POV: Retouching Photographs

Since starting on my photography trajectory some 15 years ago, I've been consistently adamant about not spending much time on post processing my images. Whether it was Photoshop, Color Efex (and its derivatives), Silver Efex or even Lightroom, I resisted the lure of "improving" the photographs I made whilst leading my many photo expeditions-workshops and solo assignments.

It's an aesthetic decision coupled with a genuine disinterest in spending time poring over digital images and pixel-peeking. I just don't have the patience to do what other photographers seem to revel in.

With the advent of Color Efex, I softened my resistance. With just a click or two (or three) on a preset filter, I could change (and improve) the photographs that I liked... and that was almost a revelation to me.

It was easier. I liked the results. I didn't have to spend an hour over a single image.

And then earlier this year, I started the long journey on my personal project "Hầu Đồng: The Spirit Mediums of Viet Nam"; researching, documenting and photographing the Vietnamese religion of the Mother Goddesses, and the practice of mediumship. The project is currently taking shape, and ought to culminate in a book, combining photographs and text.

As I progressed and added more photographs to my inventory, test prints were made, and I was generally pleased with the results.

I also just chanced on a photo retouching software program, and as Hầu Đồng ceremonies involve women mediums, colorful brocade costumes, a degree of exotic background pageantry and rituals, dance and songs, it certainly has a connection with fashion photography.

Fashion photography? Yes, I'm serious. And fashion photography needs retouching software....so I put two and two together, and acquired the software*. Boom! Another revelation of sorts to me.

It proved to be a cinch to use. A click here and there, and I could tackle the facial and skin imperfections that I would've normally have had to fix in Photoshop, or more probably just ignored. The key is to avoid overdoing the degree of "fixing" as it would alter the physiognomies of the subjects I photographed (as in botched face-lifts), and pushed to the extreme would render them unrecognizable. We've seen this on the covers of fashion magazines, and we wonder if it's really Julia Roberts or not.

The usefulness of this retouching software will be proven or disproven when I run a few test prints. I'd like to see whether it is a non-destructive image editing software (it claims to be) before I run it on the Hầu Đồng photographs.

* PortraitPro...

The 5 Most Popular Posts of 2015

I always think it'd be interesting at the end of each year of blogging to highlight the five most popular posts on The Travel Photographer blog... and this year is no exception.

In first place (by a significant margin) is:

Fuji X-T1 | Fuji 56mm f/1.2 | Fuji XF 16-55mm f/2.8

While I seldom post about gear (since there are more qualified people who do this better than I can), this post was about my impressions on two Fuji lenses used during trips to Hanoi and Bali. The two lenses were the Fuji 56mm f/1.2 and the Fuji XF 16-55mm f/2.8.

I'm always taken aback by the popularity of any of my posts dealing with camera gear, but I guess it's because readers are interested in hands-on experience rather than technical nitty-gritty.

In second place is:

A Fuji X-T1 In Bali | Kuningan Ceremonies & More

This was also a post about my hands-on experience the Fuji X-T1 which I used almost exclusively during my week-long stay in Bali. I used it with a Zeiss Touit 12mm f/2.8 and a newly acquired Fuji XF 16-55mm f/2.8. Following a firmware installation, I noticed a slight improvement in the X-T1's auto-focus speed and accuracy.

The third post in terms of popularity is:

Agung Parameswara | Devotion

While at the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop in Bali, I chanced upon the work of Agung Parameswara is a Bali-based freelance photographer specializing in documenting social cultural issues, delving in travel, and documentary photography. His focus is on Bali and his native Indonesia with a passion in capturing culture, folklore, landscape, and human events in conjunction with their surroundings.

Very nice work!

In fourth place is:

Hà Nội Color | Exposure | Leica M9 & X Pro1

I'm gratified that one of my favorite galleries of photographs made in the streets and alleys of Hà Nội's Old Quarter (referred to in Vietnamese as Phố Cổ) was so popular. These streets are enormously interesting in terms of history, culture and visual vignettes of everyday life; life that is carried out in the open for all to see. I used a Leica M9 and a Fuji X Pro 1 to make these photographs.

In fifth place is:

POV: This Thing Called 'Vision'

I'm also chuffed my favorite POV post of 2015 was so well enjoyed by readers. In the post, I quote myself as saying (and believing):

"Vision? What vision? I have no vision. I am a documentarian. I see something I'm interested in and I photograph it. That's my vision."

Many friends and followers on my Facebook page agreed with my premise and candor.

That's all, folks!!!

End of 2015

Due to my involvement in my long term personal project, I have been rather neglectful in updating my blog in the past few weeks. Researching, editing, writing, revising, are all tasks that are extremely time and attention consuming, and updating my blog has been one of the 'victims'.

This ought to change in the new year, when I will -hopefully- have more time on my hands to update its contents much more frequently.

In the meantime, I wish all my readers a very happy Christmas and holiday season, as well as a wonderful 2016.

The "Look-Back" Images of 2015

Here's a short movie slideshow consisting of some of my favorite images made during 2015. As I'm taking a hiatus from leading photo expeditions-workshops in order to complete a forthcoming photography book tentatively titled "Hầu Đồng: The Spirit Mediums of Viet Nam, all my travels this year have been to that country to build an exhaustive inventory of photographs relating to this subject matter.

I've included a few street photographs of Hanoi; probably one of the most photogenic cities for the genre since its life spills unto its alleys and streets. I've also included a few photographs of Ca Trù; an ancient genre of chamber music featuring female vocalists, with northern Vietnam origins.

