The Red Door
Aug, 2014Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was shot in a busy bylane of Pune city, which is the cultural capital of the state of Maharashtra, in the south western part of India. It is the entrance to "Cafe Good Luck" one of the oldest Irani eateries in Pune city serving hungry patrons since 1935.Time
I remember clearly that it was twilight...just past six in the evening, I remember because my friends and I, were extremely hungry when we discovered the place, which fed us 'bun-maska' (bread bun loaded with butter) and piping hot 'chai' (tea)!!Lighting
It was twilight when I chanced upon this door, and I fell in love with it. Light was fading fast, and the place being one of the busiest eateries in the city didnt help either. People moved in and out of frame all the time, and I wanted the door to be the hero in the photo. Thankfully my prime lens helped in the low light.Equipment
This was shot on a Nikon D5100 with a 50mm f/1.8 prime lens. No other equipment was used as there was neither the space nor the time frame for it.Inspiration
Being a self-taught photographer,and a lover of nostalgia, I'm always looking for an opportunity to freeze a part of history in a frame. The red door is the entrance to one of the oldest food joints in Pune city. What I loved about it is although it clearly looks painted, not once but several times over the years, underneath, is the same old door. It stands proudly, welcoming the weary and hungry traveller and doesn't care of its chipped and tattered appearance, as long as the traveller leaves the door well-fed and content. For me it was the essence of the city itself, which although has taken leaps in the direction of the future and everything modern, still clings on to and loves its traditions and culture.Editing
Since the photo was shot in low light and with an ISO of around 4000, a tad bit of post processing was involved. I paid attention to cropping and applying heavy contrast to both sides of the image, and boosting the colour on the door ever so slightly, to make it stand out. I liked the noise in the image, for me it signifies the chaos that the door witnesses and didn't mess with it too much. I tried a sepia tone for the image and it gave the look I wanted.In my camera bag
I always carry my 50mm f/1.8 prime in my bag (mounted on the camera 9 times out of 10). I find it perfect for still objects (which I love to shoot) and portraits. I also carry my 70-300mm f/4-5.6 for everything that's far and yonder. I always have a spare 4-8 gb memory card for those bad times when I run out of space. I have recently added a speedlite to the bag and it's pretty nifty for indoor portraits.Feedback
Whenever you're in a new city and are out exploring, take some time to go through the blogs and tourist info sites for that city. There's always something spectacular hidden on the road less travelled. Another beauty of an advice that I would give anyone (especially since this one has worked for me) is look at more photos. Whatever the type of photography you're trying out, look at photos people have taken, they don't all have to be photos taken by masters; Even hobby photographers sometimes end up with a one in a million shot! I have learnt a lot of tricks, ideas and angles and perspectives (that I hadn't even thought of) by looking at other photos, I'm sure it'll work for anyone.
