on the stage, after a while....

 21 January, 2012
Rajshahi, Bangladesh

its been a while since I had been active blogging.... in fact, not just blogging, all activities took a dive south with my health condition.... thanks to Almighty, I'm now on a fast recovery trail.... it feels great to be back again.... anyway, back to work....

went to Rajshahi for a few days in January.... and that opened some opportunities for doing something different.... its been a while since I had taken my camera to a wedding..... so, it was time to revive the memories.... in fact, last time I did any kind of wedding portrait, I wasn't even a strobist!.... so, playing the role of a strobist in a wedding ceremony was something new for me.... its not something that I would on any given day..... not my job, for sure.... ceremonies in Bangladesh are just too typical to allow anything atypical.... we, in fact, had to push quite a bit to get these pictures done.....

it was the wedding of one of the closest cousins of my wife.... so, it was more like a wedding present to carry all that photo gear there.... we needed to convince both the parties to buy that little bit of time for an exclusive photoshoot of the bride and the groom.... the bargain worked out well enough.... the conditions weren't ideal, as we had to work with less than ideal stuff.... carried only two flashes to Rajshahi; so, had to deal with that.... I guess needed 3 or 4 lights there.... anyway, you just have to work with whatever is available in your hands at that moment.... there's no point talking about ideal scenarios....

we wanted to get one official portrait, and some jolly moments with the ring as well.... used two lights (as there was no more flashes).... the main light was a YN-560 inside a Lastolite 24" Ezybox Hotshoe softbox.... and the second light was a backlight; another YN-560.... both the flashes were triggered using Elinchrom Skyport... couldn't rely on optical trigger for one flash, as there were other people there with cameras.... used a Sigma 150mm lens (on D700) to flatten perspective.... it really was necessary, as the backdrop was pretty much widespread and multiple colours; making it hard to adjust in any kind of framing....

there was a big challenge placing the softbox, as the groom was wearing fancy glasses with a parabolic design.... that made me put the main light in places where didn't want to.... and as I didn't have a third light, cutting shadows became an issue...

did some more exclusive portraiture at Rajshashi with the bride, which I hope to cover in another detailed blog post..... so, stay tuned....

a lot more coming up....

first looks at the parabola....

30 November 2011
Mohammadpur, Dhaka, Bangladesh

this is more of a technical blog.... my strobist friends would be more interested in it than anyone else... just got my hands on my new Elinchrom Rotalux 100cm "Deep Octa".... so, I was just itching to put my hands on it.... I swooped on it like a bird of prey!!.... it didn't take long between unpacking and the first shoot.... although the setup was bit of a pain for me....

tried to follow the instructions fully, but as it turned out, the instructions were for all Rotalux series products, which also included typical softboxes with four edges... but octa was definitely different.... and caused more pain than I had thought about.... the product's build quality is excellent, although the softbox material seemed a bit thin... but that thing also brought the weight down to something really manageable... the steel ribs are awesome... they really give confidence to the user that this softbox would bend, but not break; although this strength also makes it harder to setup in the first place... the strength of the ribs makes them twist and that deforms the shape of the softbox... but gets corrected once the softbox is fully setup for the first time....

I had a hard time setting it up, really.... this was my first Elinchrom softbox, which may be one of the reasons behind finding it difficult to negotiate... but once the whole thing was setup, it looked brilliant!... I used the Deep Octa without the translucent dome that came with it, because apart from the dome, it already had a double diffusion... so, the light was already great.... the dis-assembly was another pain, as I struggled to find an easy way to get the tight ribs out of those sockets in the speedring.... it took me several minutes to figure out the best way.... and then it was easy as anything.... I timed both setup and dismantle at between 3:00 - 3:30 minutes.... and I wasn't rushing at all... the timing included unpacking from the nice soft bag that it came with....

the practical weight (without the diffusion dome) of the softbox with the bag was just around 1.5kg, which is really within acceptable limits.... and considering the size of the soft bag (2ft 9inch) I thought it would be one of the most portable pieces in my collection.... the bag doesn't have any pockets for the diffusion panels, which would've been really nice though... but it gives great padded protection and gives a good feel....

