Rajasthani Mystics Running through Hot Coals, India

You know sometimes you find an image that you really love…at the time, then, when you go back and look at your files a year or two later, you see something else that really jumps out, that trumps your initial selection. Well, for me this is one of those times. Initially I had chosen the image above as my "hero". It was the expression of intense devotion on the woman's face that got me. I ignored the rest…until now more that 2 years later.

Below are my edits from that particular shoot and now there is only one image that stands out amongst all of them. My initial selection is too cluttered and the people in the back merge with the subject. Can you guess which image is my new champion? My choice is below.

This image shows more of the setting, there is still a lot of emotion in the face of the woman who is performing her bathing ritual, but it is the apparent dispassion of the two ladies in conversation behind her that seals it for me — I wish the guy in the back had not raised his arm but I can live with it. What do you think?

I was going through my files looking for an image from the 2013 Maha Kumbh Mela when I came across this one. I liked the chaos of the hands and arms, as well as the bold colors, but what was it all about? What was going on? Does the image work on its own as a graphic treatment of a moment in time? I don't think so.

Recalling that moment during the first of 8 days that we spent in Allahabad, while there to witness the world's largest gathering of humanity during the Maha Kumbh Mela, I went back and looked at the set of images I had taken. They showed a group of women, one who seemed to be the center of attention in her role as a "seer", performing a ritual puja on the banks of the Ganges. From time to time the woman in the red sari would go into a trance state and start shaking her head while the others attended to her. Seen in the context of the story, this image makes more sense.

I spent 15 minutes watching and photographing this whole session. I had gained their approval before taking one picture so was able to move in fairly close and record the whole event with a wide angle lens. After a minute or so I was invisible to them.  From the 80 images that I shot I have narrowed the results down to 16.

We have become obsessively preoccupied with sharpness! With digital cameras coming out with 50 megapixel sensors, where is it going to end? How sharp does an image really need to be? When is an image acceptably sharp?

Just go to your filing cabinets and remove a couple of slide sheets of images and look at them under a 10x loupe and you will see what I mean. These days we are used to scrutinizing our images on the screen at 100% or 200% (for the more obsessive) and, well, sometimes they do not look "perfectly" sharp. Guess what, if you print out a digital image as an 8 x 10, an 11 x 14, or even a 16 x 20, chances are that you will not really notice the softness.

The image above was made in a mix of pre-dawn daylight, artificial street light, and a cigarette lighter. I had the fellow move into the best possible position so that his body would block some ugly electrical poles, and then I had him light his cigarette. Photographed at ISO 2500 at f2.8 at 1/25sec chances were that it was not going to turn out perfectly sharp, and, combined with movement, that's the way it was, a little soft. The main thing is that I like the image and I will probably never use it larger than a full page in a book. 

So be careful before you toss that image in the trash because it does not look sharp enough — it may well be acceptably sharp.

This article was given to me by a client, a GP practicing outside Melbourne. It is from Australian Family Physician Vol 44, No 1–2, January–February, 2015

It is off to Sicily again next Tuesday. Our tour will take us along the north coast, across to Stromboli, then around a snow-covered Mt Etna. We will be in Enna for the Easter Parade. 

I just bought Mark Knopfler's new album,  "Tracker" and I was delighted to see that there was a track called Lights of Taormina. We will be back in Taormina on March 30 for 3 nights so that seemed very serendipitous.

I have embedded the track in this post for you to enjoy.

Extract from the Pantone website…
Much like the fortified wine that gives Marsala its name, this tasteful hue embodies the satisfying richness of a fulfilling meal while its grounding red-brown roots emanate a sophisticated, natural earthiness. This hearty, yet stylish tone is universally appealing and translates easily to fashion, beauty, industrial design, home furnishings and interiors.

The Versatility of Marsala

• Equally appealing to men and women, Marsala is a stirring and flavorful shade for apparel and accessories, one that encourages color creativity and experimentation
• Flattering against many skin tones, sultry and subtle Marsala is a great go-to color for beauty, providing enormous highlight for the cheek, and a captivating pop of color for nails, shadows lips and hair.
• Dramatic and at the same time grounding, the rich and full-bodied red-brown Marsala brings color warmth into home interiors
• An earthy shade with a bit of sophistication, texture is the story in print and packaging. A matte finish highlights Marsala’s organic nature while adding a sheen conveys a completely different message of glamour and luxury.