Report on Photowalk & Workshop on World Photography Day at Puttenahalli Lake

In 1826, a French inventor called Nicephore Niepce made the first photograph, using a pewter plate coated with bitumen, and exposing it to the sun over eight hours. In 1829, Niepce and French artist, Louis Daguerre, developed an improved process that came to be known as Daguerreotype. In 1839, the French government purchased the patent from Daguerre. And on August 19th, 1839, the French government released the Daguerreotype photographic process to the public for free. That is why this date is considered the beginning of the era of Photography.

PNLIT celebrated the World Photography Day at Puttenahalli lake by conducting a workshop and photowalk. The event was led by SK Srinivas, who by his own definition, is a serious amateur in photography. He has been a PNLIT volunteer for the last ten years, and has captured many memorable moments at the lake in his camera.

Here is what the participants had to say about him and the photowalk !

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Recently, a friend of mine forwarded the announcement of a Photowalk & Workshop to be conducted at Puttenahalli Lake on Aug 19th. World Photography Day.  I had been looking to attend just such a workshop for many days so I quickly registered for it. Another attraction was that the event conducted by PNLIT was free of cost and open to all!

The photography expert Mr. SK Srinivas (Srini) and PNLIT events coordinator Sapana were cordial and welcoming. Srini began by asking how well each of the participants were acquainted with photography. Most of us were early beginners. We spent a good amount of time learning about the basics of photography and the technicalities of different types of cameras. This was no doubt very useful but it also meant that out of the two hours, the time we got to spend on actually photographing the birds and knowing how to spot them got reduced.

Srini also talked about how human activities are damaging Bangalore lakes, their ecosystems and the fauna dependent on them. We were fortunate to have the right venue for the photo workshop.  Puttenahalli lake, JP Nagar is indeed a "hidden gem" as described by the participants and I fully agree.

We are grateful to Srini and the organisers for this opportunity. I would request him to conduct more photography related events  for participants with different levels of skill. This will help us to become better nature photographers.

-Osama Ansari
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On the occasion of World Photography Day (Aug 19) about 20 of us met at Puttenahalli Lake in JP Nagar 7th phase. The objective was to be given a few basic lessons on photography and how to plan and execute good photos by Mr. SK Srinivas (Srini).

Srini is a photography and wildlife enthusiast and has immense knowledge on cameras, photography and taking great shots.

We were greeted by a light drizzle which would have been otherwise welcome after a long dry spell but threatened to wash out the workshop. Srini started with the history of photography and how it has evolved over the ages from camera obscuras (pinhole cameras) to mirrorless DSLRs. He then explained how good photography is fundamentally about camera optics and explained how to manage trade-offs among aperture size, shutter speed and ISO settings and that practice makes perfect.

We then walked around the lake which was full of water and had plenty of aquatic birds as subjects to practise our newly acquired knowledge and dispersed by about 11 am after a group photo.

-Srivastha Yajaman

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Thank you,

-PNLIT

Pic credits - Arathi Manay

World Photography Day Photowalk 24-Aug-2019 @ 7 A.M.

Celebrate World Photography Day with a Photowalk at Puttenahalli Lake with Ajay Salanky

With the monsoons in, nature is rapidly changing hues, making it an ideal time to explore and capture nature in all its glorious beauty. With its picturesque landscape, freshwater lake and rich biodiversity, Puttenahalli Lake is any photographer's goldmine.

Grab your DSLR, Point and Shoot or the handy mobile phone and join us for a 2 hour photowalk where you will learn the fundamentals of photography. In this photowalk you will learn new and exciting ways to photograph the natural world.

When - 24th Aug 2019 (Saturday), 7 A.M. to 9 A.M.
Where - Puttenahalli Lake, JP Nagar 7th Phase (near South City/Brigade Millennium)
Fee - Rs 200 per person
Age -  10+ years

Register your name with pnlit.events@gmail.com. Pay by cash or Paytm to 9886629769 before the event. The funds collected are for lake maintenance and the artists.

