Click... by chance

“Every picture tells a story” – such is a popular belief.  But would it be wrong to say that behind the making of every picture, there’s a story? I guess not.  Here I bring you the "behind the scene" stories of a few of my “by chance” pictures.

My new DSLR is exactly 2 months and 3 days old today. In this span, the shutter has been clicked, well… more than a thousand times! Acting as my own critic, I have had few “Wow!!!” moments and mostly “Nah… not good!!!” moments. Averaging to 16-17 shots per day, is not bad for a beginner, watsay!?? I remember the time when I was deciding which camera I should get, and I used to be asked the question - What do you prefer as your subject – landscape, portrait, macro…? Although the questions were aimed only to help me narrow down my options, but in reality they used to stump me out. Well, I am obviously not a pro, but that was definitely not going to limit my choices of subject to capture, not at this moment at least. And thus, the 1000 plus pictures I have today, is an ensemble of everything – objects, animals, flora, birds, scenery, anything that caught my attention. It was more than just the exploring a new hobby, it was about self discovery as well. I went on clicking the same thing again and again, changing the settings, altering few angles, until I got something I liked. And here comes the big question – how prepared was I to get most of the shots right?

Most of the time, I admit, I was not. Especially with birds (no points for guessing why)! There’s some really good foliage around my home, and the highest branch of one of these trees at the backyard, is extremely popular among these feathered, restless creatures. The picture below was one of the first shots taken with the camera. I was totally not prepared for this shot; I wasn’t even carrying the telephoto with me. It was just another early morning on a weekend, when a casual visit to the terrace turned out to give me a scene that I found really amusing. The caption “Three’s company, four is a crowd” was suggested by my Mom; I liked it and stuck with it.

Three's company, four is a crowd!!!

The next image is another “chance” photograph. I named this “A walk on the tightrope”. It was taken on the same day when the 4 birds’ picture was taken. Guess I was really lucky that day, all my “models” were extremely cooperative!!! It seemed that they were all posing for me without even me asking :-D !!!

A walk on the tightrope

Another example is the picture below called “Gone with the wind”. My level of preparedness in this case was nothing more than just a gut feeling that I might get a few good rain shots. These shots just happened. I confess that the dangling branch falling off had left me feeling a tad emotional or should I say – introspective.

"Gone with the wind"

The next 2 pictures are, yet again, a result of chance. The first one I fondly call “Shelter” and the next one is untitled. It had just rained and I was sitting by a window, enjoying the greenery outside. A casual downward glance made me notice these two creatures sitting quietly. Without wasting another minute, I fished out my camera and went click… click… The whitish blur at the top and bottom of the second picture is actually the white colored horizontal grill of the window that came in between. I thought I would have to crop off some of these white portions, but there was something mysterious about the haziness that I felt was going well with the mood, and so, I decided to keep it. Can you think of a suitable title for this picture? Do leave your comment and help me decide.

Shelter

Yet to be titled... am waiting for your suggestions :-)

I had read somewhere that “opportunity comes to those who are prepared”. Undoubtedly true. However, in the context of photography, being prepared is not only about the availability of gear. It is actually about being prepared to take chances, to be caught unawares and still act. After all, we do not always have the time or luxury to prepare or create the scene we want. While I agree that the art of creating and perfecting a shot comes with years of practice and perseverance, nevertheless I’d still continue to believe that, sometimes, instincts need to be trusted. Certain things are best left to chance.

Stay inspired!

Let's de-routinise…

Most of us have had the experience of suddenly bumping into an old acquaintance, or calling up a friend after a long time. In how many such instances have you asked him or her - “How’s life???” About always, right? So how many times, have you been responded with – “Going on… just the usual stuff”… kind of an answer? Most of the time, right? And how many times have you yourself answered to someone in the same way? Think about it. Quite a lot of times, maybe? Well, honestly, my answer to the above questions would be a resounding yes.

Some would say – so what’s wrong in the usual stuff, after all? Well, there’s nothing wrong with that. But what I have noticed is the tone that mostly accompanies such a response. It’s generally a dry, plain, unenthusiastic voice; in spite of the slight, wry smile that might come along. And let’s admit, some people even dread or hate to be asked this question. That, is what disturbs me.

What do we normally mean by the “usual stuff”? Getting up in the morning, preparing the kids for school, getting ready for office, run through the chores at work, do the laundry, dusting, cooking, etc., etc. – maybe some or all of the above or even many more. To be precise, it implies to our normal, daily routine.

Now, picture this. You’re just back from this amazing holiday and then you bump into a friend who asks you – “Hey! How’s life”. How would you respond? You’d probably grin ear to ear, and say – “Am doing great!!! How are you?” And if he responds you by the “Just going on…” kind of an answer, you’d probably feel sorry and then go all out to advise him – “You know you should take a break!!! I’ve just been to this amazing place, which I’d recommend to you too. Call me and I’ll share the details!!!”

See the difference? Not only have you breathed in the ecstasy of meeting a friend, but you have in fact played a counselor to him!! In totality, you’ve sent out a strong positive vibe.

Now shift focus to your kitchen. You’ve just come across this new recipe from the net or shared by a friend. You plan all week and finally when you prepare the dish, you are so glad that you want to share your achievement with the whole world!!!

What is the common factor in the above two scenarios? It’s the feeling of doing something different, something new, isn’t it? You bask in the novelty of the experience. At the end of the day, you are a happy person, feeling good about yourself. What’s more, your experiences could even inspire many.

But alas, life is not an everlasting vacation. Neither do we have the luxury of cooking exotic dishes from online recipes every day. Not everything that we need to do every day is new. Soon, the same old routine creeps back in, and there you are, yearning for the next amazing holiday.

Well, things are mostly how we perceive them. The only way to avoid the cycle of boredom is to begin to enjoy the rhythm of routine. Bring a change in the routine by devoting at least 30 minutes of your day to do some activity that you enjoy – a hobby that might not pay you in terms of money, but gives you satisfaction. Imagine that, whatever you do, you’re doing it the first time. It could even be as mundane as returning to work on Monday!!! Dress to look good, even if you’re going to the neighbourhood grocery shop. No, it’s not about putting on make-up all the time! The idea is to feel nice about whatever you’ve got to do, so you automatically feel content about it. De-routinise your activities. Allow them to seem new and purposeful each time you perform them. So next time onwards, when someone asks you how you have been, the reply – “Am doing great!!” should come naturally to you.

A little note for those who believe it’s easier said than done – Remember that we ourselves can be the change we wish to see.

Enjoy the routine :-) !!!