A few random tweets and @ mentions from people I’ve never met in my 32 years of existence led to the idea of converging upon one designated travel destination in the fall of 2013… for no apparent reason other than sharing a few beers, sharing travel stories and blogging about the whole experience.

I can’t tell, but perhaps the others were drunk too, or it’s just that the idea of doing such a thing in Australia sounded real glamorous. It sounded like an expensive proposition but; what the hell!

48 hours later, the excitement hadn’t yet died down.

@MyDestination @lauraexplorer89 @lincemama and yours truly, @itravel81 were still excited about the proposition but reality kicked in… Australia is an expensive destination. A few tweets later, Sri Lanka was chosen as an alternate destination. As I type this piece, Sri Lanka it is and our twitter hashtag has been changed from #BBOZ to #BBSL.

So October/November 2013, is it? #ttot tweeps, backpackers and bloggers will converge upon Sri Lanka in celebration of  travel, blogging, photography etc.?

How about it?

I reckon that we must ensure that this is treated as a community event and no one must claim ownership of #BBSL. If someone wishes to sponsor the thing, facilitate conferences, presentations, events etc., that’s cool but we must ensure that it’s an inclusive event for all to participate.

If you have any suggestions, please discuss with us using the comment feed below so that we can streamline the idea and take it to a larger audience.

Are you with us?

#TTOT = Travel Talk on Twitter. It’s a chat that happens every Tuesday at 3PM and Wednesday at 3AM IST. In the recent past, #TTOT has discussed food, drink, honeymoon travel, domestic travel, sleeping in unusual places etc. The handful of #TTOT chats that I have participated in has introduced me to over two hundred interesting travellers and travel companies around the world.

During #TTOT hour on a warm and sunny Tuesday afternoon, I came upon easyJet Holidays. easyJet Holidays offer attractive accommodation deals at some of the most exotic destinations. Our paths crossed on more than one occasion during subsequent #TTOT chats. About a month later, I got a DM from easyJet Holidays:

I agreed, and the rest is history. Please click here to read the entire interview.

Thx easyJet Holidays!

  _  BE HAPPY

“The Key Technical Aspects of Street Photography”

“Travel Photography Tips”

Thx traveldudes.org and holidayblog.easyjet.com for the opportunity!

A while ago, I had done a Guest post about Cheese Markets in Holland for Travel Culture Magazine:

Cheese Markets in Holland

I admire people who can look at the lighter side of life. Through twitter, I came upon BEARMAN of Bearman Cartoons and Byron Wilkins of 1977comic; two very talented web-cartoonists. I asked them if they would be interested in doing a travel-related Guest blog post for me. And both agreed!

@BearmanCartoons embedded his cartoon into one of my photographs.

@1977comic

Thx guys!

Guest posting is so much fun. I’m open to travel-related Guest posts on my blog. If you’re interested, please leave a comment or give me a shout via. twitter.

_  BE HAPPY!

The Lamere festival in Almere, Holland is special to me because it’s the first summer festival that I’ve been to in Europe. I spent the whole of the first day by myself soaking in all of the entertainment on offer.

It was the perfect afternoon. The sweet fragrance of chicken and fried rice circled the air as kids jumped up in joy in an attempt to touch the glorious Holland sky. The summer had arrived! The toddlers were there, kids, teenagers, parents, grandparents, great grandparents!

I was probably the only non-resident of Almere at the Lamere festival in 2011.

Almere comes across as a close-knit community of people who know of each other, similar to some of the other smaller towns/villages in the Netherlands.

It was a Friday. People started pouring in after work. And by 6 o’clock, the square was full of people making merry to the tunes of live bands on stage. Pink people showed up on stilts!

Everywhere you go, kids wanna rock! Where have I heard that line before?

The next day, I went back to the Lamere festival in Almere.

This is Esther Nijhove. She’d finished runners-up in an American Idol-like competition in Holland. “I voted for her but she did not win”, said one of the lads doing the sound. I’d asked. “Everybody voted for her, but she did not win unfortunately. I wanted her to win…”, he continued.

Moments later, it started to rain. But that doesn’t disrupt life in Holland, does it?

If you’re in Holland around the time of the Lamere festival, I recommend that you go and join the party. I had a great time!

FIN

Please note that I have not colour corrected/toned the photos posted here.

I was one of those photographers who believed that I had a right to make a photo of anybody anywhere if I wanted to; especially in public spaces. The more photographs I made, the more I discovered my interests and myself. Today, I probably make only a fraction of the photos that I once did. But I understand my reasons behind wanting to make a photo (and not wanting to). If a person does not want to be photographed, I simply walk away. Unless I’m making a much wider photo wherein the role played by that one person is insignificant.