And naturally, I've included just a handful of the literally thousands of Hầu Đồng photographs I've amassed since I've started this book project in March.

For more still photographs, drop by Hầu Đồng, and Cháu Ba.

Travel Photographer Asia 2016 | Photo Contest

Following my earlier post on Travel Photographer Asia's a 4 day Workshops in Kuala Lumpur between May 26 and May 29, 2016, here is its highly anticipated photography contest.

The contest is travel-photography biased, and will be judged by a panel of jury consisting of some of the world's most renowned photographers.

There are 5 categories in the travel photography contest. The categories are:
People
Daily Life
Sense of Place
Nature
Beautiful HomeThe prizes are substantial and include, inter-alia, free entries to The Foundry Photojournalism Workshop and to the Obscura Festival Masterclass 2016 Penang. These are two of highest rated workshops for emerging and established photographers.

The judges are Dr. Shahid ul Alam, Ms. Huang Wen, Ms. Gwen Lee, Vignes Balasingam, Che’ Ahmed Azhar, Drew Hooper and myself.

If you're interested in the quality of the submitted photographs to Travel Photographer Asia 2015, here is the link to last year's contest results.

Aik Beng Chia | Lao Sai Tao Yuan

Teochew opera, or Chaozhou opera, is one of the many variants of Chinese opera, and originated in Chaoshan region in south China. It was popular in Hong Kong, Macau and Singapore.

Chinese opera is a popular form of drama and musical theatre with roots going back to the early periods in China. It is a composite performance art mixing various art forms that existed in ancient China, and evolved gradually over more than a thousand years, reaching its mature form in the 13th century during the Song Dynasty. It evolved to include various art forms, such as music, song and dance, martial arts, acrobatics, as well as literary art forms to become Chinese opera.

Above is a photo slideshow by Singaporean photographer Aik Beng Chia of Lao Sai Tao Yuan, the only group that survived all these years. It was formed in early 19th century and is the oldest remaining Teochew Opera in Singapore.

I liked the way that Mr Chia juxtaposed the portraits of the Teochew opera performers side by side; the monochromatic ones in their daily street clothes, and the colored ones in their costumed regalia.

Aik Beng Chia started photographing the daily lives of people on the streets of Singapore in 2008. Since then, these images have earned him a strong following on Instagram numbering over 20,000. They have also caught the attention of UK newspaper, The Guardian, which let him take over the Guardian Travel Instagram account for a three-day special feature on Singapore as seen through his eyes. He has also been invited to be a contributor to Everyday Asia on Instagram, and his works have been exhibited and published internationally.

Aik Beng started the “Singkarpor” project in 2011, and of the thousands of photos taken since, a carefully curated collection will be shown at its exhibition. In 2013, he launched his first monograph "Tonight The Streets Are Ours" published by the Invisible Photographer Asia, which showed Singapore's Little India after dusk.

Travel Photographer Asia 2016

I've been very glad to be involved with Travel Photographer Asia since its inception last year, and I'm doubly gratified to have been re-invited by its founder, Ahsan Qureshi, to participate in its forthcoming event as a judge of its travel photography contest, and in giving a 4 day workshop in Kuala Lumpur between May 26 and May 29, 2016.

There will be a master class with Dr. Shahid ul Alam and workshops with Ms. Khaula Jamil and myself. Master Class In Story Telling, Basics of Photojournalism and The Travel Documentary!

So hurry, and join these unique opportunities!!!

The Master Class with the legendary Dr Shahid ul Alam will explore the basic structure of storytelling and with practical examples and simple guidelines, provide the framework for utilizing the remarkable tools at our disposal today to create, deliver and propagate engaging stories. A component on social media, including the recipes for engagement and reach will also be included.

Amongst his many celebrated accomplishments, Dr Shahid ul Alam has set up the award winning Drik Picture Library, The Bangladesh Photographic Institute, Pathshala, The South Asian Media Academy, and he is a also member of advisory board of National Geographic Society.

Ms Khaula Jamil will present the Basics of Photojournalism workshop; a 4 day visual storytelling and photojournalism class. It will involve both theory and practical sessions. Lectures and highly interactive discussions on various genres of photojournalism/key practitioners/ ethics/ social issues /examples and presentations will be conducted.

Ms Khaula holds a MFA in Photography at Parsons School of Design in 2009 on a Fulbright Scholarship and is now an independent freelance photographer. She founded "K For Karachi" a collection of silver jewelry and is well known for her on-going photo project “Humans of Karachi”. She also teaches part-time at the Indus Valley School, and is a member of Majority World, a photo agency started by Dr. Shahid-ul-Alam.

As for me, I shall present The Travel Documentary, a 4 day visual storytelling and travel photography workshop in Kuala Lumpur. Participants will photograph in the field, while indoors time will be devoted to weaving the material into still photo stories and travel documentaries.

To repeat the obvious, I plan, organize and lead photo expeditions-workshops for other photographers, with emphasis on travel photography, multimedia storytelling and documentary photography. I am also the founder of The Travel Photographer blog, and I'm proud to be a faculty member in the Foundry Photojournalism Workshops. Interested in traditional and non-traditional religious manifestations, I am currently working on a long term personal photographic project titled “The Spirit Mediums of Vietnam”.

The Fortune Teller Told Me | Nguyễn Ngọc Vi

As readers of this blog probably know, I'm immersed in a personal photographic project documenting the Spirit Mediums of Vietnam; a project which is slowly progressing and will eventually result in a photo book.

