Hipstamatised Kuala Lumpur

As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, I've been travelling a whole lot recently. Most of it has been of the hectically-working-while-being-severely jet-lagged variety, which leaves little room (or consciousness) for taking pictures.

On my last trip to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) though, I was forced to slow down and take notice - by a massive but beautiful thunderstorm - and then, I had to take pictures. But it was one of those rare moments when I wasn't carrying my camera, weighed down as I was by tonnes of paper and a laptop (sigh, work trips...and being tiny) and so I gave my iPhone and the Hipstamatic app a chance. The only credit I'll take for these pictures is for that consciousness...and perhaps, the composition.

It had been a while since I had seen a tropical thunderstorm in its full glory and power. The only rain I see in London is the feeble, unsure type, with a complete lack of self respect. You know, the deeply annoying type? Tropical rain is all powerful, seductive, all-consuming. It makes you stop and take note, awes you by its presence. It forces you to celebrate its beauty, its glory, even its destructiveness. Ah, I miss the Indian monsoon. 

And so, I went to bed that night, tired, but strangely happy...and woke up the next morning to this stunning view.

Who says you need a state of the art camera to capture the beauty you see?*. 

~

*Having said that though, I must confess and rather proudly announce that on the same trip, I became the owner of a new DSLR camera - my first. While the camera can no doubt do nice things, I'm busy figuring out what I can do with the camera. I'll be back soon with my first results. :)

Itsy Bitsy News ... And A Wee Landmark.

It's been a while since I last posted, but I'm content on two counts - one, that the last post continues to attract comments (thank you!) and two, that the gap hasn't been in vain. I've been busy changing a few things around here, but to see them you'll probably have to click through from your feed reader.

Look! 

New layout! 

New links section! 

I know the layout is not the best, but give me some back-pats, please. I hardly know any code and I did this all by myself!

The links section contains a few of my all-time and current favourite photoblogs, photographers and photomags. Some are friends, some all-time greats and personal inspirations. Some, just darned good. It's a dynamic list and I'll keep adding to it.

In other news, the awesome Editors at Londonist invited me to do a Londonist Behind The Lens, which is pretty much a description of me as a photographer, what photography means to me and my love for London. Also, I got to share a bunch of my favourite London shots (selecting which, was a te-ee-ee-dious task. I have thousands of London pictures, thousands...and I like about fifty of them. I was supposed to select seven.  Only. In short, aarrgh.) Anyway, do read it if you want to know just a little bit more about me. 

"Psychedelic City": Just one of my favourite London shots that did not make it to slideshow here.

Oh, and the other wonderful thing is that this blog just officially crossed the 10K mark. That's ten thousand unique hits (and nearly 21K page views) . Over exactly 1 year and 1 month. Not the greatest blog stats ever, but hey, when I started this I wasn't sure of getting even five hundred, so tralalalala! In other words, it makes me happy.

And so, to all of you who've supported this blog; to those of you who follow or subscribe to it; to each one of you who's ever left a comment, suggestion, constructive criticism or just a hello; to those who've sent me heartfelt emails: Thank You. 

It's been a good weekend. I'll soon be back with more.

~The Flaneurbanite.

A Year Full of Happiness

Tadadadadaaan!
Is that good text equivalent for a celebratory bugle? Because it's birthday time and I am all set to party!

I can hardly believe it but today marks one full year of Urban Legends!

I started this little blog after two years of a foolish hiatus from all things creative, in which I'd let my old photoblog die a lonely death; a time when I wrote and clicked a bit but let other things take over, which led me to a state when I thought I'd physically suffocate if I made any more space in my life for the banal, the uncreative, the mediocre...oh, all that is not important anymore! What's important is that I finally listened to that pleading voice in my head and gave in, once more, to the sheer joy of creating and sharing. I started out with a semi-pro camera that my Significant Other gifted to me in 2008, and my old faithful Fujifilm point and shoot; a reignited passion, and absolutely no idea where this was going to lead me. Who knew that by the end of of the year, this would have taken a life of its own and that I would find so, so much in the process.

