My Photography Page completes two years

So, I am back again after a gap of around one month. November is a special month for me for two days or maybe reasons. I was born on the 10th and on the 13th, my photography page Susmit Bharadwaj Photography was created two years ago. So, it has completed two years this year. In the meantime, it is noteworthy that I have also created another photography page from my Google+ account and it is also called Susmit Bharadwaj Photography. This page was created on September 19, 2015. I have started uploading my photos regularly on this page as well. It is worth mentioning that I received remarkable support from both my friends and acquaintances for my photographic endeavors. Hats off to them!

Over the last year, I took photos on different subjects such as Puja Parikrama, street lights and beautification of our area (Baishnabghata Patuli Township), Trip to Snake Park, Madhyamgram, Trip to Diamond Harbour, Trip to Kolkata Book Fair 2015, Trip to Patuli Nursery, Trip to Hridaypur (Barasat), trip to various photography group meets, flowers, birds and insects. I shared them on various photography groups and forums and garnered considerable applause from the members. All these photos are available in the form of albums on my Facebook photography page and individually on my Google+ photography page. Given below are the links of these two pages. Next blog coming up soon! See you till then.

Photography page links:
1) https://www.facebook.com/susmitbphotography/
2) https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/117028018452633282574/117028018452633282574/posts

Photogenic Group Meet on April 19, 2015

April 19, 2015 is another day which will be etched into my mind forever. On this day, I attended the group meet of Photogenic, a photography group on Facebook with around 1,130 members. This was their second meet and I attended it for the first time. I only joined the group few days back and was overwhelmed by its warm, friendly and welcoming attitude towards the members.

19th was a Sunday and it was an idle afternoon for me. So, I decided to walk out and join the meet with my trusted companion 1100D. The venue was fixed at Rabindra Sadan and I reached there at around 4:15 pm.

Everything evolves with time and photography is no exception. Previously, photography was mostly meant for documenting some crucial events. However, the meaning of photography has changed. Photography is not only a means of documenting events, but also one of the most popular hobbies in the world. However, it still has to go a long way to get the status of other forms of art such as films, painting and sculpture. However, avid photographers like us can make a huge contribution towards turning photography into one of the best prevailing art forms in the world. In fact, we can work as indispensable elements in this noble endeavor.

As time passes by, we are gradually becoming inhabitants of a virtual world. With the advent of mobile photography and Internet, the trend of capturing photos has somewhat changed. We can't swim against the tide. However, our objective is to see photos, take photos, and discuss about photos. A number of practical aspects associated with photography were discussed at the meet and the outline of the discussion is given below:

1) Bi-monthly meetups: The group has the plan of arranging meetups after every two months at a venue convenient to all the members. Experienced photographers will be invited to share their valuable thoughts.

2) Photo-walks: Members are independent to go for photo walks. They just have to mention it on the group wall. No specific permission is required for this outing.

3) Photography exhibition: Photogenic also intends to organize a photography exhibition in January/February 2016 at The Academy of Fine Arts or Gaganendra Chitra Pradarshanshala. The idea is to get a sponsor. If no sponsor is found, members will make small personal contributions to make it successful.

4) Awarding members/photographers: Photogenic has the idea of awarding the best photographers of the group. Authors of the three best photos of the year will get this award. The award will be something which will help them advance into their domain of work.

5) World Photography Day: We all know that World Photography Day is on 19th August. The group has the plan of celebrating the day in a special manner, if possible.

6) Book publication in 2017 Kolkata Book Fair: If all these efforts become successful, the group also has the plan of bringing out a book with a compilation of photos clicked by all the members in Kolkata Book Fair 2017. People who are interested in photography will know more about our group through this initiative.

7) Registering the group: If everything goes fine, the group can also be registered in 2017. There are multiple advantages of this, especially in areas where special permission is required for photography.

