Edited by- Suraj Kumar Shrivastava
Photography is about capturing not only the BEAUTY but also the TRUTH that needs to be expressed and the FEELINGS that it should elicit. It is as Sir Donald McCullin says:
“If you can’t feel what you’re looking at, then you’re never going to get others to feel anything when they look at your pictures.”
Our eyes can see the beauty what if we can capture it. Besides beauty and serenity but capturing simplicity through lenses is important. That is, whenever I hold my camera I try depicting simplicity through it. Will you help me to recognize it? I’m penning down a few photographs.
Chasing Light
Yes, it is what I must say about this photograph. The mere reflection of the stars you see here was much livelier than this photograph. I clearly remember the location is “Hameem, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates”. It started when I heard the news on radio or any social media that on this day, the whole sky will be clear and lucid stars will appear. So, I planned to camp the whole night with my friends, music, and barbeque. I tried capturing the simplicity of stars through my lens. My Nikon D5 camera with little adjustments in a manual setting like ISO Speed: 2500, Exposure Time: 20 Sec, 240 DPI resolution and F-stop: f/2.8 helped me to capture the moment. Was it mesmerizing? I must tell you it was chasing light the whole night through my lens.
“How far you can go to chase light? I camped for the whole night in this desert for this moment, and the overnight soliloquy to the sky through my lens is still afresh. Why don’t you gaze it for a moment?”
Structure and Simplicity
Have you ever realized the imagination behind great architecture? I tried capturing one of them i.e. “Sheikh Zayed Mosque of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates”. The mosque is named after Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the UAE’s founder and first president. It is one famous architecture of its time. If you gaze for a moment, the pillar isn’t only syncing with each other but also the symmetry and angles with the dome is precisely accurate and aesthetic. Structure photography is one through which we can decipher the wildest imagination from penning down it on a map to the real concrete. My Nikon D5 Camera with some manual settings like ISO Speed: 100, Exposure Time: 13 Sec, 240 DPI resolution and F- Stop: f/14 helped me to capture the moment.
“The simplicity of this mosque is worth remembering, all I captured was the tiny piece of photograph.”
Stars and its Reflection
What do you think when you see the clear sky, all-stars making perplexed patterns? I have multiple thoughts but trust me getting lost into it is a subtle part of the mystery. I captured this photograph on 16th June 2019. I clearly remember the place is “Al Qua, Abu Dhabi, UAE” through my Nikon D5. My manual setting was F-Stop: f/2.8, Exposure Time: 25 Sec, ISO Speed: ISO-4000 and 240 dpi resolution. What an amazing experience it was, the clear sky, reflection in the pond was next to wilderness. The verge of sky where meets the horizon where I saw the altar of happiness, the encore of my heartbeat was synchronizing in echo.
“I wanted to do honour night because stars only appear in the darkness. The pond reflects the stars overhead, creating the impression of land travelling through space.”
Simplicity around us
I captured this photograph on 27th March 2019 at “Al Ain Zoo, Al Ain, UAE” through my NIKON D5 using some manual settings like F-Stop: f/2.8, ISO Speed: ISO-200 with 240 DPI resolution. Like a fish in a pond swimming in still water, her whole world is limited yet simplistic captivated- the same way I found this butterfly hovering on the flower. I gave my total focus to capture the beauty of simplicity.
“Clandestine is her way and the nature around us. Letting all wonder to happen million times with no one gazing it.”
Chasing Simplicity in Valley
Back in 2018 when I visited Jalori, of Himachal Pradesh it was an amazing time when everything was so stupendous. I capture this photograph from my Nikon D5 using some manual settings like F-stop: f/5, ISO Speed: ISO-100 with 240 DPI resolution. Something stopped me here, to click a still of this scene. Gust the wind! I was awestruck totally.
“I was taken aback by the sight of mountains disappearing into clouds and found myself panting heavily after a long hike. Then I witnessed the villagers lugging those woods in their backs for fire, which inspired me to show how difficult life is here and how important these trees are to their survival.”
Simplicity in stillness
I would recommend this place “Bharatpur, Rajasthan” to visit once in your lifetime- it’s a serene place. I captured the photograph on 6th May 2017 with my NIKON D5 with some manual settings like F-Stop: f/5.6, ISO Speed: ISO-200 and 240 DPI resolution. I always wonder why it’s peaceful to stay at a place like this, and yet I don’t know, all I know is places like this are worth getting lost.
“Birds have always captivated me, thus my trip to Bharatpur was a personal pick. I couldn’t keep track of time while I watched the birds hunt for fish to eat. I sat there, ignoring the guide’s advice to go camping for safety, and got enchanted by the sun lowering through the forest and the water’s orange clothing. It’s as if the birds were beholding the scene as well.”
