V-I-B-G-Y-O-R

Monday, November 5, 2012

পূজা পরিক্রমা ২০১২ (Durga Puja 2012)

In last 10 years, it was only second time that I was in my home with family during Durga puja festival - the numero uno bengali (bong) festival.

শিউলি ফুল (Night-flowering Jasmine)- the flower of durga puja (along with lotus)

Traveled as much as possible during the entire festival - from one pandal to another and captured as many as possible. Now it is the time to share with you and to make you familiar (who is not) with Devi Durga or in our mother-tongue মা দূর্গা.

মহা সপ্তমী (Maha Saptami)

We were in Krishnagar (district town) and covered all the major pujas there.

Ray Bari, Krishnagar

@ Ray Bari, Krishnagar

RAJ Bari, Krishnagar

@ RAJ Bari, Krishnagar

Pandal of Ghurni Tarun Sangha

@ Ghurni Tarun Sangha

@ Zodiac, Krishnagar

@ College Street, Krishnagar

@ Mangalik, Krishnagar

@ Malopara, Krishnagar

We also visited the famous Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math and Sree Sree Sidheswari Kali Mandir:

@ Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math, Krishnagar

@ Sree Sree Sidheswari Kali Mandir, Krishnagar

We ended up the day with Square Park at Kalyani A-block:

Pandal of Square park, Kalyani A-block

@ Square park, Kalyani A-block

মহা অষ্টমী (Maha Ashtami)

Maha Ashtami is the most important day of Durga puja, all devotees offer prayers and express their wishes on this day. This day I was only in my home town and visited few major pujas.

@ Central park, Kalyani

@ Central park, Kalyani*

* Photo credit: Sudipta Das

@ Kalyani (behind Bhusan's sweet corner, Central park)

Pandal of Manimela park, B-7, Kalyani

@ Manimela park, B-7, Kalyani

@ Congress road, Kalyani

Pandal of Uttranchal, Congress road, Kalyani

@ Uttranchal, Congress road, Kalyani

@ B-2 bus stand, Kalyani

Pandal of Nebula, Kalyani

@ Nebula, Kalyani

সন্ধি পূজা (Sandhi puja, end of Maha Ashtami and beginning of Maha Navami)

This part is my favorite and I like it most if it happens in night. This year the timing was perfect - midnight. I always try to attain this part. During Sandhi puja usually I'm at the nearest puja pandal i.e. Chittaranjan park.

The last time when I attended Durga puja back in 2008, that was also in midnight. In 2008, I captured a small video along with other still snaps, this time I captured only stills.

@ Chittaranjan Park, Kalyani

Prayer

@ Chittaranjan Park, Kalyani

@ Chittaranjan Park, Kalyani

মহা নবমী (Maha Navami)

On the eve of Maha Navami - the 3rd day of Durga puja, we were in North Calcutta. We visited few old and famous pujas there. I forgot name of few, which I will update later if my memory decides to help me out in future.

@ Harihar Ghosh Road, North Calcutta

@ Someone's house (Barir'r puja)*

* First time I have seen the Ganesh idol and Karthik idol swapped respective place; I guess it was on purpose and uniqueness of this particular puja.

@ Someone's house (Barir'r puja), North Calcutta

@ North Calcutta

Shobhabazar Rajbari (1 of 2)*

* There are two Rajbari's at Shobhabazar - situated on opposite side of a road facing each other; one is known as Baro Shobhabazar Rajbari whereas the other one is known as Choto Shobhabazar Rajbari. I don't know which is this one. But I visited both and pictures of both are shared.

@ Shobhabazar Rajbari (1 of 2)

Shobhabazar Rajbari (2 of 2)

@ Shobhabazar Rajbari (2 of 2)

Pandal of Sanghatirtha, North Calcutta

@ Sanghatirtha, North Calcutta

@ A Temple adjacent to Sanghatirtha, North Calcutta

Pandal of a puja, North Calcutta

@ North Calcutta

@ Someone's house (Barir'r puja), North Calcutta

Pandal of a puja, North Calcutta

@ North Calcutta

Pandal of Vivekananda Road, North Calcutta

@ Vivekananda Road, North Calcutta

Pandal of Ramdulal Sarkar Street, North Calcutta

@ Ramdulal Sarkar Street, North Calcutta

বিজয়া দশমী (Bijaya Dashami)

This is the final day of Durga puja (though people extends another day in many places). All the fun and everything concludes here. Before it starts, the days are filled with anxiety and happiness that it will begin soon. Once it starts - days flew like a moment.

