Chiiz Volume 3 : Tribal Photography

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EDITORIAL 

Editorial 

Tina Sokolovskaya 

Mukesh Kumar 

Prakhar Garg 

Design 

Sheetal Mann 

Shivanker Kamboj 

Mayank Sehgal 

Writer 

Rahul Batra RB 

Sudhir Kumar 

Sana Singh 

Naman Goel 

Jaslin Anthony 

Saurabh Upadhyay 

Nikhil Gupta 

Nivedita Mehrotra 

Business Development 

Aishwarya Bharthuar 

Rajesh Basu 

Neha Arora 

Insaf Khan 

Dipesh Kumar 

Marketing 

Kanika Maurya 

Anurag Khaneja 

Deepanshu Jain 

Joel Hiekha 

Analysis 

Prateek Kashyap 

Audrey White 

Technology 

Sachin Arora 

Rishabh Jain 

Abhishek Sharma 

Lee Nguyen 

Public Relations 

Barkha Chandra 

Priyashi Negi 

Publicity 

Anushree Soni 

Mayank Arora 

Communication 

Ashita Aggarwal 

Himanshu Diwakar 

Finance 

Neelu Singh 

Anjali Chaudhary 

Consultant 

Apratim Saha 

Mansa Inc. 

Cover Photo 

Jan Schlegel 

Looking out to the sky, we all have witnessed our end within our 

conscience and let me tell you the truth, it is worse than what all 

of us have imagined. It is not going to be so easy on us for we have 

played a significant role in the destruction of Mother Nature. It is 

called Mother Nature for a reason and that reason lies in its being, 

its very nature. 

Our deeds have brought us to the brink of our very own existence 

and I 

have come to realize that no amount of efforts can now reciprocate the damage already done. 

In this issue, we have tried to convince the reader to try and focus his energy generated by the 

thought process towards a cause that can help people for a greater good and on a global scale. 

It is not to say that small steps should be avoided or discouraged, it is just to ensure people to 

consider their part important as a whole and not just a fraction of it. 

In the previous edition, we presented a beautiful story around birth, ‘The Story Of A Life’. Is 

it not our responsibility to give our children a sense of pride? A life they can be proud of and 

a world they will preserve for the future generations to come and strive. 

Some predictions have been made related to the end of the world and the WW3 and people 

say it is inevitable, believe me that it is not. It is all in our hands. We can make this world great 

again just by doing our bit, like Aga Szydlik, Izla Boltena and Jan Schlegel are doing. 

Talking about the aerial photography, as we have included it in the recent issue on a larger 

scale, likewise a world has to change its perspective and see how beautiful it looks from a 

different angle. We have had enough of the past nonsense and should be rising towards a 

sustainable environment. 

Revealing a totally different side of the photography, Francesco Ridolfi has done a tremendous 

job with his series, ‘Room 322’. As the saying goes, every coin has a flipside, it has actually 

forced me to think about the other side of the coin. The happy and content life, as opposed to 

a dull and gloomy bathroom. 

Making it all obvious, yet oblivious to a common mind, it forces you to stretch your own 

thinking and give your ideas a wild form. I hope it gives you the gist on our motive. 

Happy reading. 

Tina Sokolovskaya

CONTENTS 

Bal Brahmacharis 

Innocence Draped in 

Yellow 

8 

Keepers of the 

Rainforest 

23 

SANGANER'S DYERS 

HABITAnTS OF COLOURED 

HABILIMENTS 

43 

Room 322 

Francesco Ridolfi 

60 

GEAR REVIEW 

GOPRO KARMA 

73 

Stylist of the 

month 

Rashmi Shastri 

88 

THE RIME REPEATED 

BLUES OF 

DRINKING WATER 

16 

Essence 

Jan Schlegel 

19 

Old is 

Gold 

34 

Movie Review 

Fur: The Imaginary 

Portrait of Diane 

Arbus 

64 

Modelling with 

the Sharks 

Pia Oyarzún 

67 

FROZEN IN TIME 

NITHIL DENNIS 

37 

A Dream 

Catcher's Story 

Navtej Singh 

51 

Tips and Tricks 

Aerial/ Drone 

Photography 

72

Glimmer Of Hope 

Nikon D8 24mm F/2.8 1/8s ISO6400 

Bal Brahmacharis: 

Innocence Draped In Yellow 

Ageing 22 and rewinding the tape of my life’s 

graph by 10 years, I can recollect frames of 

the much younger me, in clothes painted of 

clashing shades. A little tamil boy sporting 

a head full of hair, a t-shirt above a pair of 

shorts and slippers beneath, facing a fast 

bowler at an intense game with other boys 

pretending to be the Indian Team of 2007 and 

prior. Or anticipating my parents to go to bed 

so I can dive out of mine, sneak into the TV 

room and play video games with least audible 

volume to enjoy the music of Super Mario or 

Contra. Else bluffing my drowsiness upon my 

mother waking me up so I would be spared 

some extra minutes. 

How I used to wake up late almost every 

single day by listening to the repetitive alarms 

Surya Pranaam 

FUJIFILM X-T10 18mm F/2.8 1/120s ISO2000 

of my parent’s gradually escalating tones. 

Attempting to stay awake in the shower, 

punching the running water or blowing 

away the soap froth, followed by short lived 

breakfast sessions so I could rush to the stop 

where my school bus swallows me in and 

throws me back out post 9 hours. Resting 

on my back would be a bag that outweighs 

me and suspended by my hand, a lunch bag. 

Tuning to Pokémon the moment I’m back 

home. Typical experiences of seeds that 

sprouted out in the times of my generation. 

Sprinting back to the present, I came across 

people or young boys rather, of ages spanning 

from 10 to 15, leading a lifestyle far distinct 

from mine in several consternating ways. 

Below, is an adverse routine of one such’s 

everyday life. 

3 AM : Getting out of bed 

4 AM : Yoga classes 

7 AM : Academic classes 

12 AM - 2 PM : Lunch interval 

Further from 2 PM, classes last up to a few 

more hours presumably. Now that is pretty 

evidently a lifestyle I or most of you all I 

suspect, did not surpass. Bal Brahmacharis, 

as a cloud of bats I relate to, is what these 

children are called. Bats because they unaware

of the direction of flight, solely rely on their 

sounds that guide them. Similarly, these boys 

I reckon, do not know where such a path 

would lead them to the fore in life, have this 

foundation to help them run unafraid, in this 

complex world. 

Few children happen to be orphans being 

adopted and taken care of, providing food 

and education, by this very foundation. 

Another glaring fact behind several other 

children’s such existence is that they were 

dropped into this peculiar vessel by their 

own parents. A non-profit foundation in 

Varanasi a.k.a the city of lights, named the 

International Chandramauli Charitable Trust 

looks after these kids that I’m sure haven’t 

yet understood the profound being of a 

Brahmachari. If I was to meet and converse 

with the founders Mr. Devatama Dube and 

Rana Pandey 

Photographer 

Mrs. Lucy Guest, what is International about 

this foundation would have been my first 

question upfront. The answer lied very much 

in that same question itself. Mrs. Lucy Guest 

is a British woman who upon founding this 

organization, donated money and devoted 

herself to this foundation, and had donations 

come in from various corners of the world 

and hence, “International” adds up to the 

name. They mostly depend on donations, 

which offers these children free education. 

From the existing information, I gathered 

that their intention is not only to resuscitate 

the Sanskrit language but to also protect and 

preserve it. The ICCT, as I would call it, enrols 

various students to receive education and live 

the life of a Brahmachari. 

Coming to the teachings these children 

undergo, Sanskrit isn’t the only subject. Vedic 

literature, English literature, Mathematics, 

English grammar, Music and usage of 

computers, fall on the syllabi as well. The 

ICCT also buckles up their children to apply 

for competitive exams at a later point. This 

fact cools my senses. And when I feel so, 

another fact awaits to destroy that relief. 

Internet is far from reach. What’s their source 

of entertainment apart from being with each 

other ? At irregular intervals, the children are 

permitted to watch TV serials and movies on 

Hindu mythologies. They happen to enjoy 

Bal Hanuman, a serial. This picture certainly 

captures such a moment. Also, they indulge 

themselves in sports and external activities. 

Walking around the Ghats of Varanasi, 

spotting these children would hardly be a 

task. You know he is a Bal Brahmachari, if 

you see a child with a partially shaved head 

wearing a yellow dhoti. That’s a hairstyle 

of a religiously dedicated brahman. Here, 

a perfect silhouette of the little boy himself, 

meditates alongside other cast shadows 

that probably are wandering in thoughts or 

absence of peace. 

One could relate this life to one in a boarding 

school with deducted notions of freedom 

where a cluster of children has each other’s 

back and live as a newly found family. These 

children are served a healthy vegetarian 

meal comprising of plain rice, chapattis and 

a simple curry. Health is given significant 

importance. 

Their living 

conditions 

although from 

the pictures, 

doesn’t fulfil 

the hygiene 

conditions, I as 

an individual 

c o n s i d e r 

necessarily 

adequate. The 

boy and his 

innocent smile 

isn’t quite 

known to these 

Ride Along The Banks 


Suit Up 


measures. The room scenes to date back 

to ages considering the appearance of the 

walls and patches that reveal the cement 

foundation. Although I feel convinced to an 

extent about the concept of preparing these 

children to lead a very simplified life deficient 

of numerous avoidable luxuries of present, a 

number of questions garner the spotlight in 

my thoughts. 

Once any of these children blink into the lives 

of other children following a regular life with 

their families, will he ponder over thoughts 

of not growing up receiving their love and 

affection? Would he forgive his parents for 

choosing him such a pathway, despite of 

their economic situations? Will he find some 

person attractive and if as a possibility that 

occurs, would he be brave enough to initiate 

a conversation, would he control his self from 

such provocations or give up the important 

principle that he’s been following? 

After having lead such a life, how would he 

adopt and adapt to the outside world and a 

new lifestyle? Maybe having lived a simple life 

will aid him live a life of superior sorts? How 

would he abide to his principles as he grows 

older? And after having chosen himself this 

path, would he later find the absence of a life 

partner impart into his life an irreplaceable 

void? 

These and many similar questions yet to 

appear will continue to prevail in my mind as 

long as it is answered by the very person who 

lived or still lives as a Brahmachari. But one 

question stands out from the rest. Right after 

that moment where he leaves this foundation, 

would he consciously embrace or release 

himself from being a Brahmachari ? 

Sudhir Kumar 

sudhir@chiiz.com 

He was a musician who had to 

walk through an unavoidable 

boulevard of engineering, to 

reunite with the road that led 

to his appetising destination. 

Studying sound engineering 

currently, becoming a music composer/producer is 

his life's purpose, he muses. 

Vol 3 

9

Rays Of Hope 


Morsel Of Love 


Meditation For Mind 


Morning Rituals 


Resting Souls 

FUJIFILM X-T10 21mm F/7.1 1/1600s ISO200

The Yogathon 


A 444Bundle Of Happiness 

FUJIFILM X-T10 18mm F/2.8 1/25s ISO2500

Erupting Etna 

Nikon D3300 32mm F/5 1/800s ISO100 

A massive volcanic plume at Mount Etna’s Voragine crater, Italy ejecting fountain of ashes and gas as high as 1-km in the sky. At nearly 11,000 feet 

(3,353 meters), Mount Etna is currently the tallest active volcano in Europe. 

The Song Of Ice And Fire 

Nikon D3300 11mm F/8 30s ISO100 

With a hissing sound, streams of lava spill down slowly after the eruption in south east crater of Etna. Mount Etna has a complex geologic and tectonic 

history and has been the centre of many devastating eruptions in the past several thousand years. 

12 Vol 3

Born in a small town on Nebrodi Mountains, Giuseppe Famiani’s passion for photography 

started during his walks around Nebrodi woods and Etna’s beautiful landscapes. Currently, 

he is not a professional photographer, but likes to take pictures. His dream is to become a 

professional nature hiking photographer. 

Located at the foot of Mount Barbaro, the Doric temple of Segesta, which was built in 420 BC by Athenian Architects, is an unusually well preserved 

example of Doric order in Europe. There are 14 columns on each side, and 6 along the facades measuring 21 by 56 meters, on a platform three steps 

high. 

Guess What? 

The Temple Of Segesta 


Guess the image correctly and stand a chance to win Chiiz goodies, 

by sending your responses at editor@chiiz.com 

Photo By Gabriel Barathieu 

Vol 3 

13

Canon India Photo Mentor 

DEEPTI ASTHANA 

Deepti is an incurable travel addict, storyteller and a professional 

travel and documentary photographer. She is a Canon India photo 

mentor, inspiring young photographers to follow their dreams 

of travel and photography. She has worked with several tourism 

brands and International publications for their requirements 

of Photography and writing. Her talent knows no bounds; she is 

currently working on documentary project to address gender 

specific issues through a project named, 'Women of India'. When 

she is not traveling, she spends her time roaming in Mumbai. 

PERUMAL VENKATESAN 

Nikon School Mentor 

Perumal Venkatesan aka PeeVee is a people photographer 

and creative entrepreneur based in Bangalore, India. He 

co-founded the Thalam website and a creative space, both 

in Bangalore. His photography works have been published 

in various indian and international media. His work has 

also been exhibited at art galleries across India. Hailing 

from Tamil Nadu, he has been widely recognized by the 

famous bodies. 

14 Vol 3

Struggles To Survive 

Canon EOS 7D 50mm F/1.8 1/500s ISO250 

The Rime Repeated:Blues of Drinking Water 

There is a consensus within the 

international community that 

safe drinking water is a human right 

and not a commodity. The provision 

of safe drinking water may be of little 

concern to you personally, but it is 

seen as a privilege in some areas of the 

world even today. According to the 

World Health Organisation(WHO), 

there has been an increase in the 

access to safe water to the world’s 

population from 76% in 1990, to 

91% in 2015. However, there are still 

approximately 1.8 billion people 

who drink water from a source that 

is contaminated with faeces. This is 

a major problem because drinking 

contaminated water can result in 

the spread of many diseases such 

as cholera, dysentery, and typhoid. 

The best way to comprehend a 

problem this pressing and global is 

to understand individual challenges 

faced by people and generate local 

solutions. 

