PhotoTalkies Magazine - July 2014

PtaHlOkTieOs July 2014 Issue 06
A Joint Initiative of Kunzum and ZEISS
SHOOTING IN
THE MEADOW
LENS REVIEW
ZEISS T* 2,8/15 ZE
GADGETS
Nokia XL
Blackberry Z3
SOUTH INDIA'S
GOLDEN TRIANGLE
COORG, NILGIRIS & WAYANAD
MOUNTAIN NIGHT &
MOUNTAIN LIGHT

SO MANY
TRAVEL CIRCUITS,
SO LITTLE TIME
The world is full of wonderful itineraries, but no one can do it all in one lifetime. Forget the
world, one can’t even explore a country like India ever completely.
But a start has to be made, and that’s what we cover in PhotoTalkies now. The Kashmir Route
K11 was very well received by readers in the May 2014 edition, prompting us to explore even
more. And this time we have the Golden Triangle down south that few talk about as a whole.
Many a traveller may have visited Coorg in Karnataka, the Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu and Wayanad
in Kerala separately not realizing they are contiguous and one big biosphere. Offering the
best of natural and man-made attractions - best covered by road. You can wind in and out of
the hilly terrain and never have enough of it.
And that is what brings us to the main reason why we love to travel by road - it is the surest
way of discovering what has not been charted. As writers and photographers, we need to be
surprised ourselves to be able to offer something fresh to our audience. Driving around
ensures that.
On another note, our special series on photography tips from the best of experts globally has
also found many a taker. As have the usual features on books, gadgets and apps that make
for well rounded issues of PhotoTalkies.
Let’s keep clicking together. And sharing our stories. Pictorially. Shot with a ZEISS.
AJAY JAIN
ajay@ajayjain.com

PtaHlOkTieOs A Joint Initiative of Kunzum and ZEISS
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CONTENTS
South India’ Golden Triangle in the Hills 05
In the Meadow: Natural Beauty 17
Mountain Night and Mountain Light 24
LENS REVIEW
ZEISS T* 2,8/15 ZE 31
GADGETS
Blackberry Z3 38
Nokia XL 39
APPS
Over 41
BOOKS
The Martian 42

SOUTH INDIA’S
GOLDEN TRIANGLE
IN THE HILLS
10 REASONS TO HEAD THERE
THIS SUMMER
AJAY JAIN
If there is a paradise down south, it is in its own Golden Triangle in the
hills. The regions of Coorg in Karnataka, the Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu and
Wayanad in Kerala form one contiguous landscape offering all that a
traveller could ask for: Lush green forests, wildlife, great people, man-made
attractions, breathtaking landscapes, tea and coffee estates and
temperate climate all year round. You can seamlessly drive between
these regions on beautiful mountain roads.
If this is not enough for you,
here are 10 reasons for you to
head to this southern region
this summer:
05 PhotoTalkies by Kunzum and ZEISS

1. Join Elephants in their ‘Bathrooms’ in Dubare, Coorg
So what if Dubare is like a pet elephant facility? The camp is home to elephants of all ages, from
babies to grand-daddies. At around 9, they come out of their quarters and head for the water pool
for their daily bath. Be careful when they come down: some amble, but some run. You don’t want
to be in the way. You can watch them from the sides, and step into the water and give them a scrub
yourself. Of course, elephants don’t know the difference between a bathtub and a toilet seat – they
allow their poop to drop where they are. You can be sure you are stepping on some.
Dubare is a nice place to hang around all day long – lounge in the shade when done with elephants,
take a boat ride, go bird spotting, read a book or just picnic with some music from your iPod. Life
will look wonderful.

2. Reaching for the Clouds in Talacauvery, Coorg
I never expected to be inside clouds down south in Coorg in Karnataka. It happened in
Talacauvery. Located about 42 kms (26 miles) from Madikeri, Talacauvery is said to be
the origin of the Cauvery river. Of course, you really don’t see any visible signs there: a
spring feeding water into a holy tank in a temple complex there is said to be the origin. The
temple is dedicated to Goddess Caveriamma and Lord Agastheeswara. A dip in the tank,
especially on holy days, is considered auspicious by Hindus.
As I drove up, I could feel clouds getting closer and closer – till I was kind of almost with-in
them. A 407-step steep climb from the temple takes you atop the hill where you are
supposed to get views of the surrounding mountain ranges – I only got to see the anatomy
of clouds. Yes, I was literally standing inside one or many – I could not tell where one ended
and another started.

