I am a huge fan of photographers who can teach. Ones that do it with clarity and wit are a minority, however. Jason Groupp is one among them.

The first time I met Jason was at a photography convention where he patiently looked over my sample wedding albums, and played mentor for about an hour. It was a memorable discussion and we soon stayed in touch, especially as I attended workshops that his New York City studio hosted. More recently we have been in touch via Twitter. While we go back and forth about the Jets and Patriots (he is a Jets fan for some unknown reason – Ha!), he let it slip that he was producing a DVD about off-camera lighting. Now, if you have followed this blog along for some time you already know how crazy I am about learning to light – people, objects, scenes, whatever. I was intrigued but Jason kept a tight lip about it, until recently.

25! from Jason Groupp on Vimeo.

From Jason Groupp's website about his DVD called “25 Kick Ass Lighting Scenarios”:

“In this DVD, I will demonstrate 25 easy to remember, simple to complex, lighting setups on a LIVE SHOOT! Did I mention it will all be done with equipment that won't break your budget?

Have you ever struggled to take great portraits of your clients because you don't have decent light to shoot them in and are not comfortable with off camera lighting?

I will break down these 25 easy to use lighting setups that you can adapt and call your own. This DVD isn't about fancy hard to understand ETTL techniques, I'll show you my easy to use “shoestring TTL” techniques and how you can create your own “no excuses bag”.

Here is another clip from the DVD:

#12 – “25” DVD || Setup: “St Marks” (low res) from Jason Groupp on Vimeo.

Well, today happens to be Jason Groupp‘s birthday. He won't tell me how young he is, but he did say he would offer Tiffinbox readers a great deal on his new DVD.

How would you like 50% off? Here is the code you need to use: “imaging2011” to buy 25 Kick Ass Lighting Scenarios TODAY! The deal saves you 50%. Original price: $150. Your price: $75.

It lasts through 12 midnight tonight, that's EST. So hurry!

(Want the deadline extended? Jason has this challenge for me. If at least 10 people buy the DVD today – leave a comment below saying you did and I'll verify with him – then he will have the code available to us for at least one more day. But the catch is, 10 people need to step up and buy the DVD today! Personally, I think this is a terrific deal.)

Still not convinced? (You gotta be kidding me! LOL!) Jason is offering this exclusive viewing of another episode for you to check out:

Please let me know if you purchased this DVD. I do not make a red cent off of the sale. I just think it is valuable, useful information you can put to use right away in your photography. If you did buy it and watched it, please comment below with your thoughts. I'll try and get Jason to respond to them. Thank you!

Via Amita Verma

Deepa Mehta, Anita Desai and MG Vassanji are just a few of the renowned film-makers and authors attending the 2005 South Asian Literary and Theatre Arts Festival, (SALTAF).

Water, Mehta's much anticipated final part of her trilogy of the elements will have its US premiere at the festival, almost five years after fundamentalists shut down filming in India. We will celebrate the life of Ismail Merchant, legendary producer of such classics as A Room with a View.

Anita Desai will speak of her experiences working with Merchant in the film adaptation of her book In Custody and we will also screen this award winning film. Literary panels will explore such topics as the South Asian male identity; young adult literature; and the search for a sense of belonging. Authors will read from their latest works, conduct book signings and take your questions.

So, join us for a two day extravaganza of South Asian themed arts on October 1st and 2nd from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Baird Auditorium of the National Museum of Natural History. The event is sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution Asian Pacific American Program and the Network of South Asian Professionals of Washington D.C. For more information view our website.

As the event is free and open to the public, we rely on your sponsorship and donations to make it possible. To contribute toSALTAF and reserve your seating, please go to this link.

Manish beat me to it, but SAJA has a literary spectacle planned for March 12 that you should all attend. While I am not sure if tickets are still available, it might be worth your while to check it out.

The $35 entry fee for the event at the CUNY Graduate Center may seem steep but it goes towards a great cause – SAJA Reporting Fellowships Program.

