under the Minar....

The Making of TTL Group Shot at Shaheed Minar
17 March 2012
Central Shaheed Minar, Dhaka, Bangladesh

TTL's (Through the Lens: Bangladesh group of Flickr) group shoot right before the Bangladesh in Frames (BIF) exhibit has become something of a yearly event for the last several years now... its an event that produces a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of expectation... last year's shoot at Martyred Intellectuals Monument was a big success and created expectations for this year.... its never an easy job to handle that many people for a single shot... there isn't anything called perfect that you can achieve from such a shoot... usually you end up being happy with something that is workable... and because of the involvement of so many people, luck plays a important part as well... meticulous preparation leaves less to luck and can make the shoot look more an outcome of planning... that was ultimately the aim, but there are always some things that just don't go according to plan.... and you have work around it... thats the reality... always...

anyway, the shoot's original idea came from Avik Bhai (Avikbangalee)... he devised the the idea of shooting in front of the Central Shaheed Minar... we were to illuminate the Minar with light in low light conditions and bring everyone's face out in the dark with another source of light... that source of light would probably be candles.... so, candles in the foreground in everyone's hands and flash on the Minar... some drama it is... but it had its inherent challenges...

I paid a visit to the Central Shaheed Minar couple of days ahead of the shoot to do some feasibility study.... the main problem there was getting a formal permission... I went there on a Thursday and the crowd there was appreciable... Saturday (shooting day) was likely to attract even more people... and the more people there, the harder it would be to get a cleared ground.... and without a formal approval, people are not likely hear us... there weren't any big shooting challenges though... the only challenge came from the big lights there on the sides.... the lights may cause flare on the lens if they somehow end up in the frame's corners...the lights were possible to be kept out through composition though.... if the group was positioned in the centre, right in front of the Minar, it would be much easier to avoid the lights... but if we wanted to be a bit creative and shoot from a corner, there were possibilities of getting the lights in the frame... because of the stairs in the front of the Minar, use of some sort of ladder was a must to get a bit higher vantage point.... on the shooting day, we decided to shoot from a corner, which also presented with a higher vantage point... and with the ladder on top of the position, it was even higher.... this corner position allowed us to use some creative composition, using some designs (Alpona) on the ground that were drawn during last 21st February, International Mother Language Day...

safe shot at 5:39PM

the other thing that played a very important part on the shooting day was weather.... it already rained before the shoot and threatened to wash it away while we were shooting.... in fact, we were just about lucky as heavens broke down the moment we packed things up!!... the weather dictated the duration of the shoot.... because of the time constraints set by weather, we went for the safe shots at the start... just available light... f9 for depth and shutter between 1/60 and 1/160sec.... pushed the ISO with consent from Avik Bhai, as the light was really low to start with.... he was going to be end user of the photo, as the huge banner to be produced in front of Drik Gallery for the exhibit was to be ultimate outcome of this shoot, and Avik Bhai was to be the editing guru for that... we shot at 1600 ISO.... and got at least something if it rained off completely...

 second shot at 5:56PM

as rain stayed off after the safe shot, we went for the second try.... we used a similar setup as that of last year's.... one big light illuminating the group and the Minar to be illuminated only by ambient light, which was by then pretty low.... one Elinchrom Ranger RX unit was the main light for this... f11 aperture, shutter varied between 1/60 and 1/20sec.... because of the use of flash, we could bring down ISO to 250...

 final shot at 6:26PM

with the second shot done, we could go for the ultimate idea... the one with candles... it was difficult still, as it was windy, but it wasn't raining as yet... although there was lightning around... it went dark enough to light the candles... this time we moved the Ranger unit to the back and illuminated the Minar with it in 'full power'.... yep, that it... all 1,100w/s of it!!... the group was illuminated by six speedlites (4 x YN-560 + 2 x SB-900)... now, why use speedlights when you have two candles in everyone's hands?.... well, this picture was to be printed really big... sharpness was critical... if we exposed for the candles, there was a possibility that candle lights on the faces would make the faces blurry.... it not physically possible for 60+ people to stay absolutely still for a period longer than 1/15sec... so, we decided to expose for the flash keeping just a bit of exposure from the candles... f10, ISO 100.... it was possible to bring out the faces more in post production, but the image wouldn't lose sharpness in that case...