Personally I feel very sad on this day, wait for another year starts from here. The whole day I spent inside only. Visited only two places. Due to my sadness (also bit laziness) I missed some very good moments of Durga puja - which particularly happens on this day (or the following day) like সিঁদুর খেলা (women married in particular play with vermilion), বিসর্জন (Visarjan, immersion of the deity); I'll try next time.

Pandal of a puja, North Calcutta

@ North Calcutta

Pandal of a puja, North Calcutta

@ North Calcutta

পূজা পরিক্রমা ২০১২ (Durga Puja 2012) concludes here, hope you liked it. Wish you all a very happy, prosperous and blessed Dusshera - আপনাদের সবাইকে জানাই শুভ বিজয়া'র প্রীতি ও শুভেছা. আসছে বছর আবার হবে.

Please feel free to comment. All comments (criticisms & appraisals) are welcome. Please do not reproduce the images for commercial purposes without prior permission.
© Arunangshu NathSarkar | V-I-B-G-Y-O-R | flickr | 500px | Instagram.

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Human emotions

I was there in Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport - returning back to UAE after celebrating Durga puja (snaps coming soon) at home.

I checked-in bit earlier and had plenty of time. So, to entertain myself took out my cam and started playing. There were lot of passengers, one of the groups drawn my attention very well - they were having two kids with them. I shoot some 9-10 photos of that group - presence of the kids ensured that the facial expressions will keep on changing. A good 10 minutes and I ended up with the following:

At 6.08 pm

At 6.18 pm

Lightroom 4 does a good job while reducing noise

Yesterday I was watching some tutorial by Alan Kesselhaut, there he many times mentioned that Lightroom 4 does a great job while reducing noise. After posting the the above snaps, my mind asked me to give it a try, cause in all the above images a bit of noise is easily recognizable.

If you are not aware about how to do it, then here is a quick and easy guide for you. In Lightroom's develop module, you can find 'Detail' tab - below 'Split Toning' tab and above 'Lens Correction' tab. Under 'Detail' tab there is 'Noise Reduction', just play with the sliders and achieve your desired output.

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Nikon/Nikkor AF 70-300mm f/4-5.6G

I got this lens as a kit lens with my D5100 (along with Nikon/Nikkor AF-S DX 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR lens). This is not a technical in-depth analysis of this lens; only simple words for beginners.

I was (infact I'm) happy with D5100 and the 18-55 but this 70-300 truly disappointed me. This lens has no auto-focus and for the focal length range (70-300mm, on DX bodies it becomes 105-450mm effectively) - absence of VR makes it more difficult to handle. I tried to get rid of the VR issue at highest focal length (even I tried at lower focal lengths) by using a tripod and remote, but then many times the subject was out of focus.

This lens is AF lens, AF mount lenses do not auto-focus when mounted with entry level Nikon D-SLRs like D5100, D5000, D3200, D3100, D3000, etc. Amongst the DX bodies, D7000, D90, etc. (with in-built focus motor) are capable to perform auto-focus on AF lenses.

This is (absence of in-built focus motor) a major dis-advantage of D5100 (a superb entry level SLR), but at the given price range it is acceptable. Entry level DLR owners should make sure that, they are purchasing only AF-S lenses, which can auto-focus successfully on their cam.

This lens is bit heavy (more than 400 grams) and that makes it more difficult to handle - without a tripod there is always vibration issues untill and unless you really have a firm grip. So, even if with high end cameras (cameras with in-built focus motor) the auto-focus issue can be eliminated; but absence of VR will trouble alot at the given focal lengths [Nikon cameras does not come with in-built sensor shift VR/VC mechanism, that is one of the best attributes in SONY Alpha cameras].

May be professionals can make awesome snaps out of this lens but for me it was total disappointment. I will surely not suggest this lens to any beginner - the shops normally fools around by including this cheap lens in a package, the specification sounds big but in reality it is of no use.

Therefore, out of 5, I will hardly give 1 point to this lens - NOT recommended.

© Arunangshu NathSarkar | V-I-B-G-Y-O-R.