In this Issue

Festivals of India - Igitun Chalne

Thinking of Goa and the first thing that comes to mind are the beaches and the party hotspots. But Goa is much more than that from quaint Portuguese churches to the cultural performance that is the Goa Carnival, to wildlife sanctuaries, there is so much to see and do in the state. One such unique event that you must experience is Igitun Chalne, the Fire Walk festival in Goa. Literally translated from Konkani, it means ‘walking through fire’ and it is celebrated every year in May in the temple of Shirgaon in Bicholim District, about 30 kilometres from the capital Panjim. It has Spiritual feeling for celebrating the festival in which devotees walk on burning coal to show trust and faith in their goddess-LAHRAI.

Igitun Chalne is one the religious festivals celebrated at the Shirgaon temple. The temple is dedicated to the goddess Lahrai. Legend has it that Lahrai, her six sisters and one brother arrived in Goa from Bengal and each of them settled in different parts of Goa. The goddess Lahrai, who is the prime goddess amongst her siblings, settled in Shirgaon and she is much respected and admired by the locals. During the Igitun Chalne festival, every year numerous followers of goddess Lairaya flock to the temple to prove their devotion which is continued by their further generations. Locals and tourists alike throng the temple on the festival day to watch the rituals and to encourage the courageous few who undertake the test of walking on hot coals.

Pro Profile - Dave Krugman

Dave Krugman is an internationally renowned photographer, writer and creative director who currently lives in Brooklyn, New York. He has travelled extensively and shot for huge organisations as well as for personal projects. His genre cannot be specified since he shoots almost everything. We talk to him about his photography and find out the experiences and anecdotes he has to share with our readers.

For as long as he can remember, Dave has been drawn to the visual world. He has always loved paintings, sculpture, drawings, and films. Dave's father always had a camera on him, and so it was natural for him to gravitate towards that craft. What he loves about photography is that it is a way to freeze time, to preserve the essence of a memory- and the desire to preserve those feelings is what really motivated him to begin his photographic journey.

Tips for Macro Photography

Macro photography often gets overlooked in favour of the 'big picture' subjects such as sunrises, landscapes and charismatic wildlife. However when we take the time to lower our eyes and pay attention to the smaller details, it becomes apparent that we're surrounded by a whole miniature world, full of fascinating subjects just waiting to be photographed! Macro photography has the ability to reveal beautiful details in subjects such as leaves, flowers, insects, raindrops and textures that many people don't ever even notice. It's for this reason that macro photography is one of the most interesting fields in digital photography.

In short, macro photography is photography of small things in a way that makes them look BIG. It's photography magnified, where ordinarily tiny subjects are made to look bigger than life-size in the frame. Technically a macro photo has a ratio of 1:1, i.e. the physical size of the subject takes up the same physical size on the sensor. For example if photographing a 10mm bug, the bug will take up 10mm of the sensor, therefore becoming quite a sizeable part of the photo. That said, in everyday usage, 'macro photography' can simply be considered close-up photography of small subjects.

Lightning Photography Tips

India has seen an influx of storm chasers in the recent years. Storm chasing is the persuit of adverse weather. The motive behind the same varies as some do it as a hobby, some for photography and some do it for the sheer adventure of it. Many scientists follow storms and other adversities to understand how the weather and overall climates are changing. Many photographershaverecently gotten attracted to this hobby for the fun and thrill as well.

The reason behind the inclination of photographers in this peculiar hobby is twofold. The first reason being that storms, even though a destructive force of nature, make for amazing adventures. The second is storms bring in lightning which make for beautiful photographs. Let us discuss these in details and look at some tips and techniques that can help you achieve the best photographs during a thunderstorm.

Can a single lens help you to improve your photography?

Sticking to a single lens or camera is a big decision if you already have multiple choices at hand. So, it requires a bit of research. You need to be crystal clear in your mind about what you like to shoot and what you normally end up shooting.

If you are into landscapes or portraits or Macro, select your camera/lens accordingly. It can be a zoom lens, but keep in mind primes are always better in quality and sharpness than zoom lenses. Also shooting with primes has other advantages as well.