final output.... edited by Avikbangalee

we used Elinchrom Skyport trigger for the shoot... one receiver was with the Ranger unit... and two with two speedlights... the other four speedlights were in optical trigger mode, taking orders from the other flashes.... Avik Bhai's name doesn't need mentioning as he was co-producer of the shoot... big thanks to Shudipto, Kamal, Tahmid, Hameem and others for helping with the shoot in many ways.... Nasif gets all the credit for the BTS video shooting... and how can I not thank everyone else for their patience and enthusiasm?.... it was the spirit of TTL that lived through.... it rained heavily right after the shoot... in fact, it was already raining when we were packing things up.... we needed some hands to keep the equipment safe....it was a great experience... and was lots of fun....



don't forget to enjoy the BTS video... lots more blog posts coming.... stay tuned....

utilise all opportunities.....

28 May 2011
Gulshan, Dhaka, Bangladesh

you have to have a camera with you all the time.... at least, thats what I had in mind for a long time.... I used to carry a DSLR with me for a long time.... even when I was going to office.... but it finally came to a halt when that camera was replaced by a netbook.... the camera quietly took the back-seat and never complained.... the D700 was too big for carry-around-all-day type of use.... unless you have some specific aims, its not really worthwhile carrying a 1kg+ camera kit..... so, when I finally got the Panasonic Lumix LX-5, it opened some new avenues for me.... I'm hoping that this new machine will increase my shooting by some margin....

an opportunity may never present itself once again.... and a moment will never come back.... and to capture that precious moment, you have to carry that camera with you.... all the time.... and I just got that benefit today.... my resolution about people photography in 2011 is on..... and when an opportunity presented itself, you've gotta grab it with both hands....

TTL Photo Adda was over..... most had already left Red Lounge (TTL office).... and then the time came to give a short demo of the smallest possible strobist kit.... the opportunity just presented itself when Faisal Bhai volunteered in front of the camera.... we were testing out with a photogenic face (Rezwan Razzaq).... but when Faisal Bhai volunteered, it was no contest.... you don't always get him to feature in front of the lens....



Saud Al Faisal..... already a legend among a lot of young photographers in Bangladesh..... founder of TTL and a mentor to a lotta photographers.... a great visionary and great friend.... a pioneer in organising young Bangladeshi photographers online..... he is the reason why we are able to do a lot of the things that we do today.... there would be a lot of photographers who can say that they are better than him.... but it would take some effort to equal the success of Saud Al Faisal as a promoter of photography in Bangladesh....

Kamal (Shadow) volunteered to hold the flash (YN-560) and the DIY diffuser (60cm x 38cm)... Kamrul was also asked to hold a magazine on the side of the flash to block light from hitting the back wall.... the flash was triggered by Elinchrom Skyport radio trigger.... I'm loving the hot-shoe of the LX-5.... shot @60mm equivalent, f2.8 1/200sec ISO 80...

where there's light, there's a way....

15-16 April 2011
Jessore and Narail, Bangladesh

yea yea.... its been a while fore sure.... writing this blog two weeks after the event doesn't really give me pleasure... but at least, I've managed to write something.... anyway, this is about how I managed location lighting during the Jessore Safari arranged by TTL.... I've shared my camera's flash sync problem in my previous blog post, which really pushed me during this safari.... learned a lot of lessons and now trying to make the best use of those lessons... the first thing is not to forget the lessons and with my poor memory, thats always a challenge.... I rather write things up so that I can revisit them....

