Day 2/7 of my #‎challengeonnaturephotography, and another recent picture from Kabini, Karnataka, India. This time a Indian Scops owl trying to sleep! :)

#‎challengeonnaturephotography is doing the rounds on Facebook. The short of it is that if you are nominated you have to share a nature pic every day for a week. And every day of that week, you get to nominate another to do likewise!

Many thanks to Shreejata Gupta for nominating me for‪#‎challengeonnaturephotography and to start with (1/7) here is a recent pic I like for the following reasons:

The term 'animal' is often used by us humans to infer a lack of intelligence, empathy or even emotions. Anyone who has spent any time around animals knows that the use of this term in that context is far from the truth.

"Should i buy a tripod/monopod/batterygrip/filter/blar blar balr?" or words to that affect is one of the most common questions I am asked. I don't mind people asking it as it is an important question. It is easy to get dragged into GAS (gear acquisition syndrome), turning your photography hobby into a collection of all the photo-related paraphernalia you can get your hands on. At this point I will take my turn, stand up and say "Hi, my name's John, and I have GAS". I am a sucker for all camera related items/gadgets/accessories (just ask my wife), but it does not improve my photography (or my bank balance). So, to this end I've been researching what key bits of gear I consider essential, and what aren't, and I came to an interesting conclusion! We really need very little!

The Pinkathon is more than a Marathon. It is the seed of change. It is the beginning of a movement carried forward by a growing community of empowered women across India, who share a belief that a healthy family, a healthy nation and a healthy world begins with empowered women.

I was interviewed earlier this week, alongside graphic novelist Simon Lamouret, and fellow photographer Magali Couffon, for the Deccan Chronicle.

Want to learn post-processing, send me your image and see what I do, exactly! :)

This was an image sent in by Amit Vyas, and what a great image it is too to start the series with! :)

If you want to have great photos to share and cherish, the key is to move away from just 'clicking' images and to start 'capturing' and 'creating' them. But where is the line drawn, and at what point does an image start to become 'captured' and 'created' as compared to just 'clicked'? And, most importantly, how do we get to that point?

I'm often asked how i get interesting images, and this is what I do...  I wink! No, I'm not kidding, I suggest you all WINK! :) This is also a great tip for those of you who might have embarked on a 365 project, as trying to take an interesting picture of the mundane, everyday life subjects, can be difficult!

Gokarna is a historic Hindu pilgrimage site. Gokarna actually means Cow's Ear. It is believed that Lord Shiva emerged from the ear of a cow (Prithvi, the Mother Earth) here. It is at the ear-shaped confluence of two rivers Gangavali and Aghanashini. [wiki]
But this isn't a story about that, this is a story about the back streets away from the beach. The maze of busy and quiet streets, with lots of people sat on the their front steps stoop watching the world pass by!

Having trouble get the best out of your RAW images, well send them over to me and I will show you how I would edit them! This way you can do it for yourself next time! :)

Social media is everywhere and is a fantastic way to showcase your photographic work, build an audience and expand your network. Even if you are not into photography, it is important that your social media page looks the best it can to engage your audience! However, what is the best settings/size/way to get your images to look the best they can on your social media site?