I’d like to make a very short post this time, and I will avoid the temptation to launch into a lengthy discussion about machine learning, human laziness, AI, and all that jazz. However, I confess I use tools like Topaz Photo to finish my photographs (for noise reduction and selective sharpening), and these tools rely on machine learnin…

Read more

Unleash Your Creativity: Break Free from Photography Norms!

I have been discussing Albert Camus and his speech, ‘Create Dangerously.’ The speech is serious and can create the impression that the artists must send

a profound message into the universe for us to consider them authentic and worthy of being presented to the public.

This injunction can weigh on an artist’s soul, making them wonder if they have said something sufficiently wise or provocative.

Do we have to be serious all the time? Why can’t we step back and have fun? Art, photography, writing, painting, and all sorts of human artistic endeavors should be fun, and when you play, the happiness can be infectious.

Our school teachers always told us to be serious and not to ‘play the fool.’ In my time, teachers often whacked us, and the whacks were not fun! Smiling when not invited to do so was dangerous, with swift reprisals!

I shot these photos from a rickshaw.

Now, I will turn my attention to these images that I shot on my last visit to Allahabad (Prayag Raj). I don’t quite remember where we were returning from, but we were quite possibly searching for food and Khusrau Bagh. The two of us sat on a rickshaw, and the rickshaw driver grumbled whenever I turned to face the traffic behind me to shoot photos. My friend was corpulent, and any movement on my part threatened the delicate center of gravity of the rickshaw, and we almost flew into the oncoming traffic a few times.

I took a few images of people on the roadside – the woman in a green sari, and the man. Then, I photographed the people in the vehicles behind us, and remember smiling and waving at some of them. We were having a jolly good time, but for my friend and the increasingly surly rickshaw driver, we may have stopped for a party.

Subscribe now

Then, I used a Zoom Lens

After a while, boredom overtook me again, and I decided to experiment. I used a slow shutter speed on my camera and varied the focal length on my zoom during the exposure. I’ve done this a few times, and maybe it is time I put together a small portfolio of images. When you try this technique, it is impossible to predict the results, and that is part of the fun.

I’ve also done a few crazy things, like standing in the middle of traffic and photographing it with a slow shutter speed. The WWE franchise advises viewers not to try the stunts at home. Similarly, I advise against standing in the middle of the traffic with a camera. There are too many crazy people on the road, and many cannot control their vehicles. Have fun, but don’t take stupid risks. Do not try the stunts I tried!

I hope you enjoy the images. Let me know what you think.

I made the video using a mix of Canva and the Movavi Video Editor 2026. There is a fabulous Black Friday sale ongoing, so check it out!

Also, I used Topaz Photo, and there is a brilliant Black Friday Sale ongoing there, too. Check that out also!

I used the Creative Lab in Epidemic Sound to generate the music. Explore Epidemic Sound!

The Video!

Movavi Video 2026

Topaz Photo

Epidemic Sound

Leave a comment

Share

Share Tramping in India

Subscribe now

This post will be short, focusing more on the horrible photographs and less on my writing.

Indian streets are lively. A distinguishing feature of the roads near the ghats in Benares, and at the ghats, is the absence of dust and vehicular pollution.

The ghats are lively, but the nature of the activi…

Read more

I will keep this brief, focusing on the photographs. The only question running through my mind is which section to place this post into.

On rapid, mature reflection – I am a wise man – I decided to place this post in the photography section.

I am placing the images in a gallery, and will also share a short YouTube Shorts …

Read more

When I traveled to Northeast India a few years back, a friend asked me to teach her photography. I asked her to sit on a hillside with me for a few hours or next to a river and do nothing.

I should have predicted her indignant response.

'No, nothing?' she yelled.

'Yes,' I replied. 'Do nothing but observe. Silence your mind, …

Read more

After picking up my first digital camera from the store, I didn’t study digital photography for a few years. I thought Jpeg was more straightforward, but I refused to apply my mind to understanding the power of RAW files. Photoshop layers terrified me those days, and I often wonder why this was …

Read more

I’ve been mulling over whether to do a digital pinhole project.

