Trend Slaughter Fest II...The Slaughter Continues

The first edition of Trend Slaughter Fest featuring some of Asia's best underground bands was a roaring success and its no surprise that the organizers of the show decided to give the fans another blow of extreme underground madness. 

i am super thrilled to be covering the event as the self declared "official photographer" but enough of that and here's a brief description of the bands that are gonna be sharing the stage on that day.

Aperture Av mode in DSLR photography simple tutorial

Camera: Canon

Model: Canon EOS 5D Mark II

ISO: 800

Exposure: 1/40 sec

Aperture: 1.8

Focal Length: 50mm

Flash Used: No

Aperture? f stops? wide aperture? Depth of Field? Bokeh? i have been asked several times to explain what the big deal really is about apertures and shooting with Av mode on a DSLR or compact cameras. and so here is a simple tutorial explaining this ....

Aperture : is the opening or hole which controls the amount of light entering the lens. and please remember a large aperture means smallest f number like f 1.2, f 1.4, f 1.8, f 2.8 . its inversely proportional. ALWAYS. and similarly a narrow aperture means large f number like f 8 to f 22.

what and why are they useful?

most useful in photography as it conveys what exactly u what u want to convey or highlight or focus in a photo.

Simple tips to Frames within Frames In Photography

Simple tips to Frames within Frames In Photography

From creative pics II

Model: Canon EOS 60D

ISO: 3200

Exposure: 1/80 sec

Aperture: 4.0

Focal Length: 50mm

Flash Used: No

First let me ask myself some questions about framing and for your convenience , i shall answer them as well..

what is framing?

Its a simple technique in photography where the subject grabs immediate attention by the viewer

Why is framing done?

So that ur images look cool and different from the ordinary

How is framing done?

presence of mind and a good subject tops the list

Types of framing

2 important ones are portrait framing and object framing.

What ees Frames within Frames?

as the name suggests its "Frames within a frame". it could be a reflection of a mirror, books in a shelf, photo of a window or wall clock or just about anything.

Munz and Nirmal Visit my place

My good friend Munz along with Nithil Nirmal had come to my place yesterday, the 20th Of November 2011.

Munz is like the rock star of photography and Nithil owns the first photography studio back in Kannur called Minerva Studios which was started by his grand father 85 years back!!

had an amazing time, Munz got to experiment with his newly purchased 7D camera and we took a lot of indoor , outdoor, telephoto and landscape pics

posting some of my fav photos from yesterday

Canon 60D

Glass - EF 70 to 200 mm f 2.8 L IS II USM

Aperture - f 4

Shutter - 1/40

ISO - 400

Focal Length - 168 mm

Flash - speedlite 580 EX II, bounced off ceiling

From november 20, 2011 munz and nirmal flats visit

Tips to Taking Candid Shots at Weddings

Tips to Taking Candid Shots at Weddings by Pritham D'Souza

From Candid Photography at Weddings

Its a never ending headache for a photographer to carry the right lens at weddings. a few of them depend on a general walk around lens like EF 24 to 105 mm f 4 L IS lens which is an excellent choice offering group shots and even medium telephoto range to capture those precious moments.

for the others, there's the always dependable EF 70 to 200 mm f 2.8 L IS II which renders sharp images even at very low light and is a super fast lens with wide aperture of 2.8

i did the right thing and carried both of them and used them extensively at a wedding i covered few months back.

below are some photos i clicked using EF 24 to 105 mm f 4 L IS USM lens

Forsaken - Hemispheres Album Review

Forsaken - Hemispheres Album Review by Bed Pan Boy

From Forsaken - Hemispheres (2011)

Forsaken are a 6 member metal band that hail from Bangalore, India and have been pretty active ever since their formation in 2009.

and before i pigeon hole them into being a "contemporary metal band" playing "this" kind of metal" i decided to give a good listen to their album and here is what i really think...

Lightning Photography simple tips

Lightning Photography simple tips by Pritham D'Souza

From lightning

Here's another Lightning shot added to the millions of Lightning shots thats available on the internet...i took this pic last night (October 25, 2011) from my apartments in Mangalore, India. its not supposed to be raining this time of the year, however one needs to make most of the situation and stop cribbing.

decided to try out Lightning shots....

ok i still dont have a tripod and sooo had to use a table and stool and kept the camera in various positions before i got a chance to release the shutter.

its not really about speed here. capturing Lightning shots is made easy using a very very slow shutter also known as long exposures. If u have a DSLR or a good digital camera with manual controls, u must have seen the mode dial which shows "bulb" option.

