dearchichi

New Home

dearchichi@yahoo.com — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 18:45:47 GMT

Hello All,

I now post at http://www.momentsofvirtue.com/blog/

I hope to find you all there.

Thanks,
-Shashi

Website update

dearchichi@yahoo.com — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:36:26 GMT

Hi all. A new version of my website on Indian Wedding Photography is now online. Do have a look. Your feedback would be very helpful.

dearchichi@yahoo.com — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 07:33:57 GMT

In loving memory of the many hours of entertainment that you provided me in the early 90s.

May your soul rest in peace, Michael Jackson.

Open it.

dearchichi@yahoo.com — Sat, 30 May 2009 16:15:42 GMT

The June 5, 09 issue of Open Magazine has an article about the evolution of wedding photography in India. I'm happy to note that a few of my photographs have been featured among those of others.

$

dearchichi@yahoo.com — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 15:47:23 GMT

A: "I wanna make a lot of money. Maybe a million dollars."
B: "Cool! What would you do with a million bucks?"
A:"Well,...ummm...I'll sit around all day doing...nothing."
B:"Dude, you don't need a million bucks to do nothing!"

****

Character of a Happy Life
by Sir Henry Wotton

How happy is he born and taught
That serveth not another's will;
Whose armour is his honest thought,
And simple truth his utmost skill!

Whose passions not his masters are;
Whose soul is still prepared for death,
Untied unto the world by care
Of public fame or private breath;

Who envies none that chance doth raise,
Nor vice; who never understood
How deepest wounds are giv'n by praise;
Nor rules of state, but rules of good;

Who hath his life from rumours freed;
Whose conscience is his strong retreat;
Whose state can neither flatterers feed,
Nor ruin make oppressors great.

Who God doth late and early pray
More of His grace than gifts to lend;
And entertains the harmless day
With a religious book or friend.

This man is freed from servile bands
Of hope to rise, or fear to fall;
Lord of himself, though not of lands;
And having nothing, yet hath all.

Hey!

dearchichi@yahoo.com — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 00:41:20 GMT

Just back from a couple of trips, one to Cuddalore and the other to Tirupur. I really enjoyed my stay at Cuddalore, and I must say that I fancy bus journeys now after going via. KPN a few times. I just love the surypy tea served at the shops the buses halt at during the journeys. And, I spent 6 hours in a crowded unreserved compartment on the way back from Tirupur today. I now need some rest!

I'm now reading a fascinating book called Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. It's been a real eye-opener, and I don't remember the last book for which I made as many notes as I have while reading this one.

My next stop: Mumbai, probably.

See you all at Wildscreen tomorrow and the day after.

jA

dearchichi@yahoo.com — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 12:38:02 GMT

So, I'm just back in town from Goa covering a wedding held there. The more the number of weddings I shoot, the more I admire Jeff's work. He's the best of the very best I have studied thus far, and is an awesome role model to live up too.

Thanks Jeff for having raised the bar so high.

My next stop: Cuddalore.

***

For more than two years, this has been one of the best examples of the principles of marketing I have seen. They know their target audience to a fault, and use all that knowledge to pitch their stuff aggressively and in style. The photographs, the text and the layout are all designed to get fans to linger around leading to great brand acceptance levels. The product and price acceptances naturally follow.

Safari

dearchichi@yahoo.com — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 22:39:46 GMT

In love with the road, and with my baby!

A few more!

dearchichi@yahoo.com — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 22:36:37 GMT

Here are a few more photographs taken on the trip to Horsely Hills and Gurramkonda.

A butterfly taking off after feeding
Note it's extended proboscis, a straw like sucking structure, which it would curl in front if it's face in flight

Female Asian Koel

Red-Vented Bulbul Feeding

Yellow-Throated Bulbul

HNY!

dearchichi@yahoo.com — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 20:30:46 GMT

Here's wishing you and all family members a great trip round the sun in 2009.

Happy new year!

Hiya!

dearchichi@yahoo.com — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 22:01:54 GMT

Just got back to town after a couple of wedding shoots in Mumbai. Archie and I shopped till we dropped in the city. And what a city it is - so vibrant, colorful, varied and welcoming. And, I read up a co-passenger's "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch on the Jodhpur Express to Mumbai and "Rich Dad Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki on the way back on the Chalukya Express. While the former was instructive in the first few chapters, I was totally absorbed by Kiyosaki's book.

And, after being introduced to Mr. T.S. Satyan through Anush's post, I'll go check out his exhibit in person, though I saw some of his photographs on Tasveer's online gallery.

Here are few photographs taken on my trip to Horsely Hills with Dr. Ghorpade in October.

Heh heh!

dearchichi@yahoo.com — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 05:13:54 GMT

It's been a while.

