Ghatahora Photography
Monday 28 September 2020
Learn how to photograph fireworks
Monday 17 August 2020
Photo Essay on Vaisakhi
This article is a Photo Essay on the Sikh festival, Vaisakhi. Vaisakhi is a harvest festival in Punjab and it marks the start of the Sikh New Year. It usually falls on the 13th or the 14th of April each year, and is celebrated all over the world by Sikhs with grand processions, food, lots of colour etc.
History of Vaisakhi
In 1699, in India, was the year when Sikhism was born as a collective faith, hence making it an even more important festival to celebrate the birth of Khalsa; the name given to a Sikh when you have been baptised.
Our 10th Guru chose the festival as the moment to establish the Khalsa. The history says that at the festival in 1699, he came out of a tent carrying a sword. He said that any Sikh prepared to give his life for his faith should come into the tent. From the crowd five men stood up and went forward into the tent. The Guru came out of the tent, with blood on his sword, seeing this caused worry and panic amongst the crowds.
Moments later, the Guru walks out of the tent with the five men, unharmed and wearing blue turbans, all five dressed the same way. They became known as Panj Pyare or the 'Beloved Five', they were to be the first members of the Khalsa to be baptised by the Guru who sprinkled them with Amrit (holy water). This ritual of the holy water and prayers became the basis of the Sikh baptism ceremony.
How Vaisakhi is celebrated all over the world?
Sikhs on Vaisakhi visit their local Gurdwaras, a place of worship in Sikhism. The Gurdwara is decorated especially for the occasion; people of all faiths and backgrounds are welcome to enter. The traditional colours of Vaisakhi are yellow, blue and orange, they represent the "spirit of rebirth and sacrifice of the Panj Pyare". The colours are also a symbol of "joy and celebration", that is why the Gurdwaras are decorated with these colours and the colours are also worn by those attending the festival.
Inside the Gurdwara under a decorated shrine, the Holy book is placed and treated with utmost respect as Sikhs believe that it is our Living God and we bow down to the Holy Scriptures. By bowing down to the Holy Book, we accept all the teachings and words written by our Gurus. Every Gurdwara has a copy of the Holy Book, the original hand-written Holy Book is in the Golden Temple, Amritsar, India.
On the outside of every Gurdwara there is triangular flag made of cotton or silk cloth, with a tassel at its end called the Nishan Sahib, hoisted on a tall flagpole. The word, Nishan means symbol. The flagpole is also covered with fabric, and on the top of the flagpole, a two-edged dagger (Khanda - Sikh symbol) is placed.
During Vaisakhi, a procession called Nagar Kirtan is led by the Panj Pyare (Five Beloved ones), followed by the Guru Granth Sahib (Sikh Holy Book). The procession is then followed by the Sikh priests singing hymns and the public walk behind the procession.
The procession usually starts around 10am from the Gurdwara, it makes its way around the town and will return back to the Gurudwara for around 1pm. On arrival of the procession, everyone prays before the 5 Beloved Ones lead the way back into the Gurdwara. One of the Sikh's will carry the Holy Book on his head following the 5 Beloved Ones into the Gurdwara.
Below are the photographs that I took in 2018 on Vaisakhi at the Guru Nanak Darbar, Gravesend, Kent. The series of photographs show the interior of the Gurdwara, decorations and the procession returning back.
Interior of the Gurdwara - Holy Book placed at far end under the Golden Shrine |
Blue, yellow, orange colours |
Decorated stairs |
Panj Pyare (the five beloved ones) |
The Holy Book in the back of the Jeep |
Mini Golden Temple Shrine where the Holy Book is placed |
Priest and people praying as the procession returns back to the Gurdwara |
Praying |
Close-up of people |
Procession reached the Gurdwara |
Five orange flags - 5 Beloved ones leading the way |
Guru Granth Sahib carried into the Gurdwara |
Shrine where the Guru Granth Sahib was placed during the procession |
Sikh Symbol - Khanda |
Nishan Sahib |
Decorations outside the Gurdwara |
Bhupinder Ghatahora ABIPP, ARPS, ASWPP
Ghatahora Photography
info@ghatahora.co.uk
www.ghatahora.co.uk
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A day around Choa Praya River and the market place, Bangkok
Ghatahora Photography
info@ghatahora.co.uk
www.ghatahora.co.uk
Flickr
Sunday 16 August 2020
How To Take Photos With Mobile Phones
This article shows slides from The Pink Place, Basingstoke, presentation held on 14th August 2020.
Saturday 1 August 2020
Shoes, Shoes, Shoes
Therefore, I decided to photograph shoes this week in the most creative surroundings to make the idea in the finished photograph very stylish.
I have taken most of the photographs using my mobile phone and using natural available light as well as the functions on my phone.
The photographs below have also been photographed using natural light on my mobile phone. The heels were placed on a brown backdrop and were photographed at different angles and with some photographs, selective focus was used to enhance the detail.
These are photographs of one of my heels. I chose this particular pair because of the details on the straps. The high heel is covered with tiny coloured roses and gems.
Photo 1 - both heels
Photo 2 - a collage of all photographs taken at different angles, moving closer
Pink heels |
Close-ups |
Photo 1 - taken in the garden
Photo 2 - boots placed on the stair banister
Photo 3 - boot placed on the table top and photographed from the top
Photo 4 - taken in the garden
The photograph below was also taken with my mobile phone, using normal camera setting and available light. The idea behind it was spontaneous; I saw the heels and weighing scale and thought of the shot. I was not sure if the idea was going to work, however it adds a different element to the concept of 'Shoe Photography'.
