Day Five: BIF-3...... end credits.....

29 March 2011
Drik Gallery, Dhanmondi, Dhaka, Bangladesh

the wonderful times just came to an end..... we knew it was gonna come to a finish one day..... so, from the word go it was more of a countdown to the finish.... but another countdown just began today..... the countdown to BIF-4.....

BIF-3 has been a landmark.... a joy of achievement, classroom of ideas, center of learning, spark of creativity... all that combined gave us something to remember.... all the TTL-ers own this success..... but there are some who made this happen.... Shudipto's name had been mentioned too often; almost too many times..... because thats how he is..... he is a one-man Army..... a storm of driving force.... Faisal Bhai has always been the inspiration..... Andrew Biraj has played a wonderful catalyst, as he has always been.... Avik Bhai has proven his worth time and time again as one of the most creative brains in TTL..... then there are the wheels..... Kamal, Tahmid, Kamrul, Raian, and others who relentlessly put their effort.... Nurur Bhai, Mishuk, Juthy, and others played important parts in his unique areas...... and they were joined this time by some young dedicated TTL-ers who really proved their worth and showed the way to the future..... Galib, Raquib, Rizwan, Tokon, Nasif, Zaim, Sakib, Ronie, Xoaher, Partha, Sureed, Chandan, Dhrubo, Rahul, Dipa, Fahim, Munmun, and many many others..... I think I'm missing too many names..... plz do pardon me!!

the last day had a new event..... this was discussion on photos, especially the photo-stories that were hanging from the walls..... it was a great addition.... and the discussion resulting from the event opened eyes for all of us..... ideas were flying and it was for everyone to catch... it was an extended learning session..... Faisal Bhai conducted the session and Biraj Bhai led the way with his expertise here..... it was a very interactive session worth mentioning...... this sure would be one of the most important considerations for the upcoming BIF exhibits....

the programs ended with prize giving among the Nokia N8 photo competition winners (from photowalk called "Walk in the Past")..... Faisal Bhai and Biraj Bhai ended with thanks and future expectations..... Biraj Bhai has embraced TTL like no other..... an honour and achievement that is for every TTL-er to share..... Biraj Bhai's vision from his position has to be considered unique..... views like these from professional quarters don't just happen......

right when the galleries were being emptied, I had tried to implement some ideas with some photographers..... though my thought of taking portraits of all photographers with their photos in hand didn't materialise, I still thought there was time enough to take at least some portraits...... this is a unique moment.... so, making the best of this would be the best idea....

Vashkar Bhai is one unique piece.... his experience in life has made him prepared to talk about virtually any subject.... a close friend of Avik Bhai, he is a creative guy and a good debater..... I always wanted to take some portraits of him..... this time some technical problems (radio trigger battery expired!!) cut short a potentially satisfying session.... his purple shirt game me some reason to try several times despite the technical problems.....

From BIF-3, March 2011

D700 + 20mm f2.8 + Elinchrom Skyport
Strobist info: one SB-900 with DIY grid-spot (held by Zaim) on camera left

Marland Miller has embraced TTL in a very very unique way..... his American origin was never a barrier to become part of a mostly young and occasionally crazy photographers group..... he has already joined us in one of the Safaris and has proven his fitness at his relatively advanced age..... his spirit has to remain as a great inspiration for every one of us..... he came to the exhibit every day despite severely damaging his left foot.... he was depending on scratch, yet his smile never melted away from his face..... I just had to take his picture.....

From BIF-3, March 2011

D700 + 20mm f2.8 + Yongnuo RF602 radio trigger (borrowed from Nasif)
Strobist info: one SB-900 on camera right (held by Shuvro) shooting into a white collapsible reflector (held by Mithun)

Nasif had featured in front of my camera several times on my request..... but this time it was Nasif's own request to take a portrait of him with his photo..... so, we went to the first floor of the exhibit where the gallery was almost empty.... it provided us with a unique opportunity to shoot in an empty gallery.....

