The following pictures were displayed in the photography exhibition "Images of Chennai",that was conducted in Alliance Francaise Madras from August 3rd to 19th.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Images of Chennai
Coverage for the exhibition
You might remember that there was a photography exhibition of photos taken by me at Alliance francaise from August 3rd to 18th.
Given below is the collection of media coverage that happened for the exhibition.
Times of India
The Hindu - 1
The Hindu - 2
Coverage in SS music
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
My exhibition in Alliance Francaise
Greetings to all of you!
As we prepare ourselves to celebrate MADRAS DAY on the 22nd of August, the Alliance Française of Madras, is proud to be part of this city that is rich in culture and tradition, yet contemporary and modern. We have a series of events to celebrate Madras, starting with an exhibition by a young and talented individual who interprets Chennai with his captivating pictures.
The Alliance Française of Madras invites you to an exhibition of photography by C V Ramanujan.
IMAGES OF CHENNAI
3rd to 19th August 2009
Timing is from 9 to 7 on all days of the week except sunday
Timing is from 9 to 7 on all days of the week except sunday
AFM GALLERY
Update:Gallery will be closed on Aug 15th Saturday.. :(
Update:Gallery will be closed on Aug 15th Saturday.. :(
CVR is a photo enthusiast working in an IT company. When he is not busy coding you can find him in the streets of Chennai, photographing the interesting people, sights and wonders this great city has to offer.
In his own words
'"Like a kid jumping across the skies to catch hold of the stars, I set out with my camera, in an effort to capture the beauty around me.
How much am I successful, I leave it to you to decide. But the art of photography both fascinates me and humbles me. And with Chennai as an inspiration, I hope to learn more and more about this magic art of freezing time."
Dakshin Chitra Potter - Wonder what my maker's design is....
This picture was taken at Dakshin Chitra. DakshinaChitra is a center for the living traditions of art, folk performing arts, craft and architecture of India with an emphasis on the traditions of South India. It contains meticulously recreated replicas of traditional houses from Tamilnadu, Kerala, Andhra pradesh and Karnataka. The place is also home to performances from the staff enacting and teaching many of the traditional practices and art forms of South India.
Chennai Central jail inside - Gods of all colors
The Chennai Central jail is more than 150 yrs old and has been a host to many leaders and freedom fighters.
The government has decided to demolish the buildings and use the place for other purposes.
The campus was opened for the public before it can be demolished. Inside one could find clear signs of the former inmates' devotion.
Chennai MRTS Train - Chennai MRTS train
This picture was taken at the MRTS station at Velachery. The Chennai local train has a unique majestic look. One can’t help admiring the pride and arrogance in its face of not having to stop for anyone. The bold and confident attitude clearly evident, the Chennai local train is the representation of the character of the people of Chennai who are high on self-respect. May be that’s why we love the local trains so much.
For further information please contact C V Ramanujan at 97910 36722
www.simplycvr.blogspot.com
http://cvrintamil.blogspot.
www.flickr.com/photos/
Contact AFM at 2827 9803/ 2827 1477
Update : The exhibition got inaugurated with a small and simple ceremony.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Making a shot - The smiling Trinity
This one was taken during the photowalk in saidapet.I I was almost ready to go back home after a decent outing through the streets of saidapet and was just waiting on the marmalong bridge for my friends to turn up so that i can leave after a formal good bye.
Thats when 3 of these little girls came up to me with their bit notices.You can find these kinda beggars in many places handing over these piece of papers which details many things ranging from medical troubles,educational reasons to religious pilgrimage commitments. I generally dont like to encourage beggars and get particularly furious when i see kids begging(Its a long story!! not here..not now :))!!
So i turned away after uttering out a polite and firm no.
The girls turned away and started looking for somebody else to influence with their sorry tales.But one of them couldnt conceal her curiosity over my big black camera and started discussing with her friends rather loudly about whether they can request me to take their pic!!
That was enough of an invitation for me!! I beckoned them and asked whether they want me to take a picture of them.All three of them nodded with varying degrees of enthusiasm. So I started my routine.
