~ Best of Instagram 2013 ~

Here is a short video of some of my Instagram photos from 2013. 

If you have a smartphone and don't use Instagram yet, you should give it a try! Do read about Craig Mod's blog on how Cameras are becoming a passé. "Goodbye, Cameras"

~ Steve McCurry: Photographer & Storyteller ~

A photographer is also a storyteller. The story doesn't end with a photograph, but extends beyond when they narrate it. Steve McCurry is one such photographer, who doesn't compromise on his vision. 

Here are few untold stories from his 30 years of professional career. 

~ Andrew Kim | Design genius ~

I have been following Andrew Kim's blog for about 4 years now. From 2009, I have enjoyed his photographs with various cameras, starting from D90, GF1, X100 to his latest RX1. Always loved his compositions; Be it cars, people, streets, product reviews.

Then there is his design work across - technology, lifestyle, daily-use. Occasional review of consumer products which he bought. The reviews done by Andrew has always focused on the product aesthetic & design. Each time I read the review of a product, makes me wanna own one. It could be a pen, notebook, watch, etc. His recent review of non-technology products like shoes & car makes me drool.

Andrew got the limelight when his personal project of unifying the brand *Microsoft* published on his blog got picked by numerous design & technology blogs across the world. Those who follow his blog know that he has been a big Apple & Jobs fan. Despite that, he took up the job offer presented by MSFT. 

Back in April Andrew got to witness the legendary Dieter Rams, Iconic industrial designer at Braun, give graduation address.

Dieter Rams giving his graduation address. http://t.co/NexPQ9uKNV

— Andrew Kim (@pushingatoms) April 21, 2013

The connection between the two did not end there, Andrew got to showcase his work & also have lunch with the Legend. You can read more about the meeting of design minds in Andrew's words - My lunch with Dieter Rams

Has been a while since I paid visit to his blog, was quite surprised to see him doing reviews on non-tech these days. The one that stood out was his new car Mercedes-Benz SLK. I have watched enough Car shows which do reviews about engine, tires, performance, design, etc. The review from Andrew might not be pure from technical aspects like your typical Top Gear show, but from a design perspective. The eye for details across various sections & User Experience (UX) gives a whole new dimension to how a car can be reviewed. Do check out the review - Mercedes-Benz SLK review

Follow Andrew on Twitter | Blog | Instagram

Note: All the photographs used here are photographed by Andrew Kim. Have sourced it from his blog.

~ Wildlife. Robots. Drones ~

Probably the only place where most of us would agree to use Drones, i.e. to monitor wildlife. National Geographic uses Robots & Drones to film African Lions at Serengeti.

The big cats are on a steady decline over the last couple of years. It is sad to note that 5000 - 6000 lions are bred in captivity till 5 years and then released for hunting. Thats shocking to hear. You can listen to it here.

Don't forget to visit the beautiful micro-site setup by NGC, The Serengeti Lion. Love the Design & UX of the site.

I wish India adopt Drones & Robots or Technology in general to save Wildlife

Via: The Verge | Note: All photographs by Michael Nichols & Bent Stirton for NGC.

~ Winner of NGC Traveler Photo Contest 2013 ~

These two images stand out for me compared to the others.

Merit Winner: Portrait of an Eastern Screech Owl. Masters of disguise. The Eastern Screech Owl is seen here doing what they do best. You better have a sharp eye to spot these little birds of prey. Okefenokee Swamp, Georgia. (© Graham McGeorge )

Third Place Winner: Say Cheese. Cheetahs jumped on the vehicle of tourists in Masai Mara national park, Kenya. (© Yanai Bonneh)

View all the winners here.

~ Back to future ~

The project titled 'Back to Future' started by Argentina photographer Irina Werning is an interesting one. The concept is simple, shoot a portrait of person by recreating the portrait from a past photograph. Take a look at this short documentary to know what I mean ;)

H/T: The Atlantic

~ Indian Memories ~

Came across this unique project from Anusha Yadav called Indian Memory Project.

It is an online, curated, visual and oral-history based archive that traces a personal history of the Indian Subcontinent, its people, cultures, professions, cities, development, traditions, circumstances and their consequences. Applying images, letters and stories from family archives (sent and collected from contributors), it reconstructs a visual history that is emotionally rich, vivid, informative and even more surprising than we think.

I enjoyed reading the story of Sir Mohinder Dhillon. Some great untold stories of Indian History can be read on the project website. 

~ One Camera. One Lens ~

I have been shooting with D7000 DSLR from Aug 2011 with one lens { 18-200mm }. Today, was watching the latest episode from DRTV & their task of visiting 10 locations in 2 days across London.

Kai has some interesting advice & I feel thats a very good experiment which a photographer should try at some point of time. Transcribed the following from the video ;)

"Travel around with just the bare essentials. It has made one realise that one doesn't need much more than your basic gear. But more importantly choice is what suits you. The best gear is something which rely on & also which makes your shooting comfortable and convenient. 

Try it next time when you go on a trip. Just pick one camera & one lens, you might enjoy working to get that shot rather than working to carry that gear."

~ Film Photography ~

Those who have done film photography, would enjoy this short documentary. The documentary is about Film Photography & Printing by Billy Mork, a Singapore based photographer, who was an art director and an architect eventually moved to his passionate domain of film photography. The short film has been shot by Duong Thai Anh.

Enjoy it!

HT: Petapixel

~ Creativity ~

"Creativity does not depend on the tool, it is your vision that drives it." You can quote me on that :)

Do watch the video of Kevin Russ to know what I mean by Creativity. He shoots most of his photos on iPhone & they are beautiful.

Image shown in this post is used for representation purpose © Kevin Russ

Wide Angle 2007

Hey Everyone,

All those who love photography, there is an exhibition - Wide Angle 2007 - coming up this weekend @ CKP a.k.a ChitraKala Parishad, Bangalore.

If you are passionate about photography & have sometime, then do give it a shot. All for some good cause. I am sure you would have a good time attending this exhibition. The exhibitors are some of the coolest people I have know personally & their passion for photography is captured in their work.

I would miss this event, hope you can make it.

Cheers!
Vivek