Tag: photography

  • 5 Simple Tips to take great Photos of your Artwork

    In today’s digital world showcasing artwork online is important for most artists. If you find yourself thinking that your artwork looks better in person than its pictures, then let’s try to do something to change it.

    It takes a lot of time to create art. Capturing this art in its true form is important if your audience and future buyers don’t have the option of being physically present to see your work and its details. 

    Good photos help to show your work better

    Learning to take good photographs of your artwork is helpful. Unless you can hire a professional photographer for taking your art pictures.

    Nowadays most smartphones have good cameras, making it easy to take good photos. Once you understand the basics, you will be surprised to know that taking nice pictures is not as difficult as you think.

    Fresh or Dried Flowers as a photo prop

    I am no expert at taking pictures of artwork, but I have made many mistakes in the last 2 years and learned a great deal about art photography.

     Even now, I understand/fix details with every single picture, but I feel that I can showcase my work decently through pictures. Hence I feel confident enough to write this article for beginners.

    I take all my photos from a regular phone camera in a home setup, so all my tips are more relevant to phone photography. 

    Stationary as a photo prop

    Disclaimer – Please note, these tips are based on my personal experience as an artist trying to take pictures of my artwork. Photography is not my profession. I  case of conflict or difference of opinion, I request you to prioritise the advice of a professional photographer over my suggestion.  

    If you also struggle with taking art photos, then I hope that the things I learned can help you as well:

    1) Correct light for art photos

    The single most important factor in photos is light. Taking photos of artwork in natural light gives spectacular results.

    Use daylight and avoid taking photos indoors in artificial light. Pictures of indoor light lead to a lot of unwanted shadows and dark patches.

    Try to avoid poor light. Good light brings out all the details of your artwork.  One thing to note, natural light doesn’t mean direct sunlight. The direct sun casts a lot of harsh shadows.

    Hence pick a spot outdoors, balcony, garden, or even near your window where there is no direct sunlight. If you are near a window or door, be mindful of the shadows.

    2) How to take art photos

    •   Put the focus on artwork*

    It is taking me so long to learn this one, along with the harsh lighting principle. I select the “show grid” option from camera settings and make sure that I place my artwork near the grid centre. 

    Do read about the “rule of the third”  if you feel your art is not the centre of attention when one looks at your photos.

    *Disclaimer – Please do your own research about the placement of the main subject. I am still learning about this hence I am not sharing more about the “Rule of thirds “.

    • Background for art photos

    Initially, I would take photos on any surface (dark wood flooring, tiles), but it might mute work details.

    Now, most of my photos are taken on white chart paper. You can use any light-coloured background, bed sheet, fur piece, thermocol sheet, brown paper, etc.

    I have taken photos on green grass, too, but I find it overpowering for artwork. You can try and see how you like it.

    • Using props for art pictures

    Personally, I love props. I almost overdo them. You can use home decor items, dried or fresh flowers, greenery, art supplies, etc. Absolutely anything will work.

    I also believe they aren’t necessary. It is totally up to you.

    4) How to Improve at art photography

    • Camera angles and art details

    I put my work horizontally, parallel to the surface and mostly take overhead shots. 

    In a lot of my photos, the paper looked distorted because of the lens. Adjusting the camera angle and keep it parallel to the artwork. This will avoid any unwanted distortions.

    I don’t know how to use the background to my advantage; hence, I avoid them. See what kind of photography angles you like and try different tips for your photos till you get what you want.

    Depending on the kind of artwork different photography angles can capture a lot of details. This will help you show the artwork in a better way.

    •  Take help of available resources

    A perfect place to learn is from seeing photos of artwork. You can use Instagram, Google images, or Pinterest for this. There are some YouTube videos as well that are very helpful. 

    I have mentioned few helpful articles at the end of this blog. 

    Note – Search websites like Unsplash or freepik for mockups, and you will get an idea of how to use /place artwork for a photo.

    3)How to Efficiently take artwork photos

    • Take art photos in one sitting

    Initially, I wasted a lot of time setting up the area and taking only one photo at a time. Now I shoot 5-6 artworks together. For photos taken at the same time, even basic editing is similar and saves you more time.

     I used to take 5-6 photos of each piece. Now I get the desired frame in 1-2 clicks. You can even switch props and photograph multiple artworks in 1 sitting. This saves a reasonable amount of time. 

    Shoot multiple artworks in one sitting

     

    • Click & Check your art pictures

    Earlier I used to check photos after wrapping up the photo shoot. Often I didn’t get the desired shot. My only option was to repeat the redo the full setup to get the right pictures. This wastes time; hence it’s best to take a minute, go in a shaded spot or indoors and check your photos before removing the setup. This gives you the bandwidth to correct your mistakes.

    •  Unwanted tint in art photos

    I can’t count the number of times my t-shirt colour gives my photos a weird tint because my shadow fell on my artwork. Use tip numbers 1 &3 to avoid this. 