Strike 1
The one who was enthusiastic about getting their picture taken is smiling...The one on the right is not exavlty sure how to react ...seems like she is posing just because her friend pressured her to...The one in the middle is downright staring at me!! Understandable! Just a few mins back I had coldly shooed them away...
What do i do???
I tried to get into some small talk..get them out of their cocoon...asked their names and stuff...told them they need to smile to get a good looking pic etc...
Moved out a bit so that they dont feel too intimidated ....and..
CLICK!
Strike 2
Err.....
Not good!!Something else needs to be done!!
Lemme try something else...Lemme get friendly with the girl in yellow!!
hi there!!
Lemme take a solo picture of you.. can you come here please...ya...and smile... ok...say cheeeeeese
CLICK!
Strike 3
I showed the pic to that girl and her friends too..Now they were excited..I need some work to be done with the middle one..
You want a pic just like your friend's pic??? come on here... just smile.. smile big..ok..yup! thats it...
CLICK!
Strike 4
Great!! now she is cheerful and comfy!! lemme click that other girl too so that she doesnt feel left out!!
Hey there!! One pic of you too..Ok...smile.......
Strike 5
thats shaky..but thats ok...
Now i can get them together...
Alright people!! lets try another group shot! ok?? yes!! why dont you people come closer...still more closer...ok..ready??
CLICK!!
Strike 5
Great!! I loved it!!I showed them and they loved it too!!
When i came home and saw it in the big screen i felt there was something missing there!!
Something really plain and dry about the tone!!
Lemme make this into Sepia! That will give the emotion i felt at that time! the feeling of vintage friendship and all that stuff!!
Good!
Now..lemme tweak up the contrast and sharpness a little!!
Cool!! I got my shot!!!
Strike 5
I later posted it with the following comment.
As I was waiting for my friend at the end of the photowalk,couple of these girls approached me with their bit notice with all kinds of sad stories,ending with a request for donation,a very familiar form of begging in the city.
I clearly indicated that iam not interested and turned the other way .
Thats when curiousity got the better of the middle one and she asked whether i can take a picture of them.
Similar to the other occasion i was more than happy to oblige.
Took a couple of shots and a bit of friendly cheerful talk to get the other two to get smiling normally.
But in the end when they smiled and when i clicked this we forgot who we were and where we were.It was a moment when three friends had a moment of fun and frolic and another friend clicking that moment.We were fellow human beings sharing the joy of humanity then being strangers divided by inequalities.
That moment was perfect
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Making a shot - Kulasai shot
You don't take a photograph, you make it. - Ansel Adams
What does this mean??? You never click any pic and just cook up something in photoshop??
Wrong!
What he means is that a photograph is not about just snapping whatever you see but its about applying your heart and mind into producing a frame which contains exactly what you want to share...
Thats why i get iritated when people call my pictures as snaps!! Its not just something i happen to click as i pass by. Every picture i publish has been produced after a lot of time and effort to create the mood and composition that i wanted to share.
A few days back i was browsing through my archives and found some interesting shots! Earlier in my pursuit in photography i used to shoot in JPG so i never bothered to delete so many pics either in camera or after downloading into the computer.So i was able to see the series of shots that i had taken before settling down to the picture i wanted to share.Nowadays i delete them in the comp or in the cam or right inside my mind itself...So nobody gets to see it!! :)
Iam sharing one of those with you so that you can get a glimpse of the thinking process of a photographer and incorporate more of "making a shot" in your pictures...
Lets take the case of roadside kid shot from the village Kulasai.
Kulasai alias Kulasekarapatnam is a small village in thirunelveli,famous for the Dushera celebrations that happen there every year.I had gone there last year and had come back with loads and loads of pictures and experience.
This picture was taken during that trip.
The purest form of human
Now...this is not the very first picture i took of this kid......
The day we landed in kulasai,we took out our cameras and were walking towards the beach trying to sink into the mood and breath in the life and culture the village had to offer.Thats when one of the guys from a roadside gypsy family came running to me and requested for a photo to be taken!!
It is a dream come true scenario for a street photographer...
He was so overjoyed when i obliged that he promptly went back and brought his nephew along for a picture to be taken...