Izla Bethdavid Boltena has 

travelled over 50 countries and 

witnessed some heartbreaking and 

heartwarming stories. For instance, 

her visit to the slums in the Mirpuri 

area in Dhaka, Bangladesh was a 

tough pill to swallow. The houses are 

built on bamboo stilts over stagnant 

water. In addition to the extremely 

unsanitary area, the people are 

vulnerable to seasonal flooding. 

Their water supply is poor, and the 

fact that a lack of latrines leads to 

using their own water source as an 

Women Of Wonder 

Canon EOS 7D 50mm F/2 1/4000s ISO250 

Brown Blues Of Water 

Canon EOS 7D 50mm F/2.5 1/8000s ISO250

open toilet, 

which is 

frightening. 

It is no 

wonder that 

water-borne 

diseases 

are highly 

Izla Bethdavid Boltena 

Photographer 

prevalent 

there. “No 

human being should live in such 

conditions”, says Izla. 

However, it is more worrisome 

when several middle-class residents 

of Bangladesh were unaware of the 

fact that they didn’t have a reliable 

year-round access to drinking water. 

This was pointed out by a study 

conducted by Jonathan Gilligan, 

an associate professor of Earth and 

environmental science at Vanderbilt 

University. He notes, “Even when 

almost all water was unhealthily 

salty and had unsafe levels of arsenic 

and other chemicals, most people 

reported that the water tasted good 

and used it regularly.” 

Such cases are not uncommon 

in the rural areas of developing 

countries. India, for example, boasts 

of a commendably high economic 

growth. However, the country has 

around 1.35 billion people i.e. at 

least 5% of its population doesn’t 

have access to safe drinking water, 

according to a report from a nonprofit 

organisation(NPO) called, 

WaterAid. 

A possible reason for this paradox is 

the social exclusion of the poorest in 

India because of a wide gap between 

the rich and poor. This can be seen 

Death Quencher 


by the country’s private sector, that 

dominates the entire healthcare 

industry. As a result, rural areas are 

heavily neglected for even the most 

basic resources are unavailable to 

them. When people fall ill because 

of this, they have problems finding 

doctors to cure even the most 

basic diseases. Thus from a socioeconomic 

point of view, living in 

inhumane conditions is a vicious 

cycle. 

The privatization of water is an 

unyielding problem in many African 

countries. For instance, in Papua 

New Guinea’s capital, Port Moresby, 

it costs a person US$ 2.63 to afford 

50 litres of water. This is about 54% 

of some people’s daily earnings. For 

poor people in developing countries, 

privatization has served as a massive 

barrier for them to overcome the 

access to something as simple as 

clean drinking water. 

Notably, it is surprising that some 

parts of developed countries such 

as tribal Indian districts in the 

US receive 44% fewer inspections 

as compared to their non-tribal 

counterparts. This essentially goes 

to show that the problem of access 

to safe drinking water is one that 

must be tackled at grass-roots 

level. Having a well-established 

local system can go a long way. 

For instance, Izla on her visit to 

Malawi earlier this year noted that 

the process of fetching water from 

Miles To Go Still 


boreholes can affect the livelihoods 

of women. There would be hope in 

these areas if safe drinking ++water 

is in close proximity to them. 

In light of this issue, it is noteworthy 

that there are several ways for these 

rural areas to have safer drinking 

water, such as portable solar power 

stills, merging graphite with sand 

to purify water better, a system 

of pumping clean water from an 

underground well, etc. However, 

the main obstacle to overcome is 

awareness. I strongly believe that 

the public and private sectors of all 

countries should work together, and 

organize awareness programs that 

educates people in rural areas about 

inexpensive techniques that can be 

employed, and by which it would 

improve the quality of water they 

consume. 

It is unfortunate that we too often 

take water for granted and don’t 

realize how blessed we are to have 

access to it. What you can do 

individually is spread the word and 

pass it forward. Or we will be left 

standing on a boat one day, just like 

that ancient mariner. 

Nikhil Gupta 

nikhil@chiiz.com 

He aspire to eventually pursue a 

PHD in a combination of political 

science and philosophy, the two 

disciplines he had become very 

passionate towards in the course 

of his studies. He is football aficionado, active chess 

player, seasoned MUNer and a foodie. 

Vol 3 

17

The Hungry Calabash 


Ghana Diaries 


Digging Up The Kenya 


Hunters Of Water 


Water Holes 


Wonder Woman 

Canon EOS 7D 15mm F/2 1/1300s ISO320

Essence By Jan C. Schlegel 

The pictures of Jan C. Schlegel bear 

witness of the special encounters of 

the photographer with unique people on 

his trips through Africa and Asia. On his 

tours, the artist observed the rapid decline 

of traditions and increasing change of the 

way of life of the people within their tribes 

due to globalisation. The inexorable changes 

woke the urgent wish in the photographer to 

portrait people, to capture impressions and to 

preserve traditional life forms in his pictures. 

None of the people photographed wear special 

make-up or were specially dressed before the 

photographs were taken. Nothing was staged, 

nothing is fake. They were all captured in their 

own habitat – at the market, in the village 

square, or simply on the roadside. The only 

stylistic device Schlegel uses for each one of 

his photographs is a simple grey background. 

With it, he concentrates the attention on the 

people, not on their living conditions. Schlegel 

emphasises their uniqueness, their value and 

their irreparable-ness. With his art, he fights 

for the particularity and individuality of the 

cultures. 

In the last few years, Schlegel has visited 61 

countries, always in search of the distinctive 

beauty and variety of the people. The picture’s 

compositions, a highly contrasted play of 

light and shadow, the inner dynamics and 

the extraordinary perspectives, open a crack 

in the door of secret-treasures of this world 

that are becoming increasingly difficult to 

find. Schlegel often stays several weeks with 

the tribes to get to know and understand their 

way of life. 

Technical: 

The black and white photographs from Jan 

C. Schlegel are taken with a 4x5 field camera 

(Ebony SV45 Ti) on traditional film (Kodak 

Tmax 400). The negatives are developed in 

Kodak D76 Developer 1+1 dilution. 

To enhance shadow detail and the appearance 

of sharpness, each negative is sandwiched with 

a traditionally made unsharp mask. Highlight 

masks are used to increase highlight details in 

most of his prints. 

Nothing is digitally edited, and the pictures 

are enlarged on fiber base photographic paper 

(Fomabrom Variant 111). 

Afterwards each photographic print is partly 

toned (own mixture) in order to give each 

picture its special inner dynamics and depth. 

Often this process takes several hours and 

turns out differently with each print. This way 

each print is unique. To finish the process, 

each picture is Selen toned which guarantees 

its maximum life and enhances the depth 

in the shadows. In the end, the pictures are 

mounted on 1 mm aluminium boards. 

Vol 3 

19

20 Vol 3

22 Vol 3

Keepers of the Rainforest 

Located sixty miles west, off the Sumatran 

coast, lays the tropical island of Siberut, 

inhabited by the Mentawai tribe, one of the 

last and most pure indigenous Indonesian 

societies. An ancient tribe that for thousands 

of years has lived deep in the jungles of the 

equatorial rain forest in relative isolation 

from modern society. 

Flower Power 

Often known as the “Flower People”, 

Mentawai’s have retained mainly oral tradition 

of storytelling and have been living deep in 

the heart of the tropical forest for millennia. 