"Now we are music together, sharing one cup" - Rumi

Through this blog, I re-communed with my passions - not just photography and writing, but also - cities. I'm blessed to be living in this wonderful city and this blog gave me the chance to make you see it the way I do. And then came the chance to visit other cities, other places and the chance to do what I love to do - tell stories.

Through this blog, I got some amazing opportunities - things that I hadn't even dreamed of finding when I started it. I discovered Londonist and the amazing bunch of people who run it. I got the opportunity to exhibit my photos in central London, and to be interviewed by the lovely Jaz for Londonist! Through this blog, my photos were discovered by the cool people behind Televisual and my photos went to print for the very first time! And through this blog, Metrotwin happened - the opportunity to shoot and write about two of my favourite cities in the world.

But most importantly, through this blog, I met so many of you who're reading this right now - you all who've kept me going at times when I wondered if it was worth the sheer hard work that has gone into this, and when the troll came visiting. Your comments, your encouragement, and most of all, your heartfelt emails have become a large part of this blog's (and mine) raison d'être.

What more could I have asked for?

****

2009 was a terrible year for a lot of people. I started 2009 in gloom and uncertainty myself as my job fell prey to the ugly recession just before it started. My income fell, my career nose-dived and so did my spirits. But you know what they say about a window opening up when a door closes?

This blog was my window. My window to you, my window to my own self and my window to happiness.

I still click with the same semi-pro, I still don't have the spare change to host this on my own domain (because I still don't have that job, darned recession!), I still don't have the heart to give away the old battered Fuji. But I have a year and a heart full of Urban Legends and no one can take that away from me.

Happy Birthday Urban Legends.
Here's to many more years of creative joy.

****

Now that I'm done with the sentimental soppiness, let me say sorry again for being so AWOL these last two months. I nearly let myself be sucked back into banality again but thank goodness for good sense and that constant nagging in my head. So yes, I'm back for good. Just you try getting rid of me now!

Here's what's coming up:

- An updated list of links to some fantastic photographers and photo-bloggers out there that you must visit.

- A brand new post (or two, or several..) from London.

- A new city, and several stories.

- A few old ones from 2008 and before. Who says I can only tell new stories? Stories are stories, it's the way you tell them, not when (or so says I).

- What? No, I'm not going to give everything away, so keep checking back.

****

And finally!
(Hey you in the back row! Wake up!) An awesome video that, to me, sums up the ethos of this last year on Urban Legends, and hopefully will continue to, in the years to come.
Enjoy!

Yours soppily, cheekily and stupidly happily,
Flaneurbanite.

:-)

The India Chronicles | The Drum Sellers of MG Road

There is quite a difference in how a photographer is perceived and received on the streets in London and in India. In London, there is a simultaneous sense of respect and distrust - people move out of your frame, wait to pass until you've finished clicking, turn their faces, some surreptitiously try to find out what you're clicking and why. Rarely will a Londoner come up to you and ask, and even more rarely will a stranger in London pose for you. If you're around a policeman, you're likely to be questioned, or worse, under the new strange laws against street photography that are aimed at preventing terrorism, but promote suspicion instead.

In India, however, the story turns on its head. If you carry a camera in public, you yourself become the object of curiosity. You click on the street and a crowd will gather behind your back. If people think your viewfinder is trained at them, a few will move out of the frame and a majority will start hamming it up - putting on a happy display for your benefit. Most people in India love getting their pictures taken, even if they personally won't ever have a chance of having those pictures! I personally suspect the degree of curiosity and hamming goes up if the photographer is female. Of course, not everyone will do this - but this is largely what I've experienced while clicking here.

And so it was on a Sunday afternoon at MG Road. Exhausted by shopping, I was sipping at a disgusting concoction disguised as cold coffee at the Cafe Coffee Day on MG Road, watching life on the busy street whizz past, when I noticed these drum sellers. These young men move around in groups on MG Road trying to sell crudely made drums of all sizes to people. They were evidently not having too much luck this afternoon.