What do I look for?

I no longer look for that person by the street or on a park bench reading a newspaper or pulling a handcart/cycle rickshaw or the flower vendor etc. Instead I look at the space and the way people interact with it… I look for verbs rather than nouns. And if for any reason I wish to make a tighter subjective portrait, I will try and get to know a little about the person first.

“A portrait is not made in the camera but on either side of it.” Edward Steichen

Portraiture

For example this fisherman (above) was curious about my Yashica Mat. He was so intrigued that he just stood there staring at it. And this farmer (below) was happy that someone just asked him about his life…

A photogenic person or someone having distinct features will almost always photograph well. It’s the use of the space surrounding the person that tells a good portrait from an outstanding one.

Wide-angle versus telephoto

A decade ago, I would use a telephoto lens almost exclusively. I was obsessed with making tightly framed portraits. But in the last four years, I have not used a lens having a focal length more that 35mm except when I use my medium format 6×6 Yashica Mat that has a lens equivalent to 50mm (with respect to a 35mm camera).

I have come to believe that making photos on the street/outdoors using a telephoto lens (especially anything beyond 50mm) is being disrespectful to the people being photographed.

A wide-angle lens drives me to look for simplicity in complexity, equilibrium in chaos and the integrated use of space… in doing so, I store a little bit of energy in a photo that will refresh me every time I look at it.

Street performers will almost always make great photos. I came upon a man juggling three fire torches on a high unicycle in Amsterdam’s Dam Square. He had managed to build a small audience by the time I arrived there. Most live street theatre artists engage a person from the audience as a volunteer. I was looking to capture this interaction between the artist and his volunteer.

A country such as India has a lot on offer for photographers. Little scenes such as this (above) amaze me but local people wonder why I’m strolling through their neighbourhood when there are so many ‘tourist points’ just a few kilometres away! “There’s nothing here… you should go down that way, that’s the tourist point…” was what one gentleman said to me shortly after I made the photo. He was trying to be friendly.

But over the years, I’ve come upon some fantastic photo opportunities where I’d least expected them.

Photos of skylines must have a good measure of perspective rather than forms/contours of the dwelling that line it. I would have had a lot less regard for the above photo but for the conflict of cars on the street (verb). Some of the buildings in Prague are the tallest medieval constructions that I’ve come upon. It was very important for me to capture this perspective with respect to us, the people and also find a vantage point from where I can accommodate Prague’s most important landmarks in one single photograph.

Look for an alternate perspective

Beat the crowds! Get there early…

HANG AROUND! HANG AROUND! HANG AROUND!

Sometimes, you need to be lucky. But the more you pick your spots and hang around, the luckier you get!

  _  BE HAPPY!

This is the Fourth Year I have done this so far donating $1656 ($336 in 2009, $630 in 2010, $690 in 2011) and it will run until the end of May.

The Bearman will put aside $10 for the Cincinnati FreeStore Foodbank etc. just because I punched in a few words here. Please visit Bearman Cartoons for all the details of this year’s Charity Challenge.

By the time the Bearman announces his Charity Challenge, I’m generally half way through my favorite photography assignment of the year. This year however, the assignment hasn’t even begun. I’m hoping it comes through sooner rather than later. In the mean time however, I’ve been facilitating weekend travel photography escapades near Mumbai.

A few weeks ago, the Bearman did a Guest blog post for me; the first of the Guest blog posts here:

If you’d like to do a Guest blog post here, be my guest! Please get in touch through comments/twitter.

  _  BE HAPPY!

A thousand year old village inviting you to walk through its quaintly winding lanes. The fascinating play of light & shadow among earthy houses and scenic farms. The fragrance of Nature permeating the fields of medicinal herbs & healthy grain. An immense variety of birds calling out for your attention in birdsong.

Eat delicious food cooked on firewood with simple ingredients & a pure heart, in the company of the village folk at their homes. If you’re up for it, you could even lend a hand with the cooking! Discuss photography and exchange life-stories with the group over tea around a bonfire. Sing. Dance if you feel called to move to a more primeval rhythm. And for dessert – the utterly beautiful Milky Way. Lie back on your charpai and take in the eternal dance of the stars & other celestial bodies as they waltz through the night sky.

Please call +91 98204 24070 to book your place.

WHAT WE OFFER

• Complete access to the village, its people, and farms. Guided nature trails through the neighbouring hills & valleys.
• Local guides to take you through activities such as cultivating & harvesting crops, and the chopping of firewood, etc.
• Photograph the above activities and others such as tribal art and dance.
• Start with a photography orientation in which I talk about the core aspects of travel photography. This will improve your photography in terms of content and composition. I will also demystify terms like APERTURE, SHUTTER SPEED, & DEPTH OF FIELD so that you can make the camera do what YOU want it to do… make beautiful pictures.