One of the derivative 'sub-projects' from my traveling to Vietnam is documenting the life story of Ms. Nguyễn Vi, who is not only an active Hầu Đồng practitioner and a medium, but also is a psychic, a clairvoyant and a fortune teller. She tells me that her innate insight into people's futures helps them in their lives. As with many Vietnamese Buddhists, Vi embraces its teachings on compassion and altruism.

I started documenting Vi's life story in July when she graciously invited me to her family home in Hanoi. It was there that she worships, actively follows her belief system, and deploys her fortune telling skills. In our conversations, it was evident she hasn't had an easy life, and had suffered a number of personal setbacks over the past years until finding her calling in the Đạo Mẫu religion.

Not only was I privileged to have been invited to her home again in October, but we became friends, and I was glad to be amongst her group that traveled to the north of Vietnam to attend one of her ceremonies.

She is one of the best practitioners of Hầu Đồng I've seen, using her personal charisma, fashion sense and considerable experience to enthrall her audiences. Extremely talented in many fields such as graphic design, photography and fashion, Vi has nevertheless chosen a life path that is difficult; almost monastic to a certain degree.

As I intend to produce a much lengthier documentary on Vi's life, I consider this short movie as a trailer for what is about to come in the near future.

Anthony Pond | Entranced

It is said that in Varanasi one has to watch out for four things: young and beautiful widows, cows (and their patties), holy men (ie sadhus) and irregular steps of the ghats.

However, I would add another important consideration to these four. While Varanasi is the quintessential Hindu city, it also has a sizable Muslim community of almost a third of its approximately one and a half million inhabitants. There has been Muslims in Varanasi for hundreds of years, and they have built their own societies where they live and work with respect for their own rituals and religion.

During my 2014 The Sacred Cities Photo-Expedition-Workshop to Varanasi and Vrindavan, I made it an obligatory stop to schedule a photo shoot at the shrine of the Sufi saint Bahadur Shahid in the outskirts of the city. Its atmosphere was electric with a large number of women in deep trances and imploring the dead saint for favors.

Anthony Pond participated in the photo expedition, and has just produced Entranced; a monochromatic multimedia piece that very accurately depicts what the atmosphere was like whilst we were there. The shrine welcomes Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims who mingle and seek blessings from this Muslim saint, and because of the prevailing religious intensity, some of them go into intense trances.

The trances you will witness in this multimedia piece are caused by the religious fervor of the women involved, who react in the ethereal "presence" of a saint...a syndrome colloquially called hajri. Being in a trance signified the entrance of the deceased saint in the body of the entranced person, to rid it from ailments, from jinns and other undesirable symptoms.

In my own secular (but non medical) view, these “hajri” manifestations such as auditory hallucinations, the paranoid or bizarre delusions, may well be schizophrenia.

Anthony worked for more than two decades in the criminal courts in California as an attorney for the Public Defender’s Office. Now pursuing his passion for travel and photography, he travels repeatedly to South East Asia and India, amongst other places, to capture life, the people and the culture.

POV: The ‘Russian Nesting Dolls’ Syndrome

Caused by a number of reasons, it’s been quite a while since I’ve posted on my blog. Traveling to Hanoi to expand on my research for my forthcoming photo book “Hau Dong: The Spirit Mediums of Vietnam”, then to Cairo then to San Francisco for non-photography related reasons, has limited my available time and focus to do so.

Since I started my involvement in this personal project, I’ve experienced a resurgence of excitement, not only for photography, but also a spike in my intellectual interest in syncretic religious traditions, occult cultural customs and practices, Asian history and languages, to mention just a few.

My photographic expeditions-workshops were characterized with constantly having a definite documentary objective to them. Whether the objectives were Sufi festivals, obscure Hindu religious events such the gathering of the Vellichappadu and Theyyam, or the Cao Dai tradition in central Vietnam, I always had an intellectual, and not only a photographic, interest in such esoteric activities, and those who joined my trips seemed to have shared that. However, being practically unable to spend but just a few days at such events meant that significant ‘coverage’ was impossible, and this frustrated me. Spending weeks in a single location or on one single religious event was impractical with a half dozen or more other photographers in tow.

Literally stumbling on the Vietnamese religious tradition of Đạo Mẫu, and its ceremonial tangential manifestations such as Hầu Đồng and Hát Chầu Văn in late 2014 literally supercharged, and reinvigorated, my enthusiasm for documentary photography, audio recording, storytelling and multimedia production.

I’ve already amassed a substantial inventory of photographs and interviews relating to Hầu Đồng ceremonies and the mediums who are involved in the practice, but similar to matryoshka dolls (aka Russian nesting dolls), every ceremony or interview I attend or conduct reveals another interesting opportunity. Moreover, the more I read and research about Đạo Mẫu, the more I discover other influences that intrigue me, and that I want to explore and incorporate in my continuously evolving personal project. I now have the serious fear of not knowing when to call it quits.

The British idiomatic expression “how long is a piece of string?” in response to a question of how long will a project take is apt in my case. It’s in my hands when I deem it to be complete, but with the continuous emergence of connected traditions, I’ll have a difficult time to say enough is enough.

Sreeranj Sreedhar | Ashtami Rohini

I was under the totally ridiculous impression that I had photographed most of the important religious festivals in India until I recently saw photographs of Ashtami Rohini, an annual celebration of the birth of the Hindu deity Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu.

The festival is celebrated in August–September, and includes dramatic enactments of the life of Krishna, and is observed all over India, but especially observed in Mathura and Vrindavan; which Indiaphiles know as the epicenters for the famous Indian festival of Holi.

On this day, women fast and keep vigil in Krishna's temple till night. When the pujas are over, they are allowed to share the edible offerings left by the devotees for Krishna. The temples are illuminated with countless of oil lamps, and worship goes on almost till the early hours of the morning.

