my approach. nowadays, i would gesture and smile as big as i can, and proceed if my subject responded positively. they usually pose on their own preference, and i do not interfere at all on how they pose (if that is what you mean by get them to pose) as i think they are already obliging and i shouldn't ask for more, but there are a few exceptions... if they are backlit and the face is all black, i may gesture them to turn to another direction as i change my direction so that the face is at least quarter lit... or if in a group photo of 2 or more ppl who knew each other, i may gesture them to come closer... and especially if they are expecting to see or even to have their photos, i will further enforce the above so that they can have decent pictures.

there are situations that i do not get to ask for permission. when i shoot from the moving jeep... and when i use a telephoto for a distant shot that do not allow me to gesture effectively, but i would usually stand in an open position so that at some point of time i can be seen by the subject too.

i'm sure most of us faces some degree of apprehension when photographing strangers. some of us probably have been burnt by unpleasant experiences. i'm fortunate enough to face not as many unpleasant experience as some other does, but there are still situations that i would rather not be in. i would consider myself rather an aggressive portrait shooter in the sense that i tend to proceed to shoot more often than i hold back, and my focal length and composition preference requires me to shoot at very close distance (within a metre). that shooting pattern is fine for me in the past as the group is smaller and slightly more dispersed, but the group size for the current trip is a little bigger and more concentrated, and sometimes one have to hold back the shooting or take random turns in approaching a single subject. if you find that the shooting session is a little longer than expected for the subject to feel easy, you can consider chatting with the subject before asking for another shot, or even offers to be in the photo while your friend shoots you and the subject.

it may also differs from culture to culture. some nationalities tend to be warmer or more friendly while some people tend to be more suspicious or paranoid. i may have to change from time to time, and probably ask others when i come across a new place or people of different social or cultural background. it also depends on who you shoot, e.g. a hawker that you dun intend to buy things from, or a girl who is wearing rather scantily. all these may be considerations. i tend to avoid situations that may get me into unpleasant outcomes, and there was once i didn't think of shooting a group of bakers who are full of beard and big moustaches and they didn't really smile... but my travelmate who is more enthuasiastic feels that we would have a good chance and he is right, the bakers are actually very keen.

Cool, thanks for the detailed explanation
I've always been shooting pple rather secretly, which is something I need to change... I guess all I had to do was to ask. I noticed that most of them don't have really forced smiles... was that all by luck/technique in capturing their moods, or are they that natural at smiling :bsmilie: