fbpx

DIY Photography

Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time

Search

Submit A Story

Newly married bride and three family members aged 14-22 killed while trying to take a selfie in India

by Leave a Comment

A newly married woman and three of her family have drowned in a reservoir in India while trying to take a selfie, police in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu have said. The BBC reports that a group of six, aged 14-25, held hands and stood waist-deep in the water near Pambar dam when one of them lost their footing and slipped, pulling the others in.

The husband, G Perumalsamy, 25, managed to save his 15-year-old sister, however his wife, V Nivedha, 20, alongside three of her family members aged 14, 20 and 22 did not make it.

[Read More…]

Slum pictures – let’s talk about ethics

by 2 Comments

A walk on the trash mountains

My eyes are filled with tears, because of the smoke. The plastic-particles in the air are itching in my lungs. I am climbing this mountain with my two friends. The ground under my shoes feels funny. It softly cushions my steps, like fresh and loose soil, but I also tangle my feet every now and then. It is an awkward mass, this mountain of pressed trash. It consists of very different material and yet is an entity. A mountain of poison. Not only for the body, but also for the soul. And everywhere pigs! I think I have never seen so many pigs walking freely in the wild. Is that appropriate husbandry? I somehow start to understand, why some religions do resist to eat pork. If, by eating pigs, I eat what pigs ate, then abandoning might be a better choice.

[Read More…]

Woman calmly shoots selfie after fighting off a tiger with a stick

by 3 Comments

A young woman from India recently had a close encounter with a tiger, which she succeeded in fighting off with a stick. The story is impressive as it is, but what’s even more impressive is what she did right after the fight. With her face covered in blood, she took out her phone and–no, she didn’t call a doctor–she took a selfie.

[Read More…]

India police couple fired over fake Photoshopped Everest climb photos

by 11 Comments

In 2016, Dinesh and Tarakeshwari Rathod, police officers from India, said that they were the country’s first couple to successfully reach the 29,035ft Everest summit.  They even had the photos to confirm the claim. But shortly after, it turned out the photos were doctored, and the couple faced a police investigation.

On Monday, the police in Maharashtra confirmed that the couple had “morphed photographs,” and as a result – they were both fired from work.

[Read More…]

India requires license for photographers so they don’t “pester” visitors in protected monuments

by 14 Comments

Have you already been to India and photographed Taj Mahal and other famous monuments? If you haven’t, from now on you may need a license to do it. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is changing their photography policy, and they will soon require photographers to be licensed if they want to operate commercially in India’s protected monuments.

Unlike the Swiss village that banned photography, this isn’t a PR trick. The reason for this move by ASI is to prevent freelance photographers from “pestering” the visitors who want to take photos.

[Read More…]

Photographer Souvid Datta admits plagiarizing the work of Mary Ellen Mark

by 25 Comments

Imitation can be a form of learning, and using other people’s photos to create something new is perfectly fine. But when one awarded photographer takes the work of the other, photoshops it in their own “documentary” photo, it’s wrong on so many levels.

Award-winning photographer Souvid Datta has been accused of stealing work from another renowned photographer, Mary Ellen Mark. And the evidence is more than evident. He took a woman from Mark’s image and badly photoshopped it in one of his own photos. After the scandal broke, Datta was silent for a while, but finally admitted that he really did clone a woman from Mark’s photo into his own work. What’s more, he admitted that some of his other work contains elements of stitching and cloning as well.

[Read More…]

This Indian “Photographer Prince” made his harem pose for photos over 150 years ago

by 3 Comments

As the Maharaja of Jaipur, Ram Singh II was famous for many things. It was during his reign that slavery, infanticide and other cruel customs were abolished. He was, however, also known for being a rather avid photographer.

He could see the value of photography years before many people had even heard of it. In this collection of glass negatives, shot between 1857 and 1865, we get unique insight into the people he spent his days with. It’s a fascinating look at the fashions of the day, and some rather magnificent facial hair.

[Read More…]

World’s Oldest Working Photo Studio in India Shuts Down After Long Legal Battle

by 2 Comments

Today, a week after an exhibition titled ‘Bourne and Shepherd: Figures in Time’ came to a close in the plush locality of south Delhi, Bourne and Shepherd, Asia’s first photography studio and the world’s longest functioning decided to shut shop in Kolkata after 176 years. The studio, was still functioning out of its original, regale building setup in 1863 though its regality had tarnished over the years, especially after a fire that broke out in the entire building in 1991.

In the 25 years since that fire, the studio has come to be known with different names, ranging from “the haunted building” to young children and “purana (old) studio building” to elders who can still recall its grandeur. Officially the studio continued to use the abbreviation B&S.

[Read More…]

Half of Selfie-Related Deaths Worldwide Were in India; “No-Selfie Zones” Proclaimed

by 2 Comments

While India’s population accounts for roughly 17% of the world’s population, about half of the 27 or so selfie-related deaths that occurred in 2015 were in India.

Trying to stop the tragic phenomenon, Mumbai police announced they’ve identified 15 where “selfies can be dangerous” and have announced them as being “no-selfie zones”.

To do so, the city’s municipality will be requested to deploy lifeguards and put up warning signs, and police will be giving warnings.

[Read More…]

Recent Posts