the first challenge came up at renowned artist S M Sultan's home.... we found bit of a pottery village there right beside that place and almost like found the moon in our hands!.... an old lady was working on her pottery and presented ourselves with a fantastic photographic opportunity.... but it was a challenging situation to say the least..... lighting was tricky and it came down to the management of dynamic range.... I had decided to emphasize on the wheel, which was decorated for the purpose of worship and tradition.... the wheel was not to turn during the whole month of Baishakh... and there would be flowers presented at the wheel everyday during the month of Baishakh.... the problem was, while the back of the shade was in quite a bit of darkness, including the old lady, the wheel in the foreground was getting harsh summer sunlight.... it was around 10:00AM, but 10AM during April is more than just a bit of sunlight!!..... I decided to illuminate the subject separately with a flash and to block the direct sunlight falling on the wheel.... Shudipto held the SB-900 on camera left to illuminate the subject.... resorted to optical trigger of D700 to trigger the flash.... the flash worked even though it was behind my camera.... I used warm gel on the flash to emulate early morning sunlight.... but the warmth became a little too much for comfort, which had to be corrected in Photoshop.... tried to block the direct sunlight on the wheel with two of our buddies standing right beside me and one holding a collapsible reflector to block light.... it worked to some extent, but there was still some light on the wheel, which again needed to be corrected in Photoshop.... and now comes the most important question..... how on earth I managed to do Photoshopping.... well, when you get the master for free, you try to utilise him, isn't it??..... my buddy photographer Kamrul Hasan did that fabulous job for me and I was dumb seeing his hand in the work....


Pori Bala doesn't know how old she is..... but our guess is, she would be in her late eighties to early nineties.... she's been doing this since her childhood..... that wheel is the witness to her toil; witness to her life....

I've already shared the details of the horse race and the portrait of the winning combination in a previous blog post..... that was the second challenge..... the third challenge came during the next day of safari, at poet Michale Madhusudan Dutt's home.... it was a great combination of arches that I wanted to feature.... there was a poem of the poet on the big wall opposite the arches.... but there was no subject to shoot and the light was pretty bland as well.... I wanted to create some drama by bringing that big wall in focus..... it was a very very warm and humid day and we were sweating like pigs!!.... I decided to concentrate on creating one photo.... and it took me around 35 minutes to come up with something that I desired..... I had already swapped my D700 with Saif Bhai's to keep safe of the problems I mentioned with flash sync.... I put a couple of SB-900s behind the arches with warm gel and illuminated the big wall.... the wall thus got the attention that it didn't have.... and quite fortunately, I got the subject as well.... there was a team of visitors from Iskcon Temple of Khulna.... and one of them was a young monk in orange dress that completely covered his body.... I couldn't poshttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifsibly find a more contrasting subject in that place..... he was quite co-operative as well, standing right where I told him to, controlling the shadows on the wall.... in fact, I did the whole shoot twice with two lighting setups.... the second time I told Zaim to fetch him!!.... and he was so kind to lend himself to us once again.....

the Elinchrom Skyports caused a lotta trouble for some reason I don't know.... they were barely 20ft from my camera, but they refused to fire when my camera was either out of sight or I went closer to ground!!.... there was empty floor in between... anyway, I was able to pull it off in the end.... the shot would've been more realistic if I could set a big flash some 50ft or so behind the arches to emulate early morning sunlight.... anyway, thats wishful thinking..... you have to work with whatever you have....



