August 2007 Desktop Wallpaper Calendar

I decided to use a picture of Taj Mahal for this month's calendar, since it was in news recently. Click on the image to get it in 1024x768 size.

Minimalistic approach to post processing

One of the changes I have seen in my in the last year or so is to cut down drastically on post processing, and spend more effort in getting the pictures right in the first place when I am shooting. Most of my images now go through a very minimal post processing, and I am beginning to like it that way. It has not only cut down the time spent in front of the computer to just 10% of what I used to spend, I feel I am also making technically better images from the camera by planning my shoots better. So here is what most of my post processing is, these days. And I am beginning to feel this is just what is needed for 90% of photos.

1. Adjust Levels
2. Shadows and highlights, only if needed; not used most of the time.
3. Sharpening.

And here are a few things that have become a part of my plan when shooting in the last one year.

1. Shoot real early in the morning or evenings only. I was guilty of trying to shoot even after 9am or before 5pm once. I dont do that much lately. Infact, I try to get the best of outdoors before 7am.
2. Using a tripod.
3. Using GND filters for better exposure.
4. Always get feedback from LCD and histograms; and if there is a need for exposure correction, preferably re-shoot instead of waiting to fix the image later.

Image: Sunrise in the mountains

Sunrise at Batal Village, Lahaul and Spiti, Indian Himalayas



I had accidentally set the ISO to 400 when shooting this!

Exif: Canon EOS 350D, 17-40L at 31mm, f/11, 1/60sec, ISO 400, tripod mounted

Image: Yak grazing in Spiti Valley

A Yak grazes in Spiti Valley, Indian Himalayas.



Exif: Canon EOS 350D, 17-40L at 40mm, f/14, 1/640sec, ISO 400

Kingston vs Sandisk

When I was going on a two week holiday last month, I was considering buying some more memory before I leave, just in case I would need it. I thought it wasn't really necessary, but at the same time did not want to miss any opportunities only because of insufficient memory.

When I went shopping, I figured that Kingston cards came for a lesser price than the Sandisks that I used to buy earlier. The Kingstons were costing a 20% less, and did not really mean great savings. But since I was buying the card only as a backup measure, I decided to go for the cheaper one.

And during my journeys, I did end up using the new card. The Kingston card worked well, was faithful enough and did not cause any trouble. But I was surprised to see how slow the card was. Each time a photo was taken, it took a good 2-3 seconds before the image was written to the card and showed up on the LCD. Reading was slow too, and the images took a long time to load when I tried to view them. Naturally this would have affected continuous shooting too, but I did not use the feature during my trip.

In contrast, though the SanDisks were a 25% more expensive, and reading and writing were almost instantaneous. So I think I will use the new Kingston only for the purpose for which I had bought it - as a backup measure when my other cards are full.

Of Photographers and weary lawmakers

A few months back, we had UK government considering a ban on street photography. It does not look like such a law has been imposed yet, but we have more people looking at such laws, this time New York City. The report on New York Times(link may expire, also see) says -

..any group of two or more people who want to use a camera in a single public location for more than a half hour to get a city permit and insurance.

The same requirements would apply to any group of five or more people who plan to use a tripod in a public location for more than 10 minutes, including the time it takes to set up the equipment.

It is difficult to understand what makes these people think about coming up with laws of such kind. See the discussion thread on slashdot to have some fun!

July 2007 Desktop Calendar Wallpaper

July 2007 desktop calendar wallpaper is ready for download. To get the image in 1024x768, click on the picture below.



Exif: Canon EOS 350D, 17-40L at 24mm, 1/125sec, f/8, ISO 100, handheld

About the image: The waterfall in the picture is Nohkalikai falls, Cherrapunjee.