night lights love 85mm.....

I love my 85mm 1.8 lens... previously I had posted a blog on 85mm, utilising big windows.... but the best use of this lens doesn't come without some small lights in the background.... this lens produces some lovely bokeh.... I don't usually shoot @f1.8.... f2-2.8 produces really impressive bokeh, and at the same time, this improves sharpness.... the lens is quite sharp, mind you... but the sharpest results can be attained stopped down a little...

talking of bokeh, not everything looks that well as a background.... if there is anything as book object, it has to be lights.... out-of-focus lights produce a dreamy backdrop, making it the perfect lens for night-time portraits.... half-body to full-body portraits produce the best results with this lens, when it really shows its colours...

this lens loves street lights at night... lights and neon signs become dreamy and automatically improves the overall feel of the image.... wedding photographers love this lens.... I'm no wedding photographer, but I've used this lens at night many a times to know how good it is....

at night, focusing is bit of an issue... but that natural with any lens at night.... some sort of focusing assistance has to be there.... and when we are talking of full-body portraits, the distance of the camera from the subject makes the camera's in-built focusing assistant much less effective.... this isn't a complain against this lens in any way.... its a trait of a lens that is 85mm in focal length.... you just have to know how an 85mm lens works...

hope to post something similar on 50mm 1.4 and Sigma 150mm macro lenses sometime in future....

an evening of portraiture....

19 August 2011
Bailey Road, Dhaka, Bangladesh

the Paraboyz are some sticky dudes... they don't know how to forget memories.... they know whats important in their lives..... they also know what comes around and what doesn't.... so, when the proposition of a get-together, along with a photowalk came up, it was always a "go"..... the only factor that still remained was when.....

big thanks to the guys for showing up and displaying the affection for that friendship.... a friendship that never had a boundary of age..... this is one multi-age unique group..... the boyz have become men, and busy.... but the effort to keep that friendship alive has never become old.... I am proud to be part of it....

after that short photowalk at Chawkbazar Iftar Market, we had our Iftar at Royal Restaurant of Lalbagh.... but it was just too late for us to sit there and order something good.... but we had enough to call it an 'Iftar'..... anyway, we also wanted to have a guys' evening.... our families (well, those who have!) could wait....

the guys of Paraboyz who had been interested in photography, they were the main participants for this venture.... others were invited too.... ultimately we ended up with just 6 of us.... Omi left right after the photowalk at Chawkbazar.... while the five of us ventured in the evening for something different.... and it was different....

we hung out at Bailey Road; had a lot of yummy fruit juice, and before leaving, we decided to do something that we could remember..... we did some portraiture of ours.... I had a hunch that we might end up doing something like this.... so, I toiled to bring some strobist stuff.... a Lastolite 24" Ezybox Hotshoe softbox, along with a YN-560 flash, Elinchrom Skyport radio triggers and a Manfrotto monopod, to be used as a boom....





Anonto is a great guy.... handsome, good-looking, and creative.... he was a pace sensation in our para cricket team.... but since then he has accomplished a lot more than just playing for his para, though those have nothing to do with his skills as a cricketer..... a young architect in his own right and making his mark in the industry with his creative stuff.... have seen him after a while actually.... his bearded look was something of a surprise for all of us.... he has lived up to his family, which is full of creative people.....








Aurnab is one my favourite subjects because of his expressive nature.... he has been as casual as he has ever been..... great guy to hang around with.... and loveable friend.... would love to see him restart his photography, as he has the eye for it, I believe.....



Shihab has always been a great friend.... one of the earliest enthusiasts among us in photography, he has found his firm footing in mass communication.... and thats where he's discovering his passion for photography once more.... he's been the main instigator behind a photowalk with our click-buddies.... big thanks!!..... and being involved with conservation of Nature, it was just more appropriate to click him in front of that backdrop!!




Anik is one of the funniest guys I know..... I can still remember that trip of ours at Bandarban and Cox's Bazaar five years ago, where we had a great amount of fun having him around..... and as he has found his newly-found passion in photography, it was on me to figure out something unique for him.... I decided to create something that would portray his new desire...... I had only one light... so, I shot two images separately with that single softbox and stitched them together in Photoshop..... never done such kinda stuff in my life.... but it turned out to be pretty good!! :)



the main aim of the photowalk and the photoshoot were to bind ourselves in sort of an activity that would remain in memory for a much longer period..... it wasn't just another adda, or another Iftar or another dinner.... it was a memory.... thanks guys!!

shoulder-to-shoulder....