the fourth challenge came right outside Michael Madhusudan's place..... there's an old mosque; a pretty small one, but old enough to cause interest.... we stopped our car and went in..... we found Ramzan Ali Sheikh to feature in front of our camera.... he was willing and extremely helpful.... he gave us 20 minutes to do our thing and did exactly what we told him to.... I shot some frames, but didn't really like any one of them.... so, concentrated on getting one shot only that I can be a bit happy with..... my main aim was to make it look natural, as it happens on a typical day.... it was difficult to get the subject separated from that window in the back, but as I said, this was the natural position for him so, I kept the frame intact just for the sake of keeping it natural..... a position closer to the window would've made his silhouette more prominent against the window, but that would've been the unnatural position.... and also wanted to keep the details inside the mosque..... now, the details were quite tricky to say the least.... light conditions inside the mosque made it impossible to get all details in one shot.... perhaps some HDR can get this right, but me not being an HDR person, was always looking to create with my available light, which means, the light available in my pocket -- a flash!!.... the line of Qur'ans and the texture on the wall were just too important for me.... I decided to expose them with a remote flash.... told Zaim to stand with a flash outside the mosque to shoot through the window in the back..... the mosque was on an elevated ground, which made the outside flash shooting from below even when Zaim was standing on a chair!!..... so, I told Zaim to relax and brought the flash inside the mosque.... to make it look like natural light, I set the flash near the wall on the opposite on camera left.... the flash was shooting bare towards the wall, bringing in just a bit of light on the dark foreground.... I was trying to keep the depth of field at maximum, shooting at f14.... keeping the subject, as well as the Qur'ans in focus.... but, that was killing the details in the background.... so, kept a shutter speed of 1/40 and ISO of 800.... I was lying on the floor to get this.... without that precious flash, this was an impossible shot.... the camera was again Saif Bhai's and trigger was Elinchrom Skyport...




I've become a strobist for sure... location lighting has become a very important part of my photography now.... ever since I went into that jute mill at Narayanganj, I knew that this was the way for me.... and with the resolution of 2011 for me, this has gained added impetus... the lessons from this safari were really something.... first lesson was to keep options and backups.... I almost suffered because of the only one camera body.... thanks God that Saif Bhai helped me out.... trigger options also have to be there... being versatile is the key.... I shot the winning combination portrait and the Pori Bala portrait using the D700 built-in flash in manual mode and the SB-900 in optical trigger mode (SU-4).... the other two were done using Elinchrom Skyport.... the built-in flash should never be ignored.... it saved me the precious time during the horse race portrait to turn around in record time.... another lesson was gels.... gotta have more options in hand.... at least one diffuser is a must, be it an umbrella or a white collapsible reflector or something else....

well, that it for this.... lessons learned.... have learned some more lessons in recent days and hope to share those too....

third time lucky!!

Third High-rise Graffiti Shoot

02 April 2011
Dhaka, Bangladesh

and yes, we went there once again...... when we last went there, we thought that was the last time we would go there... but as it turned out, it wasn't the last attempt after all..... full credit goes to Zaim for organising this yet again.... its a privilege to be able to use that private property time and time again to come up with some unique stuff....

this time, it was the biggest event we've organised there so far.... and it also was the biggest event of TTL Koba Squad by some margin!!..... it was the biggest, despite the absence of a lotta others who promised to turn up... because of the size of the company, we decided to split up the overall group into two teams..... one team was to explore the top floor with graffiti (floor#1) and the other team was to discover the virtually empty floor below that (floor#2)..... as I had been there twice before, I thought it would be a nice enough experience shooting in floor#2.... and it was a great experience all around!!

I was accompanied on my floor by some really dedicated young guys who produced the most outstanding ideas and put them to practice..... it was a tough job implementing the not-so-easy ideas, but the ultimate outcomes justified all that pain.... and hae to say, we had a lotta fun!!.... I was really lucky to have Rizwan and Nasif with me, who were joined by Nasif's very young student, Aymaan.... we were also joined by others during the shoot..... Ronie, Ripon Bhai, MMZ, NiH, and others joined us for some brief periods.....

I had some big ideas with some unique stuff..... and we dragged quite a bit of equipment up there to implement such ideas.... but ultimately we were pegged back by some empty promises.... some of our most important people didn't arrive.... so, had to switch to plan B...

we started off with some fairly simple ideas..... wanted to take a wide shot (20mm) of the empty space with the windows featuring in the background..... Nasif volunteered to be the first subject.... used an Elinchrom Ranger with a softbox to illuminate Nasif... but as it turned out, there were substantial light spill on the ceiling from the softbox, which forced us to use a grid-spot and forget the softbox idea for the day..... the grid-spot worked wonders.... it made the light really directional and there was no spill.... to separate Nasif from the background darkness, I put Rizwan behind a pillar with an SB-900 flash in his hand.... the SB-900 was in optical trigger (SU-4) mode and picked up light from the Elinchrom....