From BIF-3, March 2011

D700 + 20mm f2.8 + Yongnuo RF602 radio trigger (borrowed from Nasif)
Strobist info: one SB-900 on camera left (held by Rahul) shooting into a white collapsible reflector (held by my wife Lisa)


Safina jumped after seeing Nasif in front of the lens.... she was really pushing for a short session for herself as well.... I couldn't refuse..... it was a portrait similar to Nasif's with the empty gallery, though in a different posture.....

From BIF-3, March 2011

D700 + 20mm f2.8 + Yongnuo RF602 radio trigger (borrowed from Nasif)
Strobist info: one SB-900 on camera left shooting into a white collapsible reflector (all held acrobatically by Nasif)

and that was that..... we did extend the timing of Drik Gallery by some margin.... we did a great group photo session...... but it had to come to a close....... we emptied the galleries and were thinking how we passed the last five days.... it would miss these moments for some time to come..... and thats the time we start planning for our next journeys....

go TTL!!.....

Day Four: BIF-3...... counting hours.....

28 March, 2011
Dhanmondi, Dhaka, Bangladesh

its been truly a wonderful week.... we now come down to the point that some of us are all familiar with..... its coming to an end..... its really tough to let go.... difficult to believe that there won't be another adda at Drik on Wednesday.... I pass Drik regularly..... I would miss that glorious banner in front of Drik sporting the faces of 71 enthusiastic TTL-ers..... it was a heart-filling experience seeing this event in action..... a gallery full of photo enthusiasts and visitors....

I was privileged to receive Nigel, who came in Bangladesh flying in from the UK to see the Gorai Bridge at Kushtia, which his father built many years ago as an engineer..... he came here with his brother and a friend, who also showed his passion for photography..... spending the evening with them explaining the splendid contents of this exhibit was a great experience.... their nice company made the evening a worthwhile one for me.... it was an honour representing Bangladesh in front of the guests.....

it was already evening when I arrived at Drik.... and when Nigel and company left the scene, it was almost closing time..... but I can hardly write a blog without a photo..... my plan on the eve of the opening day was to take portraits of the photographers with their photos on their lap..... well, for some unknown reason, the project didn't really happen.... I thought it was time to do that at least for once.... I picked up Ronie Amin.... apparently an unusual choice for a subject.... there are people like Avik Bhai, Tinku Bhai or Sadia, who would always attract photographers.... but there are some others who always slip through that net of attraction.... they almost remain invisible in front of other photographers..... I decided to pick him..... he was more than happy to bring his photo from the ground floor to do this.... his enthusiasm made my day..... we got a photo....

From BIF-3, March 2011

D700 + 20mm 2.8 + Elinchrom Skyport
f7.1, 1/60sec, ISO 100
Strobist info: SB-900 triggered by Elinchrom Skyport, on camera right, above subject, (held by Zaim) shooting into a white collapsible reflector (held by Kamrul)


Zaim released his fantastic promo on BIF-3 on Youtube today.... lovely work by a very dedicated TTL-er.... great creativity.... enough to heat up the spirit!!



the last day would make everyone sad.... :(

Day Three: BIF-3..... creative sparks flying!!

27 March 2011 Drik Gallery, Dhanmondi, Dhaka, Bangladesh

day three at Drik was not as crowdy as the previous two days.... it was expected; its not a weekend.... but there was a huge gathering of photographers, as usual.... more so because of the special event named Story in Frames..... this is one of the prime attractions of BIF for the last three years.... audio-visual presentations from various photographers were displayed in front of a full house.... we also had photo stories displayed in the exhibit on the walls.... that was a first-timer as well.... the main difference of "Story in Frames" event with photo stories on the walls is that Stiry in Frames is an audio-visual presentation, which may contain audio, animation, words; in other words, its almost a moving story without being a motion picture video.....