Harvesting sago, hunting and gathering every 

day, they sing and dance and wear hibiscus 

flowers to preserve the harmony of the 

world from the spirits that surround them. 

Faced with campaigns of evangelization, 

modernization and resettlement, some of 

the Mentawai clans made a courageous 

decision to leave their ancestral villages and 

move deeper into the jungle in an attempt 

to preserve their original culture. Living in 

the remote interior of Siberut, the tribe has 

succeeded in escaping the disruptions and 

dislocations of the government. 

Independence Day 

With the Indonesian independence in 1950, 

an aggressive government campaign was 

launched to modernize the Mentawaians. 

Traditional cultural practices such as 

tattooing, tooth filing and loincloths were 

forbidden and considered “pagan” or “savage”. 

In the 1990’s, cultural oppression against 

the Mentawai took on more brutal forms of 

forced relocation from jungle and villages 

to resettlement sites in government-created 

villages. Mentawai’s religion (Shamanism) 

was outlawed and police stripped people 

practicing Shamans (Sikerei) of their 

medicine bundles, sacred objects, loincloths 

and long hair. 

Welcome to the Jungle 

The Island of Good Fortune 

Pulau Siberut is located just below the 

equator along Indonesia’s Ring of Fire or as 

the early day explorers called it “The Island 

of Good Fortune”. It is an isolated island, 

about a hundred kilometers in length, entirely 

covered in a thick tropical and swampy forest. 

After an overnight journey on a ferry, gorgeous 

sunrise welcomed us on the shores of Maura 

Siberut. After getting necessary provisions in 

town, we boarded a canoe and headed off into 

the heart of Mentawai settlements. In order 

to reach the first tribal settlements, we had 

to travel up the Rereiket River on a dugout 

canoe for two hours, followed by a couple of 

hours on foot through slippery swamps to get 

to the heart of the Mentawai jungle. 

Sacred Spirits 

For the Mentawai, the jungle has always 

been a place where everything from plants 

to rocks to animals and man, has a spirit. 

Belief in animism emphasizes the existence 

Photos By Aga Szydlik 

of nature spirits, souls and ghosts. Spirits are 

believed to live everywhere and in everything 

– underneath the earth, high in the sky, in 

the rushing water, in the wind, the treetops 

and even in a dugout canoe – they are spoken 

to, because they speak and act the same as 

human beings. 

My Tribe is My Home 

According to Mentawai legends, the entire 

tribes originally come from one tribe, Uma, 

belonging to one place called Simatalu, an 

area located on the west coast of Siberut 

Island, which then spread throughout the 

island, splitting into several clans. Uma 

means tribe as well as the house, all clan 

members live in a communal and big long 

house, deep in the Siberut jungles. The social 

structure of the Mentawai’s are egalitarian 

and each member has been brought up in 

Uma in the same position. All the food, forest 

products and jobs are divided equally among 

Uma members. Even with the presence of 

many indigenous tribes, they live in perfect 

harmony with nature by taking only what 

they need and eating seasonal fruits and meat 

during ceremonial occasions. At all other 

times of the year their staple food is sago, 

which comes from the sago palm as well as 

various types of greens and rice. 

There is no school in the jungle, all knowledge 

and traditions are passed to children orally. All 

members of the Uma raise children equally as 

an integral part of the clan. Children from an 

Vol 3 

23

early age participate in all collective activities 

like hunting, gathering and cooking. 

Patrilineal groups consist of families who 

live in narrow places along the great rivers. 

Uma traditionally has the highest authority in 

Siberut. During the New Order regime, Uma 

engaged in social gatherings very mildly but 

since the reform era, Uma was encouraged by 

the formation of several Village Traditional 

Council. 

Built on sticks, Uma(House) is divided in three 

large rooms, three distinct spaces that run its 

full length. To enter, one must climb onto a 

trunk into which steps have been carved. To 

reach the living space, Mentawai use wooden 

steps up to a veranda platform. The terrace 

encloses all Uma. The door from the front 

area brings one to a wide room with gallery 

to the back, on the sides are smaller rooms for 

sleeping. The front room is considered a holy 

place reserved for gatherings, rituals, and 

shamanic ceremonies. 

At the heart of the Uma hangs the beam 

displaying hunting trophies in order to 

showcase skills of the hunters. The skulls of 

monkeys and other wild animals are hung 

and arranged as though to look towards the 

forest outside their original home. In the 

same hope of appeasing sacrificed souls, the 

skulls of pigs and other domestic animals 

are hung across from the wild ones, looking 

towards the interior of the house, the hearth. 

Mentawai believe that every living creature, 

plant, or object has a vibration that resonates 

with all the others vibrations of the world. As 

a result, hunters and fishers thank their preys 

before taking their lives and implore them not 

to upset the harmony with the other souls of 

the Universe. 

Beautiful Souls 

Soft teeth 

The women get their teeth sharpen because 

it is thought to make them more beautiful. 

When a Mentawai woman does not get her 

teeth sharpened, both she and her soul are 

considered to be ugly. A woman gets her ‘soft’ 

teeth sharpen soon after she hits puberty, or 

prior to marriage. Many people from other 

clans will come and observe the ceremony, but 

the most important one is the shaman who 

does the teeth sharpening. The shaman uses 

a sharpened chisel and hammer. Afterwards 

women chew on green bananas to ease their 

pain. Besides full body tattoos and sharpened 

teeth, fresh flowers adorn their hair, beads on 

their necks and wrists, facial paint accents 

their rigid faces and their strong bodies are 

scented with fragrant ground turmeric. 

Spirit Tattoos 

The Mentawai’s believe that a person is 

nothing without a soul, hence they keep 

their souls “close” by beautifying their body. 

Individuals (both male or female), who 

neglect their bodies by not keeping them 

beautiful are thought to loose their soul, 

which may leave its “ugly” human host and 

roam about freely. The souls are pleased by 

complete body tattoos as they allow to bring 

material wealth into the afterlife and allow 

ancestors to recognize their family members. 

More importantly, however, many forms of 

tattooing are specifically believed to protect 

their owners from evil spirits lurking in the 

jungle. Religious beliefs of the Mentawai are 

centered on the importance of coexisting with 

the invisible spirits that inhabit the world and 

all the animate and inanimate objects in it. 

Tree of Life 

The sago is a central element in the Mentawai 

culture. It is a motif for tattoos and a nutritional 

staple. It is a nourishing tree that is vital to 

the survival of tribes in the jungle. Mentawai 

tattoos are said to represent the sago palm: 

the stripes on the upper thighs represent the 

veins and trunk of the sago; long dotted lines 

running down the arms symbolize the prickly 

fronds of its branches; patterns on the hands 

and ankles may mirror the bark or roots; and 

the curved lines on the chest represent the 

sago flower. Some Mentawai elders say that 

this “Tree of Life” must be tattooed on every 

shaman, because there can be no death when 

one is part of the tree of life. Of course, the 

sago palm is the staple food of the Mentawai 

people, as well as all domestic animals. 

Medicine Man 

Chosen by the Spirits 

Shamanism for the tribe is a quest for 

harmonious relationships between human 

beings and nature. It is a profound wisdom

orn out of the constraints of survival and 

brings with it an effective natural medicine 

practiced by the Shaman(sikerei). Sikerei 

is regarded as “the one with magic powers”, 

a doctor, leader, priest, herbalist, physician, 

psychologist, dancer, and family man. 

