Sigma 20mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens Review
Available on Amazon: Canon – Nikon
I got an implausible chance to try my hands on this beauty or I should simply call it ‘ The beast’ Sigma 20mm f/1.4 Art Series Lens on my 2nd trip to Spiti valley, with my friends. I must articulate that it is one of the most excellent and the sharpest lens I have ever encountered and is giving a tough competition to available “L” and “N” series lenses of Canon and Nikon.
Weight around 950g, is an immense and a perfect lens for all Landscape, Architecture and Astro photography lovers. I have taken a number of Milky Way shots, star trails, night selfies and stunning landscapes of Spiti.
Aperture value goes from f/1.4 to f16 making it faultless for daytime shoots to Night photography to wide landscapes to street photography. Extremely fast auto focus motor works really well even when you are shooting from a moving car or capturing any movement. The lens is exceptionally sharp even at f/1.4 which is a plus point for its users.
But I would suggest that before buying this lens you must need to keep in mind that it has a fixed 20mm focal length. So if you know actually for what you are buying this lens for before taking a decision is healthier. While focal length determines working distance and therefore perspective, very wide angle focal lengths are a lot about making foreground subjects larger in relation to the background subjects and about including a lot of background in the frame. This angle of view is notably able to give the viewer a sense of the presence in the images captured by it. 20mm with f/1.4 makes this lens a perfect partner for Wedding photographers as well. It is wide enough to capture a bride and a groom inside the hall with beautiful interiors or shooting them outside with a superb landscape background.
This lens actually made me say “Wow” when I saw results for first the time on my camera’s LCD. Bokeh by this lens is extremely fascinating and made me awestruck. I have even attempted some creative shots as well with this lens and the outcome was gorgeous. I tested it on Nikon D800 and Nikon D810.
Nevertheless I hope I will add this Beast in my Kit Bag really soon.
How many of you love Photography but do not own a DSLR or a Compact camera?
There will be loads of replies in affirmative. I know that already 🙂
Why don’t you shoot with your mobile phones instead of waiting for an expensive camera ?
As a travel photographer I travel to a lot of cities and sometimes few frames interests me but not worth of 30-40mb file so I click with my phone. Framing and your subject gives outstanding results. I have faced similar queries and worries by my friends and followers regarding investing in a good camera so that they could also click street photography like me. So this time I planned on writing a blog on Street Photography with examples of various mobile phone shots including Samsung Galaxy S3, HTCOne A9, IPhone 5s and my new Samsung Galaxy J7.
Humayun’s Tomb ( HTC One A9)Humayun’s Tomb Entrance (HTC One A9)
Alone (HTC One A9)First Light on India Gate (HTC One A9)Band Baja Barat (HTC One A9)Streets of Varanasi (HTC One A9)Barber (HTC One A9)Ganga Ghat (HTC One A9)Night at Varanasi (HTC One A9)Steel Wool shot from HTC One A9Rituals (HTC One A9)Streets of Varanasi (HTC One A9)Banarsi Street (HTC One A9)Ganga Ghat (HTC One A9)Ganga Ghat Raatri (HTC One A9)Night at Ganga Ghat (HTC One A9)
I usually edit my phone photos on Snapseed but this time I gave a chance to Adobe Camera Raw and Color Effex 3rd party Photoshop filter. Results were so amazing that I could not believe as well. Samsung do not give you the power to check WB or set fully manual settings. So sometimes I face a problem of green cast on my photos. Camera RAW really helped me to take out green cast and give some fill light and contrast to make my mobile photos much better. Layer masking helped me in several situations where light condition was harsh and darker on a single image or when colour was changing drastically.
In the World Wide Instameet 13 Delhi (#WWIM13Delhi) I had 2 frames already on my mind. I asked my friend Sabbyy to become my model for that. I completely adored the result. Samsung J7 panorama feature takes care of harsh and dark shadows in a photograph. The other half parts camera raw and color effex did for me.
You can also see the difference between Snapseed edited version and CS6 edited version. I have also converted that file into Black and White through Silver Effex Pro which is another best Bnw filter in Photoshop.
Difference Between Mobile Edit and Photoshop Edit.
One morning I walked on the street of Chandni Chowk and Chawri Bazar with my friend Tanvi Sharma. I decided to shoot mostly with my mobile because I wanted to test the quality. No wonder it did really great work. Results surprised me so much. Now I am not editing my photos on Snapseed. I love to transfer photos on PC, edit them on Photoshop and then again transfer to mobile for Instagram. Next thing is to check the print quality of photos. I want to check how much bigger the prints of this file can handle. I am going to keep you updated via blog with my future mobile shots.