Photo credit: Saud Al Faisal

the event started off with a grand display of a promo video for BIF-3 done by Zaim, which warmed everyone up!!....... a total of nine stories were displayed during the exhibit..... Atikullah Sayeed displayed a tough work done on sex-workers.... M A Naser displayed a very unique work based on a poem by Jivanananda Das.... Xoaher displayed a conceptual work displaying his inner feelings.... there was a work on Rush Mela at Dublar Char done by Shabbir Ferdous.... Faisal Bhai displayed two works of his; one on stone workers of Bholaganj stone quarry and the other on "waiting" done at Kamalapur Railway Station..... Mishuk displayed his work on "underground" culture, which was also on display at the exhibit..... Avik Bhai displayed a touching work on his experience with cancer patients in Malaysia....... and I displayed a work on the people who call Cox's Bazaar beach their home....

there were short debates on the stories on display..... unfortunately the time was too short to spend substantial amount of time on each of the stories..... perhaps from next time onwards we can make this event grander..... nevertheless, it was an event where creative sparks were flying and it surely stands as one of the top events of BIF.....

two more days to go..... but I'm already feeling the pain on having to let go....

Day Two: BIF-3..... in full motion!!

26 March 2011
Drik Gallery, Dhaka, Bangladesh

BIF-3 is rocking, not just Drik, but outside as well.... another great day..... the day started with an FM radio campaign on Radio Foorti.... Faisal Bhai and me went on air at 10:00AM to give an overview of TTL and BIF-3..... it was a pretty good exposure for the exhibit.... thanks goes to Radio Foorti for giving us the coverage.....





it was the Independence Day..... and as expected, the day was pulling a big crowd.... there was hardly a moment during the day when the galleries were not full of people.... Anwar Hossain was there with us for the second day in a row.... our selector Andrew Biraj also spent the day with us.... and the best part of the day was the cake!!.... it was TTL's birthday!!..... a big cake, symbolizing the national flag was introduced.... and almost immediately, it became the most photographer cake ever!!..... the cake-cutting ceremony set the tone for the day..... it was a day of fun.....

the outside weather changed during the evening and we had to remove all the images from the open-air gallery on the ground floor..... but our spirit remained high until the exhibit was closed right after 8:00PM..... the authorities literally had to throw us out..... but before that, we were able to exercise a bit of madness with lights and shadows......


model: Xoaher
D700 + 70-210mm @92mm; 1/400sec, f9, ISO 100
Strobist info: 2 x SB-900 + 1 x SB-600 firing from camera left; TTL, high-speed sync; placed on ground; shielded by human shield formed by several TTL-ers so that the light doesn't spill on to the back wall, which was lit by many lights... well, it still did!! :O
Editing: tilted the image around 90 degrees!! :O

Day One....... BIF-3, the landmark exhibit!!

25 March 2011
Drik Gallery, Dhanmondi, Dhaka, Bangladesh

It was the grandest of openings to the Bangladesh in Frames II…. BIF3 is already a landmark and the opening was a landmark within that…. What can I say other than it was a landmark within a landmark??..... it really was an awesome feeling being part of such a grand venture….. we’re mostly amateurs and yet the exhibit image doesn’t make one feel so…. BIF3 is fast turning into a photo festival…. And with time, it sure will….. it’s a lot more than seeing one’s own pictures hanging on the wall of a big gallery…. The birthday cake in coming on the 2^nd day, TTL’s birthday (26^th March), which is also the Independence Day of Bangladesh!..... a great day a awaits us…..

The first day of BIF3 at Drik Gallery saw a great many people showing up…… the number of participants this time (102) tells the story, actually…. It simply had to get the publicity it deserved….. it was also a weekend, so, a big turnover was expected…..

For us, the day started from the morning, seeing the last-minute preparations…… can’t give enough thanks to Shudipto and his team for working feverishly day and night to make this happen….. Avik Bhai worked wonders with the banners, which made visitors stand and admire…… the group shot in front of Drik looked like an achievement….. our chief guest, renowned photographer Anwar Hossain took a pause in front of the group shot to take a snap!!..... that was enough of an admiration for the work!!

