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Tiffinbox is brought to you by Seshu Photography providing professional wedding, event, portrait, family and lifestyle photography in Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Vermont, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire and around the world.

Please visit www.seshu.net to learn more about how you can commission Seshu to photograph your Indian or multi-ethnic or multi-faith wedding, family or business event, or reserve a time for a fun and relaxed portrait session!

Change Is In The Air

The leaves have fallen. The winter chill has set in. More time will be spent indoors than out. That's just how it is going to be. I don't expect to be traveling much for the next few months, so I have taken it upon myself to make some changes. Small changes and big changes.

This blog will look, feel and be different. I am hoping for a mid-December re-launch; consider it an early Christmas present to you and myself. I don't want to over promise you anything. But the changes will be happy ones for photographers working in South Asia and for writers, artists and musicians of South Asian origin.

If my silence here has been deafening (grin), I hope the new website will be a symphony to your ears and eyes.

Meanwhile, email me with your suggestions and links to cool people and projects that I should know about and blog, at tiffinbox (at) pipalproductions (dot) com. I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Follow The Election Results Here

Links for October 9, 2008

What Remains: The Life And Work Of Sally Mann documentary screening. The movie, "follows Mann as she embarks on a new project, exploring the subject of death and inevitable decay."

Changing Ideas – "We assist charities and other individuals, including photographers and journalists, by providing effective, practical and pragmatic support to achieve lasting, effective and above all measurable change."

I want a kite-mounted camera like Yvan's

James Nachtwey's TED Prize Wish

Photojournalist James Nachtwey "is the winner of the 2007 TED Prize, awarding him $100,000 and one wish to change the world. This was his wish: "I'm working on a story that the world needs to know about. I wish for you to help me break it in a way that provides spectacular proof of the power of news photography in the digital age."

He will be announcing his wish TODAY - October 3, 2008.

What's the TEDPrize?

"The TED Prize was created as a way of taking the inspiration, ideas and resources that are generated at TED and using them to make a difference. Although the winners receive a prize of $100,000 each, that's the least of what they get. The real prize is that they are granted a WISH. A wish to change the world."

[Via APAD]

The Chennai Photo Workshop On October 8, 2008

UPDATE: DUE TO A RELIGIOUS HOLIDAY HERE IN CHENNAI, THIS WORKSHOP HAD TO BE CANCELED. I REGRET ANY INCONVENIENCE CAUSED TO YOU.

With a forthcoming trip to India, I figured I would rope in some friends to conduct a photography workshop in Chennai. I have "virtually" met so many people through this blog that I figured it was time to see some of them face-to-face.

Chandrachoodan Gopalakrishnan of Selective Amnesia and Mahesh Shantaram of The Contrarian readily accepted my idea and will now be leading the first Chennai Photo Workshop with me.

Mahesh Shantaram is a documentary photographer based in Bangalore. For his personal work and art, his interest lies in urban reality and vestiges of life in the city. For commercial work, he applies the aesthetics of documentary photography to weddings.

Chandrachoodan Gopalakrishnan is a writer and photographer (and goofball) from Chennai, India. Who, when not talking about himself in the third person, organizes a monthly Photowalk in his hometown.

Seshu Badrinath is a documentary wedding photographer and blogger based in the US. He spent 12 years in Chennai and called it "Madras" back then.

Who Should Attend:

20 of you photo-enthusiasts who want to advance your exploration and experiences of the visual world

Where:

Chennai, India. Venue: TBD

When:

October 8, 2008, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Please be on time as a professional courtesy to other participants and to the workshop leaders. [Anyone who is late will have to recite the inverse square law of light to us ]

What:

Each of us will have a presentation and then open it up to a round of questions and answers. We believe that this will be a collaborative forum, where we are likely to learn some new things from you as well.

How Much:

Rs. 3,500, includes lunch and a tea-break (gotta have one of those, right?) and potentially some other goodies. Payment at the door and only in cash. Indicate your interest to Chandru, who will keep a running tally on who is coming and how many will be in attendance.

What To Bring: You may choose to bring a camera, if you wish. Also, select 20 of your best images and have them critiqued by Seshu. Most of all, bring an open mind.

Here is what Mahesh will be discussing with you:

Soul Searching / seeking new inspiration into personal photography –

Photography courses are dousing nascent talent with an overdose of technical crap and rigid rules. This is a crisis, as I see it. Where do we look for inspiration and encouragement? The answer may surprise you. This session is for anyone who has even a fleeting interest in photography. It will be driven by a selection of audio-visuals that will leave you with more questions than answers.

Soul Selling / the pulls and pressures of commercial photography –

I keep getting asked whether photography as a full-time career pays well. What are the creative ways to answer this? How much soul-selling happens as we go from hobbyist to professional? This session is for those who have aspirations of getting into photography as a career. I'll share my experience, bust some myths, and say it like it is.

Chandru will tackle street photography and give us an overview of The Chennai Photowalk. Expect tips, techniques and funny anecdotes about walking the streets of Madras with a camera.

Seshu will address editing your images for presentation and may delve into off-camera lighting if time permits. He will also be available for individual 1/2 hour portfolio reviews. So, bring your portfolios!

