PRASHANTT RAI cinematographer » pictures

Nikon FM 2 – going the film way.

admin — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 20:51:16 +0000

I managed to get hold of my old hard drive and dug out more pictures of Europe 2002. I took all the pictures then on negatives as digital SLRs weren’t around or I didn’t hear about them. Great for me! Because when I compare these pictures with the images of DSLR – there is a vast difference. Really! There is so much information buried in the negative that barring extremely high-end digital SLRs none of them come close to the Film. So, it has prompted me to go back to the film format Camera.

I went to Flora Fountain last week and enquired about Nikon FM 2. After couple of hours and 8-10 shops later I did find a Nikon FM2 in a good shape. The metal body has very little scratches and the functioning was superb. I also managed to find Nikkor 1.4 opening manual lens too. So, it works fine. Hope to get the first roll of black and white from process soon.

Munich

admin — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 14:22:14 +0000

…The first class coach, though luxurious, was empty. The only occupants beside the conductor were a wiry old man in a black jacket and I. He appeared fitter than most people his age. His grace lay not in his straight spine but in the smooth gray hair that contrasted to his black leather jacket. He resembled an old-fashioned headmaster, once an authority, still clinging on to his dogmatic ways. Every time I took a picture and the camera produced a low whine, he jerked his fragile neck as if a gun had accidentally fired in the carriage!…

Writing – Non Fiction page

crimson sky

admin — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:34:02 +0000

A mother walks with her baby past hutments along a narrow road that leads to the Candolim Beach.

The photograph was taken in the month of March, towards the end. The skies are very hot and clear. surprisingly, as a local development, it rained in the afternoon. when the clouds finally cleared around sunset – what I saw was a crimson red sky. It was quite an unusual sight in Goa for the month of March.

Kasmir Pics

storyinframes — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 14:47:24 +0000

trying to get through a really slow connection to upload pictures of Kashmir.

refer ‘photography’ page

’11 Weeks’ – the film shoot. Part-1

storyinframes — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 22:44:56 +0000

Srinagar greeted with a dry autumn and deserted streets. The tourists who thronged the markets and shikaras a few months back were missing. As a photographer I felt like the streets, the landscape too was barren, with a veneer of gritty yellowy dust all over compared to the lush greens three months back.

to read more click on the page – ’11 Weeks’ – the film shoot. Part-1

Qutubdinpura, Srinagar

storyinframes — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 21:37:00 +0000

Cafe Leopold

storyinframes — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 22:58:43 +0000

Café Leopold

Leopold is where the mayhem seems to have started on the fateful night of 26^th Nov. The terrorists fired indiscriminately before hurling a grenade in the popular joint frequented by westerners, the office crowd, and the youngsters. The terrorists left the scene creating chaos and panic on the streets and dead bodies strewn around in the café.

No sooner had the carnage ended in Mumbai, Leopold was back in action. No alterations or changes were done in its otherwise simple décor or style – it opened just the same way as it was on the night of 26/11 with the embellishments of bullet marks on the wooden pillars & shattered glass panes.

When I arrived there in the evening around eight the café was almost packed. I somehow managed to get hold of a table. Everything seemed normal. The crowd was mostly Indian; having beer after office. Initially I noticed nothing amiss. As I settled down and glanced around I noticed the bullet marks and the two round holes on the Café’s glass façade.

Everyone who was present there seemed to have just one resolve – get the fear out of their mind. The place looked lively, contrary to what I expected before I stepped in. it was an encouraging sight because collectively we managed to defeat the purpose which the terrorists wanted – fear.

As I pulled my haversack aside to take my camera there were few curious glances. With the permission of the café staff I took few pictures. A group seated few tables away waved and called me over. I was wondering if something had irked them. They lifted the table cloth and showed me a small pit right under the table. I looked on – blank. ‘Grenade!’ one of them pointed. This is the spot where the grenade had exploded after being lobbed in. With a sense of defiantness they raised their beer mugs and drank. It was a moment of fearlessness – an antidote to the venom of terror.

R(EVOLUTION) – 2

storyinframes — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 22:21:42 +0000

Excerpts from R(EVOLUTION)-2

Later in the night the power supply tripped plunging the whole Palolem in darkness. I was sitting at the beach having drinks. A few seconds later as the eye got accustomed to the darkness I saw something inconceivable – a sight so beautiful and not photographable.

TO READ MORE CLICK ON R(EVOLUTION)-2 PAGE

Sorrento

storyinframes — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 15:24:27 +0000

Excerpts from The Pheromone Scent Trail .

Over a period, I discovered their passion for scooters, which they had harboured within them with such fondness that even I began to wonder whether scooters were the most convenient means of transportation. Their fascination for this unique two stroke domesticated Italian machine began when they had visited Rome three years before on a vacation. The Roman holiday seemed to have played a crucial role in changing their outlook towards attaining a cosier mobility on two wheels without having to go BOOM BOOM on a thousand cc racing bike or having to wear that rustic hirsute look on a Harley Davidson cruiser.

To read more click on the Sorrento Page -

R(EVOLUTION)-1

storyinframes — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 21:14:16 +0000

excerpts from R(EVOLUTION) – 1

The shot which was to be taken at sunrise was being taken now at 12 noon. It was hot and contrasty and I had no recourse to lights and generators. There was haze on the horizon. I was sweating at the prospect of shooting something like this with no fill light.

to read more, click on the R(EVOLUTION)-1 page