Photo album link: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.958160767549615.1073741880.672990912733270&type=1

Trip To Diamond Harbour on January 12, 2015

On Monday (12/01/2015) morning, I along with my friend Mr. Kunal Putatunda went to Diamond Harbour. We boarded the Diamond Harbour local from Baghajatin Railway Station at 9:15 am in the morning and reached there at around 10:40 am. Diamond Harbour is approximately 50 km from Baghajatin and a popular weekend tourist destination in the South 24 Parganas. However, the importance of Diamond Harbour as a tourist spot has waned over the years, especially due to emergence of other popular weekend spots like Mandarmoni, Bakkhali, Tajpur, Garchumuk and so on.

Lying in the southern suburbs of Kolkata, Diamond Harbour is a small town forming a part of the South 24 Parganas district. It is close to the Mohona or the meeting point of the Hooghly River with the Bay of Bengal. This place was previously called Hajipur and you will also see the remnants of a fort, probably set up by the Portuguese. Local people call it the fort of Chingrikhali or Purono Kella. There is also a lighthouse. If you want to see the 32 Kopat or lock-gate, you need to go for a launch ride from Diamond Harbour jetty to Kukrahati (Purba Medinipur). Diamond Harbour serves as the gateway to many other nearby places such as Kakdwip, Gangasagar, Bakkhali and Namkhana. There are many small hotels where you can stay for the day.

Now, back to our trip. Obviously, we had our cameras with us and they never remained silent. I carried my Canon PowerShot SX500 IS since it has a good zoom lens. Besides natural beauty and seaside shots, we also took snaps of two huge container ships. After capturing around 65-70 snaps, we ate lunch at a local hotel and boarded Diamond Harbour local at 2 pm. By 3:30 pm in the afternoon, we were back home.

Photo album link: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.905286732837019.1073741874.672990912733270&type=3

My first experience with Canon EOS 1100D

As expected, I got my consignment of Canon EOS 1100D on September 8, 2014. It was a pretty delightful experience for me since it is the first time I am purchasing a DSLR camera. I ordered for it on the fourth and received it on the eighth. So, Flipkart delivered it within four days, thanks to the online retail giant.

The Canon EOS 1100D DSLR Camera has a black body with EF-S 18-55 mm IS II Lens. The package also contained Canon EOS Digital wide strap, battery charger, interface cable, and software (CD-ROM). The camera has a maximum resolution of 12.2 megapixel (4,272 × 2,848) and moreover, it is compatible with a broad range of lenses including Canon, Sigma, Tamron, Tokina, and Carl Zeiss. You can use this entry-level DSLR camera for shooting portraits, landscapes, wildlife, sports, and travel photography. Since I am a newbie as far as DSLR cameras are concerned, I am concentrating on the Full Auto mode in which the autofocus, brightness, and flash firing are automatically set. I will be gradually focusing on other modes of shooting such as Portrait, Full Auto, Close-up, Landscape, Night Portrait, Sports, Program AE, No Flash, Aperture-priority, Shutter-priority, Auto Depth-of-field (ADEF), Manual, and Creative Auto. I am uploading one sample image that I have shot with this new camera. See you soon with my next update!

(ƒ/5.6 55.0 mm 1/80s ISO 1000) Flash (off, did not fire).

Why Canon EOS 1100D is going to be my next camera

For photography enthusiasts who are just beginners in the field, Canon EOS 1100D can prove to be an outstanding camera for them. It is a digital single-lens reflex camera with a maximum resolution of 12.2 megapixel (4,272 × 2,848). Canon Corporation launched this camera on February 7, 2011.

The most attractive feature of this camera is that it substitutes the EOS 1000D with the introduction of movie mode which was not there in the entry-level DSLRs made by the company. However, unlike other DSLRs made by Canon, this camera is manufactured in Taiwan. In Japan, its name is EOS KISS X50 and in the US, it is available in the name EOS Rebel T3.