WHAT YOU OFFER TO US BY BOOKING A JOURNEY

• An 18% increase in average annual household income for over 80 households in the village.
• Over 2000 days of local employment created annually.
• The villages have seen a reduction in migration due to the employment created within.
• Conservation of ancient traditions and biodiversity.
• Our efforts connect urban and rural communities facilitating an exchange of ideas that builds mutual respect for one another.

THE COSTS

This is a 2 day – 1 night weekend photography getaway priced at Rs. 2,999/- for students and Rs. 3,999 for non-students. It includes accommodation, all meals, photography orientations, local guides, all the village activities on offer, and the jeep ride from (and back to) the nearest railway station.

If you’re driving, we will email you detailed driving instructions.

LOCATION FAQ

Where is this workshop held? And how do we get there?

Purushwadi is 220 kms from Mumbai off Igatpuri. On the morning of the workshop, we’ll meet at Dadar Railway Station at 6:30 AM and board the train to Kasara. Purushwadi is a couple of hours away from Kasara Railway Station. Pre-booked jeeps will take us there.

The cost of the train ticket (for the return journey) from Dadar to Kasara is Rs. 44/- per person. This amount is not included in the workshop fees.

What are the staying arrangements?

We have tents pitched in a common area. The tents are provided with mattress, blankets, bed-sheets, pillows & pillow-covers. There are common washrooms in the campsite.

Once there, the guests are briefed on the accommodation. If the guest is unable to accommodate in a tent then we have villager’s houses that can be used.

Please note that this is not a luxury holiday. It is an experiential and rustic weekend village getaway.

The food is always vegetarian consisting of Chapatis, Rice, Dal and 2 vegetables along with pickle or salad.

Non-vegetarian meals: eggs for breakfast, chicken for either lunch or dinner can be arranged. The additional cost will be Rs. 60/- per person.

What are the additional possible activities & photo opportunities at these workshops?

AT PURUSHWADI
FARMING: ploughing, sowing, transplanting, weeding, harvesting, pounding, de-husking of rice etc.
LIFESTYLE: chopping wood, fetching water from the well, milking cows/goats, powdering of rice, antiseptic treatment of houses & storehouses, traditional cooking, swimming in the river, fishing etc.
NATURE: bird watching, medicinal plants, stargazing.

What is the impact of you booking a weekend photography workshop?

• 18% increase in average annual household income of over 80 households
• Over 2000 days of employment created annually
• Reduction in migration
• Conservation of traditions & biodiversity
• Connecting urban & rural communities
• We endeavour to contribute towards the UN’s MDG’s through Rural Tourism.

What should you carry?

• Pair of good walking shoes
• Personal medications if any
• Basic Toiletries (towel, soap, toothbrush, paste etc.)
• Clothes
• Cap
• Torch
• Mosquito repellent coil or ODOMOS (generally the mosquitoes are well behaved, but you never know if they may have an affinity for you)
• Raincoats/Umbrellas during the monsoons
• A Bottle of Water – 1 Litre is good enough (We have Aquaguard and Purified water and you can re-fill as and when required)
• Spirit of Adventure

What you should not carry?

• Electronic Gadgets like iPod etc. (You won’t get time to listen to it.)
• Expensive jewellery
• Lots of Cash (Unless you plan to buy a cow…)
• Alcohol
• Office-work and Laptops. (The Cows in this Village don’t like IT; and may attack the Laptops)

What is expected of you while on tour?

• Behave in a manner and dress in attire that respects the villager’s culture, traditions and environment. There should be no indecent exposure with clothes.
• No littering in the village, dustbins are provided in the tents and cottages.
• To maintain accountability in the village, please do not give any money/tip any individual villager.
• Keep an open mind and have fun while you’re at it.

PHOTOGRAPHY FAQ

What topics will be covered?

Ever wondered why some photos are more appealing than others: some too bright, others too dark, blurry, out-of-focus or grainy?
We’ll cover all the principles of exposure & composition i.e. achieving optimum exposure by light metering, understanding & setting the shutter-speed, aperture & film-speed taking the subject, intensity & direction of light into consideration and planning compositions.

The immediate outcomes of this workshop are:

• You will be able to use the camera in the Manual or ‘M’ mode for effective exposures: no more over/under-exposed photos!
• No blurry photos in low light! You will be able to achieve crisp and clear photos in any lighting conditions
• Make powerful pictures by choosing the most relevant focus point and understanding the simple rules of composition

What’s the schedule like?