Whether alone or with the help with spirits, 

he is able to heal, operate and soothe disease. 

He has knowledge of the jungles, animals, 

plants, and minerals. 

Although Mentawaian society is egalitarian, 

shamans are considered to be the leaders of 

their people. They are the tribe’s connection 

to the spiritual world and also to the outside 

world. 

Health is seen as a state of balance or harmony 

and for the Mentawaians it is something 

holy and beautiful. However, if the balance 

is broken and curse has been cast, the only 

way to restore it is by placating the spirits that 

have been offended or accidentally distressed. 

With the help of medicinal plants, these 

malevolent spirits can be “cooled down” by 

magical means, and then they are appeased 

with sacrifices. The intermediary in these 

contacts is always the Mentawai shaman, 

because only he can communicate with the 

spirits. 

Provider 

The main subsistence of the Mentawai is 

farming, its main cultivation consisting of 

yam, taro, rice, banana, papaya, sugar cane, 

vegetable, and medicaments. Clearing the 

land is the assignment of men, while for the 

treatment of growing is taken over by women. 

The exclusive work done by men is hunting of 

pigs, deer, birds, monkey and others by using 

bows as their weapon. 

During the hunt they rely on poisoned arrows. 

Poison is brushed onto arrowheads and can 

kill a wild boar in a short time. Sikerei’s are 

responsible for its production using a small 

brush, he meticulously applies the poisonous 

liquid to the arrowheads. Even after being 

passed through fire, the dried poison remains 

active and dangerous, paralyzing preys upon 

penetration to the skin. 

Jaslin Anthony 

jaslin@chiiz.com 

Her passion lies in writing 

articles and editing them. The 

utmost write-ups she is looking 

forward is wildlife and travel. A 

hidden talent, she believes, which 

every being is endowed passively 

makes him strong inside. 

Vol 3 

25

Lost In Abyss 

Canon EOS 70D 244mm F/32 110s ISO100 

From a very young age, I grew up with animals and watching animal 

programmes on TV. I was a silent person, unsocial and an 

introvert from the very beginning. One day, I got a gift, which was a 

small wooden box and two small eyes were staring at me from inside 

the box. I knew at that very instance that my life is going to change 

for good. It was Sandy, a 28 day old German shepherd. 

Why So Serious? 


When I started photography in 2008, I used to take Sandy with me 

where we just enjoyed watching animals. After all these years of success, 

I can say that it was not just me, but the both of us who made it 

complete. Sandy always stood beside me as we grew up together and 

live together. As the time went by, different forums, books, magazine, 

internet, animals channels made me more curious about wildlife 

and I started spending most of my time photographing animals 

and noticing their behavior. 

A civil engineer by profession and a wildlife/nature explorer by passion, 

I try to be in the wild as it helps me to understand how nature 

works. 

I started serious photography in 2011, my work has been appreciated 

by many national and International magazines and I have won 

many prestigious national and International awards too. 

Praying Ain't My Thing 


The Intimated Scuffle 


All For One, One For All 


Flying Dutchmen 

850mm F/6.3 1/4000s ISO1100 

Nimit Virdi 

Photographer 

An interest and passion 

for capturing frames 

with a camera started out 

since his childhood, as he was 

given a point and shoot film/ 

analog camera. Nimit's serious 

adventure in the field of 

photography was in Feb 2012, 

after purchasing his first DSLR 

(Nikon D7000) and started 

to take pictures like everyone 

with a camera, in Auto mode. 

Being an avid wildlife 

enthusiast from childhood 

and born and brought up in 

Wellington, The Nilgiris, he frequented Bandipur National 

Park and Nagarhole National Park (Kabini) where he 

photographed his first wild tiger, leopard and wild dogs, and he 

was so amazed by the adrenaline rush that he wholeheartedly 

concentrated in the field of wildlife photography” and has 

never looked back since. 

He is an active member of a group of wildlife enthusiasts from 

the UAE (FB: Wildlife & Nature Photographers of UAE), 

where they scour the land and sea of the UAE to capture the 

various wild and feral wildlife of the UAE and actively help in 

keeping the relevant authorities updated on the seriousness of 

protecting the ecosystem of these beautiful creatures. 

30 Vol 3 

Calling Out To You 

850mm F/6.3 1/2000s ISO200

The Lurking Fear 

600mm F/4 1/250s ISO1600 

Lunch Time 

850mm F/6.3 1/1000s ISO100

My Protective Gear 

6600mm F/4 1/1250s ISO5000 

A Duel Opportunity 

280mm F/4 1/1000s ISO450 

Scorpion King 

105mm F/16 1/200s ISO800

The DiamondHead Rattlesnake 

150mm F/11 1/500s ISO800 

I Ain't Alone Here 

160mm F/7.1 1/4000s ISO400

Old is Gold 

The Man Who Refused To Give A Nazi Salute 

Back in 1936, several photos were taken of 

the crowd attending the launch ceremony of 

a new German Navy Training vessel named 

‘Horst Vessel’ in Hamburg, Germany. However, 

the photo above caught people’s eye and 

was published across the country as ‘The Man 

Who Refused To Give A Nazi Salute’. Interestingly, 

this particular ceremony was attended 

by Adolf Hitler himself. 

Although eighty-one years have passed since 

this incident, this photo showcases civil disobedience 

and protest of one man in its purest 

and most sincere form, thereby, marking a 

powerful statement that will continue to resonate 

across the globe over time. There have 

been many others refusing to salute, but none 

showed this degree of obvious defiance. 

Noticing the photograph, it is established 

that everyone in attendance is showing their 

undying allegiance for 'Der Führer', his party 

and his nation by offering their best “Seig 

Heil” (meaning ‘hail victory’), Hitler’s infamous 

salute, adopted by the Nazi Party in the 

1930s. 

Paradoxically, August Landmesser’s story of 

defiance begins with the Nazi party itself. He 

joined the party in 1931 under the belief that 

having the right connections would help him 

acquire a job in the pulseless economy. Little 

did he know that any kind of political affiliation 

progress made would soon be in vain due 

to his love interest. 

In 1934, Landmesser fell deeply in love with 

Irma Eckler, a Jewish woman. A year later, he 

proposed marriage to her and filed an application 

in Hamburg. Not only was the application 

denied under the racial Nuremberg Laws 

but their engagement got him expelled from 

the party as well. In October of the same year, 

they had a baby girl, Ingrid. 

And then on June 13, 1936, Landmesser gave 

the bold and famous crossed arm stance 

during Hitler’s christening of a new German 

vessel, Horst Vessel. 

But what happened after the picture was taken? 

With Eckler bearing their second child, 

the couple attempted to flee to Denmark in 

1937, but were detained by the Nazis at the 

border. In addition to the futile attempt, 

Landmesser was subsequently charged with 

'Rassenschande'(dishonoring the race), under 

Nazi race laws. He argued that neither he nor 

Eckler knew that she was fully Jewish, and 

was acquitted on 27 May 1938 for ‘lack of evidence’, 

with the warning against a relationship 

with Eckler. 