Features explained:

• It features 12.2 Megapixel CMOS (APS-C) sensor and DIGIC 4 Image Processor for good picture quality and speed.
• Has improved EOS HD movie mode with expanded recording (720p HD video quality). There are in-camera movie editing options as well.
• ASA/ISO range 100 – 6400 which helps you take shots from bright to dim light.
• Dual-layer, 63-zone metering system allows enhanced metering to ensure precise metering between exposures.
• Focal plane shutter.
• Shutter speed: 1/4000 to 30 s and bulb 1/200 s X-sync.
• Continuous drive up to 3.0 fps which helps you shoot up to roughly 2 fps for 5 RAW frames or around 3 fps for 830 JPEG frames.
• Dependable 9-point high speed AF system employing a high precision, f/5.6 cross-type center point.
• File formats supported: RAW (14-bit CR2) and JPEG.
• Flash: Automatic in-built E-TTL II pop-up flash. 
• Focus modes: One shot, AI Focus, AI Servo.
• Advanced imaging features including the Quick Setting function, new Basic+ function, and Creative Auto help you express your creativity without any hassle.
• Has 2.7-inch wide rear TFT LCD monitor (230,000 pixels) with Live View function for better view. 
• It is compatible with SD/SDHC/SDXC memory cards.
• New Feature Guide provides Quick Control screen for simple operation and small descriptions of every function.
• Enjoys compatibility with the complete range of Canon EF and EF-S lenses.
• Metering modes: Partial (approximately 10% at the center of viewfinder), Evaluative, and Center-weighted average.
• Viewfinder: Eye-level pentamirror Single Lens Reflex, 0.87x magnification, 95% coverage.
• Custom White Balance: Daylight, Auto, Cloudy, Shade, White Fluorescent Light, Tungsten Light, Manual, Flash, and user-set.
• Exposure modes: Portrait, Full Auto, Close-up, Landscape, Night Portrait, Sports, Program AE, No Flash, Aperture-priority, Shutter-priority, Auto Depth-of-field, Manual, and Creative Auto.
• Dimensions: 5.11 × 3.93 × 3.07 inches (130 × 100 × 78 mm)
• Battery: LP-E10 Battery Pack
• Weight: 495 gm (1.091 lb) (only body)

Image source: http://www.photoshopdaily.co.uk/

My journey as an amateur photographer

Believe me, I did not ever think that photography will become one of my favorite pastimes. With so many mobile devices with cameras and digital cameras available at throwaway prices, photography is no more an expensive hobby. In fact, if we follow the social media sites closely, we will find that many people are doing photography (both amateur and professional) and are in a constant endeavor to promote their photography pages and sites. At the same time, this is contributing towards the promotion of photography as a hobby.

My first camera was Kodak EC 200 though I did not take many snaps with it. It was in December 2011 when I purchased Sony Cybershot (DSC-S3000). It's a pretty low-end, point-and-shoot digital camera with features like 10.1 megapixels resolution, sweep panorama, smile shutter, 4x optical zoom and so on. I clicked a number of photos on nature and other themes with this camera and this worked quite fine. I continued photoing with this till March 2013. It was the time when I thought I should go for a better camera and I found that Canon Powershot SX500 IS fulfills my requirements. Of course, I had my budget constraints to be taken into consideration. Canon Powershot SX500 IS is also a point-and-shoot camera but with better features than Sony Cybershot DSC-S3000. Prominent features include ultra zoom, image stabilization, full manual control, 16 megapixels resolution, improved autofocus, 24-720 (30x) lens with F3.4-5.8 aperture, and Digic 4 image processor. This camera helped me take a number of quality shots that were applauded by many audiences. It was in November 2013 that I decided to create my photography page on Facebook (Susmit Bharadwaj Photography) and began uploading all the pics on that page. If you ever get the time to visit my page, you will find a number of photo albums covering nature, tourist sites, water bodies, and birds. Recently, I went to Chintamani Kar Bird Sanctuary (Narendrapur) and Chupi Char (Purbasthali, Burdwan) and took a number of beautiful bird photos. All these are available on my page for display. Two photographer friends (Bimalendu and Soumyadip) accompanied me during my trip to Purbasthali, making it more enjoyable. In future, I have plans to visit other wildlife sanctuaries in West Bengal and abroad and get more snaps on flora and fauna.