That is a shit ton of film!

A couple of prints for a portfolio I was putting together.

I visited family once again. This time in Atlanta and Mississippi. Yes, Atlanta and Mississippi. I don’t think I’ve ever felt like such an outsider in my own family before. I don’t mean for that to sound derogatory or anything, I just felt that I haven’t done my part in keep close ties with them. Also, that leg of the trip was pretty much an eating contest or maybe it was my subconscious self making up somehow for what I had missed in New York.

You get the picture. Even if everything felt monotonous after a while, I’m happy I got to spend time with family. It almost felt as good as home.

Now let’s go back to the pile of photos I was talking about earlier. Hardly any of them were from 2011. I hope I don’t encourage anyone to stop taking photographs. I just think that I may have done this subconsciously and it may have helped me grow as a person. This year, my best friend got married, and it’s quite nice to see how far we’ve come from being humpty dumpty and a choo choo train in pre-school.

This all made me realize how lucky I am to be surrounded by such great friends, friends who come from good families with strong moral character.

Despite all the food I’ve eaten this year, I have managed to lose more weight that I ever had before. If you’re wondering, No, this is not me. The guy in the middle is someone responsible for helping me lose some weight, and thus enjoy life more. I am more confident and finally feel good about myself.

Last October, I was selected to be a participant in Sohrab Hura’s “Work In Progress” workshop at the first ever Delhi Photo Festival. Delhi was home for a week. I shared a lovely bed and breakfast with some outrageous photographers. Slowly by slowly, I’m beginning to see that good photographers have their quirks, and what happens when you put 7 of them in one room? Yeah. I’ve grown quite close to the people I spent time with during the festival and workshop. They have become close friends.

The workshop basically stripped our work down. No edits. Everything on the table, even images that don’t catch us right away. I could go on forever and talk about each of our projects but to summarize things, we each had presented our work in ways we’ve never done before. I got to make a book for the very first time, and it was an uplifting experience. This may have been the biggest lesson I’ve learned this year while pretentiously working on my “Family Ties” series and trying to be a documentary photographer and hoping to have the photographs up in a gallery. I learned that I was being and outsider in my own family. I am after all a son, a brother, a nephew, a grandson, before being a photographer. Noni Singh said I have such a beautiful family, and she enjoyed looking at the ‘album’. A few minutes later, I had to fly out of Delhi and before leaving I made sure to thank Sohrab, who was happy I was confused about my work.

This book never made it past the opening night. Pages were ripped off and stolen. Ankit has 2 of them I think.

Soon after this great learning experience, I flew to Siem Reap for the 7th Angkor Photo Festival. I was there for the workshop and was very thankful I finally made the cut this year. It was nice to see people whom I had met in Delhi in a different part of the world. I think this is my new favorite feeling… bumping in to people in different parts of the this small world. I’m not sure I had a more overwhelming experience than this in a long time, and I’m not too sure where to start. I got to meet some great photographers from different parts of Asia. It was a group of good looking boys and girls with so much energy and character. I have quite a few anecdotes about the whole experience, and maybe they’re better shared over a cold pint. Two weeks of seeing the same faces day in and day out eventually made us family. The workshop on the other hand was a stark contrast to what we had in Delhi, this being more technical and ‘photojournalistic’ in nature. I got to work with two very well respected mentors, and they wasted no time in making me realize my shortcomings and flaws. I respect them so much for being able to point out what I do wrong and that being said, it was another learning experience for me. I will never forget the nights I spent with my new friends.

All in all, 2011 has been a great year for me. I feel that despite all the mistakes I’ve made this year, I’ve come out a better person overall. Your opinions may vary. This is definitely a change from the 2010 year in review, in which I posted photographs to represent each month. I sort of wish I had more images to show you, but this is all I really have to say this year.

So just like any year ender blog entry, this thing is bound to have a resolution section. Luckily, this one is going to be short and sweet.

1) Be thankful, and count my blessings

2) Enjoy family time

3) Stop comparing myself with others

4) Write more

5) Travel more, and step out of my comfort zone

6) Be a nice person

I’m looking forward to what the New Year has to offer, and cannot wait to see what adventures it has in store for me. I do hope to run in to my friends along the way, they’re the ones who make it interesting

What are you looking forward to?