Ignoring this order, the couple publicly continued 

their relationship. A month later, he 

was arrested again and sentenced to hard labor 

for nearly three years in a concentration 

camp. He was restrained from seeing his beloved 

wife and child ever again. 

Around the same time, Eckler was apprehended 

by the Gestapo, a secret state police and 

held at the prison Fuhlsbüttel, where she gave 

birth to their second daughter Irene. Soon after 

her delivery, it is believed that she was sent 

to an all women’s concentration camp. Thereafter, 

she was transferred to the so-called Nazi 

Euthanasia Centre in February 1942 where 

she was one among the 14,000 killed. In the 

course of post-war documentation, in 1949, 

she was pronounced legally dead. 

Landmesser was released in 1941 and began 

to work as a foreman. Two years later, he was 

drafted into a penal infantry, along with thousands 

of other men to serve in the military as 

the German army became increasingly mired 

by its desperate circumstances. He is believed 

to have gone missing in Croatia where it is 

presumed he died, six months before Germany 

would officially surrender. His body was 

never recovered and he was declared legally 

dead in 1949, the same year as his wife. 

In 1996, one of Landmessar’s daughters, Irene, 

wrote about the history of how her family had 

been torn apart. Even twenty-one years later, 

the story is disseminating across the globe as 

a story dedicated to moral heroism. Although 

he was a lone hero, he truly died for his convictions. 

Whether the man in question is Landmesser 

or not, is not known with certainty. It is questionable 

as he was never completely verified 

as August Landmesser due to the unavailability 

of any legit proof of him actually working 

at the shipyard in 1936. Multiple families 

have claimed the person in the photo to be 

their relative. For example, another Hamburg 

family claims that the depicted man is Wegert 

Gustav, who also worked at the shipyard 

and objected to the Third Reich on grounds 

of his Christian faith. He died in 1959. While 

it remains unsure, the story of Landmesser 

strongly portrays profound defiance. 


nivedita@chiiz.com 

She is a young architect, traveller 

and photographer based out 

of Mumbai. Her interest lies in 

exploring the world through her 

lens and sharing her experiences 

through her photo essays. 

34 Vol 3

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Canon EOS REBEL T3i 18mm F/3.5 1/30s ISO100 

FROZEN IN TIME 

As a traveller who loves 

to explore different 

countries, I took a journey 

across oceans in the month 

of September last year to 

Argentina. I lived in the city 

of Buenos Aires and worked 

as a photojournalist for an 

English news portal. One of 

the many interesting stories 

that I identified was this 

small sleepy town called 

Berisso and a street named 

“Calle Nueva York”, which 

translates to “The Street of 

New York”. Scratching the 

surface and reading more 

about this place, out of 

curiosity led me to find an 

interesting bit of Argentine 

history. Armed with my 

Canon 600D, and 50mm, 

18-55mm and 55-250mm 

lenses I was all set for a 

photo journey. 


Vol 3 

37

Canon EOS REBEL T3i 18mm F/9 1/200s ISO100 

Grey cobblestones lined the 

roads and this town now 

seems to be frozen in time. 

Harking back to another era, 

and during more popular 

days when there were two 

giant meat factories (Armour 

and Swift) between 1909 

and 1915, created a surge 

in demand for immigrant 

labour in Berisso. In the 

centre of this industrial hub 

was New York Street, which 

by the 1930s had come alive 

with a mixture of different 

cultures and tongues; there 

were Italian, Spanish, Greek, 

German, Syrian and more, 

giving the city the name 

“the Provincial Capital of 

Immigrants”. 

Little of that warmth remains now as the 

factories closed one-by-one in the 1980s, 

workers left the area in search of a life 

elsewhere. Squatters found refuge in the 

empty houses and life on the street began to 

change drastically. 




A small plaque proudly claims the Street of 

New York, known to be the “kilometre zero” 

of Peronism (Argentina’s labour movement). 

On October 17th 1945, 10,000 workers led 

a march from New York Street to Plaza de 

Mayo in Buenos Aires to participate in a rally 

demanding Perón, the then prominent Leader 

of Argentina, to be released from prison. 

Peron, and his legacy are still instilled in the 

hearts of majority of Argentines and their 

images still don the walls of this street. 

38 Vol 3

Capturing the essence of such a town and its history, which 

harbored many from different countries, is a great task for a street 

photographer. 

I could only think of capturing the reality that has befallen on 

this town and its people. Every corner looked empty, every house 

abandoned, but stranger than fiction, I felt there was a latent life 

beneath the cobbled roads and behind the closed doors. To make 

the photographs look exactly like as life seems there now, I had to 

carefully look into details that could tell the story of the bygone 

era. 


Memories of the old factory, much of it abandoned, 

lingers in a lift shaft now full of refuse, dismantled 

ship parts strewn around the inner courtyard, visible 

graffiti paintings at the entrance depicting immigrants 

arriving by boat from different countries. Nature is 

now reclaiming the place for its own, small trees and 

plants burst from cracks in the side of the building, 

eagerly reaching for the sun.The façade of each house 

varies from one to another; one is boarded up with 

corrugated iron, the next has beautiful architecture 

and a mural but there is nothing inside as the roof 

has caved in. 

Dogs roam the area, mostly old and sleepy, who get 

excited at the sight of a stranger. These lonely faces 

and their laid back lifestyle make interesting subjects. 


Colourful graffiti covering almost 

every walls in the area which has been 

made by street artists remembering 

the rich history of the street, one that 

has been led to be known as “Calle 

Nueva York”, is now a ‘National 

Historic Landmark’ of Argentina. 

Canon EOS REBEL T3i 18mm F/11 1/100s ISO100 

Article & Photos by 

Nithil Dennis 

Vol 3 

39

@frozenaction 

Epe, Netherlands 

Ales Rozman Up High 


Ram Yadav 

New Delhi, India 

Up Ahead The Dreams 


@frozenaction 


Flipping Remi CliffHanger 


@frozenaction 


Nate Adams Whipping 


@frozenaction 


Remi Bizouard Volt 


@frozenaction 


Supercross Madness 


@frozenaction 


Tom Pages Doing Volt 


@frozenaction 


Dany Torres Oxecutioner Flip 


The Decor Arrangements 

Nikon D800E 22mm F/6.3 1/50s ISO50 

Sanganer's Dyers: 

Habitants Of Coloured Habiliments 

As the world changed all around it, Sanganer, in Rajasthan, 

remained moored to a time long, long centuries ago. Its alleys and 

bylanes still fan out like squiggly veins; weathered buildings hold them 

in a stifling embrace, and the air is heavy with the pungent aroma of 

dye laced with steam. 

And unlike in the metropolis that hems it in, the sounds here are not 

of discordant blaring of horns and raised tempers but of the rhythmic 

thwack of silk screens and blocks against cloth, the wet slap of fabric 

striking concrete and the gentle whirring of steam-presses. 

SANKAR SRIDHAR 

This almost-romanic lack of change, though, has brought with it 

problems for this nerve-centre of dyeing. Despite Sanganer’s blockprinting 

receiving the coveted Geographical Indication tag, this 

region has been in the eye of a storm with organisations blaming the 

cottage industries for draining groundwater, and poisoning it with the 

unchecked discharge of effluents. 