Faisal Bhai and me are going to Radio Foorti on 26^th to talk about the exhibit, some time after 10:00AM…. That’s part of the publicity you need for a grand event like this….. Radio Foorti had been a very supportive media partner for us……

The first day ended with some pictures as well….. I was looking for that opportunity to snap a few shots of my photographer buddies….. Kamrul was my first choice…. Big thanks to him for being a very cooperative subject….. Kamrul Hasan is one of the most talented young photographer that I know…. A master in the art of B&W, though of late he has proven his expertise in coloured photos as well….. a great photographer of people in his own right, Kamrul is an icon to a lot of young photographers of Bangladesh…. a very pleasant character; unassuming; a delightful company.... a good friend!

D700+20mm+Elinchrom Skyport

Strobist info: one SB-900 on camera right, above subject, shooting through a white shoot-through umbrella, held by VAL (Zaim), triggered by Elinchrom Skyport radio trigger

Then it was Tinku Bhai again…… a painful subject to shoot!!.... arghhhhh!!.... very demanding…. I now know how perfectionist directors are….. but what a subject he is!!.... so creative; always full of ideas; and what a luck for the photographer to just to make sure that the photo isn’t screwed up…. It’s a guarantee that it will be a killer idea….. it took me some time to figure out what Tinku Bhai wanted…. But once it clicked, it was like cakewalk….. only a handful of shots to make it perfect….. I fetched a scarf, which ultimately made the shot taken from “Good Bad Ugly”….. man!! was I happy?? :D

D700+85mm+Elinchrom Skyport

Strobist info: one SB-900 on camera right, above subject, shooting through a white shoot-through umbrella, held by VAL (Nasif), triggered by Elinchrom Skyport radio trigger

exhibit pics are here in this album....

A lot more to come….. stay tuned….

midnight madness!!

18-19 March 2011
Dhanmondi, Dhaka, Bangladesh

we did this for the third time in three years now..... we call it the TTL Posterwalk..... its more like experiencing it, rather than just overseeing postering...... BIF-III is (March 25-29) very near now..... so, publicity is now a top priority..... this year, the Posterwalk had been the biggest in three years, with more and more dedicated members willing to experience the extreme.... you gotta call this extreme.... going out, camera in hand, with a bunch of crazy folks, right in the middle of the night isn't something called normal behaviour..... and that too, to watch posters being pasted!!

From TTL Posterwalk, March 2011

From TTL Posterwalk, March 2011

well, whats in this world without a bit of madness??..... this event had been one of our unique calls ever since we devised the idea.... there's no way of hating this, once someone puts his/her name in there..... some say, photographers are crazy..... and its difficult to go against that statement after someone witnesses this craziness.....

experiencing Dhaka at the dead of night is something unique..... we are used to seeing the same places busy like hell.... all day long.... an empty place is gives a unique view and sort of an eerie feel.... but an experience that stays in memory for long.....

I was presented with the opportunity to do something that I had been trying to accomplish for some time..... that is to do some portraiture of some interesting people that I know.... and I got really lucky to a bit of that..... this goes along my new year's resolution on making 2011 a year of people photography....

From TTL Posterwalk, March 2011

this shot of Hameem was in available light; high ISO..... I just grabbed my camera finding him in the most unusual of poses.... he's one of the most important members of TTL, with great knowledge in photography, especially in his own area of slow-shutter...... thats now my area of expertise, which is why I went the easy way......

From TTL Posterwalk, March 2011

From TTL Posterwalk, March 2011

Avik Bhai (AKA) has always been one of most interesting subjects to shoot for any photographer...... not that I've not shot him before, but this is probably the first time I've done a portrait of him with at least some set menu...... one of the most creative guys I've known, he's a great friend and an important member of TTL......
D700 + 20mm f2.8 + Elinchrom Skyport
f2.8, 1/30sec. ISO 1600
Strobist info: one SB-900, camera right, shooting through a white umbrella, triggered by Elinchrom Skyport; held up by Kamal (Shadow of Dark)

From TTL Posterwalk, March 2011

then it was time for a smallish group shot with Vashkar Bhai, Avik Bhai and Kamal.....
same setup..... assisted by Rezwan (I believe)

From TTL Posterwalk, March 2011

then I switched my eyes to Tinku Bhai.... what a great subject he is..... his physical stature alone makes him a unique subject..... a very creative guy and it can be seen while trying to shoot him... he comes up with his own ideas and the photographer has to to just click..... well, clicking wasn't so easy though, as finding the focus in that tricky light was no small problem.... even a torch wasn't enough when there were car headlights as backlight.....
the setup was the same as above..... then I switched lenses and tried to get at least a different perspective....