I only had a brief stint shooting with it and got some nice overall results.... the light modifier is a wonderful light controller... its a biggish light source, yet it doesn't spread the light everywhere.... it now gives me lots of new possibilities.... I tired it out with the Elinchrom Ranger RX Speed AS with A-head... I had my every ready model Lamisa ready in front of my camera.... and there you go... I was only looking for an excuse to shoot some frames.... she had her first haircut since her third birthday less than a week ago... so, the big "three" was still there to be photographed.... hope to write some more blogs on those soon enough.... glad that I had been able to break through the busy times and write a blog of some substance....

anyway, lots more to come....

once in a while....

22 October 2011
Mohammadpur, Dhaka, Bangladesh

motherhood is a once in a while thing for most.... its one of those extraordinary times when a person discovers the biggest gift she got from her creator.... these extraordinary times last for a short while and leave a deep impression.... on last Saturday, we were after some moments that would live in memory and leave a deep impression....







huge thanks to Sadia Sharmin.... Sadia, a very accomplished artist, is one of those people who own the frame.... she had displayed her works of art in well-publicised exhibit... and to aid our effort even further, her exhibit was all about her experiences during her first-time pregnancy.... artists are great subjects with their creations.... they easily create a bonding between the photograph and the viewer.... its almost like subjects within subjects.... their creations not just characterise their creators, but also help the viewer to find the very purpose of the photograph.... its only been a day since I had a first ever session with an artist... now, I have two experiences.... and they are both unique....





as an artist, Sadia's creative help made our photo-shoot doubly effective.... she was full of ideas... her perception about framing and lighting made the session so much easier for us.... and how can I ever forget to give huge thanks to Firoze Bhai for making the couple shots so much more intimate.... their first child, Israar, was a bit on the edge at times, but he was managed, mainly by his Dad.... the group shot was very challenging... it wasn't the perfect one, but it was satisfactory in the end considering the 'availability' of Israar....













on the technical end, the first setup (first three pics) was based on two lights.... control of light was the key here... I used an arch between two rooms to control the spill of light on the back wall... Elinchrom Ranger + 120cm x 50cm Simpex softbox was the key light.... SB-900 + Westcott Apollo 28" softbox was the edge light....

the second setup (next two pics) was a bit more challenging.... used the Ranger as the key light and used an SB-900 with a grid-spot... the photo with Sadia and Israar was done almost instantaneously... and as Israar was much more difficult to manage, I just clicked away as the chance arrived....

the third setup (next six images) was much simpler.... two lights on two sides... Ranger + 120cm x 50cm softbox and SB-900 + Westcott Apollo 28" softbox... the third shot in this setup was the result of the SB-900 not coping up.... it was an accidental discovery, more or less... but the shadows and contrasts created by the one-light setup gave the whole thing a different mood....

much much more to come....

arts and artist....

21 October 2011
Gulshan, Dhaka, Bangladesh

the type of portrait that I like most is probably environmental portrait... I almost invariably get attracted to the environment that somehow defines the subject... its one of the easier ways to talk about a person.... sure it gets complicated sometimes, and sometimes it isn't even possible... but I do look for an environment around a person.... almost always....

I've always wanted to photograph artists.... I tend to get fascinated by their ways of thinking... their eyes are not like others.... its almost like an extra sensory perception.... and not being in contact with a lot of artists, I grew an interest of photographing artists.... several months back, I got to know that one of my young colleagues possesses the unique abilities of an artist... the moment I learned about his special skills, I decided to photograph him....



but deciding to photograph and actually doing it turned out to be quite far from each other.... it took several months to finally reach an agreement on a specific date and time.... in fact, it was instigated by the coming departure of one of our esteemed colleagues for a far-away country.... Riad, my young colleague, is also a great cook... he decided to invite some of our co-workers to taste his superb dishes.... I gave my consent without a delay... well, not for the feast though... rather I took the opportunity to have the portrait session that we had been planning for so long.... and reaching there, I discovered that his multi-talented hands.... the steaks were awesome!!