Sreeranj Sreedhar photographed Ashtami Rohini in Kerala, and his photographs provide a wonderful insight into the festival, and the enactments of Krishna's life. The make-up sessions, the painting of the feet and palms, as well as the magnificent costumes are all documented in his gallery.

In his Photo Stories, Sreeranj also photographed the Holi festival in Nandgaon, and in Barsana. These photographs remind me of my own 2014 Holi photo expedition, especially those of the young Holi reverlers holding water pumps filled with color water to spray the passerby.

Sreeranj Sreedhar is a travel, documentary and culture photographer who's creently based in Dubai, but is from the Indian state of Kerala. He started his photography in 2011.

POV: Hotel Photography | A Challenge

I had the pleasure to have been asked to photograph the Golden Silk Boutique Hotel whilst on my personal assignment in Hanoi, and I can vouch that hotel photography (or whatever this style of photography is called) is no walk in the park...it seems easy but it's certainly not.

Having the DNA of a travel-documentary photographer meant that I felt more comfortable having people in most of my photographs. I recalled a ad campaign by Annie Leibovitz for The Peninsula Hotel (Hong Kong and New York City) some years ago, in which she produced monochrome photographs of the hotel's staff, and it was hailed as a huge success in the hospitality industry. That was to be my inspiration.

I doubt if Leibovitz's ad campaign used models for its photographs, but I certainly didn't have to. The Golden Silk Boutique Hotel has a number of photogenic staff members, and they were chuffed at being photographed for the occasion. I wanted to photograph the staff in action as it were, so I was in the dining room for breakfast at 6:00 am just in time to have a few moments with its staff before the influx of guests, and then later on in the bar, rooms and spa.

Hotel photography techniques are obviously similar to photographing interior spaces; wide angles, choice of perspectives, soft lighting, etc...but without the assistance of a room stylist, I had to really focus on the smallest of details. An errant electric cord, an imperfectly made bed corner, a slightly askew towel in the bathroom, bathroom amenities that are not perfectly aligned...even lightbulbs of different warmth...would be amplified in still photographs.

My strategy was to provide the hotel with both static photographs of its rooms, lobby and other facilities as well as some people photographs (such as this above). I don't know yet if the hotel's management will use the latter (in color or monochrome), but I hope it does since it would set it apart from the remaining comparable hotels in Vietnam.

There's no argument that the Golden Silk Boutique Hotel's location, accommodations, price structure, facilities are all important, however the primary reason for my making it my home in Hanoi for the five times I've been there, and intend to return to it during my forthcoming trips, is its staff.

As in most businesses, the human element is key, and I've found the hotel's people to be extremely helpful, friendly and welcoming. I know most of them by name, and chatting with them, I now know a little bit of their personal life, their families, their hobbies, etc. This makes a huge difference in the experience of staying in a hotel for two weeks at a time. When I return from a long day of non-stop shooting, I am always greeted by the hotel's receptionists with a genuine welcome back, curious to know how my day went...and through the internal grapevine, many of them know where I've been.

And that is my reasoning behind making -as much as I could- my hotel photo shoot about its staff. I and possibly many others do not return to the hotel just for the quality of its rooms, facilities, price structure or the fluffiness of its omelets (although that one has a huge impact), but because of its staff.

That's the truth.

POV: What I'll Always Remember

As my readers know, I've been completely immersed in a personal project involving the Mother Goddess indigenous religion in Vietnam for almost a year now; making the long journey New York City to Hanoi three times so far, aiming to eventually produce a photo book. I envisage the photo book to include photographs (naturally) of the rituals, portraits of the mediums and fortune tellers involved in the practice of hầu đồng, as well as interviews with its practitioners.

I've attended over 20 hầu đồng ceremonies so far; featuring master mediums, intermediate mediums and neophytes. Most of them were female mediums, with a small proportion of the ceremonies conducted by males. Many were in the capital city of Hanoi and its suburbs, and some were far in the east and north of the country; Hai Phong, Lang Son and Kiep Bac to mention but a few.

The timings of these ceremonies are always based on the lunar calendar, and are not advertised. It's more of a word of mouth (aka mobile telephones) kind of thing amongst the community. Some are quite large and others are small. Some are held in large temple complexes, others in smaller out of the way temples and some held in tiny private temples or rooms with shrines in homes. To have access and be welcomed in these ceremonies wherever they are held, one must gain the confidence and trust of the community, and initially be accompanied by someone known to the mediums or the musicians.

The ceremonies are extremely complex, and involve sequential rituals that are accompanied by sacred liturgical music and songs. These ceremonies and rituals haven't changed in centuries, and neither has the music, although some modernization has creeped in by bringing in amplifiers...and to my untrained ears, a smidgen of Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton riffs.

I researched and read as much as I could find online and in books about Đạo Mẫu, and its complexities are just staggering. However, I am at the point where I now understand a few of the rituals, some of significance of the various spirits of the Đạo Mẫu pantheon, and I even correctly interpreted the hand signals by a medium during a recent ceremony...hardly an "expert", but able to ask somewhat intelligent questions.

These ceremonies are religious events, but they are also part fashion show, part pantomime, part dance and re-enactments, and bottom line, are mind-blowing, fun and - for a variety of reasons - challenging, to photograph.

However, I also look back to my 2015 three trips and realize that there's something infinitely more important to me than the photographs I made...and that's the human kindnesses I've been privileged to experience while at these ceremonies.