“The world's major media outlets are all over the tsunami disaster and its immediate aftermath. Some of the best-known names in the business are on the ground, reporting the story and beaming back images for us all. But what happens after this? Soon, the media pack will move on to another disaster, another scene of violence, another ”trial of the century.“ And the tsunami, its victims and the rehabilitation will receive much less attention.

SAJA plans to do something that plays to its strength and could help the victims in a way almost as important as money: coverage of their stories as they rebuild from the devastation and tracking what happened to the billions that poured in.

The idea is to help a group of journalists (reporters, photojournalists, documentarians, etc) from the U.S. and Canada cover the affected areas SIX TO NINE MONTHS after the disaster and have their reporting available to a wide global audience. SAJA will develop detailed plans and logistics on the program with input and contributions from various partner institutions.”

Allow me to whet your appetite. Sure there will wine and samosa (what a combo!) there, but under one roof, from 2.30 p.m to about 6 the following authors and poets will read from their work:

Anita Desai Amitav Ghosh Jhumpa Lahiri Suketu Mehta Pankaj Mishra Kamila Shamsie Manil Suri Shashi Tharoor Marina Budhos Abha Dawesar Siddhartha Deb

Kiran Desai Jonathan Franzen Elizabeth Kadetsky S. Mitra Kalita Pooja Makhijani Meera Nair Maniza Naqvi Asra Q. Nomani Akhil Sharma Meena Alexander Vijay Seshadri

When Manish called it an literary orgy, he wasn't kiddin'.

Mark your calendars for October 12, 2004. Suketu Mehta whose most recent book about Bombay called Maximum City and Ram Rahman a visual artist based both in Delhi and New York will discuss their new work and remember Raghubir Singh at the Rubin Museum of Art.

Located at 150 W. 17th Street, the this presentation by Sepia International/The Alkazi Collection and co-sponsored by the South Asian Journalists Association begins at 7pm. Cost: $15

Critically acclaimed writer Suketu Mehta reads from his newly released book Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found (Knopf, 2004) in a presentation illustrated with images by the photographer Raghubir Singh (1942-1999); then, noted photographer Ram Rahman will present Singh's work in the context of international contemporary photography. Mehta and Rahman will also engage in a discussion focusing on Singh‚s life and accomplishments, as well as how the late photographer‚s innovative vision of India has helped shape the world's understanding of the South Asian nation and its complex culture.

I missed the opening reception of the Raghubir Singh Retrospective last night at Sepia International. But the show will go on through December 30. I'll be in NYC on October 15 conducting a one or two-day photography workshop for beginners and we may just amble over to the exhibit to soak up some inspiration. If you are interested in knowing more about this workshop, this is your chance to email me at: tiffinbox[at]pipalproductions[dot]com.

Here is what the press release says about the Raghubir Singh exhibit:

Sepia International is pleased to present a retrospective of 45 works by the late Raghubir Singh (1942-1999), a pioneer in color photography who helped to revive and redefine the medium in the 1970s. Singh, who was born in India and lived and worked in London, Paris, and New York, is known for dramatic – yet never sentimental – images of his homeland. His work transcends the label of “documentary photography” and features sweeping scenes and iconic symbols that offer viewers complex portraits of India that straddle the ancient and the modern, the intimate and the chaotic. The prints on view at Sepia from September 30-December 30, 2004 represent Singh‚s signature approach of dividing and organizing pictorial space, his subtle balance of muted tones and occasional bursts of vibrant hues, as well as his command of light. As the artist John Baldessari wrote of Singh, “He uses light in a way that appears holy. His employment of color should make some painters envious and his shifts in space call to mind Velazquez.”

I am drooling like Pavlov's dog.

“Nirali , which means “different” in several South Asian languages, is just that—a different kind of magazine for today's modern South Asian American woman. Published monthly online, Nirali Magazine reflects the identity, needs and interests of South Asian American women all over the United States.”

I know what you are thinking – yet another magazine for the South Asian woman! But this one is very different. From the standpoint of design, it looks really slick. The folks at Nirali sure know a thing or two about presentation. The writing, too, is fresh and the topics are timely. I think you will fall in love with it for a great many reasons.