How to get good Slow Shutter Shots and Switching off Image Stabilization when using a Tripod

How to get good Slow Shutter Shots and Switching off Image Stabilization when using a Tripod by Pritham D'Souza

From Club Mahindra Goa

I clicked this pic when i was holidaying in Goa at Club Mahindra Beach Resort and this was the best time to experiment with slow shutter.

notice how the water is giving a silky smooth effect which only adds to the uniqueness of the photo.

i achieved this using the following steps

1200 Year Old Mangaldevi Temple captured with EF 70 to 200 mm f 2.8 L IS II

1200 Year Old Mangaldevi Temple captured with EF 70 to 200 mm f 2.8 L IS II

Mangala Devi Temple in Mangalore, India is over 1200 years old built around the 9th Century. "Mangalore" is named after this famous temple which houses the Goddess Mangala and hence the name "Mangala Ooru" which translates to "City of Mangala" and the Anglicized version MANGALORE

From mangaldevi temple

this was my very first attempt at capturing a temple and i decided to start with one of the oldest and most famous temples in Mangalore. no photography was allowed inside the temple premises , but i somehow managed to get in a few shots using my superb Canon EF 70 to 200 mm f 2.8 L IS II USM glass.

Katpady Village shot using ND filter on canon EF 24 to 105 mm f 4 L IS wide angle

Katpady Village shot using ND filter on canon EF 24 to 105 mm f 4 L IS wide angle

From katpady in pics

Katpady is a tiny village hamlet near Udupi in Karnatata and its also the ancestral home of my future In Laws.

the name is Tulu language means "Kattu Paadi" which in english translates to "Tie it down"

i have no idea what needs to be tied down and where, but it was another great day to shoot photos with my canon 60D along with EF 24 to 105 mm f 4 L is glass with ND4X filter.

Shooting Landscapes with an ND filter and 24 to 105 mm f 4 L IS wide angle Lens

Shooting Landscapes with an ND filter and 24 to 105 mm f 4 L IS wide angle Lens

From mother nature father nothing 2

The view from my place here in Mangalore is absolutely stunning. I live at probably the highest elevation, and i can see the Arabian Sea just outside my window.

The golden hour in the evening is when the rays of the sun start to give a fantastic orange and red discharge and it looks really great esp if one shoots with ND Filters.

Impending Doom II September 25, 2011 Review by Bed Pan Boy

Impending Doom II September 25, 2011 Review by Bed Pan Boy

From people at Impending doom

Impending Doom metal fest was held on September 25, 2011 at one of Bangalore's most famous venues Kyra Theater and originally was supposed to have some of the best mainstream and not so mainstream Indian metal bands belt out their grooves in front of their fans.

The original line up had Exumation (Mumbai), Undying Inc (Delhi), 1833 AD (Delhi) play with local metal acts viz Gorified, Bevar Sea, Pillbox 666 and Kryptos.

Black and White Photography at Concerts with Canon EF 24 to 105 mm f4 L IS lens

Black and White Photography at Concerts with Canon EF 24 to 105 mm f4 L IS lens

From kryptos at Impending doom

Black and White photography is by far my favorite when compared to color photography. u really cant go wrong with B&W pics and when the exposure is bang on , the photos look the best and very dramatic.

I attended a gig in Bangalore called Impending Doom and wanted to experiment with my newly acquired Canon EF 24 to 105 mm f 4 L IS USM glass. i had previously used the lens , extensively to cover a 3 day wedding ceremony and it perfectly complimented the Canon 580 exII speedlite. but this event was way way tougher to capture

some of the constraints of shooting i faced were

The Down Troddence and Cypher 16 gig review

The Down Troddence and Cypher 16 gig review

I have been friends with rocker Munz from his Kannur based contemporary metal band The Down Troddence for sometime now, but never had the opportunity to see them live. So when they came down to Bangalore to perform , i jumped at the chance to meet them and also check them out live.

after the usual meet and greet, i was told that the concert would be starting a bit late. and no bands were allowed to do a sound check. and when i got there at around 5pm, i could see only about 10 guys present, which included the bouncer, the organizer and TDT the band. hmmm

From people at the gig at kyra, 23 sept 2011

soooo about 45 minutes later, the first band takes stage.

