The Power to Effect Change

Was invited to judge a photography competition at the Radio Mirchi office today. The theme was based on World Forest Day. That's RJ Silvano chatting with the winners, live on air, in the studio.

The winning entry in landscapes was shot on a mobile phone. That says a lot about the power of tech to level the playing field.

Goa, an ecologically blessed state is today staring at massive change in its landscape. It's cliched, but we are staring at a veritable concrete jungle, thanks to our politicians who can't seem to see beyond construction of resorts and massive appartment blocks, far removed from the natural landscape, when talking of development.

The images, taken by amateurs (whatever that means in today's level playing field), reminded me of another project years ago, responsible for preserving the landscapes of the American wild, notably the Yosemite landscape. Yes, it was Ansel Adams.

It would be a pity to lose what we have to unthinking politicians. And I believe images do have the power to effect change. Especially when tech has democratised the process of recording those visuals. Ansel Adams managed to highlight the wilds enough to bring about National Parks. Can Goa do likewise?

Wedding PJ: Exciting and Unpredictable

Just got through our last wedding assignment of the season.

As a photojournalist, wedding pj has given me ample opportunity to sharpen my people skills. It's exciting and stressful at the same time. We get to meet so many folks from different parts of the world and experience their most intimate moments and conversations - it's exhilerating. And then to think we are there to document those precious moments, that is what gives me great joy. At the same time it can be a little intimidating as well.

And yes, it can get painful having to wait for the action to start. In this pic today, my partner sits it out at a starred hotel while we wait for the bride. This was one wedding where i did not shoot the bridal make-up part at the request of the mother. That was a bit of a let down at the season end. I love to capture the moments of transformation from 'girl' to 'bride'

Looking forward updating my wedding pj portfolio site and to the next assignment.

PhotoSynth: New "Medium" on the Block

This is my first attempt at PhotoSynth. Here you have a 3d walkthrough my living room. Check out the detailing on the century old grandfather clock on the wall and yes, try it in full-screen mode.

PhotoSynth from Microsoft is an amazing new tech I am currently dabbling with. It's neither photos, nor video. Almost like a new medium. It's great for showing a 3d walkthrough of a location or event. CNN used it first to capture "the Moment" during Barrak Obama's inaugural.

I think it has tremendous potential in tourism. I have used it pretty sucessfully to do a 360-degree walkthrough of a commercial location I recently shot. This is, I think, the first time PhotoSynth is used for a resort in Goa. Will post that shortly.

[Note: to view the Photosynth you will need to download a small viewer software from the site. I have not experienced any issues with the software on a Windows Vista machine.]

An evening at the beach

Spent a relaxing evening at the beach after days of hectic shooting - weddings and hotel interiors. Nothing beats the soothing sounds of the sea and the salty wind in your face.

Makes for an excellent prelude to a glass of cashew feni!

[Captured and uploaded through Nokia 5800. Still trying to find a way to upload a series of images as a photo slideshow]

Future Performer

UPDATE: Images from the shoot now on gasperdesouza.com.

Taking from my last post regarding my experiments in mobile blogging, today i was called upon to document the performances of pre-schoolers at my little girl's school.

The performances were amazing for the 3 to 5 year olds.

Pictured here, in the post event celebration snack, is my princess, who performed on stage for the first time!

(Posted with Nokia 5800 and mobile blogging tools)

Some Dogs get the Magnum

...others have to be satisfied shooting it!

There's a huge hype going around over Slumdog Millionaire. Personally, i found it to be just another implaussible Bollywood flick that requires suspension of belief.

Don't we all dream of making our millions, especially in these trying times? The possible drawing power that got SM the 8 Oscars.

Any way, was at a hotel shoot today and used my new Nokia 5800 to blog live from the field. This is looking good for experiments in mobile journalism!

Using New Media - The Obama Way

Was helping out at a workshop on Online Advocacy today, facilitated by Freeman Murray.

Freeman used the Barrak Obama campaign as his case study to introduce participants to the New Media tools available to anyone willing to invest time, that's all.

Freeman began by telling the participants that this is not like any usual advertisement medium - it's not about buying space on television or in print and putting out your message. It's about building a community and that takes tons of time.

Corporates are keen to get their message across but activists often lag behind - they are too engrossed in fighting their battles in the real world to be bothered about the virtual world. McCain made that big mistake - his campaign overlooked the power of the internet for more traditional campaign strategies.

Obama, on the other hand, was willing to invest in building his community online. And he was able to win the hearts of millions. And he was prepared to listen to his community. And that is the crucial link that closes the chain - acknowledge the presence of your community and LISTEN.

So what were the tools of the campaign?

Well of course its good to start with a website to let the community know who you are and what you do. Obama used it to get people to fund his campaign and subscribe to his mailing list. He used this mailing list effectively to garner support at the drop of a hat. Then he made sure his supporters knew who he was and what he believed in. For this, he used his personal blog to get his views out there.

Don't have a website yet? You can start with the free Google Sites web page builder and Blogger for a free blog (like this one). Once you've got your feet wet you could go in for your own domain (like mine at gasperdesouza.com). It's cheap these days. But a website is just the beginning. How do you actually get people to come to your site?

Here's the Obama Way:

Facebook: 3,322,316 supporters, Youtube: 20,133,759 views, Flickr photos and Twitter: 143,496 followers.

By not getting online on the social networking sites, McCain lost the battle without a fight. When people went online to search for McCain, they were more likely to find material posted by Obama supporters than from the McCain camp. And therein lay the downfall.

There's loads of interesting stuff to read on New Media, on Freeman's blog, so I recommend you go check it out.

Building a community takes time. Spend it! Its a wise investment. Of course, before anything, make certain you have a message worth sharing!