Shot 1
The minute i laid my eyes on the kid i knew he was special and i can have a really good shot if only i could apply myself. I showed the guy the photo i had just taken and he was super excited..He went running back and brought along some more folks from his family.
Shot 2
What does this mean??? You never click any pic and just cook up something in photoshop??
Wrong!
What he means is that a photograph is not about just snapping whatever you see but its about applying your heart and mind into producing a frame which contains exactly what you want to share...
Thats why i get iritated when people call my pictures as snaps!! Its not just something i happen to click as i pass by. Every picture i publish has been produced after a lot of time and effort to create the mood and composition that i wanted to share.
A few days back i was browsing through my archives and found some interesting shots! Earlier in my pursuit in photography i used to shoot in JPG so i never bothered to delete so many pics either in camera or after downloading into the computer.So i was able to see the series of shots that i had taken before settling down to the picture i wanted to share.Nowadays i delete them in the comp or in the cam or right inside my mind itself...So nobody gets to see it!! :)
Iam sharing one of those with you so that you can get a glimpse of the thinking process of a photographer and incorporate more of "making a shot" in your pictures...
Lets take the case of roadside kid shot from the village Kulasai.
Kulasai alias Kulasekarapatnam is a small village in thirunelveli,famous for the Dushera celebrations that happen there every year.I had gone there last year and had come back with loads and loads of pictures and experience.
This picture was taken during that trip.
The purest form of human
Now...this is not the very first picture i took of this kid......
The day we landed in kulasai,we took out our cameras and were walking towards the beach trying to sink into the mood and breath in the life and culture the village had to offer.Thats when one of the guys from a roadside gypsy family came running to me and requested for a photo to be taken!!
It is a dream come true scenario for a street photographer...
He was so overjoyed when i obliged that he promptly went back and brought his nephew along for a picture to be taken...
Shot 1
The minute i laid my eyes on the kid i knew he was special and i can have a really good shot if only i could apply myself. I showed the guy the photo i had just taken and he was super excited..He went running back and brought along some more folks from his family.
Shot 2
 The kid was that Dhadiwala's son. The folks were overjoyed!! now that i have got their good will and attention,i requested them whether i can take a solo pic of the kid.They were more than happy to say yes.So i zoomed in to the tiny one Shot 3  Cute!! But not quite what i wanted!! this guy had a more confused and bewildered look than what i was looking for!! I tried to smile and make a conversation with him!! I was sure he didnt know tamil,he was too young to understand any language anyway.... Shot 4  This is better..but he looks more curious and inquisitive than what i want....let me try and make him even more comfortable!! I moved closer. "hi there little fellow!! you are looking awesome!! just one pose ok....just smile..ya ya thats it........" CLICK!! The purest form of human I LOVED the shot the minute i saw the pic in the LCD. I thanked them and walked on.... After i came back from my trip i posted this with the following writeup.... "A roadside gypsy kid. People came running to us asking us to take their photograph,during my recent trip to kulasai*. And i took a whole lot of them before i got tired of it :) And this kid was really so cute... I could see hope in his eyes!! That reflected the hope of a better india that i cherish in my heart I have always felt that kids are the purest form of humans.... And here is the example..... In a few years he will have a religion, caste, social status,language,country,gender realisations etc etc etc But for now he is just human.........Human at his purest form. " Will try to post few more series of shots like this! I hope you find it interesting and useful... :) PS : Cross posted from my office blog |
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Some basics in photography
So you just bought your DSLR?? Or you have just been bit by the photography bug??
You have seen some GREAT pics from people in flickr,Photo.net or elsewhere and want to take those kinda "really cool" shots and dont know where to start???
You have reached the right blogspot page!!
The good news is "its possible". You can be owner of all those brilliant shots.
The bad news..Its not easy!! You got to realllllly love the art to be able to spend the time and effort and money it deserves...
I have tried to put some of the stuff that came to my mind when one of my friends asked for a similar advice.
1.)Shoot less,show lesser
2.)Click less think more.publish less,delete more.
3.) Learn the rules so that you can break them by choice.
