The Wonders of Black and White Photography by Nirun Dowlath
Tell as a bit about yourself?
I have lived all my life in Durban and currently live in Westville. I am an accountant by profession with a creative side. Together with my brother, we own clothing stores situated in and around Durban. Being an entreupreneur can be very, very stressful. Photography serves as a release, once I look into that viewfinder, I enter another world.
When did you discover you have a passion for photography?
My dad was a serious enthusiast who had his own darkroom. My earliest memory of shooting was with his Pentax Asahi Sportmatic. I guess that is where it rubbed off. I can also link my passion for photography with my love for history and the general passage of time in this colossal scheme of things. With photography, you are able to pinch slices of time, for your preservation forever.
I bought my first Nikon point and shoot film camera in London in 1996. I bought my second, a digital Sony W1, in 2003. I purchased my first DSLR, a Nikon D90, in 2009.
What’s your favorite form of photography, example: Photographing landscapes, objects, people etc. and why this particular form?
My favourite form of photography is long exposures, more in particular – daytime long exposures. Apart from surreal, spectacular results, I find them extremely relaxing. Each photograph takes between 4-6 minutes or even longer for the actual capture. With long exposure, it is possible to add the third dimension to photography ie that of movement. I usually take a walk in the vincity of my camera during an exposure or just hang around admiring nature waiting for the clouds to move in the right direction. In fact, I follow the weather very closely and in particular, cloud types, formations and their movement.
A close second favourite would be street photography. There is something just magical of shooting candid shots of people on the street. I guess it is a bit of voyeurism creeping in!
I am just getting into people photography and learning about poses, lighting and handling people in general. I am really captivated by using the ambient light available. This usually means low light conditions requiring pro level gear.
What camera and accessories do you currently use?
I have just upgraded to full frame and use the Nikon D700. For people and event photography, I use the Nikon 70-200 f2.8 VR 80% of the time. If I have to, I will use the SB900 speed light.
I do not have a wide angle lens for the D700 at the moment. So for my long exposure photography, I use the Nikon D90 with the Sigma 10-20 and a ND 10 stop filter.
Other equipment that you will find in my bag :
Nikon 50mm f1.8
Nikon J1 with FT1 adaptor
What makes your photography different to other photographers work?
When it comes to my long exposure photography, I would say that it is my vision. Since long exposure photography does not capture what you are capable of seeing, but rather the average movement over a period of time, at no time am I trying to replicate reality. Instead, my vision comes through in the post processing of an image and I do not use Photoshop!
It would be safe to say that I think that I have developed a good eye, I am able to see what others might just give a glance at.
The long exposure, the wide angle, the vision, together with my post processing is really what sets my work apart.
Do you have any advice to anyone wanting to become an amateur photographer?
Expose yourself to work by the great masters in the various genres of photography. Allow yourself to be influenced at first, and see where your passion takes you in photography. Everything is just so easily accessed via the internet that one really does not need to go further than that. The internet allows me to communicate on a one to one basis with the great masters and in most instances, I have found them to be very friendly and willing to help. Eventually, your vision will develop and your work will have your distinct style about it.
What features do you normally like to shoot in, “most of the time” (manual, RAW, AV, TV etc.) and why do you use this specific setting most of the time?
When working with long exposures, I shoot RAW, in manual mode and manual focus all the time. RAW gives me greater flexibility in post processing and manual mode is essential to work with exposures up to a few minutes long. Manual focus is necessary since it is impossible to focus with the 10 stop filter.
When I shoot people, I shoot in aperture priority, wide open on spot metering and -2/3 EV. I also use Auto ISO most of the time with a range of ISO200-6400 and a minimum shutter speed of 1/200s.
Purist might baulk at using auto ISO, but this is one of the most important features in digital photography. Camera manufacturers are really bending over backwards to improve high ISO performance, so it is a real sin not use this feature and let the camera worry about it. You should free up your mind concentrate on aspects like composition, point of view and creativity in general.
In aperture priority, I am controlling the aperture and therefore, the depth of field as well. I think it is essential to control the depth of field as this is where a lot of creativity in the capture is expressed.
Shooting wide open helps me with isolating my subjects from the background. This ensures that the viewer is immediately drawn towards the subject of your photograph, which is usually the face and they are not distracted by all and sundry in the background. Shooting wide open also allows more light onto the sensor. This becomes essential when shooting in low light and you want to capture the ambient light as well.
For more information contact Nirun Dowlath nirund@eastcoast.co.za 0837840356
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