    Check photos for TINT (Unedited photo)

    5) How to edit Artwork Photos

    Some free tools are Adobe Lightroom (free trial), Snapseed, etc., for editing photos. Most of the time, the camera doesn’t capture the true colours of an artwork. 

    Editing tools help you to bring out details. You will get better at editing with time. There are a lot of tutorials on Youtube discussing how to use editing tools. You can learn from the video tutorials for a better understanding of the app.   

    I, for one, really like Snapseed. Before that, for three years, I used the Lightroom trial version.

    Basic editing of a picture

    Artwork picture editing tip –

    I edit the photo keeping in my mind how it looks in person. I try to keep it natural and avoid changing the real colours.

     Basic editing like adjusting the brightness, contrast and highlights works in most cases. 

    Greenery as a prop for art photos

    Hurray !! We have managed to cover a lot of basics with this article. Time to write the last 100 words. 

    I like pretty pictures, and that’s why I wanted to improve photographs of my artwork. I feel happy about the progress I have made, and I hope to keep getting better.

    These beginner-friendly tips have almost everything I learned in 2 years on taking pictures of artwork without a professional setup.

    Learning about basic photography might seem irrelevant for an artist. But it matters for showcasing your artwork to the world. Good pictures do justice to beautiful art. 

    Wrapping up, I hope you like these pictures I have taken during 2020-2021. I hope you find these tips helpful. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

    Disclaimer – Please note, these tips are based on my personal experience as an artist trying to take pictures of my artwork. Photography is not my profession. I  case of conflict or difference of opinion, I request you to prioritise the advice of a professional photographer over my suggestion. 

    If you like the article, please do share it on your social media with some wonderful  cover images I have made just for you :

     

    Helpful Articles by other authors – 

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    2

    3

    4

  • Reaching the mouth of Nohkalikai – India’s tallest plunge waterfall

    My story to the top of Nohkalikai falls –

    If you like adventure and want a thrilling experience, then walking to the mouth of panoramic Nohkalikai falls in Sohra, Meghalaya should be on your to-do list.

    It involves walking across open grass fields, descending a hill covered with green forests and jumping over boulders. You will be accompanied by clear streams flowing along a fossil covered river bed. With natural turquoise water pools throughout the route, what awaits you at the end is a breathtaking view of India’s highest plunge waterfall.

    A man crossing a small waterfall on river bed while walking to the top of india highest plunge waterfall
    Crossing various small waterfall and caves,en route top of Nokhalikai Falls

    How I ended at the top of Nohkalikai falls-

    It was a coincidence that instead of seeing Nohkalikai falls from the viewpoint, I ended up at beautiful Tlai falls and the bonus was an awe-inspiring view from the top of the Nohkalikai .

    When I visited the Nohkalikai falls, the entire area was hidden under dense clouds and the waterfall was not going to be visible for a while.

    I had seen a photograph of Tlai waterfall at the ticketing counter of Nohkalikai on my way in and decided to inquire about it.

    different level of a waterfall enroute the top of india highest plunge waterfall
    Tlai Waterfall, en route top of Nokhalikai Falls

    Tlai is a splendid three-tier waterfall with a green forest presenting a beautiful backdrop. I found it quite picturesque and decided to go; hoping the cloud cover over Nohkalikai to lift by that time.

    I was pointed towards the direction of these falls by the Nohkalikai ticket counter people. I reached a dilapidated board and found a guy who was issuing an entry ticket for visiting Tlai. This guy was pretty laid back and asked me and my travel partner to come along with him to the waterfall if we wanted to.

    I was slightly hesitant but the desire to see Tlai waterfall was overpowering and I decided to go.

    The half-hour walk to Tlai falls takes you through a complete change of landscape.

    The journey starts with a short walk in a grass field followed by descending a hill. You have arrows pointing towards the right direction as it’s easy to miss the point from where you have to go downhill.

    moss covered stones and trees while going to the top of india highest plunge waterfall
    Descending down the hill,en route top of Nokhalikai Falls

    This side of the hill didn’t seem to get much of sunshine. The soil was quite wet while the tree trunks and stones were covered with moss. This moss makes the stones slippery hence one has to carefully step on them.

    At the bottom of the hill, you have the river bed covered with huge boulders and rocks. You have to jump over these to reach the Tlai waterfall which explains the reason behind fewer tourists at this place.

    Tlai falls might not be well known to the tourists but locals seemed to come here quite often for the view.

    River bed filled with boulders and rocks surrounded by forest en route top of Nokhalikai Falls
    River bed filled with boulders and rocks, en route top of Nokhalikai Falls

    Way to the top of Nohkalikai Falls-

    From Tlai waterfall you have to walk 45-60 min on the river bed to reach the mouth of Nohkalikai. Along the route, you will come across a number of fossils embedded upon the rocks. I couldn’t get much information but the fossils are said to be around 70 million years old *

    70 million year old preserved Fossils embedded on rocks of river bed
    Embedded Fossils, en route top of Nokhalikai Falls

    Over the years the constant flow of water through the gaps on the river bed has created a number of pools and waterfalls which eventually plunge down the gorge to make the Nohkalikai fall.