Streets Of Chawri Bazar (Samsung Galaxy J7)Streets of Old Delhi (Samsung Galaxy J7)Old Delhi (Samsung Galaxy J7)Barber (Samsung Galaxy J7)Tried Multiplicity with my Samsung Galaxy J7
Dasashwamedh Ghat (HTC One A9)Mercury Transit 2016 (Samsung J7 + Sky-Watcher MAK 180Pro with Solar Filter on Celestron Advanced VX Mount)Moon ( Samsung J7 + Sky-Watcher MAK 180Pro with Solar Filter on Celestron Advanced VX Mount)
Noida Top View ( Samsung Galaxy J7 )
Upside Down Series ( Iphone 5s )Upside Down Series ( Iphone 5s )Panorama shot of Noida Sector 105 and 108 ( Samsung Galaxy J7 )Lodhi Garden, New Delhi (Samsung Galaxy J7 )
Breakfast Time ( Samsung Galaxy J7 )Triund Hills ( Samsung Galaxy S3 )Floating Canteen in Dal Lake ( Samsung Galaxy S3 )Landscape of Tso Kar, Ladakh (Samsung Galaxy S3)Thirsty Horse in Tso Kar, Ladakh ( Samsung Galaxy S3 )Tso Kar Panorama ( Samsung Galaxy S3)Panorama Tso Kar ( Samsung Galaxy S3)Tso Kar Morning ( Samsung Galaxy S3)Moore Plains Landscape, Ladakh ( Samsung Galaxy S3)Varanasi Temple (Samsung Galaxy S3)Streets of Varanasi ( Samsung Galaxy S3)Isa Khan Tomb, New Delhi (Samsung Galaxy S3)President House ( Samsung Galaxy S3)Dal Lake ( Samsung Galaxy S3 )
“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.”
– Ibn Battuta
The above quote by Ibn Battuta makes a lot of sense. We are all travelers through the pathways of life. Along these chequered pathways, we meet and leave friends, stay glued to our families and seek belief in a source, for inspiration and for the strength we require to struggle on to our destinations. Regrettably, only very few of us get there. And those who get there are the ones who understand perfectly that the journey of life is about tenacity and perseverance. I am not traveling since childhood. My first trip out of my home town ( Delhi ) was in 2010, Kerela. I have been travelling nonstop ever since. Capturing and documenting places with my camera has become an addiction now. I always carry a diary whenever I travel – to write my activity of the whole day at night before sleeping so that it becomes easier to jot down all the main points for blogging. In this blog I have highlighted my experience in Kaza, the sub-divisional headquarters of Spiti Valley in the Lahaul and Spiti district of the state of Himachal pradesh in the western Himalayas of India.
Jagged mountains rise on either side while the river coils across the valley floor like twisted locks of long smooth hair. The town of Kaza boasts of high mountains with snowy crowns, crystal clear rivers, streams and barren brilliance mixed together with patches of green. It is positioned along the Spiti River at an altitude of 3,650 meters (11,980 ft) above mean sea level, is the largest township and commercial center of the valley.
Beautiful Mountains and Spiti River.
~Day 1~
Kaza was on my list since a year and finally I got the opportunity to visit this mesmerizing place with a friend named Arjun. In a private Volvo bus we left for Manali from Delhi on the 11th of Sept 2015th evening. After a thirteen hour tiring journey we reached Manali securely. On our way in a pre booked taxi, the driver informed us about the poor conditions of the under constructed hotel where we were going to stay and about the uncomfortable rooms as well, at the same time he suggested another hotel nearby which was providing free wi fi and a hot shower. So as modern era kids we were tempted to go to the suggested hotel. The moment we reached my friend checked the hot shower & it was working fine. We were not so much interested in the free wi-fi because our 3G was working well in Manali. It was a decent hotel with fine rooms in just 400 INR. We slept early after dinner around 8 pm because both of us were extremely tired after a hectic and sleepless journey. We had already hired a shared taxi for 800 per person for Kaza from Manali. Pawan, the taxi driver said he will pick us around 5 am. So we woke up just about 3:15 am. I opened the hot shower and guess what? Hot shower was not working and freezing cold water scared the hell out of me. I dropped the idea of taking bath and instead washed my face and hands. We got all set around 4:30 am and immediately called the driver who must have been sleeping like a log because even after continuously calling him he did not respond. Out of worry we called the concerned person who booked our taxi and luckily after 3 tries he picked our call. We complained about the driver not picking our calls and making us late for the departure. In another ten minutes the driver called us back and asked us to wait for half an hour. Finally around 5:45 am we started from Old Manali’s bridge for Kaza.