3. Chikmagalur, Karnataka – Coffee first grown here in India
Raindrops are falling on my head…and I am having coffee on the road in
Chikmagalur – where coffee was first grown in India. About 350 years ago
when a seer is believed to have smuggled a few seeds from Mecca in Arabia.
At the twilight hour, surrounded by forests and coffee estates, in mountain
country with its cool, crisp air – it is heaven on Earth.
Depending when you go, you can enjoy the coffee blossoms - or the picking
season. The whole countryside is one you would want to build a cottage and
spend the rest of your life in.

4. A Thriving Tibetan Community in Bylakuppe in Coorg
If you want a flavour of Tibet and Buddhism, drop by at Bylakuppe - suppos-edly
the second largest Tibetan settlement outside of Tibet after Dharamsala
up North. It is located about 6 kms from Kushalanagara in Coorg. Over 30,000
Tibetans and 7,000 monks have made it their home since 1961. The stunning
Namdroling Nyingmapa Monastery here is the largest teaching center of
Nyingmapa – a lineage of Tibetan Buddhism – in the world.
Check in to get a flavour Tibetan shopping, food, lifestyle, dressing, culture,
festivals and religion.

5. The Nilgiri Mountain Railway: A Toy Train you must Ride
Wheeeee! I am on a toy train ride. Starting from Ooty or Ootacamund, now
officially renamed Udagamandalam, going downhill all the way to Mettuppa-layam
in Tamil Nadu. And it figures in UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The train
passes through some picturesque tea estates, the Nilgiris mountains, villages
and towns with some retaining their old world charm – and skies with chang-ing
colours. The train negotiates 208 curves, 13 tunnels and 250 bridges.
A few years back, a diesel engine was introduced for the leg between Coonor
and Ooty – it is a treat watching the process of changing to a steam locomo-tive
at Coonor or vice versa. Book in advance to ensure a seat.

6. Walk Through the Tea Estates of the Nilgiris
What is more refreshing than a cuppa of tea? A walk in the tea estates - especially those
that cover the rolling hills of the Nilgiris. Step out before the first light, and watch the
colours of the ground and skies change around you. Even as birds chirp Good Morning to
you and the cool air rejuvenates your skin and soul.

7. On the Trail of Tigers and Elephants in Bandipur,
Karnataka
The Bandipur National Park in Karnataka is one of the many re-serves
in this region. And home to tigers, elephants and many
other animals and birds. In fact, the forests all merge into one
another, and into human habitats and roads. You can common-ly
expect to see herds of elephants on the highways. Don’t miss
out on safaris when in this part of the country.

8. A Temple Festival, Circus and Fair in Wayanad
Everyone loves a festival in these parts. I attended one at the
Valliyoorkavu temple on the outskirts of Mananthavady in Wayanad.
Attended by tribal folk from surrounding areas, it was a long night of
prayers, folk dances, processions, food, shopping, circus and fairground
rides.
Roads leading to it are marked with processions from all directions –
converging at the temple from early evening onwards. Processions com-prise
musicians, dancers including a few in masks, elephants, priests and
devotees walking along, some with lit oil lamps. It is fun - and religion -
for all in one big celebration.

9. Kuruva Island in Wayanad
The evergreen forested Kuruva island (called
Kuruvadweep locally) lying in one of the tributaries
of Kabini river in Wayanad seems a popular picnic
spot. Rightfully so. A cluster of islands that emerge
or submerge with water levels, and home to a
variety of birds, butterflies and orchids, you can
choose to be with the crowds or find your own
solitude.
We hiked in extreme humidity on a warm, sunny
day through rice fields and forests to eventually
reach the local tribal temple – very serene setting,
and the simplicity of the temples is what attracts
you. Despite new houses, many a lifestyle remains
unchanged. Women were dressed as they always
have been, water is drawn from wells and farming
is the main occupation. The fields were planted
with rice, and ginger harvested recently was being
sorted manually.

10. Banasura Reservoir, Wayanad, Kerala – A sight to behold:
The Banasura Sagar dam in Wayanad is the largest earth dam in India.
Without getting into technicalities or its environmental impact (if any), I
would say it has resulted in creating some stunning features. The resulting
reservoir is a large water body whose water level rises dramatically during
the monsoons. Sprouting throughout are islands created when the reservoir
submerged surrounding areas.
And coming through are trees shorn of any leaves; they paint a ghostly
image when it is misty and around sunset. A good place to film a horror flick.

