Cover image photo credit: Pabak Sarkar via Flickr
Colours appear in numerous places where a human eye cannot see. These colours help us to express ourselves sometimes in a way better than we thought we could. Knowledge of how colours affect us helps to understand the meaning of things we sometimes fail to understand. Take a dive into the magical world of colours to discover the benefits of it not just on the physical self but psychologically as well.
Holi makes for a good festival to capture vivid scenes and some of the shots can end up being the most memorable ones. So, how do you capture Holi? Here are a few things you can start with:
Keep a DSLR handy with an underwater housing or a plastic bag (if you don’t have the former). A wide-angle lens of 17-40mm could work but keep in mind that it has to fast and adjust to the low-light conditions.
The other approach can be to use telephoto lens of 70-200mm. For indoor shoots, an aperture of 2.8 works better but, for the outdoors, an aperture of 5.6 works fine. Have some UV filters handy for your lenses. Also, you can never be sure of anything, so keep a back-up camera, memory cards and batteries ready. If you feel the need to open your equipment, just make sure you are away from the revellers.
In the end, you can shoot in the mode you are comfortable with. Or if you are just someone who doesn’t wish to get into the technical nitty-gritties of the camera and setting up for the perfect shot, you can keep the camera settings on the auto mode and let it do the rest.
Here’s a list of places that have the best Holi moments to capture:
Barsana
Mathura and Vrindavan
Shantiniketan
Jaipur and Udaipur
Hampi
Mumbai
As the great painter Edvard Munch once said “The colours live a remarkable life of their own after they have been applied to the canvas.”
You too can participate in the festival, but be prepared to be drenched and covered in colour, and be prepared to capture the chaos. Take a stroll in a park near you, or just look out of the window, or attend a boisterous party in the neighbourhood and welcome the colours and the food that the festival has to present. Have a Happy and safe holi! Have a #LifeFullOfColours!