After expenses are taken into account, the remaining amount will be donated to Sankara Nethralaya, the premier eye institution in India. We all think it is appropriate that a workshop about vision and photography benefits a organization that does so much to eliminate blindness in India.

Please note that there are only 20 spots open so that the workshop leaders and the participants have a fair chance of soaking up all that we have to offer each other. The kicker is that this workshop involves three people, who have never met each other, presenting their slant on photography and speaking from their hearts.

It's gonna be good. Perhaps, even great. We hope you can join us for the day to celebrate photography.

Bloggers: We could use your help to spread the word about this photography workshop. Could you please: 1) blog about this workshop on your site, 2) comment below or set a trackback from your site and 3) Do 1 & 2. Thank you!

Time, Inc. + Getty Images = Life.com

Go figure. Life is still kicking around! I just read this article about how Time, Inc. and Getty Images are coming together to launch Life.com.

Life must be a cat with nine lives, or something!

Pixelpipe – Finally A Simple Way To Distribute Images

This is way too cool and I had to share right away.

Pixelpipe is a new service that allows you to send one image, tagged and captioned to multiple accounts at once, so that you don't have to manually upload to each of your accounts.

A huge time saver, right? Right. Go check it out and sign up.

[Via Photojojo]

Links for September 23, 2008

Adobe launched Creative Suite 4 today [and, I just bought CS3 less than a year back. Should I upgrade?]

Dropbox, still in private beta, looks AWESOME for sharing files

Want to use music tracks with your slideshow ... legally? Triple Scoop Music may be just the answer.

onOne Exchange Presets for Lightroom and Photoshop

StudioLighting.net

I am now listed on NJWedding.com

Following Rae Hoffman's every word. Simply amazing writing about the business of blogging.

100 Photography Tips In 100 Days

Are you taking the 100 Day Challenge?

Zack Arias Speaks ... Now Listen Up!

No surprise here, but I am a huge fan of Atlanta-based photographer and teacher, Zack Arias. Go to his OneLight Workshop, anywhere before they sell out. They have opened so many doors for other photographers because their skill set has improved to such a great extent. The fact is the information he imparts isn't rocket-science, but his approach to problem solving in the field is

I also highly recommend his new 2-DVD set, which is instructional but not pedantic. I have mentioned the OneLight DVDs before so check that post out as well.

Anyway, as a Zack Arias blog-stalker, I came across two interviews with Zack that you should check out:

Here is the one on LightSource (podcast) and here is the one on F-Stop Beyond. [I have taken the liberty of embedding the audio player here below for the second interview].

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Please Vote Palin Off The VP Slot

Ok, the headline is a bit misleading. Sarah Palin is John McCain's VP choice and can't be voted off the ticket. Boo hoo.

But you can still let your opinion be counted for something. Personally, the woman scares the bejesus out of me. Her personal business with her daughter aside (I happen to think that's really none of our business), her hiring/firing policies, her ability to govern, her flip-flopping on earmarks ... are all fair game for scrutiny and it is plain as day that she is perhaps the most unqualified VP choice ever made. Let me be very clear about one thing – I am no misogynist. I absolutely think that a woman can be, no, will be President of the United States very soon. But Sarah Palin, in my mind, is simply not the right person for the job.

Check this link out – http://www.pbs.org/now/polls/poll-435.html

Now, go vote. If you think she is qualified to be VP, say yes. If not, say no. Easy-peesy.

[I wish there was a choice to vote – "&*CK NO!"]

Kodachrome About To Bite The Dust

The Associated Press has an article about Kodak's venerable Kodachrome film and it's imminent demise. Sad, very sad indeed!

Putting The Fun Back in Album Designs And Proofing

As a documentary wedding photographer, I custom-design albums for each of my clients. That's right. Every single album design is unique. No two clients will ever receive the same album design layout. Why? Simple. Each client is unique.

But this post is about a terrific set of Photoshop actions that photographer Andrew Funderburg has created called – Fundy's Solution On Steroids.

Andrew and I struck up a conversation and he has generously agreed to provide Tiffinbox readers a whopping 25% discount for the next two weeks when you use the following discount code: September08.

Check out the video tutorials that will help you set up the program. Dig deeper and you will find that Andrew also offers an Album Proofing program that will allow your clients to check out your awesome and, yes, unique album designs on their monitor and allow them to comment on the images and layout, giving you a faster turnaround on the album making process and more cash in your pocket.

For me, using Fundy's actions is a no-brainer. Click the banner below or the links above to buy Fundy's Solution on Steroids. Remember, you are getting an awesome set of actions at 25% till the end of September.

Links for September 16, 2008

The Musalman, India's (and perhaps the world's?) only hand-written Urdu newspaper

The portfolio of Sanjit Das [amazing work - now why hasn't anybody alerted me to this awesome photographer before?]

Sikhs in America

16 Inspirational Portrait Photography Techniques

Are you on the Blue List?

Stretch Your Canvas

Photo Diagrams – sometimes we like to be prepared with where we are going to place our studio lights. This little utility gives you the ability to sketch out your ideas, print them off and use them on a photo shoot. Pretty cool!

