My Top10 Photography Lessons

Lessons I have learned along the way; wish I actually practise them.

10. Focus (no pun intended) on an area of photography that matches your interest and temperament. At the same time, you need to have some idea of the subject.

9. know thy equipment. know it's limitation. either work around it or get something that meets the demand of your photographic need.

8. get the best equipment you can afford. at least invest in a tripod and a speedlight.

7. join a club. subscribe to few magazines (at least go and read them at a local library.) study other people's work, making a note of what you like and what you didn't.

6. share your work and seek feedback. participate in competitions.

5. charge for your photography. if you do it for free, at least let them know how much they saved. so people will not take your time and talent for granted.

4. tell a story through your lens. viewer must be able to identify with your subject or theme easily.

3. your picture need to be at technically perfect - sharp focus, correct exposure

2. pay attention to the composition. It is an art

1. shoot. shoot. shoot. there is no substitute for taking lot of pictures.

So Hard to Part

Finally, the 17 year old relationship came to an end. He was gone, rather taken away, when I returned from work today. It felt strange to return home today. A strange emptiness.

Over the past three years, he was primarily relegated to the reserve bench. And he accepted it ungrudingly. His utility was gone, but unlike a pro-team owner, I was unable to trade him. Afterall, he was my companion for so long. Loyalty still carries some meaning in my world! Plus, it was hard for me to pull the trigger till this point.

He was witness of my many escapades, sharing many a road experience. He witnessed me forging a special friendship with Tony. He was there when Tracy arrived for the first time in the US, when she learned driving and when we left NC. So when I drove into the driveway this evening, I felt a sudden void. The Legacy was no more.

For the last 3 years, he made his presence known silently at least twice daily. Our relationship had withered, reduced to these ocassional greetings exchange. Then why was I so sad with his departure? Afterall it was my decision to let the old go to make room for the new. So why this pain? I suddenly realized that we don't do so well with loss, separation, and death.

When you are not here

When you are not here --
No thundering sound
can silence my pain.
My timid desire longs
to hold you in my arms
a moment longer.

I know you are out where:
ocean meets the sky
clouds caress the mountain
kids run after drifting kites
autumn leaves keep you warm
dew cleanses you in the morn
birds come to sing for you
starry night blankets you.

I know you are out somewhere,
you are present everywhere
But why aren't you with me?

Each passing day laments
your not being near.
Each moment of joy and sorrow
reminds me you are not here.
Life without you is in vain
unless I'm with you again

Questions

I wonder why
beneath the mountain so still
simmer a bubbling spring of lava
while deep down the stormy sea a calm
mirrors the still deadness
of an impending storm.

I wonder why
it rains in excess in Cherapunji
while Gobi-Sahara laments in anguish -
not a single drop in sight.

I wonder when and how
this strange dichotomy in nature
and the divide in the physial world
got into our lives and society.

Note: Cherapunji is a place in Meghalaya, India with the highest rainfall in the world.

The Alphabet Book for the Splinternet Age

The days of A for Apple (actually now it's a new apple from Steve Jobs), B for Ball is gone. Kids are exposed to new things in this info age. Here's to the post-internet age splintered by electronic devices, smart phones, etc.

A App
B Blog
C Chat
D Digital
E e-bay
F Facebook
G Google
H html
I iPhone
J Java
K Kindle
L LinkedIn
M Mint
N Netbook
O Orkut
P Paypal
Q Quicken
R RSS
S SMS
T Twitter
U URL
V Viral
W Wiki
X XBox
Y YouTube
Z Zynga