Since I was safely hidden under a large garden umbrella and some plants, I took several shots of these guys knowing that they are unaware of my presence and my viewfinder. Or so I thought. One of them noticed me, much to his apparent glee, and this is what ensued.

Ham it up, Mister





The one on the right knows his picture is being taken. This is an attempt to look 'cool'.

I spent the rest of the evening fending off these two guys as they tried to sell me a drum. Every time I stepped out of a store, they would be there:

"Maddum, lowest price for you... you clicked my photo, Maddum"
"Only 250 Rupees for you, Maddum, special price"
"We entertained you Maddum, please buy" (I'd laughed out loud when these guys struck that pose for me).
And even:
"What Maddum, I make so much effort, you still don't buy"
!!

I have to admit I was tickled, even if a bit annoyed by their unceasing sales pitch. Although, I suspect that I provided them with more entertainment in their boring afternoon than the other way round. I did not buy a drum, although I wanted to. I just don't have space in my luggage for one!

A new chapter: India for the Summer!

And here comes the big announcement that I'd teased you with in this post. The Flaneurbanite is off to India for the Summer! It's a planned three month long work-cum-leisure trip and if all goes as per plan, I'll be back in London at the end of September.

Needless to say I'll miss London sorely - I'm missing it even before I'm gone! But I'm really looking forward to being in India too - it's home, and it's one of the most beautiful countries in the world. And I'm not just saying it because it's mine!

India is where my photographic journey began, more than a decade back , when I used my Dad's Minolta film camera so much that it decided to conk off. I then graduated to an Olympus digital that I borrowed from my office for work and shot a series of random pictures with it. It excited me enough to make me buy my first very own point and shoot digital, the Fujifilm E550, which remains faithful to this day. Last year my better half added company to my solo fleet with a Fujifilm S9600 (semi-pro) and that is what I primarily shoot with these days. Some of my earliest shots with the E550...

Neemrana Fort, Rajasthan, North West India





Neemrana Fort, Rajasthan, North West India






Bombay/Mumbai






Land's End, Bombay/Mumbai

Some of these made it to my first photoblog that I started in 2006 to a lot of interest but couldn't keep up with when I started my MSc in London later that year. It sits dormant now, though I'm tempted to start posting those that don't make it here but I'd still really like to share, there. Perhaps that'll happen yet!

India is where I shot those first few which got me the precious drops of genuine appreciation from people who really know the art. Many would think it doesn't get better than in a city like London for street photography, for a continuously dynamic panorama of urban life - but you need to have clicked in India to know better! And there is going to be lots of that here to prove it, in the next three months. I'm excited about the journey, and I hope you'll be my fellow travellers, my fellow flaneurbanites.

So, fasten your seatbelts and here we go!

Scenes from Regent Street in black and white - 1

This post marks my foray into the world of black and white photography. I have done the odd B&W shot before, but this is my first attempt to capture a place/theme entirely in the medium.

I present to you a series of scenes from Regent Street - posh shopping crescent in Central London, connecting Oxford Circus with Piccadilly Circus. I chose Regent Street because it is one of those places in London that everyone who's ever been in London has been to - it is a destination, yet it is common, it belongs to commonplace memory. And I've attempted to pick scenes from this commonplace-ness of the street - to see if I can make you look at it a bit differently. I do hope you'll let me know how I've done.

(click on images to enlarge)

Black and white photography is evocative and sensual. Done right, a visual in two tones can bring out the mood and subject of the picture far more beautifully than colour. And the reverse is even more true. Black and white can be a tricky medium, and therein lies the reason for my trepidation.

More to come...watch this space. And please don't forget to leave your feedback!

Another on Londonist

After this little surprise, there's another. Kind Londonist have used another of my pictures (see below) to headline their post.

I clicked this one at Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea on Tuesday, where they have an excellent new exhibition titled "Unveiled: New Art from The Middle East". My post on it, with the picture in context is here.

Hat tip: Anjali, who kindly brought my attention to it!

