I visited New York City just before Thanksgiving holidays. It was my first trip to the city after 12 years. It was a little over 12 years ago (August 12th 1997) that I first set foot in the United States. I did not get to see anything that day as I had a connecting flight to catch. This time I wanted to take in as much as humanly possible. The hotel we were staying in was right next door to MOMA and naturally was the first place to go see. I was pleased to see quite a few users of film cameras hanging around and one adventurous soul even had his Rolleiflex with him.
The above photo was taken just outside the area where crowds were gathered for a sneak peak of Tim Burton’s Exhibit. It was open only for members and select guests of MOMA so we were a bit disappointed. I did however manage to grab some cool information cards from the exhibit. The chairs were occupied all the time, but when I saw that they were empty for a brief moment I just had to swing the camera around and grab a quick shot. What do you think?
I was telling someone over lunch that photography changed the way I look at the world. Before I purchased my first camera, I would go around my business, never took in my surroundings, and almost always never interacted with locals. That changed after I started photographing, I started noticing and appreciating my surroundings more and more. When I look at a building I wonder what was the architect thinking when he drew the plans. When I look at an old and decaying tree stump I try to look for the beauty in its rotting structure. That was the case when I took the photo above. I was coming back from a weekend trip to Lake Patoka about which I blogged last year and instead of barreling down the interstate I decided to take one of the side roads. This road was not paved at all. It was gravel and the going was a bit rough. As I kept driving down this path I noticed this meadow to my left and how beautiful it looked as the sun was rising. I pulled to the side of the road, set up my camera, and got to work before the sun got too high and the light too harsh. The camera I used was a Hasselblad 500C/M with a 60mm Distagon Lens + Polarizer and the film used was Fuji NPC160 Color Print Film. I am sure many have driven down that gravel road before, but I don’t think anyone ever stopped where I did and took a photograph to preserve that moment in time and space. This photo has given me ideas for other projects that I plan to pursue this year.
Your landscapes are around you. You don’t have to travel to some exotic locale or National Park – look around you, keep your camera handy, and more importantly keep your eyes open.
Mira and I visited New York city this past week to see Julie who was already there for a meeting. From what I can tell Mira loved the city. We stayed at a hotel close to Times Square and pretty much walked around checking out the sights. We spent a whole morning in Central Park and could manage only to cover about 20% of it. The above is a photo of Mira at the Bethesda Fountain. Unfortunately the roll of film I shot got ruined by Airport X-Rays (my on fault) and only has a few usable frames.
Ever wonder where people go to take a vacation from a vacation? I think I found the answer this past weekend at the White Oaks Cabins near Patoka Lake. White Oaks Cabins are located right in the heart of the Hoosier National Forest in Taswell IN, a 3 hour 170 mile car ride from Indianapolis. White Oaks was founded by Bob Cadwallader, a veteran social worker, in 1995 on 45 acres of land he had originally acquired to build a homeless children’s shelter.
Those plans changed due to some unforeseen bureaucratic challenges and White Oaks was born. Bob, a very spiritual man and in tune with nature, is proud of his Welch ancestry. One can find ample evidence in the names that he chose for his cabins and the various paths around the property.
I got to White Oaks after Sun down and I immediately the number of stars in the night sky. It is as if someone just turned on a bazillion little LEDs all at once. I stared at them for a few moments before being greeted by one of Bob’s assistants (I apologize for not remembering her name). The office was warm and welcoming and Bob made me feel right at home. We talked for a few minutes and he handed me a few guest books to read. His point was simple – rather than have him tell me why White Oaks was a special place he let his guests do the talking. I read through some that night and more the following morning over breakfast. What I quickly learnt was that for some folks coming to White Oaks was like therapy. They chose to come there for a variety of reasons – mend broken relationships, rekindle friendships, family reunions, de-stress, or just to get away from it all. Almost all of them left feeling better than when they came.
I was lucky enough to stay at Castle Genevieve, a cabin Bob built to honor the memory of his Grand Parents Anthony and Genevieve. A notable feature of the cabin is the 35 foot tower aptly named “Tower of Anthony” which looks great at night when lit.
The cabin is well appointed with a kitchen and comfortably sleeps a family or group of six. The decor is eclectic and one can even find a replica of a medieval sword going up the stairs to the bedrooms. A word of warning to those that cannot live without TV or Internet – there are no televisions or internet access. You will be lucky to get a cell phone signal , which I found out could be quite tricky. I had what one could describe as “withdrawal” symptoms. It felt wired to not have a TV running in the background or some other electronic noise.
The next day I woke up to the sound of birds and a gentle breeze outside. The weather was perfect and a balmy 70 degrees. I visited the main office once more before heading out to the lake. I was greeted at the entrance to the office by Bob’s Chocolate Lab “Big Red”.
Short on time I decided to visit Marengo Caves which were just a few miles away. Southern Indiana is known for its rich geological features and the caves are a treasure. Since I had my daughter Mira with me I took the shorter “Crystal Palace” tour which lasted about 45 minutes. The views are breathtaking and it is amazing that there is so much geological activity going on even today. The temperature inside the cave was an even 52 degrees – which answers the question as to where the cavemen chilled their beer .