From TTL Posterwalk, March 2011

From TTL Posterwalk, March 2011

From TTL Posterwalk, March 2011

we had our group photo session some time around 1:00AM...... its a pity that with some things to catch up in the morning, I had to avoid the night-long event..... I knew I was gonna miss some rare moments along that time..... but I didn't have that luxury for some reason..... just a participation in an event like this is a privilege.... such a walk in the street doesn't happen that often..... lucky to be a part of such a crazy bunch!! :)

TTL Group Shoot....... a Making of....

17 March 2011
Mohammadpur, Dhaka, Bangladesh

It was 20:00hrs on Wednesday (16^th March 2011) when AKA came to my place with Kamal (Shadow of Dark) to plan this. Shudipto called me up earlier in the evening and told me to plan a group shoot with AKA, who just arrived from KL several days back. We knew that it would be a challenge, not just to execute this, but to make it unique. Unique is a word we’ve learned to love over the last few years with TTL. We’ve made all our effort to make our work stand out; to be used by others as reference; something of a trendsetter. Last year's group shoot before "Bangladesh in Frames II" (BIF-II) exhibition was a marvel. BIF-III had to set a new trend! With less than a day to go, this was more than a small challenge. We didn’t even finalise our ideas or place. It had to be executed within Thursday, which was a holiday.

We rejected a couple of venues because of some obvious complicacies. Martyred Intellectuals Monument at Rayerbazar came up top as the most feasible and relevant venue. When AKA proposed this place, it took us some short calculations before we communicated this to Shudipto, Faisal Bhai and Kamrul as the final one. They handled the organizing part very well indeed! It was a hard ask for them to gather 50-plus shooters with one night’s notice.

AKA wanted it to be a first timer in Bangladesh. And he thought it may be great if we could use artificial light to illuminate the whole group! Well, that may be a unique idea, but to execute that, you really have to know what you are doing, let alone having the equipment on location to execute this. AKA wanted the shoot to be done in the blue hours. In addition to this, I was thinking whether it would be possible to get the sun in the window on the structure. I got the sun there once couple of years back, and knew that was one of the most unique features of that monument. That was the month of April back then, so, it was pretty feasible to try that in March. The thing that we were concerned about was the placement of the group. There are some interesting patterns on the pavement there that can act as friend or foe. We needed to reconnoitre the place before making the final decision on the placement of the group. We also planned to take some ‘safe’ shots first up, just in case the unique shot didn’t work out.

The structure is huge! So, it had to be a wide angle lens to execute this. I thought about my 20mm on D700, but also thought about backups with 11-16mm on crop bodies or 16-35mm on FF, just in case 20mm doesn’t work out. Lighting was a bigger challenge. I was thinking of using the Elinchrom Ranger with A-head as the main light, and possibly using some SB-900/SB-800 or 580EX-ii or YN-560s as fill lights. I also thought about creating one huge light source with a 12’x8’ white seamless with all the lights. I kept all the options on the cards. Called up several other photogs to keep their flashes as backup. To get the proper vantage point, a ladder was a necessity. We called Farhan Bhai organise a highest possible ladder. Getting the light high enough was also a potential challenge, as we needed to illuminate the faces to 50-plus people without overlapping shadows.

Failed to join in an early morning reconnaissance mission there because of too much sleep. So, in the afternoon, had to show up as early as I could. Gazi Bhai helped me out with the equipment. It was just past 16:00hrs. My first intention was to look at the unique angle that I had been thinking of from the day before. The sun was yet to reach the structure, but it surely looked possible, albeit with some challenge.