I instantly got stirred by the disorganised nature of his room.... there's an absent-mindedness about him... his mind doesn't live in this world for the whole day for sure... the arts hanging and lying around his room instantly catches attention of a visitor... heavily inspired by comic books and characters, his works carry marks of his individuality and uniqueness.... not being an art critic myself I only took note of his philosophies behind some of his most favourite works... I somehow enjoyed that session even though I couldn't relate to all the words he uttered!... its the honesty with which he described and critiqued his own works that fascinated me...



anyway, the portrait session was not too simple, but not that complex either.... it was evening and the sun was down.... so, there was no question of using ambient light..... used a Westcott Apollo 28" softbox as the main light with an SB-900 inside.... another SB-900 was with a grid-spot, illuminating the art-cluttered wall.... used a Nikkor 20mm lens to bring all of that environment in the frame....

I tried to keep the whole shoot as representative as possible... moved around a few things including covering up an air-conditioner unit with an art-piece... also photographed Riad with his unfinished works.... doing some final retouch.... with the same setup.... in the same way and place where he actually does it.... the whole shoot was done within a very short time.... its only the setup that took a bit of time... big thanks to Riad for the lovely evening.... and also for being so spontaneous with the session.... his enthusiasm in explaining his works gave me cues about arranging the frame and lighting...

a lot more to come....

perfect memories in an imperfect world.... part four-A

15 October 2011
Mohammadpur, Dhaka, Bangladesh

parts one, two and three are history.... this is part four of four.... but not the last... how come??.... well, this is the first part of the fourth and last part!.... you think I've cheated??... whatever..... its a pain to edit all those images after spending all day at office.... its better to cheat and come with half and post than going blank for the day.... what do you think?

well, enough of explanations..... lets do some formal portraits.... strictly formal portraits; okay?.... naaaaaaa.... would you just do the formal portrait when you have the couple for 10 more minutes?.... certainly not.... there's enough time left here to tell yet another story.... thats right.... another story embedded in that formal portrait.... it may sound weird, but thats exactly what we did..... Arif and Tajia had been so expressive that I hardly had to pinch them; well, not literally though....
















again, this session shows the differences in people's behaviour that makes us wonder how two people spend their lives together.... it looks like a miracle... yet, its that miracle that is so common in God's green earth.... a common miracle that is.... we never ask ourselves how this miracle saves our relationships so frequently.... perhaps we know this miracle by another name.... another word.... love....










now the technical stuff.... used a black backdrop to make the setting moody.... the black also went with the deep colour outfit of the subjects.... used two lights from two sides to illuminate the two subjects separately.... on the right was the Elinchrom Ranger + Simpex 120cm x 50cm softbox.... and on the left was a YN-560 + Westcott Apollo 28" softbox.... a third light, a Nikon SB-900 + Lastolite 24" Ezybox Hotshoe softbox.... was used a hair light for separation from the backdrop.... that light was on a monopod, held by my wife.... trigger was Elinchrom Skyport for the Ranger and the Westcott... for the SB-900 it was optical trigger (SU-4) mode.... used the cheapie 28-80mm lens.... its really sharp when stopped down... and I was shooting @f10 for enough DoF... so, no sharpness issues....

hoping to finish the series ASAP....

perfect memories in an imperfect world.... part three....

15 October 2011
Mohammadpur, Dhaka

the story continues.... this is the third part of a four-part series of a photoshoot with our photog buddy Arif and his life-partner Tajia.... the first part tried to dramatize their contrasts and commonalities.... the second part was all about portraying the differences in philosophies, which increases our interest in learning about their relationship even further... this part tries to portray their respect for each other.... it doesn't always have to be a common interest that would bring them together.... perceptual differences have to be realised and well understood for a relationship a relationship to prosper....