From Third High-rise Graffiti Shoot, 02 April 2011

then were was the turn of Nasif.... we planned to create sort of a Forest Gump with Ronie.... a lone chair and a lonely desolate place with left-over materials.... and Ronie was just looking for some divine help to get out of this mess... a simple, but effective picture that I really wanted to shoot.... but this time, Nasif took the credit for that lovely image.... I played the role of a VAL (voice-activated lightstand) with one SB-900 in my hand....

then came the turn of the more complex stuff.... I was thinking of some funky images with a subject, who represented the new generation.... Nasif brought his young student Aymaan, who I have to say played a great role in front of the lens, which he probably didn't think of before..... he was patient with our constant fiddling with lights and stuff.... and although Nasif's first shot was done in half-an-hour, this shoot continued for a full one hour!!....

From Third High-rise Graffiti Shoot, 02 April 2011

From Third High-rise Graffiti Shoot, 02 April 2011

we used the Elinchrom Ranger unit to produce a red backdrop with a red gel and barn doors.... the first shot was just with that backdrop, which didn't really impress anyone.... then we made it a bit more complex by switching to 85mm from the 70-210mm and shooting wide open @f2.0 to put the background out of focus..... that produced another dilemma.... a window was putting in too much light inside and we had to block it to control light..... we used some readily available dirty stuff to accomplish that (not without some toil, though).... then the empty ceiling came up in the frame... and I though it would be a nice idea to put some contrasting colour on the ceiling..... out came an SB-900 with a blue gel on it and left in in the hands of Ripon Bhai..... now we had a night-club-like backdrop.... the main light was in the hands of Nasif, who held an SB-900 in one hand and a Simpex softbox in the other.... Nasif also wanted to be featured, but his profile didn't even come close to Aymaan's..... Aymaan's was a winner!!

the next one was the ultimate execution of our big ideas.... and it took an hour and 20 minutes to complete the whole thing!!.... I had managed Shudipto the night before to bring in some "dhuup", which would help us to create some smoke-filled environ.... this was an alternative to fog machine, which required AC power.... and we gave up that idea since it would've been virtually impossible to carry a fog machine and a generator up to the 12th floor!!.... Nasif received the dhuup from Shudipto the evening before, only to discover at the dead of the night that he lacked a pot for that.... well, that was managed at the last moment.... and now, the challenge came to light it up..... all on a sudden, Rizwan jumped in and said that he knows how to do this!!..... and we got our shot!!

From Third High-rise Graffiti Shoot, 02 April 2011

well, the actual shot wasn't as easy..... we had to create the whole scene before we could light up the dhuup, as the dhuup would run out of smoke if we spend too much time creating the scene..... the idea was instigated by Nasif.... he thought it would be a nice idea to put a light inside a ghost mask that he brought..... he wanted the light to burst through the eyes of it..... but that mask alone was not gonna be the trick.... we had to have a subject.... suddenly it came to my mind that I had the 4'x4' diffusion panel in my bag..... now Nasif turned into a voodoo magician of sorts..... the mask remained pretty much in the dark, lacking details.... so, we put Aymaan there with a small flash at very low power..... we were short of grid spots, so, Aymaan put his hands around the flash to limit the spill of light..... now there was light coming out of the mask, and yet, it kept all the details..... the mask with the light inside was placed on a light-stand.... Nasif's white "gown" was not featuring much in the scene, so, we hired a YN-560 flash from upstairs and put it in the hands of Rizwan.... now, this was the hard part..... we had to balance the radio triggers with optical slave.... so, eventually, Rizwan was holding an SB-900 and Aymaan was holding a YN-560.... Rizwan's flash had a CTO on it and a DIY grid-spot to focus the light on Nasif's hand, which was like "controlling" the spooky mask!!..... the light also illuminated Nasif's "gown"!!..... the last part of the frame was the background, which was fixed first.... we used the same Elinchrom Ranger setting from the previous shoot with red gel on it.... and we had the set ready.... after 20 minutes' effort Rizwan and Nasif were able to create that smoke and we were in action..... this "lighting-up smoke and shoot" procedure continued for around 10 more minutes before we finally called it a day!!..... it was a remarkable show of perseverance from Nasi, Rizwan and Aymaan.... they all were tired at the end of it..... but we were all delighted by the output we got!!