Pingg – Free online invites that look good in print as well

Dignity & Justice For All Of Us

To celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) is holding a photo competition based on the theme - 'Dignity and justice for all of us'.

They are looking for images that reflect the theme of the competition and provide a unique approach to a human rights subject. For some, the photograph will record a moment that celebrates dignity and justice; for others, it will capture fundamental rights and freedoms being recognized; or it may be an observance of what human rights means to you.

Entry categories - under 18 female, under 18 male, 18 and above. Great prizes and entry is free. Entries deadline is October 31, 2008. Entry forms and further details here.

Info provided to me by Sarah Bachman, Managing Director, Child Labor & the Global Village: Photography for Social Change.

Let Remarkablogger Jumpstart Your Traffic

It's been a long time since I posted here. I am looking at some options - perhaps moving my site, completely redesigning it or better yet having it redesigned by a pro who has the time to do it. My time these days are spent on my professional documentary wedding photography website and blog, so forgive me while I try and make a living.

The point of this post, however, is this. If you are a blogger and you aren't reading Remarkablogger on a daily basis, you are shooting yourself in the foot. Actually, make that both feet.

Michael Martine who runs Remarkablogger has a cool new opportunity for you bloggers who feel no link love from the world. Go, nay, run to his recent post about boosting your traffic and simply follow the directions there.

Then, wait and watch. Pretty cool, eh?

Links For July 31, 2008

"Photojournalism in the age of bytes and amateurs," reads a sub-head for a Columbia Journalism Review article about the state and status of photojournalism

Photographer Dane Sanders releases Fasttrack Photographer, the definitive new approach to successful wedding photography [Dane, a review copy would be nice ... hint ... hint]

100 Strangers

Photographer Dayanita Singh wins Robert Gardner Fellowship in Photography by Harvard University’s Peabody Museum of Archaeology

Victoria Bampton is the Lightroom Queen. Now kneel and read her blog!

The band I want to listen to live the most is Nomo

Save Polaroid

Search Engine Optimization For Photographers

Optimizing my wedding photography website for search engines has been a passion of mine. So much so that I sometimes dream about it. No jokes. I want to be on the first page of whatever search engine tickles you. Google. Yahoo! Or, the new Cuil. Being number one would be awesome, but I could settle for being on the first page, within the first six options please.

Recently I stumbled upon Washington, DC-based photographer Lara Swanson's blog. She also works at a firm full time dealing with the same SEO issues that have spurred on my REM cycles. Her article SEO for photographers was a God-send and I am already incorporating a few of the suggestions she makes there.

I went out on a limb and called her because she does offer limited number of free audits of photographer's sites. If you wanted her to actually implement the changes for you and optimize your site (why wouldn't you?), she does charge a nominal fee.

Whether you wanted to get a hold of her for a free audit or take your optimization to the next level, email her at [email protected]. Tell her I sent ya.

And, see you on page one too.

Nathan Golden On Vewd

Nathan Golden has a set of images published in a new website called Vewd about street children addicted to dendrite (a form of glue) in India. The images are heart-wrenching and not easy to view.

As Nathan writes in an email, "I feel the story on their site is a difficult but necessary one to tell." Check it out.

Getty And Flickr In Bed

Ok, it's not as insidious as my post title indicates, because like any deal, there will be winners and losers. Which one would you rather be? As always, please read the fine print to anything you sign up for.

If you have a Flickr account and want to get noticed by Getty read this interview off of Photo District News.

Nothing Fancy, Just a 35mm And Being There

My brother-in-law, Vinod, was in India recently visiting his folks, including his grand parents. Newly initiated into the world of digital photography, he had asked me what camera to buy. I get question a lot, as you can imagine. Fair enough. For someone starting out I think one of the best dSLRs out there is the Nikon D80. It performs fairly well using high ISO (ie. you can shoot in lower light than you think) and handles reasonably well given its data transfer is to a SD card.

So, Vinod bought a D80 and then wondered what lens to buy with it. It took me a nanosecond to recommend the Nikon 35mm f/2.0 lens. It's small, fast (uses a large aperture, again negating the need to bring out a flash) and best of all not very expensive. I eschew zoom lenses for beginners and in fact I am heading back to the land of prime lenses myself, because it greatly disciplines one in the art of composition. The zooming done in fixed focal length lenses is your feet. Move from one position to the next, to capture a different perspective of what you are seeing. Soon, moving into a scene and working a situation that is developing in front of you does become intuitive unless you are just tired or plain lazy.

Anyway, I am glad Vinod took my advice. He eventually bought a Nikon SB-600 flash unit as well, but check the image below that he created using available light. Do not doubt for a second that this was a fluke. It came from weeks of practice and persistence. And you can bet he has other amazing images like this one in his archive now. The kids (he has twins) will be so thrilled one day when they see what their parents have created for them. I can't stress enough the importance of documenting your family life in new and interesting ways. It ain't easy, but it sure ain't rocket science either.

Here Vinod's grand father cradles his great-grand daughter, Vera.