IN THE
MEADOW
Natural Beauty
Stefano Zatti
Get close enough to nature, and new experiences open
up for you. A meadow or shrub near your home that you
never really noticed in the past can suddenly become
the gateway to another world, offering up spectacular
motifs. Stefano Zatti uses his ZEISS lenses to capture the
beauty in such hidden treasures.
© ZEISS

Butterfly in the morning sun
At first glance, an indigenous butterfly may
not seem like anything special — not the kind
of exotic motif worthy of a safari. However,
stand there long enough and take the time to
view it closely and you will literally see things
differently. The play of the butterfly’s delicate
wings in the sun’s light, framed by the rich
green of the surrounding meadow, which Ste-fano
Zatti turns into a blurry bokeh, demon-strates
perfectly the allure of this intense mac-ro
photography. “I like this picture a lot. When
insects awaken, they always first stretch their
wings out in the sun to dry. They don’t move
until that’s done. It’s precisely that moment
that I was able to capture, and the butterfly re-mained
very still.”
For as long as he can remember, Zatti has been
interested in nature and the small details to be
found in nature where, in his opinion, a unique
beauty is revealed. When he discovered his tal-ent
for photography, it was only logical that
macro photography would become his pre-ferred
discipline.

Two years ago, Zatti took his photographic ambitions to the next
level with the purchase of a full-format single lens reflex camera
together with the Makro-Planar T* 2/100. “With this lens I have
found more than just a tool that lets me pursue my hobby; it is
my ally. Normally in macro photography, you increase the depth
of field by stopping down, but I typically work more with wide
aperture settings. I still remember how surprised I was with
the first shots I took with the Makro-Planar T* 2/100: incredible
sharpness at f/2.8 and only one monopod for stabilization. And
look at this bokeh and these colors: they give this picture of a leaf
moist with dew an aura of exactly that peaceful morning fresh-ness
that I love so much.”
Moss at the foot of a large tree

Zatti wants to capture moods and make the view-er
feel as if he were standing in nature himself, look-ing
at this or that small detail together with the
photographer. Or to adapt a quote from
Beethoven: “It’s more about the expression of
feelings than about photography itself”. What does
the observer feel when he looks at the minimal-ist
image of the moss immersed in the color green?
Perhaps the person looking at the image can even
appreciate the effort that went into this shot on
Zatti’s part, which was taken lying on the ground
in a particularly uncomfortable position. Zatti
wanted to capture the color gradient in the background
as softly and clean as possible. The smooth focus oper-ation
of the Makro-Planar T* 2/100, with its large angle
of rotation, helped ensure the focal plane lay exactly on
the moss in the foreground.
“When I look at the pictures of other macro photog-raphers,
I often see images that are of a high techni-cal
standard. They are almost perfect pictures of but-terflies,
bees or similar insects. But the images have a
sterile effect on me — completely sharp from top to
bottom, with the motif in the optimal position. Pictures
you could include in an entomological reference book
without any problem. But that’s exactly what I don’t
want. My pictures should have atmosphere. When I
look at the bee’s head rising toward the sun exactly at
the moment I took the picture, I think to myself: she is
greeting the new day.”
Bee in morning light
Scorpion fly in morning light

Broken branch with spiders’ webs in November

Stefano Zatti is not afraid of committing small technical imperfections in order to stage his motifs. He likes to take advantage of the
possibilities of manual focusing with the Makro-Planar T* 2/100 in order to compose the focal plane. For example, the picture of the
scorpion fly drying her wings is not completely in focus. “I decided intentionally for this setting in order to capture what I think is a
really nice bokeh. This picture is also another example of the special light and color rendering of the Makro-Planar T* 2/100 which I like
so much.”
It is the beauty of nature’s simplicity that fascinates Zatti and inspires him again and again as a photographer. A morning in November,
fog, a broken branch. Dew is collecting at a spider’s nest. The motif is almost minimalistic, and yet it communicates a very special mood
that fits the melancholic feeling at that time of year. “Clear forms and lines, hardly any colors. A geometric, very simple motif. Almost too
simple. But I am convinced: it is in the simplicity and purity of forms that you find true elegance.”
About Stefano Zatti
Stefano Zatti lives in a small town in northwestern Italy near Turin and works in the automobile industry. In his free time, he likes to go
on long walks in the area to indulge his passion for photography and concentrate for a few hours on nothing else but the beauty and
detail to be found in nature.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/nagatobimaru/