Here are just a few, out of the many, that will stay with me for a long time:

1. On a pre-dawn private bus trip to attend a ceremony in Lạng Sơn, not only was I given a choice seat but half way to our destination, the medium asked me if I needed anything. Unthinking, I replied that a coffee would have been nice. She immediately turned to a nearby friend, who smilingly gave me her half finished cup of Vietnamese coffee. I couldn't refuse.

2. The hầu đồng ceremonies typically go on for 5-6 hours, and since I like to stand (most of that time) while I photograph, it's exhausting. In Lạng Sơn, I was also sweating quite heavily due to the humidity, tied a bandanna around my head and kept on shooting. At some point, I felt a waft of cool air on my face, and turning to see where it came from, I saw a woman in the audience (perhaps another friend of the medium) fanning me. Her kindness stunned me, and I didn't know how to react for a few seconds. I thanked her, telling her I was fine. What else could I do or say? She wanted me to be comfortable, but I couldn't let her go on fanning me.

3. I was invited to attend a hầu đồng ceremony in Kiep Bac, about 2-1/2 hours drive east of Hanoi. A car, which I shared with other guests of the medium and her family, was provided and we drove off at precisely the time agreed upon. As I had to leave the ceremony before it ended late at night, the medium and her husband reassured me a car would drive me back whenever I wanted. When the time came, the medium's husband and his friends accompanied me to a small car, and told me that it was already paid for. Ignoring my entreaties that it was I who should pay, they bundled me in the car, and set me on my way. Its certainly not an insignificant fare, and adding to my discomfort, these are people of modest means.

4. The musicians, assistants and guests at the hầu đồng ceremonies are all fed before and after the ceremonies. The medium is usually fasting, and is meditating during these meals, which are literally feasts. I share these meals, even if I'm not hungry, because it's the right thing to do. And I realized that I was always being taken care of, asked if I had enough to eat or to drink, and offered whatever was available.

5. During the ceremony in Kiep Bac, where it was also hot and humid, the medium's husband and her friends continuously made certain I had enough water to keep hydrated, and kept an eye on my camera bag.

These are but a few of the many wonderful examples of the Vietnamese people's generosity and kindness that, as I said, affected me deeply because I know these gestures are genuinely selfless, and are given to me because of my interest in, and respect of, their culture, religion and ways of life.

The Last Qawwal By Kaushik Ghosh

I had the privilege of meeting Ustaad Meeraj a few years ago with my good friend and fellow photographer Dr. Kaushik Ghosh. Unfortunately, Ustaad Meeraj passed away some days ago with nary a mention in the Indian press.

However, Kaushik wrote this eloquent eulogy about this legend. I post it here without any change.

THE LAST QAWAAWL" is no more. The legendary Qawwal USTAAD MEERAJ AHMED NIJAMI, the senior most of Delhi Gharana passed away on 18 October 2015.

Being an artist and an Indian Citizen, I am extremely ashamed and shattered that not a single Indian media came up with this news till date, except an online publication "The Delhi Walla" .

Probably, beef and Chhota Rajan are selling well for them and of national importance. They may come up with headlines "10 things you must know about Chhota Rajan", but not a single line of this person!!! How easily we can ignore our own cultural root, yet becoming euphoric to listen Rahman's rendition of 'Kun Faya Kun'. Probably we are losing our capability to digest the original except the adulteration!!! I met Ustaad Meeraj couple of times.

The first time during my search to make a Multimedia Narrative (MMN) on Nizamuddin Basti (not the Shrine); later ended up to make a MMN on Ustaad Meeraj. It was an accidental meet at the shrine of Hazrat Inayat Khan. And then I spent couple of days with him in his residence. It was almost an endless discussion about life & music as a whole and it was too less time to spend to understand him, his music and his philosophy of life.

The next time, I met him with my mentor of photography, Mr. Tewfic El-Sawy. And at that time, I was touched about his greatness. There was a preparation going on in his family for a marriage ceremony and while talking over phone, one of his son absolutely refused us to meet Ustaad. We both reached at his place and approached him directly. Immediately after recognising me, he welcomed both of us and that's with full of warmth. And despite of having busy and chaotic situation in his one room flat at Basti Nizamuddin, for next an hour or so, he sung some of his favourite songs (including Bhajans of Meera Bai) for Mr. Tewfic.

I understood, for Ustaad nothing is in priority other than his music and that's his life. I really feel blessed to archive his voice, his narrations, a part of our cultural evolution. This Multimedia Narrative is my homage to this ignored and forgotten legend by Indian Media. I thought to meet you during my next visit in Delhi, but probably you were in a hurry.

Rest in Peace, Ustaad!

Written by Kaushik Ghosh.

France Leclerc | Hola Mohalla

I can barely catch up with France Leclerc these days. She's always on her way to a far-flung destination, schlepping her cameras with her (she's a recent but still tentative convert to a lighter mirrorless camera system), writes a wonderfully informative blog and has compelling photographs on her website.

One of her recent additions to her blog is Hola Mohalla; a Sikh festival that takes place on the first of the lunar month of Chet which usually falls in March. This festival was established by Guru Gobind Singh, and follows the well-known Hindu festival of Holi by one day.

During this festival, processions are organised in the form of army type columns which are accompanied by war-drums and standard-bearers. The martial-like event originated in the time of Guru Gobind Singh who held the first such mock battle event at Anandpur in February 1701.

Sikhism (as per Wikipedia) is a monotheistic religion originating in South Asia during the 15th century. The basic beliefs of Sikhism include faith in a single Creator God, unity and equality of all humankind, engaging in selfless service, striving for social justice, and honest conduct and livelihood. Sikhism is based on the spiritual teachings of Guru Nanak, the first Guru, and the ten subsequent Sikh gurus. It claims over 25 million adherents worldwide.

