aS photoPreneur Judge speaks: tête-à-tête with Devendra Purbiya

There are few things that catch one’s imagination more than colors, lights and photographs. We, in aS photoPreneur saw hundreds of them flowing in from different corners of the nation, each unique and captivating in their own way.

For the uninitiated, aS photoPreneur is the ongoing nationwide online photography competition, organized by arbitSpeculations.com in its ambitious pursuit of connecting enthusiasts with the masters of the art.

They say, interaction is a two way river. The stage has been set, and the enthusiasts have communicated their hearts out with hundreds of beautiful images. In order to complete the dialogue, we thought of bringing none other than the judge, Mr. Devendra Purbiya himself, to share a few thoughts on photography techniques with the enthusiasts.

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aS: Greetings, Sir! We are really thankful to you for having taken out some time from your busy routine to share your thoughts with the readers of arbitSpeculations. Let’s begin with the basics. Say, I want to capture a good photograph. Could you tell us what are the steps I should follow in general?

DP: Yeah, sure! First thing first, you should choose an interesting subject. I agree that it’s the most challenging part. Then you need to choose an interesting viewpoint. It is really important to consider the lighting situation, i.e., whether the setting is back-lit, front-lit, silhouette etc., and adjust the view accordingly. After that you need to make sure that the best technical setting of the camera is applied, based on the conditions.

aS: We do see amateur photographers doing a lot of post processing. What are your views on that?

DP: Some bit of post processing is Okay, but don’t over-edit the image. It kills the photograph.

aS: Quite some insights on the steps there. How about sharing with us some more interesting points that work for you?

DP: There are some basic things that if followed can work wonders for any photograph. Let’s take them one by one.

1. Give space to your subject: Its good to have surrounding also in the frame to get the overall feel of the image. Too tight crops do not work at times. Also giving space in the direction where the subject is looking works better. Space in other direction usually does not add much to the frame.

2. Do not chip off: A subject with a portion chipped off is distracting, as that point becomes first point of view. Imagine a person with an ear chipped off.

3. Lines: If there are strong lines in the frame, make sure they do not give falling feeling, human eye is not used to seeing falling subjects. So aligning the image to a vertical line is a good practice. Perspectives in the image make it look interesting.

4. Eyes in focus: For portraits, keep eyes in focus. And do not take pictures in harsh sunlight.

5. Present a different viewpoint: Try to click image from a different perspective than the regular one.

6. Compose: When you try to frame the subject, make sure there are least distractions, and place the subject in the frame where it has maximum significance.

aS: Amazing insights there, Sir! Thanks you for We hope our readers would benefits from all these tips and ideas that you shared with us. Thank you for taking out some time from your busy schedule for our readers. We hope they would find this interaction interesting, and would learn some quickies to polish their photographic skills and senses. Let’s also wish all the participants of aS photoPreneur luck and hope that they keep travelling and keep clicking amazing photographs.

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(More information about the works and profile of Mr. Devenedra Purbiya can be obtained by clicking here.)

If you wish to participate in aS photoPreneur – the nationwide online photography contest, send (only one) self-clicked photograph on the theme ‘The colours of Travel’ to arbitphoto@gmail.com. The deadline is August 19th, 11:59:59pm. May the best photograph win!

Team arbitSpeculations

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Gangs of Wasseypur II: The Rampant Romance of Dubious Shadows and Brutal Bloodshed

Two shadows sit on a raised platform on a moony night under the shady sky of Wasseypur. One of them is too complex to be comprehended in their clam talks. In the beautifully blue frame filled with grey smoke of ganja that he had been smoking right from the beginning of the film, you see nothing happening. The tension grows, the soft background music begins to loud the conflict because you know he was there to kill. In the same frame, beautifully blue and grey, he quietly pulls out a knife, attacks and continues cutting the other shadow into pieces brutally until you sweat.

Oh yes! “Teri keh ke loonga!”

Gentlemen and ladies, say hello to Faisal Khan, our flawed hero who is expected to take the impending revenge of his grandfather and father from Ramadhir Singh. Brilliantly played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui, this character redefines “heroism” in Bollywood tragedy. His heroism lies in his subtlety. When he kills brutally, you appreciate his gunshots. When his people get killed, you mourn along with him.

Because you realize “baap ka… dada ka… sabka badla lega, Faisal Khan”.

Well, if you thought so, Anurag Kashyap will make you think again. There are so many other characters playing their games with shadows at different levels. You have to doubt each of them. Most of all, “Definite” who is son of Durga. He will struggle hard to win your trust. Or, take Guddu who is Faisal’s loyal. We have a blade man, “Perpendicular” and his loyal “Tangent”; both aspiring to be goons. They have their own story running parallel with Faisal’s revenge saga. From GoW I, comes Sultan with his own agenda. He cashes upon his links with Ramadhir Singh’s son to take his revenge from Faisal Khan and ends up killing his own sister Sama Praveen who was married to Danish Khan. The MLA son adds the conflict element in GoW II, yet shares his tragic story as he regresses into nobody from somebody. Amidst the high voltage mafia war, we have a very pretty Mohsina to calm things down. All this happens simultaneously when you sit without a seatbelt in the theater! 

Needless to say GoW II is one of rarest examples of a very well written, directed and executed multilayer film in the history of Bollywood cinema. Talking of rarity, lets not forget the intriguing background score and simply outstanding music. Most of the times, the background music plays against the mood of the scene creating a brilliant conflict leading to a surprise after the end of each cut. And before you are able to collect yourself back, it punches you back into your seat! You feel deceived. Again, the tension grows within a sophisticated cinematography of blood and war. You see them killing each other, yet the director successfully brings in light moments throughout the film. But each comic moment ends in tension. Extra marks to the director here! We were totally clueless about our own emotions at the end.

While exiting the theater in complete awe, it became difficult to realize that it wasn’t Dhanbad outside!

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