MOUNTAIN NIGHT AND
MOUNTAIN LIGHT
Lights in the Night DAVID BUMANN
David Bumann reveals mountains in the darkness of night and in the bright glow of
pyrotechnics and light effects. His images, taken with long exposure times and often
a great deal of effort, are both unusual and impressive. And he captures them with
ZEISS lenses.
„Summit stars”: Arolla with view of the mountain range near Aiguille de la Tsa, November 27, 2013, 6:30 pm
© ZEISS

Look at David Bumann‘s pictures and you think of photo montage:
Red, shimmering mountain ranges — without any Alpenglühen?
Brightly lit snow fields — in the middle of the night? Illuminat-ed
railroad bridges — in remote valleys? But that impression de-ceives.
The mountain is really shining, and the snow fields and
bridges really are lit up.
Allalin: Saas-Fee, October 30, 2011, 00:15, illuminated with spotlights from the Saas-Fee cableways

Gebidem Reservoir, dam wall. Length of crown: 300 meters. Height of construction:
120 meters. Blatten near Naters. Effect: Special lighting, March 14, 2014, 11:50 pm
Bumann practices ‘light art’ in the great outdoors, an art form that
often goes hand-in-hand with a huge logistical effort. As light
sources he uses pyrotechnics, large headlights or a very bright
LED light attached to his forehead. In order to take the picture
of the red-colored Aiguille de la Tsa in the Swiss canton of Valais,
for example, he spent many hours placing Bengal lights in such
a way that the light sources themselves would not be visible, but
would illuminate the silhouette of the mountains. And then he
placed his camera, waited for darkness and, when the moment
came, lit up the mountain. For such images, Bumann only has a
few minutes, so he must be able to rely on his photo gear.
“I’ve been using ZEISS lenses for a long time. I started photo-graphing
seriously around four and a half years ago and bought
a full-format SLR, and then the Distagon T* 3,5/18 a year later.
Today I also use the Distagon T* 2,8/21, and I currently have the
Distagon T* 2,8/15 on loan. With all ZEISS lenses I can always be
sure that the quality is just right, for both the imaging and the
workmanship. I often work under extreme conditions, but that
doesn’t affect the lenses. Nothing ever freezes and the lenses
rarely get fogged up. Everything is very robust. And since I photo-graph
at night, the exact mechanical focusing plays an import-ant
role.”

Bumann‘s unique type of photography, which he does as a side
job, began as a hobby. “On an ice climbing tour I took some long-time
exposures while rappelling, and that created spiral forma-tions.
That’s how I got into light art.”
He started working with a pyrotechnics company and was con-tinuously
developing new projects with the aim not only of tak-ing
pictures, but also composing with light and effects. “It’s about
actively playing with the light and adding my contribution as an
artist. With my long-time exposure shots, I try to get the best from
the different light situations. Take this picture of the dam wall: the
extreme angular field of the Distagon T* 2,8/15, which was used
to take this shot, is just fantastic.“
Test with forehead lamp: Skeidarasandur with the Lomagnupur Mountain, Iceland,
August 7, 2011, 3:20 am

Bietschtal viaduct: Bietschtal, Valais, December 30, 2011, 11 pm
In addition to his camera and ZEISS
lenses, another important tool in Bu-mann’s
work is an LED forehead-lamp
with a capacity of 1500 lumen. This
lets him achieve surprising results.
”For this image, I walked around the
bridge with my head lamp on. You
can’t see me in the picture because
my back is facing the camera and
the lamp is shining away from me.
The construction is illuminated, but
the light source itself isn’t visible.”
This type of mobile light control,
combined with a very long exposure
time of 10 minutes, created a soft
illumination of the bridge without
causing strong cast shadows.