Selfie at ManaliFirst light in Manali
Our first stop was the very famous Rohtang Pass where we halted for half an hour for breakfast. We stopped in two other places for a cup of refreshing tea. Our second last stop was the well-known Kumjum Pass, a perfect place to walk around, get some snack to eat and to freshen up a little bit.
Kunzum PassAnonymous Mountain
We reached Kaza around 4:30 pm. For your information only BSNL network works here and most of the villages are out of reach of mobiles. We did not had any hotel booked and did not had any contact to connect in Kaza. Our search for a cheap home stay begun where we found Nyingma House with good rooms and a nice location at a reasonable price of 600 per night.
After covering 740 kilometers from Delhi (229 m = 751 ft.) to Kaza (3,650 m =11,980 ft) in 48 hrs I was feeling mentally and physically fatigued. My body required rest. As I was starving we went to eat where I met the chef of Nyingma named Sagar who is just like the Male ‘Basanti’ of Sholay movie. This guy could speak nonstop on any matter. I was eating food and due to my heavy head I wasn’t speaking much. But this guy did not like me silent at all. He assumed I was upset so again and again he said to me “Arey Nimit sir itna kam kyun bol rahe ho aap…zindagi mein khush rehna chaiyeh… And blab la bla.(Nimit sir why are you speaking so less, in life one should stay happy … and bla bla bla) and I was so tired that I was thinking deep inside “abey chup hoja…yaha dimag ka vaisa hi dahi bana hua hai and tu bol bol ke aur Kadhi banaade“. (Shut up dude, already my mind has become like curd and your nonstop talks will make Kadi out of it).
After some sound sleep I felt better. The best part of Nyingma was Free Wi-fi. At night we clicked some shots from the roof of the hotel. Milky Way’s visibility was less here in comparison to Ladakh.
View from Hotel.Colorful startrails from hotel.
Moonlapse
~Day 2~
On the second day we decided to go to Kee Monastery hence stayed there for two nights so that we could get some good nighttime shots. We left around 12:30 from the hotel for kee and waited near the petrol pump for a shared taxi but no one was going to that road and everyone showed us a hand sign about which we had no clue what it meant. We stayed there for 1:30hrs. Someone told us that a local bus comes around 4 for kee. In the meanwhile we ate some apples, dry fruits and after 1.30hr a man gave us lift to kee in 700 INR.
But our bad luck continued in kee monastery as well. Monks notified us that the administration has changed so they do not have any vacant rooms. We got worried about the stay but because my friend had a tent and I was carrying a sleeping bag, we decided to camp out near Kee monastery.
Camping near Key Monastery ( #Campwalkers )
Monks offered us dinner at Kee Gompa which also helped a lot.
We camped and it was terrific to see million of stars and kee monastery together. It was a wonderful experience. We clicked star trails and Milky Way. Arjun also tested Steel Wool photography over there.
Beautiful sunset30s long exposure of sunsetCamping under million starsNight at Key Gompa
Because we had already got some good shots of Kee so next morning we decided to go back to the Kaza hotel. A man gave us lift from Kee to Kaza in 600 INR. We again rested there for one more night because travelling and waiting for any means of transportation in Spiti is very hectic. I did some experiment with milky-way and the star trails shots at that night from the roof again. I had heard so much about Spiti from friends that it’s more beautiful and better than Ladakh but in my opinion I found Ladakh much more beautiful and photogenic in comparison with Spiti. Ladakh has vast nature varieties like lakes, desert landscapes. In Spiti there is only one lake which is Chandratal. But yes Ladakh is more commercial than Spiti. Locals informed us about the Indian army making an Airport in kaza and one road connecting directly to Ladakh as well, so in the coming year Spiti will be easily approached by the travelers which is helpful for Spiti’s natives because their main earning source is Tourism. You can find so many Israeli here in Kaza. Kaza has a very good marketplace and if you love Gol Gappa, you can find in the bus stop. Chowmein, Momos, Thukkpa, Samosa, Jalebi, Rasgulle are easily available in the market.