About the Walk Leader
Ajay Salanky, a graphic designer by profession, is also an avid photographer from Bangalore. His passion for photography complements his love for roads, especially the roads less traveled. He particularly enjoys capturing portraits, nature and moments with his daughters. Ajay started his design firm Kalakruti in 1999, which offers a wide array of services like branding, digital marketing, website development and more. He also undertakes architecture/interiors and product photography commercially. His works can also be found on Instagram @anillusion_itis.

Thank you,

- Sapana

PNLIT Event Co-ordinator

Photography Walk

Report by Nandhini Sriraaman

It was a beautiful Sunday morning at the ever so beautiful Puttenahalli lake. Mr. Srinivas Krishnamachari, the mentor was at the venue before time to share his knowledge and experience with the enthusiastic bunch of budding photographers. Every year, 19th August is observed as World Photography day and what could be a more suitable day to conduct a Photography workshop? Srini, as he is fondly called, started off with a brief history of photography and why World photography day is observed on 19th August every year. Louis Daguerre and Joseph Nicephore Niepce from France developed a process for getting an image printed on a medium in 1837. The French government bought their patent and gifted it to the world on 19th August 1839 and hence observed as World Photography day.

Srini explained the key technical parameters to get a perfect image, viz., ISO, shutter speed and aperture apart from lighting. He spoke about various types of lenses, cameras and necessary accessories. Slowly, the discussion shifted to the main topic of birds and bird photography. He explained the importance of observing and understanding the bird's behaviour and eating habits for photography.

The discussion in the gazebo led to going around the lake to see, observe and click the birds. The cloudy weather was perfect for getting good images of birds.  Srini patiently explained various aspects of several species of the birds that were sighted alongwith technical aspects of photography. 

The team was lucky to sight many birds including cormorant, pond heron, grey heron, great cormorant, purple hen and brahminey kite. Turtle, wasps, ants and several other insects were sighted too. Overall, the three hours seemed short but the attendees went back with a lot more knowledge of bird photography and with a promise from Srini on a full-fledged technical workshop on photography.

Pictures: SK Srinivas , Divya Shetty

Learn the Secrets of Bird Photography

19th August is World Photography Day. 

Birder and photography enthusiast Mr. S.K. Srinivas, who enjoys taking pictures (and he's really good at it!) at Puttenahalli Lake will generously share the fundamentals of birding and bird photography with you. Join him for a photo-walk around Puttenahalli Lake. 

If you have a camera of any kind and are keen to know about birds, then catch up with Srini (and the PNLIT team) on Sunday, 19th August at 8 a.m. (we'll meet at the gazebo, Puttenahalli Lake).

It's a FREE event to enjoy photography and nature.

Grey Heron photographed by Srini @ Puttenahalli Lake

Please bring some food and water for yourself. 

Wear nature-friendly clothing (plain cotton stuff, no bright colours). 

A hat would be a good idea. And don't forget your camera.

Wishing our Shutterbugs on World Photography Day

This message is late in the day, but nonetheless, on this World Photography Day, it wishes all our PNLIT Shutterbugs a great year of photo-taking.

Our Shutterbugs page http://www.puttenahallilake.in/pnlit-shutterbugs has more than 40 people who have shared their heart-warming pictures at Puttenahalli Lake with us over the past five years. Birds, insects, plants, events, views, and just anything pleasant that catches the eye at the lake. The group is diverse, from school-going children to senior citizens, from one-time visitors to regulars, from auto-focus point and shoot cameras to sophisticated SLRs. 

All our Shutterbugs have their own picasa albums set up on our PNLIT google account and some of them have been regular in updating them. Thanks to our Shutterbugs, we have been able to track the bird species at the lake on a regular basis. The number has crossed 80. We rely on our Shutterbugs for the photographs that go into our reports, presentations, merchandise and fund-raising appeals. Much of the excitement we feel with the rejuvenation of the lake is conveyed through the phototographs that are shared with us.   

Thanks for being generous with spreading the joy of photography among all of us. 

If you are not on our Shutterbugs page but have photos at/of Puttenahalli Lake to share, please mail us <puttenahalli.lake@gmail.com>.

For those wondering what World Photography Day is all about, see a newspaper report here.