You'll read France's blog post, and realize that she was badly injured during a sudden stampede of a horse; probably spooked by the loud martial music. However, she quickly recovered and has been on the road ever since.

For more of France's awe-inspiring photographs of Hola Mohalla, Maptia recently featured her work in large sized photographs.

POV: Zoom IQ7 Microphone

I've returned from almost three weeks traveling to Vietnam, which may explain the long silence on this blog. The purpose of my trip was to add to my personal project's inventory of images, and glean further information on the subject by way of interviews.

Before traveling, I had seen some reviews on the Zoom IQ7; a compact but full-featured mid-side stereo condenser mic, which was designed to fit with all Lightning-equipped iOS devices such as the iPhone, iPad, and iPod. The microphone retails for $100.

Seeing that I was trying to minimize my load as much as possible, I decided to give it a try as it weighed next to nothing compared to my other stand alone recording devices; the Marantz PMD620 and the bulkier TASCAM DR-40, and it would take no space at all. I also decided to add the ShoulderPod S1 to it as well.

I was comfortable in using the Zoom IQ7 whilst conducting interviews in Hanoi. Affixed to my iPhone 6, it was unobtrusive and unthreatening, even when fitted with its foam windscreen. I suppose the interviewees saw that it was nothing but a small attachment to an iPhone, and were not as intimidated by it as a standard recording device.

I also liked the free Zoom's free Handy Recorder app, which is super easy to use as well. It offers some editing functions (that I haven't used because I'll do the sound edits on Audacity), and allows me to save the audio files in either linear PCM or AAC file formats. I chose the latter format for the interviews and was very pleased with the results. The app also allowed me to email the audio files I created, and/or to upload it to SoundCloud if I wanted to.

Interviewing various mediums, such as Ms Dieu Hoa, using the Zoom IQ7 was a cinch. The controls are easy to adjust, and from the app itself I was able to quickly email the audio files for translation into English to one of my contacts in Hanoi.

This is not a tech review by any means, but is just my experience with this newly launched product. None of the manufacturers mentioned in this post have any relationship with me, beyond being a consumer.

POV: The Second Step : Blurb & The Hầu Đồng Book

My second step in the long process of publishing "Hầu Đồng: The Spirit Mediums of Viet Nam" was achieved today when I received a 13x11 inches 28 page hardcover test photo book produced by Blurb (or more accurately, produced by me and printed by Blurb).

I produced the 28 pages (of which 19 are color photographs) using Blurb's BookWright software, which is adequate and not too difficult to learn in a few minutes. The photographs were post processed in Photoshop, refined in Color Efex and the text was written using Photoshop text tool.

I found the suggestion from Filipe Bianchi that the text ought to be divided into columns for a better flow to be right, and I'm glad it worked very well aesthetically. However, I used a font size that was too large. It looked fine on Book Wright when I was prepping the book, but in reality it was too large. A smaller font will be used on the book's next itineration. I am restricted in which font I can use because few fonts allow the accurate rendering of some diacritic Vietnamese letters...and in Vietnamese the à is totally different in meaning than á.

Another problem with a smaller font is that there'll be more space on the text page...unless I add more text, or use a small image to fill that space.

Unfortunately, the paper I chose is expensive...but one gets what one pays for. The Proline Pearl Photo paper is semi-gloss, heavy and feels like photo paper. It's manyfactured by Mohawk Fine Paper. The color rendition is accurate, and I'm quite pleased with the book's overall look.

The font for the captions under the photographs also needs to be smaller. I have not yet decided if the photographs will be full-bleed, filling the whole page (as the image on top shows) or be surrounded by a white frame (as above). If the former, then the captions will have to be layered on top of the photographs...perhaps in white text.

I am happy with the Image Wrap cover options. My two other books printed by Blurb have Image Wrap covers, and I much prefer it than the Dust Jacket option. I will refine the positioning of the images on the front and back covers, as well as the back text which also needs editing.

There is no question that the Blurb option is probably the best for a Print On Demand book. There are some downsides though...and on the top of that list is the price. It is expensive, particularly if one opts for the top of the line paper etc. However, choosing a soft cover, a smaller landscape size with a standard quality photo paper will cost around $40 for 100 pages. An Ebook option for the iPad etc is also available for $10.

All this is food for thought.

Vincent Dirckx | Samburu Warriors

I am featuring two gorgeous portraits of Samburu warriors by Vincent Dirckx, which were made during his recent travels to Northern Kenya. He tells me it took him 48 hours of traveling by an all terrain vehicle over rocky tracks and another trek of 24 hours with a camel caravan and porters to reach this particular tribe. The photographs were made using an off-camera flash and an ND filter, somewhat of a change for Vincent.

The Samburu are a Nilotic people of north-central Kenya that are related to but distinct from the Maasai, and it's based on a gerontocracy style of governance. Gerontocracy is defined as oligarchical rule in which a population or community is ruled by people significantly older than most. Moreover, the Samburu practice polygynous marriage, and a man may have multiple wives. While missionaries have had success in converting more Samburu to predominantly Catholic, and also Protestant forms of Christianity, the majority of Samburu continue to observe their traditional ritual practices.

Vincent Dirckx is a corporate lawyer and a photographer based in Belgium, who started his latter avocation in 2011. His travel photography is multi-faceted and during his many travels, he is eager to photograph the cultures, people, street life, monuments and landscapes that he encounters.