Chat wala at Kaza Market.
Streets of Kaza
~Day 3~
Next day we left for Langza. It was just 16 km from kaza. Taxi charged around 700 INR.
Clicked while going to Langza Village.
The first scene of Langza is spectacular. I couldn’t control saying wow when we reached. It is that beautiful. You can find a lot of home stays in Langza village.
First view of Langza.
We decided to click some nighttime shots because it was looking gorgeous at daytime. But our bad luck continued here as well. In the evening weather changed so drastically from a clear sunny sky to heavy clouds. We managed to take out 1-2 shots even in the heavy cold wind. Our fingers and face were frozen. Wind was so damn ice-cold and fast that even I could not stand stable. I kept my camera on interval for some star trails over “Sheila Peak”. The Valley was looking gorgeous in twilight layers. After half an hour cloud covered our 10 – 15 stars so we decided to come back at home stay for dinner. They served us Chapattis (bread) with Aalloo (potato), matar sabji (peas) and achaar (pickle). The family was so pleasant and nice that they shared some of their life stories. After dinner we went to our room and put our alarms of 3’o clock so that we could check if the clouds moved out or not. We had to leave next day for Dhankar. The weather worsened at night. Snow started falling so we decided to go back and sleep. At 8 am we got ready. While waiting for our hotel owner who was going to give us lift to the city, I clicked some photographs of people including children. I had clicked sheila peak before as well. While on our way to Langza I clicked the same view again. There was a drastic change in the view, this time mountains were more visible because of the heavy snowfall.
Girls studying in Langza VillageBefore and After Langza.
~Day 4~
Because our plan for Dhankar got cancelled, we decided to hire a taxi at night to travel near by for night shots from a higher view. We asked for a taxi from our hotel manager named Urgian Chhering Dongthoth (UC). He arranged one of his friend for driving at night for 3-4 hours which turned out to be a spectacular idea as we got really amazing astro shots and after coming back to the hotel we rested for few hours and right after dinner we decided to walk out for few more astro shots. At night we decided to do steel wool along with stars and Milky Way shots. Arjun was not ready to go out with me due to exertion. But after convincing him for 15 minutes he also got ready to come for the shoot. We walked around 1 km to avoid houses and street light pollution with our cameras, tripods, torches, steel wool and water bottles. Because roads were empty so after few distance we decided to try first steel wool normally. I wanted steel wool with Milky Way on the top since long. So I set my camera on tripod and on timer on interval shoot mode. My friend helped me to burn steel wool as it was windy. And I got fortunate because I got my perfect shot on the very first try. After that for next 3-4 hours we tried steel wool and other Milky Way shots. I also clicked few star trails. While coming back to the hotel Arjun said thank you to me because I made him go for the shoot and he was highly content with the result of the photographs. Late night around 2 am we came back to our hotel and slept because we had to take the tempo traveler next morning for our way back to Manali.
Stars – SteelWool – Selfie
Moon and Milky way
At morning we took the tempo traveler with other unknown travelers who were coming back to Manali.
Before leaving Kaza nature showed me it’s one more magical “First light on Kaza” view. While the driver was busy in filling diesel, I decided to go out and took a shot of that wonderful frame. I am blissful that I went out and clicked.
First Light at Kaza.Portrait from LosarLosar Girl
It has been a wonderful experience at Kaza. After coming back to Delhi, when I saw the pictures I realized that it was not the bad luck following us. That did not happen in fact it was the hard work I did to get these fascinating shots. I must say it was completely worth the entire struggle.
I have added some of my day and night time lapses from Spiti in Youtube 🙂
This year in the August end or September starting I’m taking (Astro-Landscape Spiti Tour #ALST ) too. I hope night photography enthusiasts will be interested to join me on this. Good Day 🙂
Varanasi situated on the west bank of the Holy River Ganga, VARANASI also known as Banaras, Benares and Kashi, is an important holy city for both hindus and buddhists. According to some it was founded by Lord Shiva 5000 years ago, though modern scholars believe it to be around 3000 years old.
In 1897, Mark Twain said “Benares is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend and looks twice as old as all of them put together”.
Varanasi is “The oldest living city in the world, the city which was already old when Buddha was young”. Varanasi always seems a magical place for visitors and especially for photographers.
You will find around 100 ghats. Each of the ghat has different name, history and importance. You will find many colorful frames on street and ghats of Varanasi.