4.) Read up about Rule of thirds,leading lines,subject placement,non central placement and all the basics of composition.
5.) Stop shooting in Auto
6.)Shoot in RAW.
7.)Learn basic PP.Be at ease with contrast/brightness adjustment,sharpness,saturation,cropping.
8.)Know about HDR
9.)Recognise the two stages of photographyhttp://simplycvr.blogspot.com/2008/12/two-stages-in-photography.html
10.)Take photography trips!
11.)Make friends within local photography enthusiasts with the help pf online forums etc and follow their work
12.)Follow the works of people you admire and find out what is stopping you from making those kind of pictures.It could be knowhow,practice or equipment.Identify that and fill up the gaps! If you are not able to decide ask for help.
13.)Try not to use flash as much as possible.Flash can kill the soul of the pic
14.)Fall in love with light.Fall in love with life.Fall in love with the world around.Just start appreciating the beautiful things around you.90% of photography has got nothing to do with camera.It has to do with how you see and how you record it in your brain and how you want to present it.
I will add to this if i think of something else!
All the best :)
Saturday, May 16, 2009
My weekend with "Kick"
Some of you might Know that I had wanted to watch a telugu movie in hyderabad even before i came to this place. Also i wanted to try out some authentic andhra cuisine before going back to chennai. Yesterday(May 10th) happened to be the last weekend of my stay in Hyderabad and yesterday also happened to be the day when both of the above wishes came true!
I had been making some noises about this for a while and my good friend Sumanoj made a neat plan to make me realise them. Our first stop was the PVR movie theatres in Hyderabad central,PanjaGutta. Suman had booked tickets for the telugu movie "Kick",featuring Ravi Teja and Ileana.I have already had the experience of watching a really horrible movie called "Khatarnak" featuring these two,so i was a bit scared when i heard about the booking.But Sumanoj assured me that the movie was the "most bearable" of the lot which had released during the recent times.
We entered the theatre as the names started rolling after stocking ourselves with liberal amounts of pop-corn and pepsi.So we missed the all important scene of Ileana performing Yoga moves, due to the delay.Now! Dont act so innocent and ask what relevance does it have to the story......Its just that ..It was "Ileana" and she was performing Yoga!!!..Enough said!
I am sure you guys wont be so naive as to ask me what is the story of this movie! One doesnt go to watch "Kick" if he/she wants a story.One settles with one of satyajit ray's movies or one of those movies from the regional language movie feature in DD on sundays,if he wants a story.Better still,One borrows some pirate DVDs of some Korean,Iranian or some other movie from a God forsaken corner of the world,if he wants a story. You might actually not understand any story from the movie ,but you can always talk volumes of how great the movie was and make up any story that comes to your mind! They cant tell the difference.Anyway! Iam digressing!
The movie starts with Actor Shaam coming to Malaysia to meet Ileana.They meet up in a train,as arranged by their parents to have some chat and decide whether they can go ahead with the marital alliance.And thats when Ileana starts narrating her failed love affair.
Thus starts the flash back and in comes Ravi Teja! He is this most freaky,most irresponsible,most crazy guy who goes around doing whatever he wants for the sake of "Kick".The narration starts with him informing the parents of his friends about a probable elopement and then helping them get married at the same time!!Needless to say our hot looking heroine falls in love with this crazy guy!!I mean! Thats expected right?! The good looking smart girls always fall for some crazy guy,eve teaser,mentally imbalanced,"child like"(dumb),violent rowdy etc etc..So the love story flourishes with crazy antics from Ravi Teja and ends when Ileana realises that he has been interested just for the "kicks" and not reallllllly in love with her!!(Duh...what a bulb!)
And thats when Shaam starts his flashback!!No..no!This is not another failed love affair! This is about a criminal who has been outwitting him and has been driving him crazy with his clues and hints!Surprise Surprise!! The audience get to know that the clever criminal is none other than our Ravi Teja!And ...We get to know that he is in Malaysia for some reason.The movie breaks into an intermission!!
If your eyes balls are rolling and your heads are spinning already i will save you from the drudgery of reading about the remaining story(?!).
