A gentle trickle
A surging river
A gentle plain
A delta
Four long years
Three thousand kilometres
Cormorants, sea gulls
Sparrows at dusk
A flurry of wings
Moody clouds
La brume matinale
Boats bathed in twilight red

Wild blossoms
In narrow paths
A banyan tree
Tall strong shady
A forlorn reed
In amber garb
Bamboo groves
Reaching for the sky
Arching along the water
Coconut palms
Betwixt the land and the sea
A river rests, a delta speaks

Shahidul Alam

Shahidul Alam, whom I have mentioned here a number of times has been hard at work documenting the Brahmaputra river. Fantastic images and to hear Shahidul's sonorous voice describing what he has seen and photographed is a real treat.

Several months back I bought a large quantiy of 120 type film for my Holgas. I never really got those cameras calibrated to my liking, and those of you who have worked with them know that it is a hit or miss when it comes to using “toy” cameras. Anyway, with all this film at hand, I have been looking for a medium format camera. You either use it, or loose it. And I am not referring to film which can degrade over time, but just the ability to make consistently good images.

I settled for a Rolleiflex; known for its superior optics and solid construction. While that's in transit, however, I have been trying to find as much as possible about Rolleiflexes. There is a sense of community, camaraderie and pleasant banter at Photo.net. I haven't become a full member yet, but I am leaning towards it. One is able to upload images and receive feedback about them. The advice you receive is usually honest and sometimes witty. There are photographers from all walks, levels and experiences of life in there who will (and can) answer your most mundane questions about every aspect of photography. Do be sure to post your question in the right forum, though!

By sheer coincidence, Sandeep, a friend of mine in Seattle (who recently acquired a medium format camera as well) went looking for information on that same site and ran across my posts. He sent me an email and we caught up on our lives and hope to meet him and his family in late July, on the East coast. There are other desis too on the site and I urge you all to check it out.

Peter Marshall's Photography At About is a real gem. Sign up for his newsletter. It's a worthy read. And there are links to take you off on to other photo tangents. Want to know who was called the Prince of Indian Photographers? Hint here. Marshall's series on Indian Photography is also fascinating.

The next “discovery” isn't to my credit. Shahidul Alam, of Drik (picture agency in Dhaka) sent a note out recently about “Month of Photography,” in Tokyo. I back-tracked the URL and found a rich resource in PhotoGuide Japan. Lots to learn!

Found magazine's Jason Bitner has been finding Polaroids.

Via Photo Talk

I get asked quite a lot where one could learn photography. Going to a standard four-year program may not be feasible for many. Even an evening course at a community college may be out of reach for some others.

Web Photo School Online may be the ticket. Some lessons are free, some others are not. One month membership is $20 and a year for $60. Olympus and Photoflex are sponsors, so expect to see a lot of their equipment being used (and advertised).

Or, check out the pricier Robert Farber Interactive Photography Workshop (annual dues run about $125).

Thanks for reading this post. Now, close your eyes for 10 seconds. Done? What crossed your mind? You don't have to tell me. Just write them down on a piece of paper. Question is – what did you perceive – was it a single image, multiple images or images in motion?

I tend to see single images that do not move. Are we wired that way? These days when I close my eyes and think of the war in Iraq, Afghanistan or the tumultuous events in Pakistan, I have two visions – of both Daniel Pearl and Nick Berg getting their throats cut like a couple of goats during Bakrid. The imagery is obviously bloody and gruesome. It is meant to shock me. Does it not shock you? Are we all desensitized and accept them to be victims of war?

Do they debilitate us into inaction and self-loathing, or are we moved to get out there make some changes? What can be done? Call our representatives in our government? Join moveon.org? March on Washington, D.C.? What? Fill in the blanks. Your comments are as always welcome.