Mehandi designs captured using Canon 24 to 105 mm f 4 L IS lens

From mehandi

My first Mehandi shoot. For those of u who dunno what it means, here is what wiki says " Weddings in the India can often be long ritualistic and elaborate affairs with many pre-wedding, wedding and post wedding ceremonies. The occasion of Mehndi ceremony is often one of the most important pre-wedding rituals especially for the bride. It is a fun filled ritual, which is celebrated mainly by the bride's family. Different regions of the country celebrate the ritual in a different way according to their own marriage customs, rituals, and culture. Mehndi ceremonies take place outside the India amongst the Indian community and places like Birmingham in the UK are such known hotspots for lavish Mehndi celebrations.

The ceremony is mainly held at the bride's house or at a banquet hall on the eve of the marriage ceremony or few days before the marriage. Generally the bride and groom attend the event together and on the occasion a professional henna artist or a relative applies mehndi to the bride's hands and feet the designs are very intricate. Often hidden within the mehndi pattern the name or initials of the groom are applied. The event generally has a celebratory festival feel to it with the women dancing and singing traditional songs and the girls wearing vivid colours such as hot pink and yellow, often if the bride to be wishes to tease her future groom she will make him wear purple."

Now that we know what it means now, here are some moments i captured at my friends Mehandi ceremony

gear used Canon 60D + EF 24 to 105 mm f 4 L IS USM glass + Canon Speedlite 580EX II

and to get better results i bounced the flash of the ceiling.

Alien Bug gets eaten by a WASP captured using Canon EF 100 mm macro lens

From alien bug we come in peace

At first, it looked like it came from the movies. i was clicking pics of the amazing , green colored soft bodied insect which looked like a lady bug that had entered a drag queen competition, when suddenly, outta nowhere, a hungry wasp comes and stings the little fella and devours it right in front of my eyes!!!

i was pretty stunned myself, but i somehow managed to get the shots that i needed.... sad ending to what would have been a cool photo shoot

aperture was set to f 5.6 most of the times to get good depth of field throughout

Insect that looks like a dog captured using Canon Ef 100 mm macro lens

From dog insect

I call the above "Dog Insect" coz it resembles a friendly dog with its tongue out. well, incests dont really have tongues, but this one looks like its got its tongue out.

got a very clear shot of the insect using EF 100 mm f 2.8 macro lens, manual mode and i increased the f stop number to 5.6 to get better depth of field.

The above photo was also featured on the site www.picturesocial.com

Colorful Insect Captured using canon 100 mm Macro lens

From rudolph

One of the most colorful insects i have ever witnessed....the plant hopper was very camera friendly, allowed me to take a few good pics before it hopped away into the sheets of grass.

look closer at the body of the insect. u can see the number "713" on it

60D with EF 100 mm f 2.8 macro used to capture this remarkable insect

capturing Water droplets with flash and 100mm macro lens

From am really wet right now

Not too happy with my previous effort of getting water droplets using a fast shutter and a macro lens, i decided to change my location and also the camera settings to get some good macro shots of water droplets .

Few pointers of what i did that day

Grand Fathers of Indian extreme metal Dying Embrace at Trend Slaughter Fest 2011

From dying embrace @ TSF, march 19, 2011

The oldest extreme metal band in India, Dying Embrace was formed in 1991 in Bangalore. heavily influenced by bands like Black Sabbath, Autopsy, St. Vitus, Trouble and Candlemass, DE recently played their 20 anniversary gig to a packed house at Kyra, Bangalore.

I have deliberately clicked several pics here at higher ISO levels to give a noisy grainy feel to the photos as a tribute to how old the band are.

Bangalore Thrashers Culminant captured live at Trend Slaughter Fest 2011

From culminant @ TSF , March 19, 2011

Culminant are a Bangalore based thrash metal band and i got to see them for the first time at The Undergrind fest a few months before i clicked these pics.

Armed with my 60D and the under rated kit lens Ef 18 to 200 mm f 3.5 to 5.6 IS USM lens, i got some really good pics at low light. the IS or Image Stabilization helped me to get very good shots without the crappy camera shake.