From TTL Group Shoot, 17 March 2011

16:19hrs..... I was looking for the feasibility of the unique shot.......

From TTL Group Shoot, 17 March 2011

16:41hrs...... the 'safe' shot was already being planned.....

From TTL Group Shoot, 17 March 2011

16:44hrs....... AKA organising the group........

By around 16:40, the ‘safe’ shot was being organised. The sun was still high. We decided to take a place almost at 90-degree angle to the structure. Its not the most creative, but its ‘safe’. AKA started to organise people in his usual manner. It was hard for anyone to ignore his words! Kamal and TM joined him in the effort. Raian was also there doing some policing jobs! A public place like this was supposed have a lotta people, and to clear the whole place was a virtual impossibility. We tried to clear up the foreground, as that would be the cause for distractions. People way back near the structure were not real issues, as I was basically underexposing the scene. Started at f16, ending up with f18!! Sensor-dust apertures!! Needed that depth and also needed to control the exposure with the sun so high. And how well the Ranger unit stood there! Wow! We started with just the Ranger unit with a 9” reflector; bare light! And that actually was enough! Didn’t even have to use full power! This was the first time I have used this much power on the Ranger. And it blew my mind, including all others’!

From TTL Group Shoot, 17 March 2011

17:04hrs...... the safe shot was done!

By around 17:04hrs, the ‘safe’ shot was done, and I started to look for that unique one. AKA and me decided to use a round pattern on the pavement to keep everyone confined. That would automatically create a pattern in group that we had been looking for. Our group had been wearing red and green dress mostly. We wanted it to look more like the national flag, or at least create a notion like that.

From TTL Group Shoot, 17 March 2011

17:10hrs...... New angle under consideration..... the sun was yet to come down.....

From TTL Group Shoot, 17 March 2011

17:14hrs..... AKA feverishly organises the group...... race against the sun....

From TTL Group Shoot, 17 March 2011

17:23hrs..... a lotta policing had to be done to keep the frame clean..... TM is doing it here.....

From TTL Group Shoot, 17 March 2011

17:35hrs...... an exclusive portrait session with AKA, TM and Shadow of Dark..... special feature: a full-powered beauty light solution....

It was surely a lot more challenging with the sun coming into the window from a specific angle. That angle created problems with the circle that we had been planning use as a pattern. The circle went more to the sides. But it was still bearable. In fact, when the sun actually started to move into the window by around 17:38, the placement of the round pattern was in perfect position. We kept the same one-light solution, but this time the light needed more height. The round pattern required the light to create a sort of a spotlight with the minimum spill outside the pattern. Tahmid Munaz and Kamal did their best to hold the A-head up there. They held the light with the lightstand up into the air for some time to make this possible. The 8-ft lightstand needed that boost to make it happen. It wasn’t possible to use any other higher ground.

From TTL Group Shoot, 17 March 2011

whats in a picture if everyone's sleeping??

From TTL Group Shoot, 17 March 2011

whats in a picture when you can't even see a face??...... this is what it looked like without the Ranger blazing.....

From TTL Group Shoot, 17 March 2011

17:43hrs...... its a wrap!!

We were done by 17:43. It took just 5 minutes’ real shooting to give this much pain to everyone for such a long time. It just had to be done. An on top of that, they had to bear with AKA’s brutal directions, without which we could never accomplish this! Around 71 faces ultimately came up in the frame, and looking at that final output, we really thought we achieved something!

the madness.......

From TTL Group Shoot, 17 March 2011

we like it WILD!!

11 March 2011
Mohammadpur, Dhaka, Bangladesh

I had never been so tense watching a cricket match..... for the greater part of the second inning, I was unable to sit in front of the TV..... but I also couldn't stay away from the game.... something told me to wait..... it was a shock to me when the 6th wicket fell..... I didn't even watch the 7th and 8th wicket fall.... still, that shock couldn't get me to close down the Cricinfo web-page.... I simply couldn't close it..... and when it came down to the last 24 balls, I had enough of it....