Covered 3 weddings last month, 2 of them in Delhi. I have delivered online slideshows of the processed photographs and the albums for 2 of them. It feels great.
I have 2 weddings coming up this month in Mumbai, with a few more slated in 2009.
Will be traveling to Holenarasipur, near Hassan, this evening to roam around a quite town with ancient houses with wifey and to splash around in the Cavery. We'll proceed to B.R. hills on the 6th. The JLR package is a gift from wifey to me for my birthday. :-) It's been a long time since I have shot birds, and I'm excited with the loads of Bigma time coming ahead.
Of course, I've missed out on all the loads of excitement that Deponti, Anush and others regularly go after as I have been very busy with the post processing of the photographs and designing album layouts. But, such testimonials surely make it all worthwhile:

"...i think you have done a fantastic job. i love the mood. and will definitely be recommending you to people i know. also wanted to mention that we all appreciated your style of working. unlike regular photographers, you are thoroughly professional, you were not intrusive nor did anyone ever feel uncomfortable in your presence."

I can live on that for a month! :-)

Hello World.

dearchichi@yahoo.com — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 09:14:59 GMT

It feels good to make an entry again. :-) What's up? Well, let's see.

Archana and I moved into a rented flat in Malleswaram.

I got accepted into the Artistic Guild of the WPJA, and at the moment, it looks like I'm the only one in the country to receive such an invite.

Through the India Innovation Network, I have met up with amazing beings like Rajeev Kumar. He's just 36, but the amount of lives he's packed into that span is astonishing.

I enjoyed distributing books published by Ramakrishna Ashram to a school on Kanakpura Road.

I have been wow'ed by Rolf Potts and his book, Vagabonding.

Not many books have been read this time. I've have been going through a few of the ones I have already read.

Updates!

dearchichi@yahoo.com — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 11:12:26 GMT

Some of the books I have read since my last entry:

The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber
E-Myth Mastery: The Seven Essential Disciplines for Building a World Class Company by Michael E. Gerber
Write to Sell: The Ultimate Guide to Great Copywriting by Andy Maslen
When I Say No, I Feel Guilty by Manuel J. Smith
Built From Scratch: How A Couple Of Regular Guys Grew The Home Depot From Nothing To $30 Billion by Bernie Marcus, Arthur Blank and Bob Andelman
The Ten Commandments for Business Failure by Donald R. Keough

The last one was a real let down, considering the names behind the jacket blurbs. A lot of the same old stuff that you find in every other decent book on business.

***

I have been accepted into the Wedding Photojournalist Association. I would soon be listed on their pages among those offering photojournalistic wedding photography in India.

***

I participated in the local version of the Worldwide Photowalk last Saturday. It had been quite sometime since I had been with other shutterbugs, and I also got to meet Deponti and Anush.

Photography freaks!

dearchichi@yahoo.com — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 13:55:42 GMT

I took a handsome, young photographer out to dinner last week. Mahesh Shantaram quit his high-profile job in the IT industry in the U.S. to pursue his interest in photography fulltime. Conversations about his extensive travel experiences, his prior work on capturing lives in the metros around the world and his "zero-balance" lifestyle filled up the three hours that we were together. And, apart from picking up some clever ideas about his business - which he willingly shared with me -, I was introduced to the photography of Nick Brant and Martin Parr.

Nick Brant's work is exactly what I have been looking for all over the web for innovation in wildlife photography. Man, does he deliver! His black and white images of the big mammals in Africa are breathtaking with their lighting, composition and drama. Surely, his work points to a new frontier in capturing the natural wonders of the world on camera. After getting tired of seeing all labeled mugshots of creatures around - some of them no doubt wonderful-, I'm inspired by Nick's vision.

***

I browsed through Sandesh Kadur's work on the Sahyadris at a bookstore. I have heard of him in general photographic circles. He must have spent quite some time among in the ghats to capture many of the photographs in the book. While the print quality and layout of the coffee-table reference work is excellent, the textual matter that is supposed to augment and explain the photographs totally lack in breath and detail. And, the book costs a bomb. Many say their work is targeted at conservationists and at people who are willing to protect what we have left of the wild but who need some help to get started. I wonder how many such stripling guardians-of-nature would buy works like these.

Wassup!

dearchichi@yahoo.com — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 08:55:30 GMT

The last few weeks have afforded some eclectic experiences for me to pick up.

I road-tripped with my wife to Belur, Halebid and Chikmagalur in the first week of May. The lovely roads, the wonderful temples and great weather made some memorable photography possible.

I road-tripped with my wife to Pondicherry, Auroville, Mahabalipuram, Chidambaram, Tanjore, Trichy, Srirangam and Yercaud last week. And, like our trip to Mysore, Kodaikanal and Kookal in March, we drove almost a thousand miles this time too.

