Photography Tips for India

Before my first trip to India, I looked on the web to find out what I should take and what it was like to be a travel photographer in India. I did not find much so I will try and share some of my experiences and how I am preparing for my next trip there in December.

General Photography Tips:

Pushkar Ladies

The Indian people are very nice and do not mind if you take their pictures. In fact I have had people come up to me and ask if I could take their picture. I was initially surprised but then got used to these requests.

On the other hand beware of “professionals models”, especially in Pushkar and Varanassi. It is amusing to see their pictures on many websites as typical Indians, when in fact they are not typical.

Early morning in Pune

It was my habit to get up before sunrise and try and capture early morning lifestyle. The light is softer ad there are less people on the streets.

Colors, colors and more colors. Somes of the cities in Brazil were colorful, but in India it was the clothing people were wearing, especially in Rajasthan.

Beware of your equipment. I was not worried about walking around with a camera (unlike Brazil, where it was downright dangerous) but do not leave it unattended on a table or on the floor, even for one second. Have a basic sense of security.

• Do not leave equipment, passport or valuables in a hotel room, even if the hotel gives you a lock for the door. Bring your own lock or if you must leave things in the room use a Pac safe type of net and lock it onto something
• Always have water with you.
• I am a fan of GPS. I did not have one during my first trip but will take one this time. I know it is a gadget but many times I got off the train at some of the stops and just shot some pictures. It would have been nice to know where I actually was.
• I have 2 backpacks with me / on me. A small North Face Tactic and 30L Arcteryxx Bora. The small North Face is for my camera, notebook, and lenses. When sleeping in the 2AC train compartment it is my pillow. I may use it when walking around an then leave the 30L in the hotel room locked up. I never leave anything with reception.
• Tripod: I will probably take a Gorillapod and not a normal tripod. Last trip I had a “normal” tripod and I used it in Varanasi, Agra, Jodphur and Jaisalmer. This trip I am more interested in portraits, group shots and if I can find them, weddings.
• First Aid Kit: One can easily buy antibiotics for Delhi Belly in India. They cost a couple of USD. I have a strip with me in any case. I also have Nurofen, Smecta, Immodium, lavender essential oil, betadin, band aids and ear plugs with me at all times.
• Computers, Wifi and Backup: In 2009, Wireless Internet access was not too available. This has probably changed. Internet cafes are plentiful and early in the morning access was fast. Later in the day, less so and more crowded. I am taking my own notebook and an external USB disk drive. I bought an extra drive in India in 2009 and it was very reasonably priced and still works (Transcend). I lost my CF Card reader and was forced to buy a new one in India. It was cheap and worthless. I am bringing one with me and hoping not to lose it.
• 

  Pune Bike Man

  Lenses:  No advice here. It depends on your photo style. I will probably take 3 lenses with me. I have grown fond of my Canon 85mm 1.8 and may use this as my “walk-around” lens. It may require more footwork but one of my objectives is more “portrait” shots.

Photo GPS

When I mention to fellow photographers that I am taking a GPS unit (Sony GPS-CS3) with me, I am usually given the reply:  “What for”? The answer for me is obvious. So I can record where we went and where I took my pictures.

Amongst others, I am a “travel photographer”. I have taken pictures in numerous countries,    but until recently without GPS. When asked where was this picture taken, I can usually remember or refer to the file name. Now with Mr. Google Maps or similar programs, it is possible to show where. 

I use my elephant pictures as a perfect example. There are quite a number of elephant camps around Chiang Mai. Which one our tourist guide arranged for us was a mystery. However with GPS I was able to find it.

The picture featured next is not anything special. For me though it has enormous meaning. The picture was taken at GPS Coordinates 18°47’32” N 98°33’7″ E. If one looks at the location on Google Maps,  one will see it is in the middle of nowhere.  We were not technically lost, since our other GPS unit knew exactly where we were, however this was not a “road”. In the end we covered 40km in 4.5 hours and were lucky that was all.