Ravi Teja fits the role of a idiotic yet intelligent, carefree yet meticulous, crazy yet deep character perfectly! I got to say that he has enough screen presence to make you laugh and smile at his antics! And one couldnt hate him all that much inspite of his non-heroic, non-serious characterisation.
Ileana plays the role of I_am_a_hot_intelligent_girl_but_i _will_fall_for_an_idiot role to perfection!!I guess being a girl helps play it so naturally.(obviously! :-S).Her acting(?!) seems to have improved just a little bit since i saw her in "Khatarnak".She is a just a little more bearable during her exaggerated outbursts.
Shaam occupies a lot of frames in this movie.I have always felt that he has been an unlucky actor and I felt the same in this movie too.He is stylish,manly and all
brisk and serious ,as he moves around with assurance as a police officer all through the movie!I wont be surprised if his female fans base increases some more after this movie.The guy deserves it totally.
The biggest strength of the movie is the light mood that has been maintained all through the movie.There are ample comedy scenes in the movie not just from the lead characters but also from a handful of regular comedy actors whom i have seen in the other telugu movies(Dunno their names :().None of the songs stuck to my mind but they were quite tolerable and are placed fairly aptly,so that they dont kill the flow of the movie.The BGM also seems to complement the movie perfectly.Though i must warn you that the previous two statements of mine could be sheerly motivated due to the brilliant acoustics in PVR cinema
The movie never drags on anywhere during the 2-3 hours.Inspite of the flashbacks and twists and confusions of the storyline the screenplay is quite clear and never allows you to scratch your head or squirm in your seat or look at your watch! That i think is the biggest success of the director.The visuals are quite bright pleasant and colourful!!The actions sequence are apt and well within the mark considering the fact that this is a masala movie.Thank fully there are no gory bloody scenes or cheap romance or lewd comedy!! Full marks to the makers for this.I am sure I would have appreciated a lot more of the comedy if only i had known telugu.Most of the times i smiled cluelessly as people around me laughed for the timing jokes!
Overall it was a time spent with laughs and entertainment and i didnt have to "kick" myself for having had to watch the movie!
Soon after the movie I had lunch in "Chutneys" and savoured the hot south Indian thali with Gongura chutney,famed avakkai,paruppu podi et all…..
Thank You Suman for a memorable outing :)
PS:Iam wearing the famed Orange shirt today again . I had already terrorized a sleepy security guard as he had a glimpse of me while I swiped in.Reports indicate that he wont be able to sleep for the next 10 days. I am hoping to employ the time tested technique of hiding in the corners and looking down at the floor whenever people look at me as if I have just escaped from the circus. I hope I can get through the day this way.Wish me luck :)
The brightly colored shirt and related woes
Iam wearing a shirt today which i had been avoiding for a really really long time!
Its bright orange in color and its so jarring and saturated that i would be seriously afraid to go out on the streets for the fear of provoking any angry bull,or even goat,sheep or a dog for that matter.
This shirt was bought by mom without my knowledge during one of her shopping stints and i gulped two jugs of cold water after recovering from unconsciousness after seeing the shirt for the first time.
My mom has the inimitable knack of picking such things!! From time immemorial she gives me such surprises which mostly ends with "You_never like_whatever_i_buy_for_you!! "I_bought_this_with_so_much_
I have learnt to work around such surprises through some disastrous instances.
So what did i do?? i have been avoiding this shirt as much as i can with light banter about how i would look like a hindu fanatic or worker in thirupathi temple with the shirt and laugh it away whenever she recommends the shirt for the day!!
Little did i know that she would cleverly insert this one while packing for this hyderabad trip!
Today as i was looking for a shirt for my cream colored pant i found that none of the pressed shirts were dark enough to match the pant and this furiously colored one was the only one darker than the other ones!!!
So i decided to give it a try!
Now i hide myself in the corner of the room and the hallways walkways,consciously reminding myself to avoid the weird looks i have been getting and been hanging my head in shame as i look at my reflection on the glass window panes.
The shirt is not even manly let alone professional!!!
