Raindance with Photography

What Oye?

A thousand year old village inviting you to walk through its quaintly winding lanes. The fascinating play of light & shadow among earthy houses and scenic farms.

This weekend; capture Beautiful landscapes, vibrant cultures, and very rebirth of mother nature

Swim in refreshing rivers, feel the soft new green grass as you welcome the rains, discuss photography and exchange life-stories with the group over tea. Sing. Dance if you feel called to move to a more primeval rhythm all while you experience authentic village culture and genuine hospitality.

The fragrance of Nature permeating the fields of medicinal herbs & healthy grain. An immense variety of birdscalling out for your attention in birdsong.

Eat delicious food cooked on firewood with simple ingredients & a pure heart, in the company of the village folk at their homes. If youre up for it, you could even lend a hand with the cooking!

The complete package is priced at Rs. 6,000/- only. It includes travel to the village and back in air conditioned cars, all meals, accommodation, local guides, village activities and photography lessons.

What more Oye?

Do I need to have an SLR/DSLR/Micro-four-thirds camera with me?

The scope of understanding the core technicalities of professional photography on a camera thats not an SLR/DSLR/Micro-four-thirds is limited. But if you dont have one, you are more than welcome to bring whichever camera that you have and master the art of using it to its full potential.

I rarely see anyone take the time to set a point and shoot camera as per the available light before using it. The fact of the matter is that even a point and shoot camera needs to be set in accordance to the available lighting conditions if one wants to make effective photographs.

How do I protect my camera in the rain?

SLR/DSLR CAMERAS:

Please visit http://goo.gl/6f4Qo for a detailed explanation on how to protect your camera in the rain.

You will need the following items:

• UV filter and lens hood - This is an absolute must
• Thick transparent plastic bags
• Silica Gel: available at most chemists
• Rubber bands: the thicker the better
• Tupperware box that your camera can fit into OR weather resistant bags such as Lowepro, Samsonite etc.
• A cheap plastic tripod
• Big umbrella
• Someone to hold your big umbrella whilst you shoot!
• OR a storm jacket for your camera: please refer to http://goo.gl/6f4Qo

OTHER CAMERAS:

You will need:

• Thick plastic bags
• Silica Gel
• Tupperware box that your camera can fit into OR weather resistant bags such as Lowepro, Samsonite etc.
• Big umbrella
• Someone to hold your umbrella whilst you shoot!

What is the impact of you booking a weekend photography workshop?

• 18% increase in average annual household income of over 80 households
• Over 2000 days of employment created annually
• Reduction in migration
• Conservation of traditions & biodiversity
• Connecting urban & rural communities
• We endeavour to contribute towards the UNs MDGs through Rural Tourism.

Staying Arrangements at our villages:

Both the villages will have tents pitched in a common area. The tents are provided with mattress, blankets, bed-sheets, pillows & pillow-covers. There are common washrooms in the campsite.

Once there, the guests are briefed on the accommodation. If the guest is unable to accommodate in a tent then we have villagers houses that can be used.

Please note that this is not a luxury holiday. It is an experiential and rustic weekend village getaway.

The food is always vegetarian consisting of Chapatis, Rice, Dal and 2 vegetables along with pickle or salad.

Non-vegetarian meals: eggs for breakfast, chicken for either lunch or dinner can be arranged at additional costs.

What should you carry?

• Pair of good walking shoes
• Personal medications if any
• Basic Toiletries (towel, soap, toothbrush, paste etc.)
• Clothes
• Cap
• Torch
• Mosquito repellent coil or ODOMOS (generally the mosquitoes are well behaved, but you never know if they may have an affinity for you)
• Raincoats/Umbrellas during the monsoons
• A Bottle of Water - 1 Litre is good enough (We have Aquaguard and Purified water and you can re-fill as and when required)
• Spirit of Adventure

What you should not carry?

• Electronic Gadgets like iPod etc. (You wont get time to listen to it.)
• Expensive jewellery
• Lots of Cash (Unless you plan to buy a cow)
• Alcohol
• Office-work and Laptops. (The Cows in this Village dont like IT; and may attack the Laptops)

What is expected of you while on tour?

Behave in a manner and dress in attire that respects the villagers culture, traditions and environment. There should be no indecent exposure with clothes.

No littering in the village, dustbins are provided in the tents and cottages.

To maintain accountability in the village, please do not give any money/tip any individual villager.

Keep an open mind and have fun while youre at it.

PHOTOGRAPHY FAQ

What topics will be covered?

Ever wondered why some photos are more appealing than others: some too bright, others too dark, blurry, out-of-focus or grainy?

Heres your chance to learn the principles of exposure & composition i.e. achieving optimum exposure by light metering, understanding & setting the shutter-speed, aperture & film-speed etc. taking the subject, intensity & direction of light into consideration.

The immediate outcomes of this workshop are:

• You will be able to use the camera in the Manual or M mode for effective exposures: no more over/under-exposed photos!
• No blurry photos in low light! You will be able to achieve crisp and clear photos in any lighting conditions
• Make powerful pictures by choosing the most relevant focus point and understanding the simple rules of composition
• Understand and read histograms and curves.

Additional things to remember

• Electricity can be a problem so please ensure that the camera batteries are completely charged.
• Bring spare batteries if possible.
• Mobile connectivity is rather poor.

What are the additional possible activities & photo opportunities at these workshops?

Some of the additional activities that you can engage in are:

FARMING: ploughing, sowing, transplanting, weeding, harvesting, pounding, de-husking of rice etc.

LIFESTYLE: chopping wood, fetching water from the well, milking cows/goats, powdering of rice, antiseptic treatment of houses & storehouses, traditional cooking, swimming in the river, fishing etc.

NATURE: bird watching, tree identification, learn about the medicinal properties of certain plants, stargazing. Identification of trees, birds and medicinal plants is subject to the availability of the local expert.