“Patrouille des Glaciers“, Zermatt, behind Herbrigg, direction of the Matterhorn, May
28, 2012, 1:24 am
The lights from a passing train inspired Bumann to create another un-usual
image of a ski mountaineering race by the Swiss Army called “Pa-trouille
des Glaciers”. “The race always starts in the middle of the night
in May. That’s why the meadows are already green. In the foreground
you see the ‘caravan’ of ski mountaineers who have left behind traces
of light created by their head lamps. I also illuminated the surrounding
area with my LED lamp.”
At the moment, Bumann is working on a project to commemorate the
200th anniversary of Valais joining the Swiss Confederation („13 étolies
au sommet“). Thirteen mountains in the canton – one for each district
– will be illuminated with pyrotechnics. Bumann will scout out the best
locations by helicopter. Alpine guides will then be responsible for in-stalling
the fireworks. All 13 mountains – including the Aiguille de la Tsa
pictured above – will then be lit up simultaneously.
About David Bumann
When David Bumann is not illuminating mountains, he attends lectures
at the University of Bern, where he is studying geography and biology.
Nature, the natural sciences and photography are three important as-pects
of his life that complement each other seamlessly. With his light
art projects he enriches anniversaries and other events, and tourist at-tractions.
http://www.davidbumann.com/

FIELD REVIEW
ZEISS T* 2,8/15 ZE
Shivakumar L Narayan
As a landscape photographer, one of the biggest challenges I face is
working out how to capture the entire essence of a landscape. It should
capture the vastness of the scene that is in front of me and by doing so should
also represent the different elements as accurately as possible. Time and again
we landscape photographers across the globe always have had this challenge
of finding the ideal landscape lens which does justice to our full frame / pro
bodies on these parameters. The Nikon AF-S Nikkor 14-24 f2.8G has been and
is still one of the biggest winner in this market segment.
Even while shooting wide-open at f2.8 the lens gives an amazing depth to the image
and the close focusing along with the sharpness is just an icing on the cake.

Come 2012 and the whole thing changed for good; Carl Zeiss
brought out a new super wide angle lens, the super wide angle
Distagon T* 2,8/15 which is available as both EF (ZE) or F bayonet (ZF.2) mounts.
With an extra-large angle of view of 110 degrees in combination with a fast f/2.8
aperture, the lens enables the features for dramatic perspectives and performance
demanded by most of our landscape and architectural photographer’s needs.
With a close focus of 0.25m (10”) – combined with a wide angle
view – we photographers can now work in tight spaces, while also
allowing us to focus on close-up details. Distortion is extremely well controlled,
producing naturally proportioned photographs which is not typical of many other
super wide angle lenses. The Distagon T* 2,8/15 incorporates two aspheric lenses
and special types of glass material with abnormal partial dispersion to provide
an extraordinary correction of chromatic aberration. A floating element design
guarantees high image quality from close-focus through infinity. Like the other
SLR lenses in the ZE and ZF.2 series, stray light and reflections are well controlled
by the Carl Zeiss T* anti-reflective coating and the sophisticated treatment of the
lens element edges with special light absorbing paint.
Geeky things apart, the lens has exceptional build quality which is evident from the
first time you lay your hands on it. It has a solid metal construction and looks and feels
a bit massive. The integrated semi-petal metal hood and the large 95mm front dia is
something very unique and distinct about this lens. But once you mount this on
a prospective match in form of a Canon 5D Mark III or Nikon D800E you have a
combo which is ready to take on quite a lot of architecture and landscape pho-tography
situation.
During my recent trip to Meghalaya on a photo expedition, I put
this lens into its on spaces and tried out its results at different
apertures and tight spaces. The results are really astounding which is evident from
the sample images here.

But the moment you start pushing the aperture to f16 or beyond you can see the
image start popping out the screen.

The lens handles really well even in foggy and low contrast situation also, absolutely
no compromise in sharpness or colors.

The resultant images when put in low light and tight space in the caves of Meghalaya. The wide open
aperture and field of view on a full frame is what comes in handy at many tricky shooting situations.

Whilst shooting architecture or lines one can notice how well the distortion has been
handled by the design of this lensat many tricky shooting situations.

Pros & Cons
Every lens or camera in the market comes with its own takeaway or giveaways when it comes to the buyer or end user.
Talking about this lens, the build quality, sharpness, fast open aperture, distortion control and the resulting image
quality is definitely a big plus. But on the contrary, owing to its manual focus nature, one cannot use it for sports or
high speed application. The 95mm filter thread is definitely something to bother about especially having to carry an
additional set of polarisers and grad filters if you have other lenses which are in 77mm filter thread size range. Having
said that, one has to compare to its market rivals especially Nikon 14-24 f2.8 which we already mentioned earlier and
also the Canon 14 f2.8 both of which comes at a slightly lower price range compared to the Ziess counterpart. But at
the end of the day one has to go back with the assurance that they are getting what they are paying for and that’s the
essence of German engineering.
Shivakumar L Narayan is a freelance travel and nature
photographer from Bangalore who specializes in
landscape photography and is also one of the co-founders of
Landscape-Wizards (www.landscape-wizards.com) which
is India’s first and only dedicated landscape photography
portal. More of Shivakumar’s travel and nature photography work
can be found at this website, his travel journal - Journey Through
Nature (www.journeythroughnature.com) and on his Facebook Page
- www.facebook.com/shivakumarlakshminarayana.