The main problem with using GPS for pictures is the workflow. Most digital “travel” cameras shoot only .jpeg. The coordinates are integrated automatically in the exif data. That is easy. However, if you shoot RAW, good luck. With my sony unit I have to: a.) Download the photos to the computer. b.) Process the photos and create .jpeg. files c.)  Launch the Sony software to link the .jpeg to the gps file.  A real time consuming process.

Moral of the story: It is alot of extra work to have a Canon and use GPS. However, it is an added plus if you are a travel photographer. On my upcoming trip to India I am looking forward to using GPS.

For more pictures, visit my gallery at: http://photobyphm.smugmug.com/galleries

Thaipusam Singapore 2012

Zermatt – Matterhorn October 2012

Photography Tip: Whats going on where you live? Lausanne International Horse Show

In every city there are events happening all the time. Try and find a calendar for your city or area and check it out regularly. Normally I check around the 28th of the month for the upcoming month. I then note the activities in Google calendar with a reminder. For me it is a great incentive to get out and shoot something I normally wouldn’t. 

This week was a perfect example. Lausanne is hosting the “Lausanne International Horse Show” LIHS. Although there is an entry fee Saturday and Sunday, Friday was free.

How could I refuse such an offer? I had never thought of taking pictures of horses but why not? In addition it was the perfect occasion to test a 70-300 DO IS.  This lens has mixed reviews and I wanted to see for myself how it performs. The results, judge for yourself.

Photography Tips For Chiang Mai, Thailand

As a temporary resident of Chiang Mai, I am amazed to see the number of world renown photographers holding workshops here. I realized I must take advantage of this situation and share some of the sites I like to visit to photograph:

Favorites:

• Wat Chedi Luang
• Wat Phantao (candle light meditation the night of major buddhist holidays)
• Wat Srisusphan (the silver Temple)
• Wat Suan Dok
• Wat Suthep (at night)
• Buddhist monks at 06:00 for the morning alms round
• Terra Cotta Garden
• Elephant Camps
• Muay Thai practice
• Katoey Cabaret
• Chiang Mai Walking Street : Every Sunday from 18:00 – 22:30 aprox. If you want to avoid the crowds go at 17:00 when the stands are setting up
• San Patong Buffalo market  – Saturday mornings from 06:00 – 11:00
• Loy Kratong : November 24-29, 2012
• Songkran : April 13-15, 2013
• Chiang Mai Flower Festival : February 1 -3, 2013
• Central Airport Plaza: Saturdays and Sundays it is an absolute madhouse with activities for young adults

Did I forget something? 

For my Chiang Mai Favorites Gallery click here Philip Meier Photography

HDR Photography in Brazil

Salvador de Bahia, Brazil

HDR reminds me of the saying. ” There are 3 topics one should avoid if one wants to avoid heated arguments; Politics, Religion and whether to buy a Canon or Nikon camera”.HDR has now become the fourth topic.

Rananna Art Exhibition

The problem is HDR can be used in various ways. When playing with HDR programs such as Photoshop or Photomatix, one can make some interesting effects. The more one plays, the more effects, the more effects the more one plays until the end result does not look like a real picture.

This is the point when “real photographers” point at that it is no longer a picture one is looking at but Photography Art or HDR ART.

Olinda, Brazil

When in Brazil I realized that I was not capturing the vivid colors I experiencing. The dynamic range of my camera was limited in what it was “seeing”, especially in stark brazilian sunshine. It was necessary to start shooting HDR in order to reproduce the scenes I was seeing. When processing the images my main objective was to emphasize the colors, not make photographic art. On first inspection one could comment that I exaggerated the colors. Maybe but maybe not. For a tourist visiting Brazil the scenes were amazing.

Salvador de Bahia

I would have liked to have had the new Canon 5D Mark III. It can shoot and process HDR in camera. This is a shameless plug since I do not have one but if Canon would give me one and a trip to Brazil I would use it to compare pictures.

Lighthouse Salvador de Bahia