Tagged: BJ Pascual, Canon 5D Mark II, editorial, editorial work, Environmental Portrait, Greyone Social, incase, Kirk Long, Nico Salva, Philippines, photography, Portrait, Portraits, Sanjeev Thakur, Sarah Gaugler, sonny thakur, sonny thakur editorial, SonnyT, Status Magazine, street, Streetwear ]]> http://ahappycamper.wordpress.com/2011/10/20/septemberoctober/feed/ 1 ahappycamper http://ahappycamper.wordpress.com/2011/09/02/found-some-gems/ http://ahappycamper.wordpress.com/2011/09/02/found-some-gems/#comments Fri, 02 Sep 2011 09:12:30 +0000 Sonny Thakur http://ahappycamper.wordpress.com/?p=452 ]]> from January

*Life.com’s 2011 Photo Blog Awards :

Let’s get things rolling:

(not) Common People - is a fun blog that showcases the work of talented photographers who share their work on the (not) common people flickr page. It features short interviews with some generic yet insightful questions.

1000WordsPhotography - is the blog of the 1000WordsPhotography Magazine. They feature some great essays in every issue.

2point8 - great street photography blog/resource by MDM

500 Photographers - is the brainchild of Pieter Wisse. It features some of the best photographers of different fields. Definitely a must read.

The Travel Photographer - is Tewfic El-Sawy’s blog. It features some of his work, and some great travel photographers. Once in a while, you might stumble across gear reviews or important deadlines for contests or workshops. He also conducts some great workshops with other travel photographers. This is a good resource for travel photography, story-telling, and multimedia.

APhotoEditor - is a vital resource for any editorial photographer. Features, interviews, questions, answers, opinions. Subscribe, and read religiously.

A Photo Student - is James Pomerantz‘s blog. He has some nice reads on there like movies on photography and songs about photography. Every entry is a great read and when he stumbles across some photos, he is always more than happy to share. Just like this entry.

Abbreviated Daylight - blog of freelance photojournalist Ariel Zambelich

Amy Stein – Fine Art Photographer and Teacher based in New York. Features, Interviews, and some great opinions on this blog.

Appetite by Penny De Los Santos – Food and Travel Photographer Penny De Los Santos‘s blog gives us a behind the scenes look at some of her assignments. The images and videos on this blog are always fun to look at.

Boogie Blog –  gives us a glimpse of the life of Boogie, in New York and around the world. His images are full of character and many of them are graphic and surreal. He has also put out some great books over the years.

Chad Holder - This guy shoots everything, and is pretty damn good at it. His portfolio (printed and web) are both great to look at and his blog will sometimes show out takes and behind the scenes photos and information.

Chase Jarvis – Seattle based editorial/commercial photographer’s blog chocked full of insights, lighting diagrams, tutorials, inspiration, and assignments. Yes Homework. An indispensable resource for today’s aspiring photographer.

Conscientious – Blog about contemporary fine art photography with features, interviews, and book/portfolio reviews. An Extended version is also available and has some in – depth interviews with some of today’s best and some longer articles.

Day 19 – Jeremy and Claire Weiss. Super power photography couple shares with us out takes and wonderful stories with their images. The people they come across in their daily lives are just as interesting as they are.

Dirty Blog - Charalampos Kydonakis’ blog features some of the best colored street photography. He sometimes shares with us some great work by other photographers and once in a while you’ll find some great slideshows. He has a great list of links on his blog as well.

Dreamboats – is Adam Golfer, Joe Leavenworth, TJ Proechel, Daniel Shea, and Jake Stangel. A Collective.

dvaphoto – is the work of Matt Lutton, and M. Scott Brauer. They showcase their work, as well as the work of many other photojournalists. They also have a deadline calendar for contests/open calls/workshops

Elizabeth Avedon – Books, Fine Art Photography, Features.

Feature Shoot – by Photographer, Editor, and Curator Alison Zavos. A blog where emerging and established photographers from every field are featured. The site has a massive following and photo editors keep an eye out for the people listed up here. Recipient of Life.com’s 2011 Photo Blog Awards

Flak Photo - is the work of Andy Adams. Updated daily, it showcases new photography, and exhibits from all over the world.

From Swerve of Shore - is editorial and documentary photographer Aaron Joel Santos‘ blog. He is represented by Wonderful Machine

Gabriela Herman – Freelance Photographer based in New York. Her series Blogger, is not to miss.

Hey, Hot Shot! – THE international competition for photographers. The blog features photographers who are in the running for the $10,000 grand prize and crazy exposure.

HotshoeBlog – The blog of contemporary photography magazine hotshoe. They too have a list of blogs to follow.