WASP captured using fast shutter and canon 100 mm macro lens

From transformers bumble bee

a yellow and black striped wasp was building a mud nest at the entrance of our garage and i thanked my lucky stars for being there at the right time with my 100 mm f 2.8 macro. i also thanked my lucky stars again for not being stung by the scary but amazing insect known for not being too friendly to people.

Fast shutter to capture Butterflies and Moths with canon 100 mm macro lens

From iron butterfly (Canon EOS 60D)

A challenging feature in macro photography is using really fast shutter speeds to freeze the action of tiny insects.

Capturing Bees using Fast Shutter and Canon 100 mm Macro lens

From flight of the humble bee (Canon EOS 60D)

One of my fav photos, macro photography has taught me a lot about patience.

i clicked the photos here in broad daylight , in the morning, when pollination and bee activity is pretty good.

Ant on a Cashew shot using Macro mode

From ant on cashew (Canon EOS 60D)

Shooting macro can be really fun if the subject is pretty still. A brilliantly colored ant caught me eye and i had encountered this ant before when i was at the receiving end of its terribly painful bite. So i was very careful this time and used my trusty Canon EF 100 mm f 2.8 macro to capture some good images.

Cashew Flowering captured using 100 mm macro lens

From cashew flowers (Canon EOS 60D)

One of my favorite photos, which was also featured at www.picturesocial.com

for the over all effect, i used the warm tone in the creative mode in my Canon 60D and shot in RAW format to further enhance the image .

Fast Shutter to Capture Water Droplets

From water droplets (Canon EOS 60D)

I was always fascinated with several water droplet photos and so wanted to see if i could achieve something similar with just my basic canon 60D and 100 mm f 2.8 macro lens.

Brahmin Wedding Rituals Explained with Photos

A series of 19 photos explaining the rituals involved in Brahmin weddings.

1. Vratham
2. Janavasam
3. Upanayanam
4. Gowri Pooja
5. Kasi Yatra (Pilgrimage to Kasi)
6. Oonchal
7. Kanya Danam
8. Sumuhurtam (The Auspicious Moment)
9. Malai Mathal
10. Kankana Dhaarana
11. Mangalya Dharanam
12. Binding in Thread
13. Talambralu (Rice and Petal Shower)
14. Paani Graharam
15. Saptha Padhi
16. Pradhana Homam
17. Treading on Grindstone
18. Laaja Homam
19. Finale

I definitely would have missed a few rituals in the middle or even at the end, but i have tried my best to explain why the whole wedding ceremony takes a few hours to finish.

From Typical South Indian Brahmin Wedding

The marriage ceremonies begin with vratham performed separately by the bride and the groom. For the bride, it means the tying of the kappu, the holy thread on her wrists, which is meant to ward off all evil sprits. It symbolizes a kind of protective armor for the bride

Macro Photos of Colorful shiny Beetle

From beetle bailey

another beautiful day for macro shooting and i was pretty lucky to have stumbled upon not one but 2 very tiny but shiny beetles.

Portrait and Wedding close ups

My first attempt at taking wedding candid portraits... sounds pretty weird to have the words portraits and candid in the same sentence. but thats exactly what i did.

equipped with my newly acquired EF 24 to 105 mm 4L IS lens and Canon speedlite 580EX II, the results were much better than i expected.

Old man Ploughing fields

It was a crisp morning and i decided to take my new bazooka Ef 70 to 200 mm f 2.8 L IS II lens for some test shots and i was fortunate enough to find the 81 year old neighbor farmer Ramanna, ploughing his paddy fields with his 2 deaf ox

Canon Macro lens photography - Red Pumpkin Beetle Close up 3

red pumpkin beetle with black and orange colors captured using Canon EF 100 mm f/2.8 macro USM lens

photo properties

• Shutter Speed - 1/160 sec
• Aperture - f/5.6
• Focal Length - 100 mm
• ISO - 320

Canon Macro lens photography - Red Pumpkin Beetle Close up 2

another pic captured using Canon EF 100 mm f/2.8 macro USM of red pumpkin beetle on the move sitting on a bottle gourd leaf

photo properties

• Shutter Speed - 1/160 sec
• Aperture - f/5.6
• Focal Length - 100 mm
• ISO - 200