While his work in Northern Kenya amongst the Samburu tribes is his most recent, I encourage you to spend time viewing his other galleries; Omo Valley, Turkey, Japan, the Andes and the Amazon, Indonesia and India. You'll be amply rewarded with some exceptional photography.

POV | The Dark Side of Travel Photography?

A recent article appearing in the popular 500px ISO photography website dealt with the "dark side of travel photography" which, according to its author (DL Cade), would be crossed into when the images involved vandalism, animal cruelty, and doing outright harm to the environment.

No argument with the noble notion that travel photographers should not cross that line, however one of the examples given in the article involves the unique technique of “Yin-Bou” fishing using
cormorant birds in the Li River. I think there are far better examples to highlight the article's point, and here's why.

It seems that Jimmy McIntyre, a a travel photographer, had recently captured an image he had wanted for quite a while. In China, standing waist deep in the Li river, he finally shot a portrait of the famed cormorant fishermen.

Mr McIntyre realized that the fishermen weren't fishermen any longer because they made more money from tourists and photographers by posing for these atmospheric photographs. He also realized that to get the classic shot of a fisherman with the cormorant spreading its wings, the fisherman had to grab the bird by the neck, dunk it in the water and bring it up...whereupon the cormorant would spread its wings to dry them.

The article's argument is this is an example of animal cruelty, and should be discouraged by self respecting photographers.

However before agreeing too quickly, let me make the following points:

1. As per Wikipedia, cormorant fishing is a traditional fishing method in which fishermen use trained cormorants to fish in rivers. Historically, cormorant fishing has taken place in Japan and China since about 960 AD. It's an ancient tradition that has also been followed by fishermen in Greece and Macedonia to this day.

2. I asked Dennis Cox, one of the leading travel photographers of our generation, (and one who has photographed in China countless of times), as to his views since he photographed the cormorant fishermen countless of times. He informed me that dunking cormorants by their necks was done by the fishermen long before photographers arrived on the scene to make these images. That's how they were traditionally taught to catch fish.

3. Another point raised by Dennis is that the Li river became so polluted that the fish disappeared, leaving the fishermen with no means of livelihood. It was the local professional photographers, followed by the foreign professionals who started paying them to as compensation for the loss of income and the change in their livelihood. Then of course, came the influx of tourists.

There are many examples of similar situations, and the one that comes to my mind as I write this (although there's no involvement of animals) is the Inle Lake fishermen in Burma, who are no longer fishermen (if they were at all), and are merely "models" for tourists to snap their shutters. The other example involves the Omo Valley tribes in Ethiopia who are turned into fashion models and made to wear incongruous and ridiculous headgear made of vegetables and fruits, just for the sake of a few snapshots....and paid more than they would make in a traditional occupation, destroying their culture and traditions.

It is sometimes difficult for those of us influenced by Western values and aesthetics to appreciate that certain local customs and traditions are best left alone, and that we should not meddle with them too much. Let us be as noble as we possibly can while we photograph, but let's also be mindful of unintended consequences of any actions we may make.

Aisha Al-Shabrawy | Travel Fashion Fusion

I find it uplifting to stumble on photographic work that comes out of Egypt, the land of my birth, that is colorful, joyous, modern and of good taste. It's a welcome antidote for all the negative news we are deluged about Egypt which is currently neck-deep in economic woes, with its people facing an uncertain future.

Whenever I look out of my flights that are about to land in Cairo, I never fail to wonder as to why its buildings are all beige...the color of sand. Apart from a few spots of greenery along the Nile river, that's all that the eye can see. Beige upon beige upon beige. Depressing really. The desert's proximity to the capital is culpable, since the frequent easterly winds bring in the khamseen...the sand storms that occasionally fill the air. Add this to the vehicular pollution, and one has a toxic mix of environmental factors that converts brilliant white paint to the dull color of sand in a matter of months.

So it is really an elevating moment for me to see Aisha Al-Shabrawy's colorful and aesthetically tasteful photographs of attractive model(s) wearing various fashionable accessories that are locally produced. It might seem commonplace to some of us used to see such travel-fashion photographs all the time on the pages of various glossy magazines, and on the streets of New York City (as an example), but I know full well how hard it is to produce them in Egypt.

I think possessing a strong color aesthetic/sense is largely innate, but can also be an acquired talent. I might be overstating it, but being exposed to bland colors all one's life ought to dull one's color and aesthetic appreciations. India is well known for its brilliant colors; just take a look at the women's saris and other traditional attire. When I travel to India, I am -as many others- overwhelmed and overpowered by its colors.

Anyway, back to Ms Al-Shabrawy's work. Those images featuring eyewear were shot in Aswan, in the south of Egypt. The rural houses are painted in the blues of Jaipur in Rajasthan and Chefchaouen in Morocco, and their facades are decorated with naif drawings and religious phrases.

Yes, it's uplifting to see these images...and to forget (even for a moment) the drabness of Cairo and of Egypt's main cities. If only there was an enforceable law to paint its buildings in brilliant colors... annually!!!

Amira Al-Sharif | A Love Song To Socotra Island

Socotra Island is a small archipelago of four islands in the Indian Ocean. It is a governorate of Yemen. The same Yemen that is currently being ripped apart by a civil war, and systematically destroyed by Saudi Arabia and its allies. The island is considered a jewel of biodiversity in the Indian Ocean, and was recognized by UNESCO as a world natural heritage site in July 2008.

Most of the inhabitants are indigenous Soqotri people who are of Southern Arabian descent, along with a minority of Africans, believed to be descendants of runaway slaves. Interestingly, the islanders originally followed indigenous religions, then Christianity then Islam.

