It’s a few months now that we own a Nikon d60. It’s made a complete shameless brag out of me. Strangely, I am perfectly alright with what I’ve become. After clicking pictures and letting everyone and their second cousin know that am ‘oh-so-cool’ with my new toy in this part of the world, I did what emperors have been doing from ages. I moved on to conquer the next territory.
Read: I armed myself (and since am not the kind that cares for how many gapers or shocked expressions I leave behind) and clicked away in the streets of India.
Then Murphy’s law intervened. The card went full. I smugly fished for the other 20GB chip the husband thoughtfully slipped in. Couldn’t find it. Yeah. I didn’t bring that particular camera case with me to Bangalore, which is where I made my discovery. It was Sunday and since I was so dependent on others to schlep me around, I settled to empty the 222 raw files onto my friend’s laptop. CD’s suddenly became scarce and I couldn’t buy me a stick. So I left with the promise that I’d get those couriered out to me in the next day or so.
I come down to Madras only to see the battery dying on me. Don’t ask and I won’t tell about the circus that happened with regards to having to (not) charging it. Some tried to help but long story short therein ended my snapping adventures, 3 days left to leave for home.
In the meanwhile the 222 beauties were sitting pretty where they were. In Bangalore. The friend was busy and understandably so and here I was panicking as I was leaving the country in 2 days! I couldn’t possibly leave my babies back there! panicking, I thought of my Plan B.
Occasionally, I congratulate myself on the Plan B’s of life that I inherently have sketched out at the back of my sub-conscious. The plan B’s are the ones that always seem to have a foolproof success rate when called upon. So I racked my brains on what kind of plan I had to have in mind while sitting on a very noisy Shatabdi, and hey presto one brewed itself up right in front of my eyes. Worse case scenario was that someone had to travel physically over to one end of the town, copy the pictures, and then send them out to me.
Praveen was a blessing in disguise. He made time, hauled himself through an hour’s ride through a weekday traffic, spent time copying the pictures then spent another fair hour to hand them over to Ferrari who was coming down to Madras anyway next day. Ferrari in his part, went a step ahead and instead of sitting back with wife and family, and letting me search him down (after all the pictures were mine and he was doing ME a favor), he hunted my place with the crazy directions I gave him, drove down and in a 10 second Jack in the box play handed it over (like a secret service agent handing flaming information on a thumb drive) and went back to his day.
I hate having to ask favors of people however close they are, but desperation of a new photographer in me had to try. Frankly, neither of them had to do it, and they could have very well turned me down, real lives being so busy and all. They owed me nothing. Yet, they made time and took the initiative to do it. It speaks volumes of the people they are and am thrilled and humbled to know them.
(Of course I didn’t say it and you didn’t read the fact that I actually threatened Praveen and whined and appealed to the pro-photographer Prabhu before they agreed to do this for me. Okay? Okay.)
Most were personal family pictures and hence not on display, but do check out the few pictures – India 09 – I salvaged from the set. Come back and let me know? 🙂
ps: incidentally, I have a HUGE respect for photographers in India, completely blown away for their capacity to make sense of a shot with so much noise (cam-speak, not literal decibel noise) around! Amazing folks, totally!
Beautiful snaps! The henna and fountain ones are superb…
I only have a Sony DSC-H2, but I always carry three pairs of charged batteries and two mem cards!
Where was all this thattuvom and advice before I left eh? 😐
Good stuff! The henna pic is fab 🙂
And how come you always end up with so much adventure and drama 😀 everytime?
regd drama, am serious girl, living my life is like a rollercoaster that’s lost its STOP button *sigh
Wow,you should have a post on tips and tricks, these are superb.
@A&N – DQ is as DQ does :p
grrrrrr! hey, I can’t help it if drama just finds itself wherever I go 🙁
bpsk:
dq = diary queen aa? 😉
– s.b.
The original drama queen! 🙂
you know what is weird? I have done that exact same henna designs sometime back. deja vu, I tell you!
hehe, I really so badly wanted to! Got it done for my wedding and then nothing tho’ I do it for the girls and friends every diwali. 🙂
ay@DQ. 😀
Great to know you too! 🙂
Actually my meeting with Prabhu was like a ‘secret service agent handing flaming information on a thumb drive’.
I was meeting him for the first time.
We met for about 10 secs under a buzzling flyover (well ok not exactly ‘under’).
We shook hands. I handed over the packet and we exchanged a few words. We turn our backs and walk. I call you to say “Mission accomplished”.
good u mentioned Ferrari was coming down to Madras *anyway* next day, else it would have really sounded like he zipped to Madras to hand over the snaps to u :).