From Third High-rise Graffiti Shoot, 02 April 2011

the last part of the day was a big disappointing, as our radio triggers kept malfunctioning..... it was probably because of lack of proper battery charge.... the Skyports were not triggering the lights regularly and event though they were firing, they weren't syncing..... it was frustrating to end the day with such disappointment.... yet, Nasif was able to create some more funky shots of Aymaan with the Yongnuo radio triggers.....

it was real festival on the top floor, as there were more people clamouring for space.... there were the graffitis and most had not seen those.... for them, it was another discovery..... we watched them create their last image before we moved out..... that last shot was awesome and really showed some creativity and effort.... the dedication in the shot could be seen in the output..... we were all exhausted at the end of the day.... we started in the morning hours and it was late afternoon when we all finished up...... there was no electricity in the building, as before.... and the top floor was almost suffocating..... we had a bit better time on the floor below, where the weather was much more gentle on us......

it was an effort well worth!!..... and cheers for Zaim once again!! :)

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 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!! :)

Baunia adventure.....

12 November 2010
Baunia, Dhaka, Bangladesh

A short photowalk it was from TTL ("Through the Lens: Bangladesh" group of Flickr)..... Shudipto organised it in short notice, as he thought it would be a good idea to go there with some click-buddies, rather than going alone..... and it turned out to be a nice outing..... we had a lotta fun, though not sure how much we were able to click!...... well, it was a lesson concerning the moments to expect at the time and place of our preference.... I didn’t join another PW couple of months back; so, it was a new discovery for me almost..... I went to this place many years back actually, when I didn’t pick up a camera...... the place has definitely changed since then.....

Its the end of the runways at the airport..... planes land at that end and usually put some pressure on our hearing devices..... that the thrill people want to enjoy ultimately...... the close proximity of the screaming silvery beasts is something of a tourist attraction here..... there is security around here and usually they try to keep the onlookers at bay.... the lines of landing approach lights there were not fully secured by the way, and thats why the authorities were closing off that part of the area..... well, as it turned out, we actually ended up there on the last day of a free-ride!!.... the section containing the landing approach lights were being sealed off..... we actually had to find a hole in the fence to come out of the area at the end of our venture.....

From Baunia, 12 November 2010

From Baunia, 12 November 2010

From Baunia, 12 November 2010

From Baunia, 12 November 2010

Anyway, it was a Friday and we had little idea about flight schedules..... there were many people roaming about the place seeking to get a glimpse of those monsters from the smallest distance...... it was a gloomy day and even though we could see the sun, it was quite subdued and barely enough for good photography......... we were sort of out of ideas about what to shoot other than those low-flying giants..... I took a small strobist kit with me to do some experimentation with flashes..... as it turned out, all others went without flashes.... big thanks to Zaim to feature in front of the lens and another big thanks to Mithun and Audity Bhai for being great assistants..... Zaim also assisted when he was not featuring...... and I really needed these assists as it wasn’t really possible to station the flashes somewhere up there..... and the small tripod that I took with me, also malfunctioned while the umbrella was set on the flash..... anyway, there was hardly any way other than assistants to take photographs..... I’m grateful to them...