I drove around for a little while trying to look for a place to eat. You will quickly find out that there are none of the “modern” amenities that us city folks are used to such as McDonalds or Subway. I ended up all the way in French Lick before I found a place. I should have asked for Bob’s advice before heading out about food places – may be next time. French Lick is home to the renowned West Baden Springs Hotel. I did not get a chance to tour the place as I had to meet some family back at the cabin. Later that evening we made a camp fire out in the meadow and cooked some hotdogs and bratwurst. We also made some smores and had a great time. I woke up the next day wishing I could stay there longer but life waits and it doesn’t like to be put on hold. I went by the office one last time to checkout and return the guest books. As I drove down the gravel path towards the exit I made a promise to myself, like many others before me that came to White Oaks, that I will be back.
For More Information Contact:
Bob Cadwallader
Information: (812) 338-3120 / Reservations: (877) 338-3120
White Oaks Cabins
2140 North Morgan Road
Taswell, Indiana 47175
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Accommodations Provided by:
White Oaks Cabins
2140 North Morgan Road
Taswell, Indiana 47175
We all know that India is a favorite destination for many established and budding photographers. However I notice the same subjects photographed over and over again to the point that I have come to expect them even before checking their portfolios out. Here is a list of what I think are the Top 10 Cliches counting down from 10 to 1:
10. A tribal chief (usually Rajasthan) in a colorful turban twirling his mustache., saturation jacked way up.
9. A group of men with weather- beaten faces sitting on charpoi (Indian version of a cot) usually under a tree, B&W treatment for special effect.
8. A group of tourist friendly and just plain curious children posing just to have their photo taken.
7. A busy street packed with shops and shoppers usually shot in color with saturation jacked up again.
6. Cows or Monkeys depending on what is available to photograph and safe.
5. Any Jodhpur or Jaipur landscape, usually with blue or orange walls for effect.
4. Tribal / desert dwellers and their colorful attires, sometimes dancing with flames and twirling flaming sticks, with a setting sun as backdrop.
3. Sadhus or other holy men, usually naked, covered is ash or other colorful stuff.
2. Ganges and its many worshipers in Beneras/Varanasi/Haridwar.
1. Taj Mahal, these days the HDR version is very popular.
That is what I could come up with, please add your own cliches if I missed something.
P.S. Somebody forgot to tell that there is a whole lot more to India if one ventured beyond the Tropic of Cancer that divides the country into two halves – you know something we like to call South India.
Yesterday was an interesting day weather wise for Indianapolis and surrounding areas. I was working with some friends when suddenly the sky opens up with a torrential downpour accompanied by strong wind gusts. We were done meeting around 1:00 PM in the afternoon. Even though it was still raining, I headed home grabbed my camera and ran to Crown Hill Cemetery, the 3rd largest in the United States and the final resting place for President Benjamin Harrison and other notable figures that made Indiana home. I thought the grey overcast skies, the wet roads, and the empty cemetery would allow me to take some neat photographs. I wasn’t worried about my camera getting wet but I did make sure that I the areas where water could get in were well protected. I also took my handheld meter just in case to make sure I had the right exposure values even though the built-in-meter was working. I wasn’t disappointed by my outing. Although the wind took out some trees and there were dead branches everywhere I was still able to get around without much trouble and the best part I had the cemetery all to myself and the best vantage points were empty with no tourists wandering into your carefully composed shot at the last minute. The photo you see above is that of the Gothic Chapel on the Cemetery grounds. Here are the technical details of the photo:
Camera Used: Canon Canonet QL17 GIII
Film: Fuji Neopan 400
Exposure: 1/30 sec @ F/16
Developer: Kodak HC110 at 68ºF for 10 minutes
Scanner: Nikon Coolscan 8000 at 2000 dpi, adjustments and final edits made in Lightroom and Photoshop.
For more information on Crown Hill Cemetery please visit their website at http://www.crownhill.org
Other photos from that same shoot at Crown Hill Cemetery:
This past week something interesting happened to me. On three different occasions, I had three different encounters with total strangers who wanted to talk to me about my cameras and my technique. The first time this happened was right here in Indianapolis, at the Mall. One of the security guards saw my Canon Canonet QL17 Rangefinder and his face lit up. The last time I ran into a security guard at the mall I got a warning. I thought I was in some trouble for walking around with a camera around my neck. But I was in for a surprise, apparently it was the same model camera he had on his tour of Vietnam. We chatted for a few minutes about equipment and black and white film processing and parted ways. That encounter made my day.
The second encounter happened in Chicago’s China Town neighborhood.
I walked into one of the bakeries and the woman behind the counter noticed my camera (the Canonet again) and told me how her family used the same camera a long time ago. She had a big smile on her face and couldn’t believe that someone would still be using a 40 year old camera.
I got some mango pudding, chatted with her and told my wife about what happened later that day. The third and final encounter happened on Michigan Av again in Chicago. I was setting up for a shot with my Hasselblad Camera when a father and his daughter walked up to me and started talking. They wanted to know everything about the camera, and were impressed at the build quality of my almost 30 year old camera and lens. The daughter had a Nikon D90 around her neck but you could tell that after the 10 minute conversation we had she was seriously considering film. I gave them some tips on how to find good deals on Ebay for Hasseblads and older Nikon cameras. Later that day it occurred to me that at no point did anyone ever stop and ask me about my Nikon D70 Digital SLR. There was something about these two old cameras that I own that made people stop and strike up a conversation.
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About PK {Prabhakar} Koduri
PK is a marketer, thinker, and fine art photographer from Indianapolis, IN. This blog is a primary source of information on all his projects and personal thoughts on photography and any other subject that grabs his attention. And yes you will see the occasional off-topic post on here as well.
, which I found out could be quite tricky. I had what one could describe as “withdrawal” symptoms. It felt wired to not have a TV running in the background or some other electronic noise.
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