Art: the Formal versus the Informal at Rivington Street

The last time I went to Shoreditch, I only peeped into Rivington Street. I caught sight of works by two of the greatest street artists Britain has produced, got excited, started clicking... and ran out of batteries. Plus, it was biting cold and it was a day when I'd been foolishly optimistic about the weather while dressing up. I had to beat a sorry retreat, albeit with a strong resolve to go back as soon as possible - with an extra set of batteries.

I was rewarded with that opportunity yesterday.

Do correct me if I'm wrong, but Rivington Street seems to me to be the mecca of street art in London. The first thing you notice when you enter the street from the Shoreditch side is Eine's famous (or infamous, depending upon how you're inclined to view street art) typography. It transforms the underside of this bridge from a dingy stinky passageway into an art gallery in its own right.

click on pictures to enlarge

On the opposite wall sits one of the entrances to Cargo, the live music bar, flanked on either side by graffiti - by someone whose name I haven't been able to trace yet. (Leads appreciated).

If this looks familiar, you probably saw it here

*Update: The two silhouette pieces above are by an artist called Sam3. Hat tip: Xylo

Cargo's courtyard/garden on the other side of this bridge is a haven for street art - it houses two famous Banksy works on each end, with multiple Shepard Faireys, an Ego Leonard and other street art in between:

Banksy's 'Designated Graffiti Area' - this one is so precious, it is covered with a pyrex sheet.






Shepard Fairey's 'Obey' posters



Unidentified - help appreciated



Ego Leonard's Lego



Banksy's HMV

I moved out of the rear exit of Cargo and into the courtyard (narrow alleyway) of the Black Rat Press and come across more street art - outside the gallery. And here comes the interesting part, if you haven't figured out from the name already, the Black Rat Press is dedicated to showcasing the best of street art and artists from around the world. It houses works by D'Face, Swoon, Brian Adam Douglas, Slinkachu and Nick Georgiou among others. The name of the gallery is of course taken from Banksy's signature black rat that has made appearances in several cities of the world.

Unidentified, outside Black Rat Press. Any help?



Someone left their paints behind



Love the typography

Like Shoreditch, but less so, Rivington Street is a study in contrast - or perhaps it is a study in tolerance of extremes. The street is littered with art galleries showcasing formal, recognised forms of art, while the walls outside these galleries host works by some of the most well-known street artists. The David Adjaye designed Rivington Place, for example, has an exhibition on by well known South African photographer Santu Mofokeng. Right behind the gallery, enclosed in its own parking space, is a famous Stylo and Mear piece from 2001.

Rivington Street is obviously a place for artists, photographers and designers. Old world sentimentalities about art and design perhaps do not fit in here. Every establishment on this street - cafe, gallery, bar, shop - pays homage to eclecticism and acceptance, an almost-rebellious response to the old school. The contemporary parallels of slick stylishness and alternative movements coexist on the same street, a kilometre long stretch of bohemian utopia.

The Bedroom Bar



The Comedy Cafe



The absolutely lovely ArtWords Book Shop - a tiny treasure trove for resources on contemporary visual arts

I don't care what the puritans say about street art. I believe that as much as it can destroy the fabric of a place, not all street art is subversive. Some brings it back from disuse, back into acceptance and back into character from decay and Rivington Street is an excellent example of this. There is a fine line between mindless graffiti and street art, between wasteful self-indulgence and creativity - and instead of trashing all street art as vandalism, I think that line needs to be recognised and that distinction made.

So far this has been one street where I've felt completely at ease wielding my camera around. No one gave me a suspicious look, no curious glances were thrown my way. Instead, passers-by smiled at me, nodded in understanding, invited me into their galleries. I was running out of time so didn't step into many, but I'm so going back yet again. I had a fantastic time clicking this street despite the cold drizzle on my head, my struggle to keep my lens dry, and the failing light.

Oh, and the extra set of batteries helped - I ran out midway.

PS: If you have an opinion on this, I'd love to hear what you think about street art as a legitimate art form in the comments or on email.