Mounting pressure, both social and political, and the partiality to 

mechanisation, has gradually begun changing the face of a place that 

historically owes its birthing to the Mughals’ love for the finer things 

in life. 

These images are a document of the beauty, colours and thrumming 

life that have, for better or worse, been part of Rajasthan’s satchel of 

wonders. 

A Hard Day's Work 

Nikon D800E 17mm F/4 1/25s ISO400 

Workers Of The Faith 

Nikon D800E 22mm F/3.2 1/6s ISO400

Preparing The Soul House 


Hole In The Wall 

Nikon D800E 22mm F/22 1/50s ISO200

Happiness Spread Halfway 


The Magic Pallette 


Look What I Found? 


Satisfactory Establishments 


Let's Wrap Up 

Nikon D800E 17mm F/7.1 1/10s ISO400

App Of The Month 

AIRMAP 

Platform: iOS, Android 

Rating: 4.3/5 

Cost: Free 

Drones are our future, aren’t they? In future, they will cater to all of our domestic as well commercial needs. 

Today, they are our pizza delivery boy, and one day, they might bring our Amazon Prime orders instantly to our 

doorstep, and, some other day, they will be our cameraman or videographers and will be taking beautiful shots 

from unreachable angles. 

Though the basics of when, how and where you can fly a drone are pretty straightforward. All you need to do is 

avoid crowded areas, stay away from flying near airports and avoid flying above 4000 feet. However, these are 

only some rules and guidelines for casual pilots. For commercial operators, there are a different set of rules and 

registration process. 

In this month’s Chiiz app of the month, we take a look at AirMap, an app that is exclusively designed for 

providing real-time air traffic activities all around the globe, while allowing users to report when and where they are going to fly. AirMap aims to 

be to an atlas for piloting unmanned vehicles and allows its users to make their drone operations safer by connecting their drones with airport 

operators and air traffic controllers to avoid accidents. 

AirMap takes into account the user inputs and regulation changes to create a durable map to show areas that are 

currently safe and legal for flying drones. This beautifully laid out app allows drone pilots to create their profiles, 

register their drone ids and plan their drone rides. The app gathers geolocation data of users and, in return, 

provides data about whether there are any flight restrictions or not. It also empowers the operators to notify 

airports within 5 miles of flight plans simply through a tap on the screen. 

Though the reporting feature is more valuable for commercial pilots, but the things like real-time maps of 

temporary restrictions and logging your flights are helpful for casual operators as well. Once you are logged into 

the app, you can determine whether it is safe or not to fly in certain areas. The app’s top bar lights up in red, yellow 

or green depending on the restrictions to show the areas safe for your flight. 

There is also a little time slider at the top of the frame, which lets you to analyse whether it is safe to fly in the next 

couple of days. Based on the recommendations of the app for the specific 

areas, you can create a flight plan by just holding your fingers on a spot of 

the map. You can also make your flights ‘public,’ which will share the make 

and model of the drone, pilot name, and the time and height of your flight. 

The app logs stores data of all your flight so that you can easily check the 

history while swiping through them. 

Chiiz Opinion: 

AirMap’s effort to create clear, useful map of the low sky, while also allowing drone pilots and professionals 

to fly their drones without violating any law or risking the safety of other aircraft, paves the way for a 

drone-filled future. 

Rahul Batra RB 

rahul@chiiz.com 

Rahul is a culture 

based writer who left 

his engineering job 

to pursue a career in 

writing. He wishes to 

write a psychological 

bestseller one day. 

Vol 3 

47

@careynataliady 

Jakarta, Indonesia 

DJI FC300X 4mm F/2.8 1/500s ISO100 

Andrew Scott 

Lifelines Start To End 

SONY ILCE 6300 10mm F/4 1/250s ISO250

Tushar Panchal 

Mumbai, India 

The Very Nook And Turn 

GoPro HERO5 BLACK 3mm F/2.8 1/861s ISO100 


Mumbai, India 

Bombay's Backbone 

Apple i6S 4mm F/2.2 1/237s ISO25 


Mumbai, India 

The Last Drive 

Apple i6S 4mm F/2.2 1/1538s ISO25

Ryan Sng 

Singapore, Singapore 

Yin And Yang 

16mm F/4 1/100s ISO800 

Ryan Sng 


The Soho 

16mm F/22 0.4s ISO50 

Ryan Sng 


Vertical Parking 

16mm F/7.1 1/100s ISO160 

Ryan Sng 


Delusional Touch 

27mm F/7.1 1/80s ISO640

A Dream Catcher's Story: 

Navtej Singh 

are stored in my mind. A camera 

captures just the two-dimensionals 

but what of the things that are there 

in your head and your heart? 

hotography makes a moment 

"Pimmortal. I steal a moment from time 

and immortalise it forever." This is how 

Navtej Singh defines photography and what 

it means to him. For him, India has been 

magnanimous enough to let him capture her 

in all her divergent ornamentation. She has 

never ceased to surprise us of her glories and 

mystifications. PRIYASHI NEGI gets in talks 

with him on his latest endeavors. Here is the 

excerpt. 

How did it all start, your passion for 

photography? 

I come from Pune. I picked up photography 

about six years back. The first camera I 

bought was a Nikon D60. I had gone on 

work to Coimbatore and I was supposed to 

stay there for a month and I happen to buy a 

camera and started clicking. That’s how I got 

into photography. 

What is your favorite genre of photography? 

I like to click the rustic villages. They have a 

lot of story in them. Capturing people from 

the villages in their lifetime humbles me. 

We’ve noticed that you take a lot of portraits 

along with aerial shots. Is that something 

that you connect to? 

See, I travel a lot, sometimes for almost 20-25 

days a month and when I go out, I go to the 

villages. There I get to see how people work 

and how pure their life is. Each subject from 

eclectic framework inscribe a subtle message 

which I trap through my lenses. That, for me 

is a big attachment. It is an unexplainable 

experience that makes me insatiable. If it isn't 

photography, I wouldn't know what else I 

would do, it is the only synonym to my soul. 

So when you travel, what are the things and 

experiences that you take back home? 

What you see in my photos is a very miniscule 

part of what I am actually carrying in my 

head. My best snaps are not in the camera; 

they are what I’ve captured with my eyes and 

Is there something that has left an 

indelible impact in your mind? 

I don’t really get moved by people or 

things. I am very disconnected the 

entire time. In fact, nothing moves 

me or changes me. I completely 

remain what I am and they don’t 

have any impact on me. I am a 

psychologist too and from what I 

have learnt, people have their own 

approach towards things. I’m at ease 

clicking pictures as an outsider, as 

an observer. I have seen sacrifices as 

well as black magic being performed. 

These things don’t move me but I’d 

love to click them anyway. So I take 

an outsider’s perspective. 

Is there anything apart from 

photography that you feel very 

passionate about? 

Photography is not my passion. It’s 

just something that I do. Swimming, running 

and cycling are what I spend more than half 

my day doing. Fitness is more of a passion to 

me than photography. 

Is there any particular sport that you’re 

into? 

I play a lot of golf. I am a good swimmer and 

I run a lot as well. 

You have mentioned that you mostly take 

an outsider’s perspective. Are there times 

when you wish you could delve in deeper 

and get to know the inside story? 