A pinhole photography purist would castigate me for doing digital pinhole photography. They’d instruct me to shoot with film, insisting that this method represents authentic pinhole photography. Maybe I exaggerate: not every pinhole photograph…

Read more

Hello, everyone, and welcome to the penultimate post of the current year. I will do my best to sneak in one more post before the year blends into the hoary past, but the subsequent post may welcome you to a cheerful and hungover new year.

We celebrate New Year's Eve every year on the 31^st of December and ring in the New Y…

Read more

Six weeks ago, I visited an old Lodi Dynasty-era structure in South Delhi as the monsoon sputtered, wheezing, rasping breaths just before it died. I wrote about my visit a few weeks ago.

On this visit, I carried my camera to take a few photographs before returning to my mother's house. An old friend and I met for lunch, and even though I am not …

Read more

This post is a companion, or follow-up, piece to my strange podcast episode on HDR or “High Dynamic Range.”

Please look at the first image, which has a gradient from black to white. At the two ends, you have black and white. As you transition from black to white, you will have blacks, shadows, mid-tones, lights/highlights, and white.

You do no…

Read more

Your photography gear evolves as you grow and shrink, physically and mentally. A person’s bank balance, attitude, and physical well-being help determine their gear. The photography you do plays a massive role in influencing your gear choice. So far, I’ve only mouthed platitudes but stay with me for a moment. A landscape p…

Read more

Two weeks ago, I wrote a post on the structure of a black-and-white photography film. I intend to write a short post about the structure of colour film. As in black-and-white, some companies make products to help you simulate film looks in post-processing. The best products in the market are the “Nik Collection” and “DXO Film Pack”.

Apart from these …

Read more

You may wonder why I write two posts about film and its structure. We live in the digital age; you may challenge and see no reason for me to drag you through two posts on film. I want to remind you I will not carry you through the techniques that exploded through the 19^th century.

Digital photography is challenging. Make n…

Read more

I started photography years back, shooting with black-and-white film. My first camera was an Olympus OM-2n. I don't use it often, but it remains my original, true love! In those days, I was a broke trainee engineer working in a steel plant, and black and white film was cheaper than colour film. So, I started my photography journey…

Read more

I will move my attention from travel towards other topics for the rest of the month. I will write two posts on photography. I will also write one post cursing an old princess with affection. Time permitting, I will post one on my half-day trip to the Dhosi Hills in Haryana. I have a good reason for writing about the Dhosi Hills, wh…

Read more

“Workflow” is a corporate-sounding word. You may conjure images of important-looking people in suits poring over charts and Excel files when you hear the word. However, the term finds its way into many areas of life.

In this post, I will concentrate on two areas of photography workflow. My illustrations will not capture the …

Read more

This post is the last of the series on Panipat. I can’t believe I made many posts on a two-day visit. If you walk into a place and click happy “I was there” images, you won’t have much to write about. But I am garrulous and like to write and explore.

This post will not be as wordy as some of the previous ones. You will …

Read more

I'd like to talk about 'noise' in digital images. Please do not confuse 'noise' with 'grain.' In the old days, when we shot with film, the size and structure of the silver gelatine grains played a vital role in the look and feel of the final image. Three properties determine the impact of grain on an image: size, shape and roughness.

Ea…

Read more

I wrote a post about my day in Khajuraho a few weeks back. You may have noticed a few photos in the post: beautiful temples, blue skies, puffy clouds. Of course, the blue skies and puffy clouds create the impression of a day in Heaven and may inspire you to plan a trip to the town.

After all, this is one …

Read more

A few weeks back, I dissected one of my images- the one I shot on the highway soon after crossing Agra. I called that "The First Dissection" or "Dissection–1." It is time to move to "Dissection–2."

The first time around, I mentioned that the black areas in the image reduced the impact of the photo because the black section obscured detai…

Read more