AJAY BHATIA (photographer)
Thailand XE-2
Many years ago my dream of travelling to the Land of a Thousand Smiles had to be abandoned at the last moment because of the tragic devastation wrought by the Tsunami. When I did finally travel to Thailand, I left my heavy Nikon kit at home and opted for the Fuji XE-1 which had just come out. Fuji with it's "un-bayered" sensor turned out to be a mixed bag. Build quality and ergonomics which harked back to the golden age of Leica. Intense resolution and vivid saturation. But also noise at ISO 400 and shutter lag which marred many an interesting shot of the streets of Bangkok. After returning home I took a look at the photographs and felt disheartened by the results. I dumped the files on an external hard disk, sold the Fuji kit and went back to Nikon (and a few months later to Canon). Yesterday I felt like revisiting Thailand and Cambodia so I browsed through my folders and found many pictures which I liked. I discovered that all the photographs I had shot in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, Cambodia had been deleted. No idea when and how it happened. But it brought home the knowledge that digital files can disappear into the dark! Thailand too was a mixed bag. A beautiful land where tradition and modernity have been effortlessly blended. Where tourism has been honed into a fine art. But somewhere in that manicured perfection something has been lost. The raw and untrammelled beauty of nature has been overpowered by the relentless need to survive and grow as a tourist destination. Nevertheless, a wonderful land of (still) smiling people, shimmering paddy fields, deep blue waters, wonderful sunsets and Bangkok's fabled temples and fantastic street food!
(Rediscovering) Fuiji XE-1 + Fujinon XF 55-200mm f/3.5-4.8 OIS
Thailand XE-2
Many years ago my dream of travelling to the Land of a Thousand Smiles had to be abandoned at the last moment because of the tragic devastation wrought by the Tsunami. When I did finally travel to Thailand, I left my heavy Nikon kit at home and opted for the Fuji XE-1 which had just come out. Fuji with it's "un-bayered" sensor turned out to be a mixed bag. Build quality and ergonomics which harked back to the golden age of Leica. Intense resolution and vivid saturation. But also noise at ISO 400 and shutter lag which marred many an interesting shot of the streets of Bangkok. After returning home I took a look at the photographs and felt disheartened by the results. I dumped the files on an external hard disk, sold the Fuji kit and went back to Nikon (and a few months later to Canon). Yesterday I felt like revisiting Thailand and Cambodia so I browsed through my folders and found many pictures which I liked. I discovered that all the photographs I had shot in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, Cambodia had been deleted. No idea when and how it happened. But it brought home the knowledge that digital files can disappear into the dark! Thailand too was a mixed bag. A beautiful land where tradition and modernity have been effortlessly blended. Where tourism has been honed into a fine art. But somewhere in that manicured perfection something has been lost. The raw and untrammelled beauty of nature has been overpowered by the relentless need to survive and grow as a tourist destination. Nevertheless, a wonderful land of (still) smiling people, shimmering paddy fields, deep blue waters, wonderful sunsets and Bangkok's fabled temples and fantastic street food!
(Rediscovering) Fuiji XE-1 + Fujinon XF 55-200mm f/3.5-4.8 OIS