GADGETS
BLACKBERRY Z3
It is a company that has been pretty much written off by
many experts but BlackBerry (formerly RIM, remember?) is
hanging in there gutsily. And if the Z3 is any indication of what
it has up its sleeve, it might even stage a comeback of sorts. The
Z3 is about as mainstream as BlackBerry has got with a new
device since the days of the Curve 8520 (anyone remember that
QWERTY gem? It was plasticky, had a low-resolution screen, but
sold millions). It features a 5.0-inch display and is powered by a
Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 dual core processor, backed up by
1.5 GB of RAM and 8 GB onboard storage, with a 5.0-megapixel
camera on the back and a 1.1-megapixel one on front for vid-eo
calls. That does not sound quite barnstorming as compared
to some of the budget devices we have seen in the Android
segment but when you factor in the smoothness of the
BlackBerry 10 OS interface, the ability to run most Android
applications, rock solid design and a battery that simply goes
on and on, we cannot help but feel that this is a device that
travelers might like.
Yes, we would have liked a higher resolution display rather than
the 960 x 540 one and a better camera (it is mediocre at best),
but on the flip side, the Z3 delivers an excellent browser, very
good social network connectivity, and of course, BlackBerry’s
traditional mail and messaging muscle. The onscreen keyboard
remains one of the best we have used with its ability to predict
not only the next letter but the next word in your sentences, and
now even supports Indian languages. Some think Rs 15,990 is a
bit much to pay for it. We think it is a heck of a deal for anyone
who wants a smartphone that is solidly built and rocks in the
messaging and browsing department.
Price: Rs 15,990
Finally, an affordable BlackBerry
NIMISH DUBEY

GADGETS
Nokia
XL
The first Nokia Android, the X, did not exactly set the market on
fire, we know. There were complaints about the display and the
camera, and some felt that close to Rs 8,500, the device did not
deliver as much as they expected. Well, the big N (now with Microsoft)
has pretty much thrown the kitchen sink at the affordable Android
market with the Nokia XL. At its simplest, it is an expanded version
of the Nokia X - the same dual core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4
processor, the same 800 x 480 resolution and the same 4 GB storage,
expandable using a memory card. But ah, there are changes too -
and significant ones. The camera now is a 5.0-megapixel autofocus
affair, RAM has been bumped up to a respected 768 MB, and bat-tery
life has been significantly improved. Most of all, of course, the
display is big - a 5.0-inch affair. Some might complain about its not
being 720p HD but honestly, with Nokia’s own version of Android
running on it, we did not mind it too much. We also loved the solid
build of the device and the colorful plastic back covers. Trust us, this
will turn heads.
Yes, the complaints about the absence of support for Google Play
will continue, but at around Rs 10,000, the Nokia XL is one of the
better large screen smartphones in the market out there. It might
not have the sort of specs some other brands can offer at this price,
but what it does offer is rock solid performance and design. And
of course, travelers are just going to love those excellent Here
maps and a year’s unlimited downloads from Nokia music, with
dual SIM connectivity thrown in for those who either have multiple
connections or like dodging roaming charges by getting a
connection at the place they are visiting. Want an Android on a tight
budget? We would recommend this one, unless you are absolutely
crazy about apps and games!
Price: Rs 10,000
BIG SCREEN ANDROID,
NOKIA STYLE
NIMISH DUBEY