    All along the ravine, you will see hollow caves formed by the high force of water during monsoons. These caves are visible during the dry season when you go to the top of Nohkalikai.

    Caves along the ravine ,en route top of Nokhalikai Falls

    It is worth noting, that a number of wooden ladders have been put by the locals for going up and down the boulders. These ladders reduce most of the arduous climbing and jumping.

    Although at one point during the walk, one has to literally crawl through a hole in the rock formed by the flowing water. Not to forget, you will also have to crawl your way back.

    crawling through small holes in rocks with water stream beneath them
    Crawling through cuts in rocks,en route top of Nokhalikai Falls

    Things to know about the Nohkalikai fall route –

    You only need basic fitness to reach the top of Nohkalikai. There are multiple occasions which will make you feel as if you have encountered a dead end. At such points; having a local is an advantage as they know the route.

    To me, it didn’t look like a marooned route as it’s frequently visited by young locals. But I again want to emphasize, try to find a local go with you.

    Clear turquoise pools on river bed formed by water stream of india highest plunge waterfall
    Clear turquoise pools on the river bed, en route top of Nokhalikai Falls

    Best time to visit the top of Nohkalikai falls –

    Walk to the Tlai falls and the mouth of Nohkalikai can only be done in the winter months till the start of the monsoons when the flow of water is less (October to March). During monsoons, this area is inaccessible due to increased water level.

    clear water stream flowing through a ravine and falling down the gorge to form india highest plunge waterfall
    The Top of Nokhalikai Falls,Meghalaya

    Time needed to reach the top of Nohkalikai falls-

    The time required is variable based on the speed of an individual. Locals take really less time, to and fro the route. For tourists, this could turn out to be a half-day activity unless you plan to race through it.

    I took me 4 -5 hours approximately . 30 minutes downhill, 45 min to reach the top of the waterfall from Tlai falls, same time on the way back. I stayed at the place for around 2 hours.

    Note – For going back one has to take the same route.

    Legend of Nohkalikai falls –

    There are quite a few stories behind the name of Nohkalikai. The most famous legend also happens to be quiet tragic.
    The name Nohkalikai translates to” the Jump of Ka Likai ” (Ka is a prefix for females in Khasi)
    According to legend, in a village near the Falls, a woman named Likai lived with her infant girl. After her husband’s death, she worked to support her family and later remarried. Likai, couldn’t pay attention to the new husband as most of her time went in taking care of the infant.
    Driven by jealousy the husband one day killed the infant and took off. When Ka Likai returned home, she saw nobody in the house except for a prepared meal. She decided to eat first and look for her daughter later.
    Ka Likai later found a severed finger and realized that the meal she ate was made from the meat of her daughter. Stricken with anger and grief she ran to the edge of the cliff and jumped. Giving the fall its name; Nohkalikai.

    About Nohkalikai Falls and Sohra –

    Nohkalikai falls has a height of 1115 feet (340 mts) . It is the tallest plunge waterfall in India and amongst the world’s highest waterfall. It is located around 5 km from Sohra (Cherrapunjee) in East Khasi Hills of Meghalaya.

    view of india highest plunge waterfall surrounded by lush greenery and cloud cover and falling into a small pool
    From the viewpoint, Nokhalikai Falls

    Monsoon season is the best time to visit Nohkalikai when the falls is in its full form. From the viewpoint, tourists can enjoy a panoramic view of the waterfall surrounded by lush greenery. A flight of stairs followed by some walking takes you to the bottom of the waterfall which is a clear turquoise water pool.

    During the dry season, like all other waterfalls, Nohkalikai is not at its full flow. But this is the only time of year which opens the heart of waterfall for visitors.

    The journey to the top of the falls is once in a lifetime experience and worthy of your time.
    You will enjoy every minute of this journey and the memory isn’t going to fade away for many years to come.

    Note :

    I am extremely grateful to Mr Wann Majaw for offering to help me along the route to the top of Nohkalikai Fall.  My journey might not have been possible without it. You can check his Instagram page for some wonderful images of Sohra, Meghalaya, India.

     

  • My first interview- a candid talk

    I was surprised when Youthspowerindia asked if I would be interested in doing an interview . My first thought was to chicken out of the situation, but I managed to convince myself that it can’t possibly hurt to share few things.

    It was only after the interview got posted that I realized how grateful I was for getting this opportunity. It’s not every day that you have a chance to talk to people and tell them about yourself.

    So I won’t keep you here any longer and share the link to my interview.

    It’s been more than a year that the interview got posted but I still feel very enthusiastic about it.

    The beauty of firsts I suppose!

    I hope you enjoy reading through it as much as I enjoyed giving the answers.

    two smiling girls posing for the camera with snow in the background
    winters of ladakh