08-09 May 2011
Jamuna Resort, Tangail, Bangladesh

it was a hectic tour actually.... and it was official.... well, not that strictly that I wouldn't be able to use my camera..... and that became the best part of a day that mostly contained mathematical figures.... a dizzy day to say the least....

though it was a tour with the co-workers, it was more like a tour with friends... at least as long as we were not staring at the overhead projector..... and that drowsy stuff went on up to the evening hours when the recess finally came.... while everyone went to the swimming pool in the evening, I began to look for excuses to bring out my camera.... and the opportunity finally came when some of my co-workers raised their hands to participate in some late-night craziness...

I didn't bring a tripod, keeping the official nature of the tour in mind.... but I did have my strobist package with me.... its become something of a staple food for me now-a-days... a couple of SB-900s, a set of Elinchrom Skyport radio triggers, a 34" collapsible 2-in-1 reflector, and a DIY grid-spot.... without a tripod, I decided to use a chair for steadiness.... I was shooting somewhere around 1/10sec with 85mm and 20mm lenses.... the idea was to use the sodium street-lights.... with the white balance following the flashes, the sodium lights created a nice reddish backdrop.... and the 85mm did the rest.... there were more than enough volunteers to hold the SB-900 and the reflector, which were the main lights for most settings.... the Elinchrom Skyports were the triggers...

I wanted the pictures to talk..... to say something about the actual subjects.... in some cases I was actually successful.... and in other cases, they were dramatized portraits reflecting some ideas....

started with Tareq.... a guy with a lot of charm and attraction.... he just did whatever we told him to.... well, not really.... somehow his charming personality was feeling shy in front of the lens.... yet, we were able to produce something very moody.....



the real surprise was Khalid... didn't think that he contained that sort of a personality inside him.... his mild manners took a back seat when he showed up and began to do his stuff... he seemed so natural in front of the lens.... he is a guy who knows how to adapt... and he surely showed what a master he is in that... he became the most spontaneous in front of the camera....



it didn't take too long to find our how I would like Asheq Bhai to shoot... with his meditation background, he was going nowhere else.... and showing off his most common simplicity, he simply refused to sit on the road!!... it took Helal to take off his slippers for Asheq Bhai!!.... and we got the frame we were looking for.... his concentration was unbreakable..... if I had to go out of Jamuna Resort with just one photo, this had to be it...



I had shot Romeo before.... but here I discovered his interest in dance moves and the only thing I had to do was to set-up and shoot.... it was his move all throughout and it became a photo....



I knew his interest in acting.... I've seen that during the office event right after Pahela Baishakh.... but somehow, Helal wasn't able to bring out his expressions.... some people are very good with a script, but without the script they look in too many directions..... I switched to 20mm wide angle and tired to create some drama.... we wanted to make it look like a "Blair Witch Project" kinda shot.... we had smokers among us.... so, you can guess what happened... a bit more smoke would've triggered the fire alarm!!... thanks to the chain smokers for making this happen....



it was Sohieb next and we were all disappointed.... all his interests in music went down the drain.... literally.... he was nowhere.... and to complicate matters, we didn't have any musical instrument or any mike or any other prop that might've added a bit of interest..... anyway, ultimately a candid moment was something that interested me more than anything else..... and it was more "Blair Witch" than Helal's....



last of all, we went indoors..... and the idea was to create a scary-movie kinda shoot..... the light had to look like coming out of the TV.... and the mood of the light had to go with it..... I didn't have gels, so, I decided to play with the white balance.... a second flash (with warm gel) was placed in the room next door to fill the frame.... the dark door looked too empty.... I was really impressed by the expressions presented by Mehrab.... they were superb!!.... similar expressions were tried by Helal too.... but they were not as dramatic.... I would say Mehrab has some prospect with acting.... :)



it was well beyond midnight when we stopped shooting..... there were other subjects who also featured in front of the lens... Aslam Bhai, Sami, Rashed Bhai they all showed great deal of interest.... they had their own stories to tell.... may be would tell their stories in the coming days.... we did this as a good deal of fun.... the best part of it was that we all enjoyed the moments together.... we work shoulder-to-shoulder day in and day out.... and we also enjoyed the moments there shoulder-to-shoulder..... all that would remain in the coming days would be memories....

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!! :)

Dhaka dressed-up for ICC World Cup 2011

Night of 16 February 2011
Dhaka City has never dressed like this before. The ICC Cricket World Cup has arrived and it is time to welcome the world! This is just a short documentation of the drive that would take everyone from the airport to the stadium.

The video was done on a Nokia C6 mobile phone; and audio was omitted. I opted not to use any pirated audio to make this better.