Nagpur, Maharashtra, India

I’ve been to Nagpur, Maharashtra from 3^rd to 9^th of April 2013. These are some photos from the tour. It was an official visit from my office so I couldn’t take many photos. Also I did a mistake again by carrying a subpar lens with me. I took Olympus E-PL2 for its light weight and MC CIMKO MT Series 28mm f/2.8 Lens (Yes! Again).  I didn’t learn from my mistake from Ziro Music festival. The thing is this is the only manual wide angle that I have which actually is better than the most so… I have to get more manual wide angle lens for EPL-2. The 2X crop factor in M43 camera doesn’t help either.

Actually while trying to repair a lens error I tore the electronic ribbon of my Olympus M. 14-42mm f/3.5-4.5 lens so I couldn’t carry it with me otherwise for traveling I believe the best lens is a wide angle standard zoom lens.

Things that I’ve learnt from my mistakes:

1. Decide the camera and lens before hand and do not carry any which you are not confident about.

2. Do carry spare batteries (yes, I didn’t so I had to take few photos with my mobile phone which is handy enough but one looses on creative control and quality)

3. Carry Spare memory cards. Must!

    The photos shared here are taken from Olympus E-Pl2 and Nokia X2-02 Phone.

 The above photo looks like a building from post apocalypto. I believe it is a car parking building though I am not sure (me= village belle=noob). It was taken from a moving vehicle.

 This is a typical cart of junk jeweleries for Indian women. Colourful and interesting.

 One can see such offers only in India :)

 This cat was taken in Ghandi's Sevagram, Wardha in Maharashtra

 This photo was taken from a moving vehicle from a bridge. I liked how the potatoes are cultivated on the dried River beds. It is said that river beds are very fertile for growing potatoes and other crops. Since I come from an Agrarian family, I must try this at home.

 The man is using an old technique to spin cotton in Sevagram, Wardha.
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The below photos were taken with a 2MP camera phone Nokia X2-02. Post processed in Photoshop CS4

 Nagpur is considered the Orange city of India. Here Oranges are found throughout the year. I am not sure of many but I find the Oranges from back home (Arunachal Pradesh) far sweeter and superior to Nagpur varieties.

 This photo was taken from a moving vehicle. I like the photo.

 Taken from inside the vehicle so the reflection. Looks like double exposure. :)

This the Khindasi Lake in Ramtek, Maharashtra. A famous summer retreat of Maharashtra.

      

A lodge opposite Khindasi Lake in Ramtek, Maharashtra. A famous summer retreat of Maharashtra.

Epson 4180

Recently I got a used old model Negative Scanner- Epson 4180 from ebay.in. The scanner has not come with film holder and also it has some internal problem such as it doesn’t scan the entire area, just a part of it. I found a way to lay negatives on the area where it scans to scan negatives.

Also I bought a used Nikon FM2n, almost new from ebay.in and a new Nikon AF 50mm f/1.8D lens with a used Nikon 105mm f/2.5 lens. I made a bid on a Nikon 24mm f/2.8 and Super Takumar 50mm f/1.4 lens which I am yet to receive. 

I put some rolls in Nikon FM2n and got it developed and sat down to scanning in Epsin 4180. The scanner is lousy but at least I have something better than nothing.

Here are some samples of the scans. Cropping, gama correction and sharpening done in Photoshop CS4.

The photos should be sharper and also the colours should have come out a bit different. I blame it on the scanner mostly and also my technique of scanning. The initial photos taken with Kodak Colorplus 200 have been scanned using Epson scan software and later photos of Kodak Ektacolor 400 with VueScan. Vuescan is easier and renders better colour. 

Below photos taken with Nikon FM2n and Kodak Elite Chrome Extra Color 100. The Roll has been expired on 08.12 and it was stored badly on the shelf of a local studio under constant heat and pollution. The results are not half bad. Newton rings are visible due to bad scanning technique.