Amira Al-Sharif's A Love Song to Socotra Island grew from a search for inspiring and pioneering women who are making their own way in life while confronting the traditions and customs of a male dominated society.

Amira Al-Sharif was born in Saudi Arabia and raised in Yemen. Working as a female documentary photographer in Yemen, where the majority of photographers are male, she continues to push cultural and societal boundaries. She works as a freelance photojournalist for English newspapers and magazines in Yemen and abroad. Her work is published in international newspapers and by humanitarian and development organizations in both English and Arabic. She is also a alum of the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop (Istanbul).

The Arab Documentary Photography Program (ADPP) is an initiative that provides support and mentorship to photographers from across the Arab region. The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture in partnership with Magnum Foundation and the Prince Claus Fund established the ADPP to stimulate compelling work by Arab photographers working across a range of experimental styles of storytelling.

Juan Pablo Ampudia | Love Me

Here is one of the better multimedia/photographic work I've seen coming out of the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop since its inception, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Love Me is a multimedia photo documentary on "warias" in Bali, Indonesia by Juan Pablo Ampudia.

In Indonesia, biological men who believe that they are born with the souls of women are known as "warias." The term is a combination of two Indonesian words: "wanita" which means woman and "pria" which means man. As a group, warias are diverse, encompassing what cross-dressers, transsexuals, drag queens, and effeminate gay men would be called in the West.

I'm sure many of my readers would be surprised to learn that transgender people can live openly in Indonesia, a country with the world's largest Muslim population. That said, Indonesian warias are generally different from transgender women in the United States as an example. For religious reasons, many are not interested in sex-reassignment surgeries and believe that they were born as males, and must return to God when they die.

However, living openly does not mean total or even partial acceptance from the community at large. Juan Pablo tells us that the status of transvestites, transsexuals and other transgender persons in Indonesia is complicated. Cross-dressing is not, per se, illegal and some public tolerance is given to some of those working in beauty salons or in the entertainment industry. However, the law does not protect transgender people from discrimination or harassment. Neither does it provide for sex reassignment surgery to those who seek it, nor does it allow transgender persons to gain new legal documents should they opt for the transition. Most discrimination is directed at transgender women, who face challenges with stable employment, prejudice, and housing.

The videos and photographs by Juan Pablo were made in bars in Bali's Seminyak, a mixed tourist and residential area on the west coast of the island. It's also the centre of life for hordes of the island's expatriates and tourists. The talented characters who work in these bars, seek to show to their country and to the society that they exist, and aided by international tourism, raise awareness among young indonesians about equality and human rights.

Juan Pablo Ampudia is an account director for an advertising agency based in Mexico City, who describes himself as "just a regular guy that uses photography as a tool for self-observation; to achieve my personal human growth."

I think you'll agree he's way more than that.

POV: The First Step : The Hầu Đồng Book

My first step in the long process of publishing "Hầu Đồng: The Spirit Mediums of Viet Nam" photo book was completed today when I took delivery of an 8x10 inches 12 page hardcover test version produced by AdoramaPix's bookmaking outfit.

My principal objectives in ordering a test version was to (1) determine the color -and monochrome reproduction quality for the chosen sampling of my photographs, and (2) whether the bindery style was acceptable. I have already self-published a couple of photography books through Blurb, so I know what to expect from them, but I wanted to find out if AdoramaPix was a viable alternative.

By the way, the iPhone pictures of the test book seen here were done without any preparation, so I wouldn't place too much weight on what these look like to my blog's readers.

The photographs are printed on professional-grade photo paper by Adorama. I chose the Luster paper option for its popularity, lower price and because it's a hybrid of gloss and matte, which supposedly handles a wide spectrum of image types and brings out the best in them all.

I liked the result. The book's pages are heavy; there's obviously a real photo feel to them, and they reproduced the colors very well. I am especially pleased with the 2 black & white pages. The text's placement needs a little tweaking, but overall the effect met my expectations.

One of the features offered by AdormaPix is the lay-flat construction. The book remains open and on display without anything to keep it from flopping over. Seamless lay-flat simply allows the readers to view the entire image...whether the image is a double-truck (as they call it) or are two side by side. There are no gutters or seams.

Now whether the lay-flat construction is sturdy enough to withstand many page flipping or not, I cannot tell. I compared it to a traditionally bound (stitched and non lay-flat) photo book, and it did appear flimsy. If -through usage- one or more of the photo pages may get detached from the rest, the lay-flat feature is worthless...so the jury is out of that one.

The production of this 12 pages book was super fast. It was available for pick up in just two business days.

What didn't I like? I was slightly disappointed in the cover. The color reproduction is perfect, but the title is not exactly perpendicular. It seems to have been been affixed minutely off-center. I noticed it because I have a thing about straight lines.

Price-wise, the test book cost $30. One can calculate this as being $2.50 a page not taking into account the cover. It's for the 8x10 inch landscape option. For a more impressive 10x12.5 inches (which would be my choice), the price for a 80-100 page book jumps to a prohibitive $210-$260!

Setting all this aside, I'm glad I tried out the AdoramaPix option. It might be a viable option for a one of a kind photographic portfolio to showcase one's photographs...a sort of monograph perhaps, but not as a commercially viable photo book.

So it's back to exploring the Print On Demand route. I've had experience with Blurb before, and it was generally quite satisfactory. I tentatively discussed having the eventual "Hầu Đồng: The Spirit Mediums of Viet Nam" photo book printed in Hanoi, but there might be tax and other issues that can crop up... but I'll revive that option when I'm there next month.

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