If At First – England based photographer. Ben Roberts has some insights on being a photographer. His Google + page is one to follow if you’re already on that bandwagon.

IPA - or Invisible Photographer Asia is blog that showcases visual journalism and street photography from Asia or by Asian Photographers. Authors include Kevin WY Lee, Paul Swee, Tammy David, Derrick Choo, Jessica Lim, and Alice Tay.

Jamie Stoker – 22 Year old freelance photographer based in London, England. A young, up-and-coming photographer. Definitely one to watch.

John Loomis Blog – Another serious editorial photographer with a very serious portfolio. Big list of clients, and definitely one to learn from.

John Javellana – Blog of freelance photojournalist John Javellana. Check his portfolio here.

Kate Hutchinson – blog of photographer Kate Hutchinson.

Lenscratch – “Lenscratch is a blogzine that explores contemporary photography and offers opportunities for exposure and community.”

Lens Blog – Photoblog of the New York Times

LPV Magazine – online and print magazine dedicated to contemporary photography. A great blog/magazine that serves as a platform for photographers to showcase their work. There are some great interviews here. They also have a Tumblr, and a Flickr, both of which deserve a look.

Magnum Blog – Blog of Magnum Photos. Currently under renovation.

MJR – is Mustafah Abdulaziz, Ying Ang, Matthew Craig, Julius Metoyer, Gareth Phillips, and Brandon Thibodeaux.

PDN Photo of The Day – one of PDN‘s photoblogs. Check out PDN Pulse, and PDN EDU as well.

Tanya-n – Photoblog of Tanya Nagar. A good friend.

Richard Renaldi – Contemporary Fine Art Photographer

Severin Koller Blog – Vienna based street photographer. A personal favorite. Rumored to be working on a book project.

Shooting Wide Open – Jin‘s Blog. Some nice photography on the portfolio website, and a refreshing read on the blog.

Street Reverb Magazine – Another great street photography resource brought to you by Bryan Formhals of LPV fame.

Superficial Snapshots – Fine Art/Editorial/Commercial Photographer Allison V. Smith‘s blog.

The Curving Hip, The Soothing Shade – Thomas Prior’s Blog. Great place to catch some of his out takes and 100% crops. One of my favorite photographers. Website Here

Verve Photo – Showcasing the new breed of documentary photographers. They also offer Portfolio Reviews.

The Photo Desk – Singapore based Photographer and Photo Editor Lester V. Ledesma‘s blog takes us around South East Asia, and sometimes even farther. He is also a great writer.

Too Much Chocolate – Online photo exhibit/dialogue space run by Jake Stangel. It features a Rotating Gallery, Interviews, Sunday Showcases, and a Private Forum full of win.

Thisisthewhat –  A blog with insightful interviews. Authored by Kate Osba, a Photo Editor based out of New York.

WhatsTheJackanory - is Andrew Hetherington’s blog about the industry. An important blog to follow and also part of Life.com’s Photo Blog Award 2011

Ying Ang’s Blog – Ying Ang of MJR shares her beautiful images on this blog.

*Life.com’s 2011 Photo Blog Awards:

http://www.bagnewsnotes.com/notes/

http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/

http://blog.pictorymag.com/

http://lalettredelaphotographie.com/

http://www.thesartorialist.com/

http://lightbox.time.com/

http://www.whatsthejackanory.com/

http://500photographers.blogspot.com/

http://tumblr.photojojo.com/

http://www.americansuburbx.com/

http://www.joemcnally.com/blog/

http://www.joemcnally.com/blog/

http://www.pdnphotooftheday.com/

http://www.aphotoeditor.com/

http://www.featureshoot.com/

http://acurator.com/blog/

http://www.jmcolberg.com/weblog/

http://www.burnmagazine.org/

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/

And there you have it. A list of the blogs I personally follow. Please do let me know if I missed out anything in the comments. I’ll try to keep this list up to date and follow up with a list of tumblr blogs to follow as well. Please feel free to share this post with friends.

Cheers!

Should give you an idea of the setting more or less…

This is what we worked on for this issue. Grab a copy to read the great article and appreciate the photographs in detail

Time to trim the fat, dig the archives and update this corkboard

Together with:

Amit Sheokand
Arne de Knegt
Bijoy Chowdhury
Gareth Kingdon
Mahesh Shantaram
Neha Malhotra
Pallon Daruwala
MadPaule
Sangeeta Rana
Shuvankur Ghosh
Swarup Dutta

Many thanks to: The PIX team