I developed and have launched my website dedicated to documentary wedding photography. I’m also done with my first such project, which I thoroughly enjoyed. If you have any comments about the website, please do let me have them at dearchichi@yahoo.com. I plan to open a website on Indian temples a few months from now.

I, of course, have been picking up books all the while. A few I am done with are:

The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss
Mavericks at Work by William Taylor and Polly LaBarre
The Long Tail by Chris Anderson
How to be Rich by Paul Getty
How to Make Millions with Your Ideas by Dan Kennedy
Boom!: 7 Choices for Blowing the Doors Off Business-As-Usual by Kevin Freiberg and Jackie Freiberg

On the personal front, it’s been a ton of movies, food, chatter, laughs and shopping with friends and family. With a couple of road trips to Nandi Hills and CCDs thrown in.

Unfortunately, birdwatching and all other wildlife activities have taken a back seat. I really do need to get back to my feathered friends this weekend if I am free from all the obligations that a newly married couple is bound with.:) Deponti , could you please include me on one of the zillion trips that you manage to go on every week?

Would like to have some information

dearchichi@yahoo.com — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 05:55:13 GMT

I was wondering if anybody could provide me with some answers to the following:

1. How could I quickly and effectively learn to make movies with sound, using photographs, in Adobe Flash?
2. What are the procedures and legal requirements to register an online business?
3. Should products like CDs and DVDs shipped abroad for revenue pass through customs?
4. Is there a cap on the amount of foreign currency that a person residing in India could earn in a given time frame?

Any pointers or contacts that would help me out would be appreciated.

A few

dearchichi@yahoo.com — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 08:10:16 GMT

3 more

dearchichi@yahoo.com — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 07:50:43 GMT

Two old friends

dearchichi@yahoo.com — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 06:34:17 GMT

I'm back!

dearchichi@yahoo.com — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 06:51:17 GMT

Well, after about 6 months of a self-imposed hiatus, I'm back to my home on the Internet. And, apart from expressing myself in here about things I value, I sorely missed interacting with my LJ friends. And, just look at the stuff they have been up to, packing in vacations overseas, bird-watching trips, published articles, eco-tourism guidance to the uninitiated, purchases of status toys, visits to shacks that serve up delicious food and exchanging vows with their spouses all over again after decades of living with one another! It was a wonderful experience catching up with all the writing that they have put up while I was away.

The past months were used up to explore things that I haven't previously ventured into, like ingratiating myself with folks I would be seeing quite a bit, initiating myself with Kannada movies after years, learning about the components and textures of sarees, appreciating fine jewelery and their delicate construction, tuning my tone deaf ear to the phenomena of pitch variations in songs and having a close look at the lives of people who belong to the generations before mine. I have been exposed to some genuinely wealthy people and have sampled the lifestyles they lead, to those who are authentically generous at heart who don't twitch before splurging thousands on friends, to those who maintain a heartwarming camaraderie among their extended family members resulting in truly memorable bonding sessions. I have been witness to several demonstrations on the skill of nurturing a tremendous network of contacts, and how honest concern and genuine interest about the other person, put across through sweetly constructed sentences in an appropriately modulated tone, could win over people, whether they are film industry biggies, influential businessmen, retired super cops or the guy or girl next door. I have been awed by the affection showered upon the donors of monetary benefits by beneficiaries during their times of want even years after the events, by those who impress with their knowledge about maintaining huge agricultural estates while walking around in them and by the gay attitudes of those who have had to shoulder a cascade of soul-crushing troubles during their lives. I have valued my interaction with those who detail various facets of the plenty of food we have sampled, to those young kids who can strip you naked by accurately verbalizing your most private thoughts only by sitting in front of you and the hundreds of miles all of us have clocked together in my beloved car.

My partner and I have experienced a "rainbow of emotions" the past few months, from helplessness due the general stressors of wedding events and the work leading up to it, to the joy of discovering a soul with whom each could express and realize oneself. And, together with my Mother-about whom I have discovered quite a bit more through the eyes of my wife-, we hope to lead lives less ordinary.

At Priya Simran's

dearchichi@yahoo.com — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 20:42:59 GMT

Saree Trial

A few common ones

dearchichi@yahoo.com — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 19:22:07 GMT

On turning 30...

dearchichi@yahoo.com — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 09:02:00 GMT

The only time you really live fully is from thirty to sixty. The young are slaves to dreams; the old servants of regrets. Only the middle-aged have all their five senses in the keeping of their wits. - Teddy Roosevelt

***

My new toy, among the most timely and useful of gifts I have received. Thanks a lot, Archi! :-)

Mr. Sleek

dearchichi@yahoo.com — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 21:05:47 GMT

A River Tern with it's catch.