PS: yeh right you twisted our arms and it still aches! 🙂
I liked the pujari in sepia color ,henna and terracotta Ganesha lamps pics a lot.
And wow..reading how the pictures were handed to you felt like watching a scene from an action thriller :).
heh, yea no? @action thriller. We could make a short Nagesh Kukunoor style one too 😉
ok I didnt waanna say it but then ppl have already used the DQ line!
chalo atleast you got the pics despite the whirlwind trip, so that helps…
Thats ok Max, you can say it. I won’t cry :p
Really nice post and beautiful pics!
what noise? i no the understand
That was one adventurous trip for these pics! I was scared to use my cam during my trip. But was almost looking at everything around me in terms of ‘frames’ :)) and you shoot in RAW :O no wonder you bought a 20GB card!
Of course I shoot in RAW! You don’t? Am shocked, and you are the pro here! :O
so, the trip was great! very nice. next time, include bombay in the itinerary 😀
Missed ya 🙂
We had a bunch of dancers. Maaaannnn their makeup is involved! I absolutely loved the picture where the fingers make a starfish 🙂 cute. Nice pictures. A wedding and a dance. Glad to see some fun in a short India trip.
ah no, the dance pics are from January – I think I posted abt them too. Check archives? 🙂
Wedding was a shashtipoorthi, though am missing one as we speak! :
Lovely.
nice pictures…except for the nail polish. i would go for a different color and like a better finish
and i am just wishing they are not your hands.
i like the pictures of lamps
er, as a matter of fact they ARE my hands! I’d just gotten nails done and the Vietnamese ladies concept of clear was not really clear I suppose? 🙂
Yea its really difficult to click snaps in India..lots of interruption around and mostly from curious people…I saw your snaps already and they are all amazing…one thing while shooting is the camera kit is more huge compared to the camera…
The pictures were great..You got some wonderful, colouful compositions in the bunch!
Thanks all! Feel a little silly saying thankuthanku for each comment, so am gonna club it all up, unless there’s something apart form that I have to say 🙂
Come on. You make me sound like some secret service agent 😀 You should thank Praveen actually. Poor soul did a bangalore darshan in the hot sun for you 😉
where is this pl in india? pretty neat! really nice shots too! the colors r really vibrant and i like those kind-a photos!! that’s why i can’t appreciate the blk/wht or grey pix that ppl like to display these days to gv the ‘antique’ look!! gv me colr, anyday:-)
Yeah, colors do have an impact on us 🙂
Bangalore. Indira Gandhi musical foundtains I believe.
u were in bangalore too eh! good.. busy busy busy!! nice et of pics! 🙂
Yeah! for a short 48 hours 🙂
Rads, Fabulous pictures. I esp. loved this one. http://www.flickr.com/photos/kowthas/3523548252/in/set-72157617941637436/
Thanks Solilo, I love those flowers so was pleasantly surprised seeing them at a friends’ place.
Just read your marriage meme post. We were married at Tirupati too, on top of the hill.
Rads,
This is why I would never believe if you say you lost your Mojo. You churn out long posts so smoothly.
Ps: may be people who get the writer’s block should fall at your feet(like your mama mia post).
LOL. Please, if someone does do that, I shall run like a banished viral bug 🙂
..am okay I believe. Posts are brewing in my head alright, not finding the leisure or mood to pen them down.
Title looks like the controversial contraceptive.
BTW, congrats saw your twitter update. You go Mamma Mia!! 🙂
M Dear, I know am a lot of things but am not suicidal! Those are tagged as ” #fables” – trying to work on micro-fiction. 🙂
LOL..then you are a great story teller. I just went back and read it again carefully 🙂
I haven’t been following twitter much, but log in once in a while and I saw this on top.
We are all connected. When we need help we sure get helped and yes of course we are all connected by Bicycle, Bike, train and Bus 🙂 I loved your India pictures on Flickr, they were great. Now, I need to know if any secret code word or sentence was used in transaction like Praveen asks “Amavasaila Chandran theriyuma?” and Prabhu says “Theatrekku pona, Chandran mattum illa, Indiran Chandran rendume theriyum” and then they exchange the goods.
But yes, Extra card and Extra battery should work wonders in such situations. I’ve got the extra card but now need to buy the extra battery. and get yourself a cool photo backpack/slingpack to hold the stuff.
lol@code dialogs. Yeah, did all the cool stuff, just conveniently left them at home and wandered away.
Wonderful pictures, Rads! Lovely.
very beautiful pics, Rad!
Coming to your blog after a long time!
Dipai, Roshni – Thank you 🙂