... have a Wordless Wednesday

A rough week so far but nothing like some random loveliness and devastatingly stylish eye-candies to chase the blues away. No words. No reason. No curating.

... find your way to the largest religious gathering in the world - The Kumbh Mela?

I was all packed for Kashmir's lovely weather when a last minute hesitation to board the plane to Srinagar started me on a long 12-hour car journey to Haridwar. There, I witnessed the Kumbh Mela 2010 - the festival that gained international fame as "the world's most massive act of faith".

Kumbh Mela is a mass pilgrimage. The 45-day festival takes place at the confluence of the three holy rivers in India, the Ganga (Ganges), Tamuna and Sarawati.  The celebration is said to be anywhere from 3,000 to 8,000 years old; bringing the holy people of the Hindu religion, their followers, and a few "immortals" together.  Each 12-year cycle includes one Maha Kumbh Mela or Great Kumbh Mela.  The Ardh Kumbha Mela is celebrated every six years at Haridwar and Prayag, while the Purna (complete) Kumbha always takes place at Prayag every twelve years.  The 2001, Maha Kumbha Mela was attended by around 60 million people, making it the largest gathering anywhere in the world.

Here are the visual spoils from my trusty Olympus EP1...

The Kumbh Mela 2010 attracted more than 40 million devotees to Haridwar.

The main highlight for most pilgrims during Kumbh Mela is the observance 

of sacred bath at the sangam.

. 

Bathing in these rivers during the Kumbh Mela is considered an endeavour of great merit, cleansing both body and spirit.  It is belived that bathing in the river has a purifying effect. In the place where the three rivers meet, it is said that the bather's purification is increased one hundred times.

Breakfast with the holy men.  Carbo-loading before the day's religious procession.

In the camp of the holy men. A camp of the Naga Sadhus.

Sadhu is a common term denoting an ascetic.  Nagas, the most important in the hierarchy of Hindu holy men, wait to take the plunge at the Kumbh Mela festival on April 14.

The Kumbh Mela honors the Hindu legend in which the gods fought for possession of a pot of amrita (the nectar of immortality).   The confluence of the Ganges, the Yarmuna and the Saraswati (or "Invisible") rivers is held in Hindu mythology to be the place where the gods dropped the amrita.  

A religious procession towards the Ganges on the day where only the Sadhus can bathe in the river.  One Sadhu will "find the nectar". 

... still think of Bangkok as the Land of Smiles

The recent Red Shirts situation and a series of other personal events have kept me from posting for a while. Since then, I have made an amazing trip to India (which I will post about as soon as I tidy up my archive of photos) and have been forced to move out of my apartment in Bangkok (as it is right in the middle of the conflict zone) .

It seems like I cannot let a day pass without numerous bbm and messages from my very worried dad. Or warm messages from friends who care. It is easy to watch CNN and have only images of violence and the clashes in Bangkok. But amidst all that chaos and heartache, there is a glimmer of hope and beauty in the Land of Smiles.

These photos were taken one recent weekend when I went to a nearby village at the fringe of Bangkok. It was a lovely Saturday and this is a makeshift school where these children were still playing and learning, despite the red shirts and soldiers just several kilometres from the village.

... learn about a new culture?

Beethoven, Wagner, Klinsmann, Bayern Munich, Steffi Graf, BMW, spatzle and bratwurst are just about all the German things I know of. So, when my friend asked me if I was interested in accompanying her to the grand opening of "Essen for the Ruhr: European Capital of Culture 2010", Manfred Vollmer's photo exhibition of the Ruhr metropolis, I immediately agreed. I had always associated the Ruhr Valley with World War II history and know nothing much more than its role in the war. As a result, I was pleansantly surprised to hear that this previously heavily industrialized area has been completely transformed into a center for culture, science and technology.

The Goethe-Institut, where the exhibit will run through May 14, is situated in a residential neighborhood in the Back Bay. The evening began with a series of speeches by representatives of the various co-sponsors of this event, introducing the Ruhr region, as well as networking opportunities for Germans living in the Greater Boston area. Dinner followed. I had currywurst (basically bratwurst with a ketcup + curry sauce) for the first time, together with a German potato salad, a green salad and various breads and cheeses. The currywurst was so good, we had to have seconds!

The photo exhibit itself was quite a bit smaller than I had imagined, with a mere 22 photographs. Nonetheless, there were a few photos that caught my eye, of which my favorite was a photo of a striking orange staircase at the Ruhr Museum, situated at the Zollverein World Heritage site in Essen.

from: http://www.germany.info/

...learn to use a REAL camera?

As mentioned in my previous post, we bought a SLR in order to take better pictures of A in action. It’s been quite a learning experience, graduating from the convenience of a compact point & shoot to the complexity of having to take full control of the camera settings!

