The Old Time Charm of Negatives

The Old Time Charm of Negatives
Originally uploaded by flickr photographerno1

I have been using a Digital SLR for 3 years the rotten Nikon D70.
It has gone dead on me I just called their authorised dealers Interfoto they told me to bring it back to Life , it would cost me RS 7000.
It has died several times, only once I was compensated by Nikon , I was refunded Rs 7000/that itself goes to prove that the Nikon D70 was a hastly launched product without proper feed back at the time of research.
So it has been discontinued.
Than came Nikon D70s.
So many launches , but discontinued I am told.. this is not bitching or bad mouthing , a brand that I used from the time I began Photography.
I swore by Nikon, I bought the Nikon F100 which I prefer to digital.
It has not let me down ever in about 5 years.
That is why we bought Nikon.
We could have moved to Canon, but we had Nikon lenses paraphernalia.
So we were self fucked so to speak.
Nikon does not care a damn, at the end of the day it is a greater loot they get in repairs , spare parts , so why bother.
There are guys who cannot be as vicious in their views as some of the wedding photographers who bought this camera are not net savvy, also on Nikon forums , there is no one to help or guide you.Nikon has paid guys who defend Nikon if you bad mouth it.This is brand placement brand loyalty.
In Mumbai it saddens me that people buy from the grey market , as the taxes kill you.
The photographer is raped , I talk of the professional photographer, luckily I joined as a member of the All IndiaPhotographic Trade as they were helping hobbyists like us , but of late it is just a body for traders having a good time..Its all about Profit , the Grey Market too is controlled by a Photogrphy Mafia.Less said the better.
I will give up my life membership , I was sadly disillusioned.
I had thought having their membership would get me benefits , but as a member I was thrown out of the last Mumbai Foto Fair exhibition by their commitee member because I was barefeet.. this is how they treat guys who do not live conventional life as they do.
Any way I always carried the F100 just in case , so at the Delhi Moharam Chehlum procession I shot negatives.
I find I get better results , finer details..in the Nikon D 70 the problem was dust accumulation,in the sky region that even with extreme cloning I could not save.
I am at the moment using the F100.. with a Fuji 400 film.
Sometimes I want to give up shooting pictures completely sheer waste of time , I do not begrudge thse photographers who make money through the camera that is their prerogative..
I never ever had the urge to make money ,from photography, my kind of photography is best given free.I am a street blog photographer 300 dpi save for web.
I share my culture, my world as a Photo Blogger is enough for me.
I am lucky I am a poet , more sensitive than those who shoot rubbish and show case it in Indian newspapers.Yes they are called photojournalists.
But if the government eased on taxes , made the Camera an important part of a childs growth, I think some great photographers will be born, by this gesture from the Finance Minister.
A camera helps you grow, you see things better, you love all religions, you go out shoot , share , you bond with others.You learn to Love ..Camera keeps you away from Hate..
Maybe I sound naive perhaps I am a dreamer , my kind too are people who will die unsung..
This litle bit of Blogging is for my unborn grandson so he knows incase I die before he his born, why his fathers old man is different from his own father.
I hope his father Asif Shakir forgives me for the mortality of my words..or my shortcomings as a Father when he was growing , while I was growing within a bottle of Alcohol.

May 3rd, 2007

photo of safed tazia chehlum in delhi.. moharam