Silver heels |
If you have little shoes, use them, as they can create very dramatic and interesting images.
These tiny baby shoes were photographed indoors using natural light and my mobile phone. I like the idea of the large empty space in front and behind the shoes as it shows the scale of the tiny shoes.
Tiny shoes |
Try to create different compositions with little shoes or slippers, sometimes they can add drama to the final image. I created a moment in time with these slippers by placing them on a cushion as my little one used to do when she was 2 years old.
This photograph has also been taken using natural light and the mobile phone.
Precious slippers |
These are my settings:
Aperture - f4
ISO - 320
Shutter - 1/200
Shoe in the window |
Shoes on t-shirt |
Yellow wellies |
The photograph below was taken for the model for her modelling portfolio on the theme 'Punk Rock' in 2010 using my Nikon D200. I sat on the floor as I wanted to emphasise her big boots.
Big Boots |
There are lots of photographic possibilities when you try different angles and techniques. The shot below is a collage of different shoes photographed, showing the details in each one of the shoes.
Details of shoes |
Finally, the last image is of Doc Martens boots photographed using light painting techniques. This image was taken using a battery-operated candle on a mobile phone. Please see this link for a detailed 'Light painting with mobile phone'.
Light Painting shoes |
This was another interesting project to photograph, I have used styles and techniques like selective focus, light painting techniques, close-up, different angles views, different surroundings. I hope you too will have fun photographing shoes.
Bhupinder Ghatahora ABIPP, ARPS, ASWPP
Ghatahora Photography
info@ghatahora.co.uk
www.ghatahora.co.uk
Flickr
Friday 17 July 2020
Colour
This was photographed using the panning techniques.
Fixed subject panning |
Photograph of smoke, using pink gel fixed on the flash, set from the left hand side from the camera.
Smoke with pink gels |
Close-up of a flower photographed at the local garden centre, using available light
Flower patterns |
I chose to add a pink background to photograph the flower bud in the garden.
Pink background |
The photograph of Loch Lomond early in the morning showing the colour pink in sky
Dawn - Loch Lomond, Scotland |
Monday 13 July 2020
Tips for better landscape photography
Tip 1:
Photograph sunsets:
* metre for reflective foreground, such as the water; this will record the sunset and the foreground correctly
* use the ND (Neutral Density) filter
Reflections on the canal |
Mountain reflection in the lake - Lake District |
Tip 2:
Choose the right time of day:
* understand and see your light
* find a suitable viewpoint
* wait for right lighting conditions, light can make a huge difference in your final shot
* photograph in golden light
* photograph landscapes early morning
Photograph taken in Wales in the evening |
Early morning, Loch Lamond, Scotland |
Golden light on bridge - Reading |
Weather conditions:
* capture atmospheric shots - take photographs in bad weather, capture rainy day shots, fog
* capture raindrops on tree branches, spider webs etc
* take a spot reading from a mid-tone from your scene
Early morning mist |
Dew drop on the branch |
Rain on grass reed |
Snowy day, view from start of the Iron Bridge - Telford |
Photograph seascape in all weather conditions:
* capture sky and reflections
* shoot dark stormy skies to create mood and atmosphere
Sunset behind the mountains |
After the sunset over the beach - Lake District |
Before the rain - Leicester |
Show scale in your photographs
* include in your photograph a human, tree, house to show scale
* use a long focal lens
* use a tripod for long exposures and in low light conditions
The tall tree - France |
Walk in the park - Wakehurst Place |
The red taxi - Bangkok |
Exclude the sky:
* create dramatic, colourful images by excluding the sky
* concentrate on colour
* photograph reflections in the water, be creative
* photograph during the summer's hazy light to add character to your images
* exclude sky on dull days, shoot detail, patterns in the fields
Stormy day - Lands End, Cornwall |
Carpet of Tulips - Keukenhof , Amsterdam |
Bubbles - Eden Project, Cornwall |
Photograph winter landscapes
* sun in the winter has a warm hue, giving it the 'golden light', which adds mood to the photograph
* photograph trees covered with snow, frost or rain drops
* shoot looking up at the trees
* shoot in wide angle and zoom in
Snow - Near Bishopswood Golf Course, Baughurst |
Tall trees - Pamber Forest |
Snow in the trees - Tadley |
Leading lines:
* include paths, lines leading into the image, it creates perspective and adds sense of distance & depth
* use a wide angle lens
Micheldever Woods, Basingstoke |
Dinas Head - Cornwall |
Include foreground interest:
* use wide angle lens
* include foreground interest to create a sense of distance
* shoot from low angle to emphasize the sky
* photo white clouds and dramatic stormy clouds
Seaside - Northumberland |
Textures - Northumberland |
Use slow or fast shutter speed:
* capture movement in water or to freeze the waves
* on bright sunny days use filters to have a slow shutter speed
* cloudy/shade is perfect lighting conditions to photograph movement in water
Waves - Cornwall |
Bradgate Park - Charnwood Forest, Leicestershire |
Bhupinder Ghatahora ABIPP, ARPS, ASWPP
Ghatahora Photography
info@ghatahora.co.uk
www.ghatahora.co.uk
Flickr