I had never shed such sweet tears of joy!!....... it was a joy thats pretty difficult to explain..... I couldn't stop my tears of emotion!!....... a memorable day..... not just for me; it was for my whole family too..... my daughter was half-way to her sleep; but we decided to take a tour of the streets, where we know are people as least as crazy as us..... it was 11:00PM....

From We like it wild, Dhaka, 11 March 2011

From We like it wild, Dhaka, 11 March 2011

From We like it wild, Dhaka, 11 March 2011

as predicted, we had a hard time getting to our very close destination; to Tabassums'..... we decided to celebrate this night together..... going through that wild crowd was tough..... they really went wild..... we've seen that after the Ireland match as well..... some people might say whether we need such emotional outbursts every time we win..... but I say...... do you really want to see our sad faces??..... do you want us to count our failures??...... come on!!..... whats a game without emotion??.... what a win without celebrations??..... and whats fun without being wild??...... yes, we are wild........ and we like being WILD!!!

From We like it wild, Dhaka, 11 March 2011

when you celebrate something wild, don't deprive your family...... :)

defiance.......

04 March 2011
Golapganj, Sylhet, Bangladesh

one of the first attempts to do some shooting at Golapganj was to use the World Cup Cricket theme.... anyway, by the time we could get geared up, the match between Bangladesh and West Indies had already begun.... and the way the match progressed, our mood to do some pretty shooting vanished without a trace..... the little buddies toiled hard to decorate themselves in green and red..... but unfortunately, they were disappointed in a very big way..... I needed to do something to cheer them up.... and if I say that I also wanted myself to find some fresh air, I wouldn't be lying....

I wanted to portray a defiant mood after a great debacle.... I knew that one match isn't the end of the game for us.... and it is our team that we are supporting, not someone else's..... and while you support your team, you gotta know that its your team whether they play well or not.... you just have to live with it and be positive.... be hopeful..... because hope is the thing that keeps us alive..... hope is the thing that makes us sit in front of the TV even after a great debacle..... we don't always say that in words, but deep in our minds we're always hopeful; we're always defiant.....


model: meem
Nikon D700 + Sigma APO 150mm f2.8 EX DG HSM Macro
one SB-900, camera right, on voice-activated lightstand (proma) triggered with Elinchrom Skyport shooting through a shoot-through umbrella
one SB-900 on ground behind subject triggered with Elinchrom Skyport

Golapganj strobist.....

06 March 2011
Golapganj, Sylhet, Bangladesh

there you go..... a family trip just turned into a strobist event because of this freak..... well, you can call me freak, but thats what I do and will try to do..... I won't miss a moment if I can.... I already took a resolution for 2011, and that was to make the year a year of shooting people... with that in mind, the moment I planned for visiting Golapganj, I made it clear to myself that I'm gonna make the tour count..... I didn't dare take the Elinchrom Ranger with me.... the SB-900s were just fine... but I did feel the need for a third flash at least once, when I set up an SB-600 as a third flash with SU-800 as trigger.... the set-up, unfortunately, didn't work out because of SU-800's IR limitations.... I missed a third SB-900 or the Ranger..... anyway, it worked out pretty OK....

had a lotta fun with the in-laws.... it wasn't just shooting.... it was the experience of the shoot that should be remembered by them......


Meem as Spiderman.....
one SB-900, camera right, on tripod with DIY grid-spot on it; triggered by Elinchrom Skyport
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f1.4



womanhood......
one SB-900 on camera left with shoot-through umbrella, held by voice-activated light-stand (Munna); triggered by Elinshrom Skyport;
one SB-900 on tripod with full CTO gel outside door at full power; triggered by Skyport;
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 20mm f2.8D



Moody Munna......
one SB-900 camera right, on tripod with shoot-through umbrella; triggered by Skyport
D700 + 50mm f1.4



Arafat the baby......
one SB-900 camera right, on tripod with shoot-through umbrella; triggered by Skyport
D700 + 50mm f1.4

a lot more to come..... did more strobist and non-strobist stuff..... will share them gradually.....