DAY ONE

Reach the village at about 11 AM
Orientations & check-in
Delicious lunch cooked on firewood with simple ingredients & a pure heart, in the company of the village folk at their homes
Awesome village tea will follow the siesta
Photography lesson
Each participant goes about experiencing & making photos of the splendid village life
Dinner; like lunch
A review of the photographs made by the participants & technical discussions about photography around a bonfire under the utterly beautiful Milky Way

DAY TWO

Photograph the sunrise and make the most of the early morning photo opportunities such as farm activities, milking cows & goats, chopping wood, children playing cricket, bird watching etc.
Breakfast
A choice between reviewing the photograph and a dip in the river/adventure sports (or both!)
Lunch: at times, lunch can be served along the banks of the river
Head back home at 1:00 PM.

Do I need to have an SLR/DSLR/Micro-four-thirds camera with me?

The scope of understanding the core technicalities of professional photography on a camera that’s not an SLR/DSLR/Micro-four-thirds is limited. But if you don’t have one, you are more than welcome to bring a point-and-shoot /any other camera and pick up a few tips about making better photos with it.

Additional things to remember

• Electricity can be a problem so please ensure that the camera batteries are completely charged.
• Bring spare batteries if possible.
• Mobile connectivity is rather poor.

For more information, please visit my website http://www.girishmenon.com
Visit http://www.girishmenon.com/portfolio to view my portfolio.

Please call +91 98204 24070 to book your place.

This man is the most talented juggler that I’ve come upon in the whole world. A lot of street performers do the regular juggling of fire torches on the high unicycle but this man does a wider selection.

Nevertheless, I’m doing this post to tell you about the interaction between street performers and the audiences. All street performers pick a volunteer from the audience to be a part of the show.

How difficult can it be? Fire torches??? What am I supposed to do with these three fire torches?

You’re going to be lighting them up? No! YOU ARE!

Up until this point, the volunteer still has no clue what he/she is expected to do. He/she is expected to light the three fire torches and throw them (one-at-a-time) towards the street performer whilst he’s on the high unicycle! And he never fails to catch them!

Look out for this man at Dam and Leidse Squares.

  _  BE HAPPY!

Click to enlarge.

I wrote an email to Byron Wilkins, the creator of 1977comic asking him if he’d be interested in doing a Guest Post on my blog. He agreed.

Last Thursday, he emailed me his creation. I was thrilled to receive this. I replied:

This is magnificent! It addresses such a deep reality about tourists and tourism put in a simple and humorous way!
This goes up next week! I will email you as soon as it goes up.
I understand all the copyright issues and will abide by them.

Thank You so much!

Please find him on twitter @1977comic and check out his cartoons at www.1977thecomic.com

I save the best photos from a trip for my exclusive photo agency, certain selected magazines and photo competitions. The next best go to blogs etc. The rest, I pitch to in-flight and other magazines in India: poor paymasters. I’m always left with a bunch of photos that aren’t agency/blog-worthy. So I decided to pitch some of them to an Indian in-flight magazine (an airlines that flies abroad).

I pitched a couple of stories (A) Bike trails in Amsterdam and (B) Dutch cheese towns, windmills and clogs. I also sent them about 50 low-res photos. The editors liked the idea of bike trails in Amsterdam and so I got down to writing it. I don’t remember the last time that I wrote a 1500 word essay. It could be the one was about international rock bands in Mumbai back in 2007/08. The essay was rejected but they carried my photos with someone else’s writing.

The only writing that I’ve done since is on this blog! I’ve done a handful of blog posts that I’m proud of. And so I got down to writing about some of the locations in Amsterdam City that I’d accessed by bike during my time there.

A couple of weeks later, I emailed it to the magazine. A few days later, the reply: we love the article; please send us the following photos at a higher resolution.

Ironically, the photos that they’d selected were of cheese towns, windmills and clogs outside Amsterdam, a classic example of miscommunication between ‘editors’ and photo-editors! A week later, I got a fresh request for hi-resolution images of relevant photos. I emailed them.

The magazine did not carry my article in March. I didn’t get a response to emails either. About a week ago they emailed me back telling me that the article will be published in this, the April issue but my photos were rejected! I would have been surprised (happy but surprised) if they HAD published the photos (of biking destinations in Amsterdam City) that I’d sent them. But then again, I cannot give away the best photos of the trip at the price that they pay.

THIS IS NEW: It’s the first time that a reputed in-flight magazine has carried an article that I’ve written minus my photos! Is this a clue… an additional career opportunity? YES!

_  BE HAPPY!