OVER A good picture is worth a thousand words, but sometimes -
well, a lot of times in our cases - we do feel like adding some
words to our pictures. It could be a description, a particular-ly
apt quote or maybe just a name. But of course, plonking
words on a picture is never easy. The designers will evoke
the name of Photoshop the moment you make a suggestion
on those lines. Fortunately, as with most things in life these
days, there is an app for that. And it is called Over. Yes, it does
not come free of cost - it will put you back by a couple of US
Dollars - but on the flip side, what you get is the sort of
functionality on your iPhones and iPads (sorry, no Android
as of yet) that will designers drool. You can choose from a
number of fonts. Add text wherever you wish - it is as sim-ple
as typing it out and dragging it wherever you wish. And
increase and decrease font size by just pinching and zooming.
There’s more. You can play around with font colors, fiddle
alignment and even increase and decrease tint to make your
words stand out more prominently or simply fade into the
furniture. Finally, you always have the option of buying even
more fonts if you are not happy with those that come with
the app (we are, thank you very much). If you love to mix and
match pictures with words - like so many travelers - and have
an iOS device (again, like so many travelers), you resist this
app at your peril. Download. Overcome. Pun intended.
Download from: http://madewithover.com/
Price: USD 1.99
Add text to images
effortlessly
NIMISH DUBEY

BOOKS
THE MARTIAN
Robinson Crusoe in outer space
NIMISH DUBEY
Blame it on the Hunger Games series if you will, but the past few months have
seen an explosion of sorts in the “futuristic world” scenario type of books. We have
seen the likes of Hugh Howey’s ‘Wool’ and Veronica Roth’s ‘Divergent’ grab a lot of
attention with their looks at what the future of life on earth could be like. And now
comes Andy Weir with The Martian.
Originally self-published in 2012 (who turns down these manuscripts is some-thing
we would so dearly want to know), the book adds a whole new spin to
the “future life” scenario by yanking the main character to another planet. NASA
Astronaut Mark Watney gets left behind accidentally in a mission to…well, Mars.
As the book is not based THAT far into the future, missions to Mars are relatively
rare affairs. His radio is conked out and he has no way of communicating with
Earth or other space ships/satellites, so what Watney has to do is somehow
survive and hope he is found by the next mission to the planet. He has some
supplies, limited oxygen and water and can only hope the place where he is staying
(the Hab) is not destroyed by a Martian storm. He is a mechanical engineer and a
botanist and can tinker with hardware and grow some crops.
How does he make it? Hell, does he make it all? That’s what The Martian is about. A
man left all alone on a planet waiting for aid and trying to make the best of what
he has, battling loneliness and very long odds. And Andy Weir’s narration – which
is in the form of a log book of the stranded astronaut- is taut and laden with black
humour. It has not the laid back elegance of Robinson Crusoe but it more than
compensates with an incredibly taut storyline in which surprises – not all of them
pleasant – keep popping up. If Gravity kicked the glamour out of space travel, this
one puts it in a safe and locks it. Now when we look into the space. Read it, and the
next time you will look at the stars in the sky, you will not only wonder if there’s
someone out there. You will also wonder if they need help.

PhotoTalkies by Kunzum and ZEISS
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+91.11.45156000



About
Ajay Jain
Ajay Jain is a full time
writer and photographer,
and has authored eight
paperback books and over
30 e-books. He promotes
his photography as
collectible art, runs the
popular Kunzum Travel
Cafe in New Delhi and publishes e-magazines on
travel and photography.
He is also a regular speaker on Mindful Travel,
Personal Branding, Photography and Business
Networking. All his creative ideas came to the
fore only after he started travelling - mindfully.
He has pursued careers in Information
Technology and Sports Management before he
took up journalism and writing. He holds
degrees in Mechanical Engineering, Business
Management and Journalism.

More  on Ajay Jain at http://ajayjain.Connect com.
with him at ajay@ajayjain.com
+91.9910044476. Or call his office
at +91.9650702777.

Want to be
a great

photographer?
Want to be
a travel writer?
As a
professional
or a hobbyist?
Full time
or Part Time?
Sign up for a workshop / course
at the Kunzum Media Lab. We
promise it will change your life.
Kunzum Travel Cafe
T-49, GF, Hauz Khas Village
New Delhi 110016, India
Tel: +91.9650 702 777 / +91.11.2651 3949
mail@kunzum.com
Timings: 11:00 a.m. - 7:30 p.m., Mondays Closed
www.
kunzum.
c om/
mediala b

T-49, GF, Hauz Khas Village
New Delhi 110016, India
Tel: +91.9650 702 777 / +91.11.2651 3949
mail@kunzum.com
Timings: 11:00 a.m. - 7:30 p.m., Mondays Closed

PhotoTalkies Magazine - July 2014

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