S has been reading all sorts of articles on exposure metering, white balance and depth of field, most of which unfortunately goes right over the top of my head! I’ll readily admit there are times when I wished getting a better camera would magically lead to nicer photos and all I had to do was press the shutter release. However as the saying goes, reality bites. So while we’re slowly exploring all the manual controls available on the camera, we still resort to the programmed modes like the Aperture-priority and sports modes for those occasions where time is of the essence. Below are some examples from our recent, not-so-disastrous efforts!

... get an EVIL camera?

I have been very eager to write about my new toy and H has just beat me to it! However, I can't help but still blog about my 1 month old EVIL camera.

So we know what a DSLR is and what a Point-and-Shoot is. Mine is one of those new litte cameras with the removable lenses - Electronic Viewfinder Interchangeable Lens (EVIL).

EVILS are for people who want is all and my new Olympus EP1 is all that:

• Drool-worthy picture quality to rival a digital SLR
  
• Small and light enough to fit into the Birkin or Longchamp (while still packing in the sunnies, lip gloss, blackberry, kindle, keys and such)
  
• Blend in or be 'invisible' without the obtrusive big black camera body and lens to take more intimate and candid pictures since the camera doesn't 'arrive' before you do
  
• Vintage-chic appearance to match military-inspired combat pants (when being slightly rough and rugged is de rigeur) or the retro sundress

I am told that the first 10,000 pictures one takes are a write-off. They're not good enough and you should never show them to anyone. But we're amongst friends and this is about my journey learning photography. Here are some pictures (within my first 1000) from a lively market in Bangkok - Pak Khlong Talat. It was an incredible day. The friendly Thai people at the market fed me food, packed my bag with free vegetables and were always camera-ready...

…… get a new camera?

We must be going dog-crazy, but we’ve just acquired an entry level digital SLR for A. For common-folk like us who just want to be able to take reasonable-looking photographs and videos for keepsake, a digital SLR was quite a step up and I hope, not an overkill. To assuage my guilt for buying this expensive new toy, it is going to be my birthday present for S and A whose birthdays coincidentally fall within days of each other.

The main reason for the new camera was to get clearer pictures of dear A in action! It was just so difficult to use our old point-and-shoot camera to capture those moments of A bounding across the grass, chewing her Frisbee, giving us a quizzical look, swimming and playing with her friends! One moment she’s in the frame, and the next, a blur streak on the taken photograph. Another precious ‘Kodak’ moment appears, and before we could click on anything, the moment had passed again! It was absolutely frustrating!

Of course, some time and effort is going to have to be invested in learning how to use our new camera in the first place. Thank goodness for the Internet! We did a little research on the web, joined a photography forum to canvass opinions, chatted with friends and off we went hunting for our new toy. I don’t expect it to solve all the problems we’ve had so far, and we’ll almost certainly still have some blurry photographs, but for now, let the experimenting begin!

... find an unexpected muse?

I first met Yian at my going-away party at Capella 4 months ago. My best friend had asked him to come because Yian's just moved back to Singapore from New York (and I suppose he could 'inherit' my friends since I'm going away?!) So there he was, walking... no, swaggering... into my party, pretty models in tow and a snappy-happy camera in hand. Hmmmm. His saving grace was his infectious inquisitiveness and a somewhat sharp wit.

Yian Huang is a photographer. A Rafflesian and Bain management consultant turned photographer. His works have been exhibited at the Palais du Louvre in Paris, the Singapore Art Museum, and in Russia, Italy and the US; and seen on the pages of the Economist, Newsweek and Sports Illustrated. And he tells me his mission is to document social conflicts and world issues, and to connect with his subjects in a sensitive and intimate manner. Most importantly, beyond being a photographer, he wants to teach, inspire and mentor others to connect with the world around them. Maybe it is that earnest yet determined way he said it... But at that moment, there I was - Fascinated. Inspired. Moved.

It was not just a passing "wow, that's cool" moment. Over the next couple of months, I found myself hankering for the whole photographer's kit and caboodle. Eventually of course, I was kindly advised that it was the technique and the ability to capture the decisive moment that will create great pictures.

Very recently, someone told me I seem to wear my rose-tinted glasses to see the world. Never quite thought of it that way. But what I really want is to see the world behind Yian's camera lens (or perhaps my own someday) - there is something so vivid, intense and alive from behind that lens! Here are some pictures of the West Bank through his eyes:

If you're in Singapore, you can catch Yian's exhibition at Raffles Junior College from 22 - 26 February 2010 - -The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.

A dialogue session Conflict Photography: Conversations with Yian will be at 1630 - 1830 hrs on the 26 February at RJC Lecture Theatre 4.