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Kolkata Durga Pujo 2018 - Same venue and another "Pipe-dweller" sculpture. At a casual glance the boy looks too real, and only after a pause you realize that he is a sculpture.

A couple of close-ups:





The second is a gongura flower.

D5200 / 55-200 @100mm with Kenko Uniplus 25mm Extension tube. No editing. But cropped a bit.

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I had posted the Tube on JJMPF for sale, and even have a couple of good enquiries. Thought - let me give the tube a shot. And I get these !

A couple of more shots with the Kenko Uniplus 25 AF + Nikon 55-200 combination. Basic PP on the jpeg file.






The second is a stalk from a random clump of grass/weeds. A little surprised with all that it had

Wonderful captures, vikasshu! Does wonders for the taste-buds - being a foodie and a Bengali, I approve of all good food! And this was drool-worthy.....

Guys, I have a specific but probably common query, didn't know where else to post, would appreciate some advice.

I am a beginner in photography, bought a Nikon D5300 with 18-55mm kit lens, 6 months back. Read many articles/tutorials on the internet plus videos on YouTube to understand various aspects like composition, exposure, manual mode etc. Went out on weekends to nearby parks, zoo etc to get some shots and experiment. Also took the DSLR with me on road trips or outstation trips.

But last few months haven't had much trips and haven't been able to go out and practice much due to rains and unable to find new places to shoot nearby. Feels like I am losing touch and I don't want to become that guy who bought a DSLR with a josh but then its gathering dust on the shelf. :Frustrati

So, any advice on how and where to practice photography? Or some best practices to follow to get more practice within day to day life? Thanks in advance!

Practice makes perfect, they say, and it's no different in the case of photography. In my initial days, I used to point my camera towards anything and everything and shoot it. Look around the house, you'll find many things worth photographing. Let your imagination run wild!

To give you an idea of what to shoot, I'm sharing loads of photos I used to take around the house in my early days. Hoping to see some of your posts on this thread very soon! Once you get bored with shooting normal photos, maybe you can try out zoom bursts or light painting!

My dad's new bike:


My sister playing with gulaal:


My friend using his phone:


A b/w shot of my dad using his phone:


My pet dog lying on my mother as she sleeps:


My late grandmother:


Thumbs up, anyone?


My laptop:


Football shoes that I've never used in my life:


The intricate carvings on my bed:


A customary photo with fairy lights:


The same, but out of focus this time:


Some random things laid out on an A4 sheet:


If all fails, just take a selfie! (PS: I grew my hair back)


If it helps, I have a Nikon D3200 and most of these were taken with the kit 18-55mm lens. A couple of them were taken with my 50mm 1.8 though.

Long essays can be written however essence lies in 'Develop your vision, camera is just a tool'.

You need to first pick an area to focus on. It could be wildlife, birding, macros, portraits, landscapes, action, etc. Your current lens is very general purpose. So you are drifting pointlessly, unable focus on something. Wildlife & birding require very high end equipment. Landscapes and portraits are the cheapest. Your current lens is best for landscapes. So focus on landscapes, and learn how to shoot them well. Once you master landscapes, get a portrait lens and focus on that.

I won't mind a long essay! :) I want to know how regular people having regular jobs and responsibilities practice photography and hone their skills in daily routine life when trips and specific occassions are far and few in between.

Thanks! That's a very valid observation, will keep that in mind. Most of my photographs till now are landscapes. I don't have inclination towards wildlife/bird photography, neither interested in candid street photography. Maybe I'll try out portraits as well.

Thanks a lot for sharing your photos and experience. That helps a lot! Here are few photos I have shot with my DSLR and smartphone in the last few months. Many of them might be over-edited as newbies tend to do! :D

Last sun rays of the day lighting up the grass flowers in an overgrown side of a park



Afternoon sun seen through a kite trapped in a tree



Sun just about to go below the horizon



Sunrise at Puri sea beach. My first experiment with long exposure using a tripod and a cheap ND filter



Waterlily at Botanical garden, Bhubaneswar



Emami Jagannath temple in Balasore, Odisha



Fishing boat early morning at Chilika lake, Odisha


Possibly abandoned boat on the Mahanadi river in Odisha. Naraj dam in the background. I had seen this boat one day, went back the next afternoon with my DSLR, climbed down the dam from the sides, walked on the dry river bed to get to the boat! Shot lot of photos of the boat from different angles. Very satisfactory 2 hours spent!

Pics of water lilly at home: Nikon D610 + MicroNikkor 105mm f/2.8 VR:

Thanks Shashanka. How are you? You were missing in action for quite some time.

Here are few more for all of you.

Aah!....scrumptious!

You are right about my being AWOL for a while. One of my well-loved family members passed away a while back, my M-I-L. And nudging 68 myself, it strikes close to the bone...

Recently I went on a photographic workshop on the Opal Coast in France. About 15-20 km south from Calais.

The trip was not as successful as I hoped, mainly due to me being very stupid and unlucky as well. Read all about here:

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/diy-d...ml#post4674311

Before the problem with the Jaguar started (i.e. before I became stupid and locked the keys in the trunk) I did manage to take some photographs.

We arrived at the beach around 11.00. Which was high tide, 6 hours laters, low tide this beach is 300-500 meters wide, with lots of rocks, pools, sand etc. Really interesting, but I was only out there for the first few hours.

All of these are taken by using various filters to bring down shutter time and make the sky look more dramatic too. I have not decided on the final editing on some of these. I sort of like the B&W as it goes well with the general mood of that day. Some of these images are quite grainy, but that is partly on purpose. Again, just trying out stuff.















I will definitely go back for a full day some time soon in order to get to see the full stretch of beach at low tide too.

Jeroen

A shot of the sunrise today from my terrace: Nikon D610+Tamron 15-30mm f/2.8VR;shot in RAW, Aperture Priority, 15mm, f/13, 1/25s, ISO 64, Manual focus, Adobe LR.

Shot from my iPhone 7.