The color will suit a girl's dress or a 2-3 year old boy and not any older!!I guess my mom still considers me as her 2-3 year old baby !! :)
But still....
Sigh!!
I can only hope that my day runs away fast!! :-|
Its all in the game :)
Sunday, May 03, 2009
My trip to Salarjung museum,Charminar and Mecca masjid
I went to Salarjung museum,Charminar and Mecca masjid on Saturday(25-Apr-2009).
I took the 216 bus from Gachibowli and reached the Koti bus stand.After that i walked to Salarjung museum.It was a walking distance and also the people were quiet friendly and helpful as i reached there by asking directions along the way.
The Salarjung family had been the primeministers of Hyderabad under the rule of the Nizams and the Salarjung museum owes its existence to the collections of Salarjung III whose artistic patronage leaves you spell bound.
The museum stands tall with three sections with a ground floor and first floor with scores and scores of artwork of historical value.You can find articles ranging from sculptures, paintings, scriptures, arms, ivory work, textile, porcelain, woodwork, furniture etc etc mainly from India,China,Europe,Japan and Egypt.It is a delight for all those like me who totally dig at history,culture and art etc.The ticket is only Rs.10 which i thought was really cheap for a museum of its size and sophistication.The place is maintained pretty well with usable drinking water and decent toilets at regular intervals.The food costs a fortune at the food court(Well !! they have to make money somewhere...;))
Next place in my list was Charminar!! I have heard of Charminar for so so long and i was really excited about going there.I walked for sometime from the museum when it started raining! Again i asked for directions all through and caught an auto somewhere in Pathergatti road and settled for 10Rs after some bargain.As the auto neared the landmark i could see the setting and environment change quite a bit with a lot of activity ,people and big ancient arches!Finally I was at the Charminar!!
The view was so exhilarating!!! There i was , bending my neck at acute angles, trying to fully see the four minarets jutting into the sky with exquisite design and craftmanship.I prompty got the ticket for Rs.5 and climbed up the winding stairs in one of the minarets.People are allowed to climb up the charminar upto the first floor and not any further! I climbed upto the first floor to watch the busy streets down below with the noise,traffic,people and life on all four side of the minar.The lively sights and sounds made me feel like i was in some exotic historic town in Istanbul or middle east!!I climbed down after a while and messaged my mom about how thrilled I was.I really really had to share that with someone! I missed my parents!
Then i went over to Mecca masjid which is just couple of paces from Charminar munching away cut mango pieces appropriately sprinkled with salt/chilly powder!Heavenly it was.
Mecca masjid is a really old mosque built way back in 17th century.Just a few months back i had seen a picture taken by one of my friends,of this landmark and had been fascinated by the structure.Back then i was surprised to see the fluttering pigeons which neatly added to the mood of the picture,but when i went there I realised that it was impossible to take a pic of the place without those pigeons! There were just too many of them.People are allowed to walk around the front yard of the mosque which has a small water tank in one of its corner.
After visiting the mosque i reached the nearby bus stand after walking through an alley, as directed by the friendly traffic cop!!I got my 65G bus to mehdipatnam pretty soon and the journey back home was uneventfful except for a six rupee tender coconut and five rupee watermelon plate.
I managed alone all through the trip with my broken hindi which is only just a litttttle better than Mohanlal's hindi in the movie "Company".I never felt lost even once!! I love this place :-)
Also the summer of hyderabad isnt bothering me too much!! I got to admit that i have been carefully avoiding the middaytimes but still the heat is perfectly manageable on the other times!I have heard a few people say that the summer in hyderabad can be a shade hotter than in chennai but iam yet to see any proof of that!In fact i had seen hotter summers in mysore when i had been there a couple of times!
I had initially planned to go to Ramoji film city on sunday but upon googling,I found out that the place was a little too far and i wasnt having a very clear idea as to how to go there!Also taking so much of pain the very next day that too for a trip alone didnt sound too exciting so i decided to give it a miss! I guess any other trip has to wait for a weekend after return from the chennai trip during the long weekend!
Lets see :-)
PS:It was just a site seeing trip, so i didnt take any pictures!They dont let any camera inside the salarjung museum anyway!! :)
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