 

 





 


this setup was the easiest to accomplish, as this was just about the same setup as used in the previous part... I only had to make a closer crop to focus on the issues here.... used a 70-210mm lens for the crop..... and another reminder here for the reader is -- this is not to be taken literally... rather its a portrayal of their characters in a dramatic way and in a symbolic manner..... its more like a drama that is based on real characters, but not necessarily real events.... the drama is needed to make photos interesting and to make the overall shoot a soothing experience...

the fourth part of the story is coming up in a hurry....

just a follow-up.....

09 September 2011
Mirpur, Dhaka, Bangladesh

we did a previous session with this family last July..... this isn't just another family.... a very close one; indebted to them for life.... we tried to pay off some of that debt through a short photo session, trying to capture the emotions of an expecting mother..... and it was just a matter of time before the expecting mother's emotions were converted into a mother's emotions.... a couple of months made a real difference in the whole nature of relationship in that family.... it was now a newborn's family....

with the photo subjects changing, we thought of changing the setup as well.... but thinking of the stance of the family from the progressiveness point of view, we decided to stay on the conservative side; not experimenting too much... we kept things simple and mostly straight forward....

we decided to make some exclusive portraits of the Nuzhat, the baby, before taking other photos.... at 24 days, Nuzhat had nothing more to do than to sleep most of the day.... she had a bit of fever during the day, which meant that she was crying most of the day.... as the parents told us, she just calmed down not too long before our arrival and had some badly needed sleep.... now, when we arrived, she was fresh and energetic... but we needed her to sleep to bring out those cool photos.... so, we put all our efforts to put her to sleep again!.... and we were successful.... that said, we completed the job as quickly as possible... used to lights.... one Lastolite 24" Ezybox Hotshoe softbox aimed at a while fabric hanging from the window.... this achieved a complete white backdrop.... a 28" Westcott Apollo softbox acted as the main light.... used a Sigma 150mm macro lens to flatten perspective within the confined room....








Nuzhat had her meal before we could shoot again... and for the shoot with her mom, we used the Apollo as the main light and used the Lastolite as a hair light....





for the last shoot of the day, with the parents, we used one light, the Apollo only.... and used a 34" collapsible reflector from the other side to cut some shadows.....



well, that was a much shorter session than the previous one we did couple of months back.... less complicated.... quick and dirty!

a lot more to come soon enough.....

one picture; thousand memories....

17 September, 2011
Kazipara, Dhaka, Bangladesh

I had been postponing this shoot for more than a year now.... but thanks God that I've finally completed this.... feeling relieved....

Nazmun Nahar is my aunt; my mother's elder sister.... a strong personality known to a lot of people.... she had been a teacher for most of her life; lighting candles; and also leading others to do the same.... she had been the mainstay of Manipuri School for decades.... now, into her retirement, she still seeks that please in her work.... joining a much smaller school.... but doing the same thing.... teaching....



she had walked most of her path alone.... the school had been her life.... that had kept her busy for most of her life.... she had always been a popular member of our family.... well qualified and opinionated.... she is known in the family as Pakhi (meaning "bird").... indeed she had been independent all through her life..... she had been through quite a lot of medical procedures of late, which left her much weaker than before.... her discipline keeps her going.... her mental strength and willpower are exemplary, even today...





today, at an advanced stage of her life, she holds her mother's (my grandma) portrait intimately and finds all the similarities.... grandma hasn't aged a day since that photo was taken.... but that picture and others like that bring out all the lovely memories.... its just a few pictures we leave behind... but each picture holds thousands of memories....

the lighting setup was simple for this shoot.... just a single light.... a YN-560 inside a Westcott Apollo 28" softbox.... my favourite "window light"....Elinchrom Skyports used as trigger...

this is a series I am currently doing with the senior members of my family.... I need that determination to complete it.... hope I don't lazy again!

much much more to come....