Trying my hand at photography

Right from after I got my Desktop PC back qhen I was a fresher in college, I was interested in image editing, manipulation and related stuff. Photoshop was a natural skill to learn, and the interest lasted even after I started working. I used to take up poster works, digital paintings, website content creation etc. But all along the way, the thing missing was that I never was the complete owner of my works, because I relied on stock photos, free fonts etc from the net. And most of the times I want to be the producer, rather than being the passive consumer. With this intent of contributing back to the community, and a little more,  I decided to purchase this guy two months back: 

My boy:Nikon D5300

I am enjoying using it. I am taking it everywhere I go, even if casually going out for dinner! I have started to set out on trips during the weekends. And  I also started waking up early to photograph the calm mornings of my city. And I can also see that I am gradually improving at photography. Initially I struggled to take pictures that were in focus and correctly exposed, because of the unfamiliarity with the camera controls. But now I can focus on the subject and composition of the frame. I think I am starting to get an eye for what would be interesting to photograph! Some of my observations so far:

• The learning curve is pretty steep for photography, which is the reason why many people (myself included!) jump into this field. You learn about Aperture, Shutter speed and ISO, and a few camera controls, and you can take reasonably acceptable images in the second or third day after you have started. Compare that with drawing or music, where you may not produce anything presentable maybe even after 6 months into it.
• They say that Street magicians are the real geniuses who manage to do their tricks even with people watching from all sides. The old analog camera (film-camera) photographers were the street magicians. The had only a single chance to get the shot right. And not much of film to waste on unworthy shots. Darkroom was just developing the film into print. Digital photographers are just the magicians performing under there veil of stage, lighting, dresses with infinite hidden pockets and paid volunteers. Shots can be corrected, cropped and what not. And you can go on clicking till your battery goes dead.
• Photography is a expensive hobby. The camera, lenses, tripods, filters etc can be heavy on your pocket. But most complex gadgetry may not be needed to produce aesthetically pleasing images, even mobile cameras can take stunning pictures these days. The brain behind the camera matters more.
• The tragedy that happens with most novice photographers is that once the initial excitement is over, most people keep the camera aside until the next outing or trip. It takes patience to continue even after seeing all your shots that seemed great on the camera display turn out to be disappointments when transferred to the computer.
• Audacity of the foolish and the doubtfulness of the talented, as in all fields, can be observed among photographers also.
• Do I have the passion to take it as my profession? No, I am doubtful. For time being let it remain my hobby.

In two months I have clicked 42GB worth of photos (obviously, in RAW format amounting close to 20MB per image) and I consider only 10-20 of them worth sharing. Here are a few of them:

Law college, Chennai

Patthar kosh-Beef steak on stone pan

Russel Market, Bangalore

Commercial Street, Bangalore​

MG road, Bangalore

I am getting constructive criticism and encouragement from my friends about my photos, which is helping me a lot. I will be sharing more on my Instagram account: @aju_kris . Hoping to keep clicking past the 1 million obsoletes mark 😀.