Besides this lovely group which so much fulfills a need to give vent to my writing needs, I recently joined another group on Facebook that caters to my need for Wild-life awareness, conservation and natural beauty.
As is the habit of an idle mind, I was browsing through Facebook and came to look at some outstanding photographs-like the one posted here. While most of them were truly marvelous and told a story by itself, some pictures had a mention of technical details like the one attached herewith.
Black Panther, Kabini, Karnataka
August 2016
Canon 1DXMK2, 400mm f/2.8 IS II + 2x
ISO 3200, 800mm, f/5.6, 1/200, composed horizontally and cropped.
Processed using Adobe Lightroom CC
Pic Courtesy- Laksh Kalyanaraman
Always the rabble-rouser, I quickly got down to commenting on these images. Let us agree to something here, the pictures are indeed top notch, almost Nat-Geo level, if not actually Nat Geo level. But some pictures came with a detailed description of technical specs of the images. All kinds of stuff - focal length, shutter speed, resolution, even application used to develop the image!- was mentioned along with the image.
I understand when somebody acknowledges a photographer giving him/her due credit mentioning- Image Courtesy, Pic copyright, etc. What beats me however, is the need of the photographer to mention these sundry details, which, for the true nature lover, is as redundant as an author printing the amount of hard work or the number of hours put in by him/her to write a book!
True, images and videos, convey information by the multiples of mere words. However, information over-load often leads to a disease called Hyperactivity Disorder among children. With the wildly popular smartphones around, there is no saying how much information kids are exposed to. While some of it really helps in the child's development, all parents in this group would agree, most of the information is either irrelevant or even intrusive. Something similar happens to people in such
virtual groups. Most of the members, in the name of wild-life awareness, actually seek good photographs, which there are by the dozens in the group. However, very few photographs turn out to be relevant and tell a story on their own. While judging the winner of the National Geographic Maximum CIty Cover Shot contest, the legendary lens-man, Raghu Rai said," The photographer carries his heart in his palms."
In wild-life enthusiast groups today, people take this quote to a different level- they carry their ego in their palms. Sometimes the need for acclaim overrides the central purpose. In this virtual networking world where the online reputation of a person precedes his/her true identity, fanning the fires of ego and acceptance has taken precedence over everything else.
What do I intend? Why am I taking the reader's time venting my frustration about some other group in a writers' forum?
These questions will remain unanswered till we ask ourselves this question in not just our "virtual life", but our flesh-and-bone lives as well- Am I serving my true purpose?
In everything we do in life, there will be peripherals. In giving a lecture about markets, there will always be a mention of relevance of learning. In purchasing a home, people will always come across things like neighborhood, connectivity, civil supplies. In the upbringing of a child there will be a question of how the child performs in exams. In even shopping, there will be those moments of impulse where it feels impossible to stop the hand from picking up needless items. At all times,
we come across these appendages in personal choice. What holds us steady then, is the focus on the real purpose.
A student learns best through discussion. A home is given life by its occupants, everything else is secondary. A child radiates brilliance in his/her character, exams are just a lame yard-stick. Impulse purchase only needs to inflated budgets and needless subsequent compromises.
All these decisions are personal to each one of us.However, the purpose is still universal. After all, the black panther is truly a magnificent animal, the pic-specs fade in its heavenly glory. Hence, it is focus and not focal length that matters!
As is the habit of an idle mind, I was browsing through Facebook and came to look at some outstanding photographs-like the one posted here. While most of them were truly marvelous and told a story by itself, some pictures had a mention of technical details like the one attached herewith.
Black Panther, Kabini, Karnataka
August 2016
Canon 1DXMK2, 400mm f/2.8 IS II + 2x
ISO 3200, 800mm, f/5.6, 1/200, composed horizontally and cropped.
Processed using Adobe Lightroom CC
Pic Courtesy- Laksh Kalyanaraman
Always the rabble-rouser, I quickly got down to commenting on these images. Let us agree to something here, the pictures are indeed top notch, almost Nat-Geo level, if not actually Nat Geo level. But some pictures came with a detailed description of technical specs of the images. All kinds of stuff - focal length, shutter speed, resolution, even application used to develop the image!- was mentioned along with the image.
I understand when somebody acknowledges a photographer giving him/her due credit mentioning- Image Courtesy, Pic copyright, etc. What beats me however, is the need of the photographer to mention these sundry details, which, for the true nature lover, is as redundant as an author printing the amount of hard work or the number of hours put in by him/her to write a book!
True, images and videos, convey information by the multiples of mere words. However, information over-load often leads to a disease called Hyperactivity Disorder among children. With the wildly popular smartphones around, there is no saying how much information kids are exposed to. While some of it really helps in the child's development, all parents in this group would agree, most of the information is either irrelevant or even intrusive. Something similar happens to people in such
virtual groups. Most of the members, in the name of wild-life awareness, actually seek good photographs, which there are by the dozens in the group. However, very few photographs turn out to be relevant and tell a story on their own. While judging the winner of the National Geographic Maximum CIty Cover Shot contest, the legendary lens-man, Raghu Rai said," The photographer carries his heart in his palms."
In wild-life enthusiast groups today, people take this quote to a different level- they carry their ego in their palms. Sometimes the need for acclaim overrides the central purpose. In this virtual networking world where the online reputation of a person precedes his/her true identity, fanning the fires of ego and acceptance has taken precedence over everything else.
What do I intend? Why am I taking the reader's time venting my frustration about some other group in a writers' forum?
These questions will remain unanswered till we ask ourselves this question in not just our "virtual life", but our flesh-and-bone lives as well- Am I serving my true purpose?
In everything we do in life, there will be peripherals. In giving a lecture about markets, there will always be a mention of relevance of learning. In purchasing a home, people will always come across things like neighborhood, connectivity, civil supplies. In the upbringing of a child there will be a question of how the child performs in exams. In even shopping, there will be those moments of impulse where it feels impossible to stop the hand from picking up needless items. At all times,
we come across these appendages in personal choice. What holds us steady then, is the focus on the real purpose.
A student learns best through discussion. A home is given life by its occupants, everything else is secondary. A child radiates brilliance in his/her character, exams are just a lame yard-stick. Impulse purchase only needs to inflated budgets and needless subsequent compromises.
All these decisions are personal to each one of us.However, the purpose is still universal. After all, the black panther is truly a magnificent animal, the pic-specs fade in its heavenly glory. Hence, it is focus and not focal length that matters!
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