Some Hindus believe that death at Varanasi brings salvation. Many of Varanasi temples were plundered and destroyed by Muhammad Ghori in the 12th century.
Gautama Buddha gave his first sermon at Sarnath located (13km) near Varanasi.
Varanasi is the spiritual capital of India. Scholarly books have been written in the city, including “The Ramcharitramanas of Tulsidas”.
In 1656, Emperor Aurangzeb ordered the destruction of many temples and the building of Mosques, causing the city to experience a temporary setback. However, after Aurangzeb’s death, most of India was ruled by a confederacy of pro-hindu kings. Much of modern Varanasi built during this time by the Rajput and Maratha kings, especially during the 18th Century and most of the important buildings in the city today date to this period.
Main Ghats:
* Dasashwamedh Ghat
* Manikarnika Ghat
* Harishchandra Ghat
* Panchganga Ghat
* Assi Ghat
* Babua Pandey Ghat (Dhobi Ghat)
The Dasashwamedh Ghat is the main and probably the oldest ghat of Varanasi located on the Ganges. It is believed that Brahma created it to welcome Shiva and sacrificed the horses during the Dasa – Ashwamedhya Yajna performed here. A group of priests perform “Agni Pooja” (worship to fire) daily in the evening at this ghat as a dedication to Shiva, Ganga, Surya (Sun), Agni (Fire) and the whole universe.
Top 10 Indian Photographers you should follow on Instagram
Photographers use their cameras as tools of exploration, passports to inner sanctums, instruments for change. Their images are proof that photography matters—now more than ever.
By Robert Draper
I would like to share my list of Top 10 Indian photographers whose work I admire and consider interesting in each and every aspect including the use of good frame, minimum editing and a creative approach. Photography is on the mind of everyone these days, it’s fascinating and skillful technique can take you to wonders. And if you have someone in your list whose work is nice and I have forgotten to see, you can simply comment their name or link in the comment box. I would love to see the work of aspiring Indian Photographers.
I have immense fascination towards night photography. But Varanasi’s hours of darkness are different than other places. To be precise it’s atmosphere is calm and fresh, gives one a soothing feel. After doing steel wool photography on Ganga ghats, while on my way back to the room I saw these two lonesome boats with an eye appealing colour contrast. I could not resist myself to shoot, took some shots with HTC One A9 mobile and with my Nikon D800 as well. In a wonderful foggy background and the moon on the top made the frame even more interesting. I clicked it with a 18-55mm dx lens on nikon d800 fx body. It’s fascinating how crisp and detailed shot comes while using a dx lens on fx.
Even after visiting and shooting in Varanasi’s ghats for the sixth time I have never got an unexpected frame like this. Surprisingly before the journey I decided not to click this time ! Over all it was a striking trip with great shots and never ending memories 🙂
Recently while shooting some time-lapse in India Gate I met a guy. After few minutes of conversation he asked me if I have been travelling since childhood. I didn’t answer that guy but I started to think and my reply to myself was not in affirmative. I was not that lucky enough to travel since childhood. I just visited 2 places named Haridwar and Vaishno Devi before 20. As I look back I memorize the time when I was in 9th standard where I could not go to Nainital’s – school trip because it was a little expensive for me. May be that’s the reason I adore travelling, meet new people and connect to kids very fast because I am still that child at heart who wanted to travel but could not.
My first trip was Kerala in 2010, 3rd year of college and that’s also the time when I started exploring photography, have never looked back ever since. In final year I travelled to Varanasi with a couple of friends and juniors but our teachers did not like it. So, after that I decided to go solo. I have travelled to #Pushkar, #Jodhpur, #Jaisalmer, #Agra, #Ladakh, #DalLake, #Spiti, #Manali, #Chitkul, #Jaipur, #Calcutta, #Murshidabad, #Amritsar, #Banaras ( #Varanasi), #Dharamsala – #McLeodganj – #TriundHills, #Kerala, #MahaKumbha (#Allahabad), #Thol Bird Sanctuary (#Ahmedabad) and #Udaipur – Mount Abu. And still there are so many places on my list to cover and explore. Travelling has never been easy for a guy like me who does not like to eat healthy food and who usually stays alive on fast food and tea/coke: P . Motion sickness kills me in a way but never stops me to Travel.
I didn’t answer that guy, just smiled but decided to share here. Similar kind of questions even my friends ask many times but I never thought about it in deep.
Life Stop Shoots 