From Baunia, 12 November 2010

From Baunia, 12 November 2010

The light condition jumped from being ordinary to utterly hopeless within a short time..... I decided not to push my ISO to catch the planes...... I rather let the planes’ landing lights blur out and create trails against the dark skies..... while the sun was still there, I used the umbrella to soften the light coming from the single SB-900...... Elinchrom Skyport was the trigger used for the flash..... for the group pic and the ones with the planes, I used two flashes.... both were on tripods..... I borrowed one tripod from Saif Bhai to set the second SB-900..... the second flash was in SU-4 mode (optical trigger) firing after seeing the light from the other SB-900...... I wanted some depth in the images, which is why I decided to use a relatively smaller aperture (f13-f6.3)..... didn’t push the ISO at all (ISO 100)..... the flashes were working at ¼ power to full power..... didn’t bother about it too much though, as I was shooting only sporadically; no burst of shooting.....
For the planes to cause the longest light trails, I wanted a jet aircraft, as it approaches much faster..... the last couple of planes were propeller-driven unfortunately, and the one we saw after packing up, was a massive jet; adding salt to our wound!! :P

Baliati Portraiture Version ii, May 2010

08 May 2010
Baliati Palace, Baliati, Saturia, Manikganj, Bangladesh

we were almost dying to make yet another visit there....two visits in recent times couldn't quench my thirst...... it was the same for most others as well..... the place is full of fun and it has become almost mandatory for most of us to find a way of the ever-tiring Dhaka City.... there were almost too many signing up for this recurring, but interesting venture...... we were calculating a total of almost 100 people... but as we've seen in the past, 100% presence usually doesn't happen.... eventually, the total number of below 100, but it was the largest photowalk ever organised by TTL.... it was a great effort from the organisers of this wonderful group....

though 9:30AM was supposed to be the original starting time from Farm Gate, it was not until around 10:00AM, when one of the two buses picked me up from near my home.... but we were never in a hurry..... it wasn't a plan to catch the morning light.... so, a more leisurely start wouldn't have hurt anyone.... the journey was a pleasure, meeting so many new faces.... though the weather was relentlessly warm, it couldn't weaken our spirit.... we had too much hope in front us to make us feel tired!

anyway, it was almost 12:30PM when we ultimately reached Baliati Palace gate.... it was a Saturday, which happens to be an off-day for the sight-seeing there... but we've done it in the past, and have done it this time as well..... our previous relationship with the palace guards paid off.....

for those who went there for the first time, it was time for discovery...... and for the others, it was time for invention..... the limitless bends and rooms there hold so much potential for cool portraiture that it becomes almost overwhelming for anyone to select a few places to settle down..... the last time, I shot mostly outside the palace..... this time, my aim was to shoot inside, utilising the texture, and play of lights and shadows there.....

my first experiment was to utilise the door openings to create sort of a cookie.... the outside sunlight was never enough to make these cookie prominent.... so, I set up a flash outside the door to create slanted late afternoon sunlight inside the room..... once with the help of Monir Bhai, I was able to make the theme work, I looked for a subject to fulfill the picture.... called Munmun from ground floor to be a model for the photograph...... and the great Faisal Bhai volunteered to control the flash..... I had to use radio triggers to make the flash work, as my camera didn't have any visual connection with the flash.... after quite a few efforts, we were able to create at least one decent picture.... after this, I tried to improve upon this shot...... more opportunities came by and Faisal Bhai was again there to help me out..... Lina became our model this time, though being with us for the first time in a PW.... the session was a learning for all of us...... I was happy that I was able to create what I had set out to achieve..... now, the rest of the pictures would be bonuses....

From Baliati Portraiture Session 2, Manikganj, May 2010

model: munmun
Nikon D700 + Nikkor AF 20mm f2.8D
f5.6, 1/6sec hand-held, ISO 200
Strobist info:
One SB-900 outside the door with warm gel filter on voice-activated tripod (Faisal Bhai); full power; manual mode; triggered by Elinchrom Skyport radio trigger.

From Baliati Portraiture Session 2, Manikganj, May 2010

model: lina
Nikon D700 + Nikkor AF 20mm f2.8D
f5.6, 1/4sec hand-held, ISO 200
Strobist info:
One SB-900 outside the door with warm gel filter on voice-activated tripod (Faisal Bhai); full power; manual mode; triggered by Elinchrom Skyport radio trigger.



we found Avik Bhai after a while...... and his comeback from Malaysia was the reason for this particular date for the PW..... he featured in some nice available light shots..... harsh sunlight coming through big windows reflected from the floor created a nice fill-light on the textured wall..... and that was that....

