New on 500px : Princes Pier by DebashisTalukdar by DebashisTalukdar

This is perhaps a favourite hangout for many-a-Melbourne-based photographer. The post-piles are the remnants of what used to make up Princes Pier. At one time, this timber pier used to extend out into the waters of Port Philip Bay, and was the landing for many seafaring vessels. After falling into disrepair, a project in the late 2000s did away with the top of the pier, and constructed a concrete pier which now serves as a local park of sorts to visitors. It is a common spot for anglers to spend some time trying to take something home.
On this particular autumn morning in 2013, I had taken a drive that way after seeing that the sunrise was looking very promising. A few anglers had already pitched their spots and were sharing stories as I showed up to take this particular shot. I am quite happy to say that very little has been done to this image from its version that came straight out of camera – which is an indication that the light and conditions were just perfect. The stillness of the water was the result of a combination of there being very little wind in the morning, and from using an ND400 filter.

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New on 500px : The Taj Mahal at Sunrise by DebashisTalukdar by DebashisTalukdar

The story behind this image involves me spending some time with my ageing father doing what we both like doing best… exploring the local town. On a cold January morning, we headed down to the banks of the Yamuna to catch a ferry. We had made arrangements with a local boatman the previous evening to be there for a sunrise shot.
The current of the Yamuna proved to be too strong for Manoj, our boatman, as he struggled to get me to a vantage point that would have gotten me to the dead centre in front of the Taj. What I got out of camera was a less than perfect image that was slightly askew.
This image has been reconstructed in Photoshop, to establish the symmetry of this monument reflected in the turbid waters of the Yamuna in the foreground.
In 2013, I began reworking a lot of my older images. I had taken this one in early 2011. The original version was done in HDR – which I have personally started stepping away from in an attempt to get more right when shooting the image. This exercise has shown me how my own workflow has developed over the years, and how much my appreciation for subtle processing techniques has developed. The workflow that I employed to achieve this is available here.

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