Tuesday, October 20, 2015

The future of photography

I read a very interesting article lately.
http://www.lightstalking.com/video-why-the-future-of-still…/
Simply put, we are at the cusp of a technology that lets you take multiple frames as a video with complete control over aperture, shutter speed and ISO etc.
So you are practically at the disposal of multiple frames of photos with high resolution which you can choose from a video. The effects of this is going to be enormous. This could practically automate most of the photographic jobs and turn most photographers into photo choosers. Lets see how this is likely to impact the various types of photography. I am sure all of this is not going to happen rightaway, but they will happen for sure.

1. Studio shots: This would be the first one to go. Already quite a bit of this is automated with photo booths. With the advent of 8k videos the camera can start capturing photos as soon as you enter a specified zone. At the end of a few seconds, the computer will show you 10 photos after eliminating eyes closed, non-smiling , funny looking pictures etc. You can select your top 3, order your print and be on your way in less than 3 minutes. Who needs to pay a photographer for that?

2. Weddings: Instead of photographers you can hire of bunch of guys who can simply roam around with these 8K cameras. Better still, stick these cameras with to a bunch of drones, trolleys and you are all set. All it takes is a trained eye to sift through the footage and pick out promising stills. Again software would advance to a level where it would clear out the unwanted mundane stuff. And you will be left with the best of the best to choose from. That would still run into hundreds if not thousands.

3. Portrait/engagement shoots: This is going to be difficult to replace. You still have to take them to the right locations, position them, pose them etc. Once your subjects are in their place all you have to do is point your 8K camera towards your subject and make changes as you shoot. Not enough bokeh? Picture too grainy? Exposure blowing out the skies? No problems. Just fix it as you see it recorded as a video. No more chimping! No more checking the pics and realizing that the subject has closed his/her eyes. Change your angle and perspective as you shoot and pick you shot in post.

4. Fashion: The future fashion photographer won’t have a camera in hand. All you have to do is setup your camera, lights and start directing your model. As long as you are sure that your lighting is perfect and your model is following your choreography, you are sure to get your shot.

5. Street/Travel/Journalism/People/Candid: I have grouped all this Genre together because all of this emphasize on the “power of the moment”. But the decisive moment might not hold so much of an awe when you can choose the moment from a video. If you point your camera towards an area of interest long enough, the “decisive moment” is likely to happen sometime or the other. You just have to pick the right moment in post. This could take all the fun out of photography if you can call it that!

I didn’t cover landscapes because it would be much similar to the portrait/engagement shoots genre! One thing is for sure, Us mortals would be telling stories to our grandkids about how we actually had to click a button to capture a moment. And they will be looking at us just like we look at film camera veterans.
We are in for some exciting times.
What do you think? smile emoticon

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Monday, December 12, 2011

Ashmolean Museum, Oxford



Some of the pics that I took during my photography meetup in Ashmolean museum here in oxford





























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Thursday, September 16, 2010

My photos exhibited in Lalit Kala Academy from September 20th

Five of my pictures will be displayed in an exhibition hosted in Lalit kala academy on Greams Road.The exhibition will be inaugurated on 20th September,Monday by ace cinematographer P.C.Sreeram. Mine will be part of close to 100 photos clicked by around 25 photographers from Chennai. All of the photographers amateur artists who take photos as a hobby.More details can be found at

CWC " Shutter painters "


Thanks

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Thursday, September 17, 2009

Images of Chennai

The following pictures were displayed in the photography exhibition "Images of Chennai",that was conducted in Alliance Francaise Madras from August 3rd to 19th.


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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
Coverage about the exhibition in the media - 1

The Hindu - 1
Coverage about the exhibition in the media - 2


The Hindu - 2

Coverage about the exhibition in the media - 3

Coverage in SS music

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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
AFM GALLERY
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.com/

www.flickr.com/photos/seeveeaar

Contact AFM at 2827 9803/ 2827 1477
Update : The exhibition got inaugurated with a small and simple ceremony.

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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

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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



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

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