From Baliati Portraiture Session 2, Manikganj, May 2010

model: biju, picklu, avikbangalee
Nikon D700 + Nikkor AF 20mm f2.8D
f5.6, 1/6sec hand-held, ISO 200


after a cozy lunch, we posed for a group shot..... Avik Bhai became the organiser of this tough task..... making that many people listen was something.... but we ended up with a shot that proved the size of the group..... after the group photo-session, we continued shooting.... I, along with some others shot some portraits in front of the main building..... the sun was barely there, I used available light for some shots inside the arches...... the arches acted as giant softboxes..... it was natural light at its best!!

From Baliati Portraiture Session 2, Manikganj, May 2010

model: hameem
Nikon D700 + Sigma APO 150mm f2.8 EX DG HSM Macro
f3, 1/320sec, ISO 200


then I switched on my new home-made gadget, the diffuser-cum-reflector..... it was made barely the night before..... and I was just itching to make use of it.... I played the assistant for a while to make this new thing useful.... the fabric gave just enough light to be a reflector, but it certainly was far from being an efficient design..... its off-white silk fabric produced a slightly warmish tone.... but wind was constantly blowing it away and we had a hard time holding it....

when the sun went away, it was time for the strobe to come to the scene once again..... I had a plan to illuminate at least half-body...... and to achieve that, I set up an SB-900 to shoot into the reflector...... two of our friends made the cumbersome reflector work...... it wasn't throwing up enough power, so, we had to bring it as close to he subject as possible..... but because of the stairs, we couldn't position the reflector above the head of the subject...... the light source was from somewhat below for all shots, which didn't really please me..... I had been planning for a boom for some time, but haven't really found a portable solution to it so far..... a boom would've helped for sure..... anyway, we shot away quite a few frames with quite a few models out there..... experimenting all the way.... I switched to 150mm lens to flatten perspective..... that allowed me to cover a very small background and still fill the frame in a full-body shot.... use of a big aperture let me reduce ambient light, underexposing the context a little.... the fill-light from the SB-900-reflector combination illumined the subjects just enough and separated them from the underexposed background..... at least, that was the idea.....

From Baliati Portraiture Session 2, Manikganj, May 2010

model: biju and hameem
Nikon D700 + Nikkor AF 50mm f1.4D
f4, 1/600sec, ISO 200
Strobist info:
One SB-900 on camera right on tripod shooting into a 4'x4' home-made reflector, hand-held by two friends; TTL mode; triggered by SU-800 on camera.

From Baliati Portraiture Session 2, Manikganj, May 2010

model: shabbir ferdous
Nikon D700 + Sigma APO 150mm f2.8 EX DG HSM Macro
f3.2, 1/1,000sec, ISO 200
Strobist info:
One SB-900 on camera right on tripod shooting into a 4'x4' home-made reflector, hand-held by two friends; TTL mode; triggered by SU-800 on camera.

From Baliati Portraiture Session 2, Manikganj, May 2010

model: biju
Nikon D700 + Sigma APO 150mm f2.8 EX DG HSM Macro
f3.2, 1/1,000sec, ISO 200
Strobist info:
One SB-900 on camera right on tripod shooting into a 4'x4' home-made reflector, hand-held by two friends; TTL mode; triggered by SU-800 on camera.


although we planned to leave the place by around 4:00, it wasn't until around 5:15PM when we finally drove off...... we packed our gears almost in a hurry, utilising every minute we could..... and yes, every minute was a learning.....

it was no short of a great tour...... it wasn't just a huge group, it was a huge entertainment..... a refreshing break from the hectic life.... and as I said many times, the place simply couldn't satisfy me..... there are simply too many bends left undiscovered for me.... I would spare no effort revisiting there until I've touched all the shadows in all the rooms and alleyways......

please don't forget to visit the whole gallery:
Baliati Portraiture Session 2, Manikganj, May 2010