Blind Sketching & Creativity

I really want to draw more. I enjoy using that part of my brain, and it doesn't get used nearly enough. I wish I had the time/patience/money to paint. I miss the days in High School of experimenting with new painting techniques (new to me at least). I guess I really thrive on being creative. I know I have to be creative in my photography, but somehow that is not enough.

More Sketches After the Jump! -->

Villages in Andhra Pradesh

Last week I worked on a project for HMRI in Hyderabad. There tagline is "Health For All", something I can appreciate. They provide a variety of service including a 911-like emergency ambulance service and a hotline to get medical advice, connecting you directly with an actual doctor. The hired me to take photographs of their mobile health clinic vans that go to every village in Andhra Pradesh that is further than 3kms from the nearest health clinic. I traveled non-stop from Friday night at 8pm till Wednesday morning at 6am. I would get off one train, get in a car, go to a location shoot, go back to train station, sleep on the train, get off and get in a car, go to a village and shoot. It was a long four and some days.

My assistant from Bombay that I planned on using missed the train from CST station, so I called my friend and great photographer, Shashi Khan, in Hyderabad to see if he could recommend any assistants. An hour before I left Hyderabad he confirmed that Suman, a young photo student, would meet us at the station. He warned me, though, that Suman doesn't speak much English. Madhu, my contact from HMRI, and I meet Suman and start our journey Saturday evening. Four in the morning comes and we exit the train to meet a driver who takes us to our first village. After a stop for breakfast we arrive around 9am. I told myself I would keep track of all the villages we went to, but I cannot even tell you one. (I really need to get better at recording details surrounding shots, like...the person's name.) Back in the car and back on the train. The days bled into one long experience that I can hardly differentiate between days and villages.

Fortunately, about an hour before I left Mumbai the package I had been waiting for came. The package contained replacement Cybersync radio slaves for my flashes which made most of these images possible. Also, my mom packed the box full of junk to make me sick and fat (I have a habit of eating all of something before I can move on to something else, which works fine for dinner, but bad for a big box of sweets).

Some of the images I used my Orbis ringflash to light the subject, but some others are bare flash. My assistant worked as my moving light stand. I prefer working this way. The light changes exposure, angle, and distance by voice command. It's great!


This is mostly what I was doing, showing the team in action. I bounced the flash off the big white van to the right.




More Photos after the Break!

When it rains, it pours.

It happens with bad days; one thing compounds into the next. But this time it rained work. I came to Hyderabad for a shoot for a company that tries to send mobile health clinic vans to every village that doesn't have access to a medical clinic within 3kms. Then someone requests model portfolio shoot. I get asked to submit a quote for a fashion shoot for a Celebrity News magazine. I establish contact with Climbing Magazine, and they want me to submit a portfolio. I'll get to those in a bit. All exciting. I ended up shooting almost everyday last week, which is good but exhausting. Even on Sunday I ended up taking portraits of my friend Emmanuel, something I had wanted to do since I met him.

The friend of a friend I was staying with allowed me to use his all white room for the photoshoot, which I am extremely grateful. It worked perfectly and allowed me a lot of freedom when working with only two speedlite strobes. I could bounce light off anything, it was great. Here are some of my favorites.




More Photos After the Break!

A Hampi New Year

You could say I was looking for something different. This year I didn't want some drunken New Year party topped with poppers and horns blown after a boisterous countdown. On this holiday away from home I didn't want to waste away hours soaking in the sun on an overpopulated beach. After a rough several months I wanted to finish off the year amongst stunning scenery and an eclectic gathering of rock climbers literally from around the world.

Only semi-sleeping for 15 hours on the "semi-sleeper" luxury Volvo A/C overnight bus, I stumble through the touristy main road of Hampi past towering ancient temples down to the river and wait for the small motorboat to ferry my friend, Vinay, and myself across to the more peaceful side.

Goan Corner Guest house is surrounded by rice and fields and palm trees but only a five minute walk to the impressively chaotic granite boulder fields. Grass roofed huts encircle a relaxed open-air cafe serving everything from traditional Indian cuisine to falafels and Israeli dishes.

Nishit and Shyam greet us as we enter the compound. I have been climbing with these local climbers in the mountains outside of Mumbai for the last few months. They are powerful and dedicated climbers, some driving over two hours every weekend to train on newly discovered bouldering problems and classic sport routes. Everyone is excited to be in Hampi, made famous by Chris Sharma, Nate Gold, and Katie Brown.

The vast granite boulder fields provide endless possible routes; you could realistically spend a lifetime climbing here. Anyone who finds themselves standing on the Rishimukh Plateau looking over countless boulders of varying sizes, some balanced unnaturally on top of others, naturally wonders how the landscape possibly got to be this way. Neither of the two common explanations satisfies my wonder. The scientific account says the world's oldest mountains eroded over millions of years leaving only individual boulders remaining. The Hindu myth says two gods threw pieces of the mountains at each other in a fight over a woman. Somehow the mythical account seems more logical.

The heat during the day keeps everyone sitting in the shade of the cafe or resting in a hammock by their grass roofed huts. Around 4pm groups start to venture towards the rocks carrying their shoes and crash mats confident they will flash the new route someone just told them about. As the sun disappears from the Rishimukh Plateau Shyam Sanap from Mumbai sends a reachy V5 boulder problem with only two big moves that requires great balance. Mangesh Takarkhede, also from Mumbai, sticks The Shield, a challenging route with a cramped start and a dynamic throw to a crimp finishing with a moderate top out.



Unnamed V5 on the Rishimukh Platea. Climber: Mangesh Takarkhede
ISO 400, 1/80, f/2.8, 16mm 



More Photos and Story after the Break! -->