Canon Macro lens photography - Red Pumpkin Beetle Close up

Red Pumpkin beetle which is a major pest in almost all cucurbits captured here using Canon EF 100 mm f/2.8 macro USM lens.

photo properties

• Shutter Speed - 1/160 sec
• Aperture - f/5.6
• Focal Length - 100 mm
• ISO - 320

Canon Macro Lens Photography Tip of a Flower

Tip of a flower captured using Canon EF 100 mm f/2.8 USM macro lens.

photo properties

• Shutter Speed - 1/125 sec
• Aperture - f/5.6
• Focal Length - 100 mm
• ISO - 200

Dog Portrait close up in Canon EOS 60 D part 4

Capturing a sleepy dogs 'wink' using Canon EOS 60 D

Photo Properties

• Shutter Speed - 1/4 sec
• Aperture - F/5
• ISO - 1000
• Focal Length - 18 mm

Dog Portrait close up in Canon EOS 60 D part 3

Close up shot in monochrome preset in Program mode using Canon EOS 60 D

Photo Properties

• Shutter Speed - 1/4 sec
• Aperture - F/5
• ISO - 1000
• Focal Length - 18 mm

Dogs soulful eyes captured in Canon EOS 60 D

Zita resting in her fav lazy chair... emotions captured using Canon EOS 60 D

Photo Properties

• Shutter Speed - 1/5 sec
• Aperture - F/5
• ISO - 1000
• Focal Length - 18 mm

Dog Portrait close up in Canon EOS 60 D part 2

Zita captured using portrait setting in 'Program' mode, monochrome setting mild, Canon EOS 60 D

Photo Properties

• Shutter Speed - 1/5 sec
• Aperture - F/5
• ISO - 1000
• Focal Length - 18 mm

Dog Portrait close up in Canon EOS 60 D

Portrait setting selected in 'Program' mode
Monochrome setting medium

Zita captured using Canon EOS 60 D

Photo Properties

• Shutter Speed - 1/4 sec
• Aperture - F/5
• ISO - 1000
• Focal Length - 18 mm

Zita close up black and white portrait 1

Cropped image of my dog zita's close up captured in black and white using Canon EOS 60 D

Photo Properties

• Shutter Speed - 1/5 sec
• Aperture - F/5
• ISO - 1000
• Focal Length - 18mm

Zita's cold nose

Zita has a really cold nose, Captured using Canon EOS 60 D

Photo Properties

• Shutter Speed - 1/5 sec
• Aperture - F/5
• ISO - 1000
• Focal Length - 18 mm

Zita on her bed

Zita sitting on her bed, captured by Canon EOS 60 D

photo properties

• Shutter Speed - 1/13 sec
• Aperture - F/5.6
• ISO - 3200
• Focal Length - 90 mm

Zita lazy

Zita lazing around after a good meal, captured using Canon 60 D

Photo Properties

• Shutter Speed - 1/3 sec
• Aperture - F/5
• ISO - 1000
• Focal Length - 70 mm

Zita the Labrador posing 3

Zita my labrador captured using Soft focus creative filter in my Canon EOS 60D

Photo Properties

• Shutter Speed - 1/60 sec
• Aperture - F/4.5
• ISO - 400
• Focal Length - 50 mm

Zita the Labrador posing 2

Zita captured using Soft focus creative filter in Canon EOS 60D

Photo properties

• Shutter speed - 1/60 sec
• Aperture - F/5.6
• ISO - 400
• Focal Length - 135 mm

Zita the Labrador posing 1

Zita my Labrador loves to pose for the camera.

Photo properties

• Shutter Speed - 1/8 sec
• Aperture - F/5
• ISO - 3200
• Focal Length - 60 mm

Cat portrait using Canon EOS 60D tilt screen

Cat captured using the tilt and swivel screen in Canon EOS 60D

Photo Properties

• Shutter Speed - 1/8 sec
• Aperture - F/5.6
• ISO - 3200
• Focal Length - 100 mm

Cat Eyes

Cats eyes highlighted using miniature effect in Canon EOS 60D

Photo Properties

• Shutter Speed - 1/60 sec
• Aperture - F/5.6
• ISO - 400
• Focal Length - 120 mm

Cat Yawning

Cat Yawning captured using Canon EOS 60D

Photo Properties

• Shutter speed - 1/60 sec
• Aperture - F/4.5
• ISO - 400
• Focal Length - 50 mm