I do get to know the inside story. Sometimes 

I feel like I am the richest guy in terms of 

talking to new people and getting to know 

them. I still remember each of my subjects 

really well. It’s not just that I’ve clicked them. 

I’ve sat with them, spoken with them, had tea 

and lunch with them too. There was this lady 

who served me tea with camel's milk as well. 

I make it a point to know my subjects. If they 

are comfortable then I’m able to click them. 

I’ve also clicked women in purdahs(Veils) 

and no one seems to mind that. Somehow, I 

feel I’m really blessed that it happens so easily 

for me. I’ve never had a problem clicking 

anyone; I’ve clicked people in Kashmir, I’ve 

been to Kanyakumari and also to the eastern 

and western border of the country- There has 

never been a problem. 

Canon EOS 5D Mark III 200mm F/3.5 1/2000s ISO100 

Any advice you’d like to give to aspiring 

photographers 

If you want to do good photography, it doesn’t 

come from the camera, it comes from the 

heart. Honestly, I know nothing technical 

about my camera, but I know I can click a 

good snap. If you are able to capture things 

in your heart and in your soul, then they will 

automatically come to your camera. 

A silent worker, he travels extensively to 

get that perfect shot. Based out of Delhi, he 

strives to bring out the soul in each subject, 

no matter how non living it is. With an easy 

smile and disarming attitude, he has all it 

takes to make the subject comfortable. And 

before you know it, he has managed to click 

a few of your pictures, and even shown you 

what your best profile is. 

Priyashi Negi 

priyashi@chiiz.com 

Trekking to the top of the hills 

through tiny little paths and 

between pines is nothing short 

of paradise for Priyashi. Books 

and poetry are her refuge. She is 

a foodie at heart and seems to be 

blessed with a sweet tooth (sweet-teeth rather) and a 

love for all things cheese (pun-intended). 

Vol 3 

51


Canon EOS 5D Mark III 400mm F/5.6 1/4000s ISO640



Canon EOS 5D Mark III 32mm F/4 1/1600s ISO200 

Canon EOS 5D Mark III 24mm F/4 1/2000s ISO100

Canon EOS 5D Mark III 35mm F/4 1/1600s ISO125 

Canon EOS 5D Mark III 55mm F/4 1/1600s ISO200

Sanket Khuntale 

Mumbai, India 

Faithfully Blind 


Thomas Ferrari 

San Diego, CA, USA 

Seal Face 

DJI FC220 5mm F/2.2 1/950s ISO100 

Shane McGrath 

Northampton, UK 

Andrius Repsys 

Lithuania, EU. 

Sacred Pool Of Tears 

SONY NEX 6 43mm F/5.6 1/400s ISO200

Abdul Momin 

Rajshahi, Bangladesh

A Very Happy Ramadan To All 

Nikon D7200 11mm F/3.2 1/60s ISO400

Abdul Momin 

Rajshahi, Bangladesh 

Pepper Field 

WALTON Primo NX4 4mm F/2.2 1/256s ISO113 

Abdul Momin 

Rajshahi, Bangladesh 

Harvesting Hardwork 

Nikon D7200 26mm F/7.1 1/400s ISO100

Shane McGrath 

Northampton, UK 

Holiday In Paradise 

DJI FC300C 4mm F/2.8 1/530s ISO100 

@careynataliady 

Jakarta, Indonesia 

The Great Falls 

DJI FC300X 4mm F/2.8 1/40s ISO100 

Aysha Mou 

India, India 

Teak Break 

Canon EOS 5D Mark II 28mm F/8 1/250s ISO400 

Andrius Repsys 

Lithuania, EU. 

Illusional Butterflies 

DJI Mavic Pro 26.3mm F/2.2 1/13s ISO100

Sorry My Love 

Leaf Credo 80 80mm F/14 1/160s ISO50 

Room 

322 

he airy luminosity of an ethereal space, 

“Taseptic and suspended, contrasts with 

the stolidity of these bodies - less than perfect 

in their awkward and authentic humanness. 

Statically present, the hotel room preserves 

its non-connection to sundry turn-taking 

occupants: its stillness heightens the tension 

they feel inside, which rips itself free of these 

contentless surroundings. 

Thus, from the bottom of a bathtub, 

contrasting perceptions emerge: appearance 

and reality, restlessness holding itself still, past 

within present; authenticity within fiction.” 

Room 322, a series of serious looking 

portraits by Francesco Ridolfi, captures the 

essence of how a person’s mind reacts or 

tends to react to the surroundings when they 

are such morose and depressing and how it 

contrasts there being out in the real world. 

We were so intrigued by the portraits and 

couldn’t resist asking a few questions from 

Francesco. SHIVANKER KAMBOJ from 

Chiiz interacted with him on how it all took 

form and became a masterpiece. 

First tell us something more about yourself? 

And how did you end up with photography? 

Since I was a child, I was always interested in 

photography. During my youth I usually took 

60 Vol 3 

photos of the world around me especially 

when and where I travelled, trying to capture 

the spirit of the places I was visiting. But 

my studies were totally unrelated as I never 

really thought that photography could be 

a profession for me. It was after graduation 

that I realized that I could do something with 

this skill. Encouraged by some friends and 

after winning some awards in photography 

contests, I decided to give it a try. After ten 

years in this profession, I must say that it has 

probably been the best decision I ever made. 

The feelings you have expressed through 

this series are actually very prevalent and 

common among people but were never 

captured as far as my knowledge goes, so 

how did you come up with the idea? 

The very first sparkle of the idea came 

when I moved to Brussels (Belgium) for 

some months. In my new house there was 

a bathroom with a bathtub (could sound 

strange, but it was something unusual for me, 

as I’ve always had a shower in the places I lived 

in), so I started to take baths, and taking time 

for myself while I was doing them. I quickly 

realized that, nowadays, taking a bath is one 

of the rare situations, where you can have 

time and space alone, thinking, reflecting 

and maybe to let the emotions buried deep in 

your heart, be free. 

We have seen boudoir photography and 

your art is somewhat related to that. Instead 

of the bedroom, you took the bathroom. 

What do you have to say about that? 

I believe that the bathroom is probably one 

of the most private spaces we have, a place 

where you are always alone. The bathroom is 

‘the’ private space par excellence. An intimate 

place where we can really be ourselves, where 

we can drop our masks, be true to ourselves, 

for a moment at least. 

We usually live in this place alone, but in some 

rare occasions we can share it with someone 

really close to us, revealing, in that particular 

moment, something about our relationship 

and connection. Ultimately the bathroom is 

a place where the truth of our existence and 

relationships can emerge. 

See, the bathroom is a very personal 

space for people suffering from emotional 

distress. So the scenario you have created 

inside the bathroom might present a 

negative aspect to some people. What do 

you have to say about it ? 



is a portrait 

photographer 

active in both the 

commercial and 

artistic fields. 

His work has been acknowledged 

and published in not just Italy but 

internationally. 

Francesco loves photography that 

succeeds in seizing the passing 

moment, but is drawn more deeply 

to frames that, in finalizing a project 

of research, find the right form for a 

well-conceived idea. 

His fine art works has been 

exhibited in Milan, London and 

New York.

A Chance Worthwhile 

Leaf Credo 80 110mm F14 1/160s ISO50 

Guilts Of Pleasure 


Well, to be honest I do not completely agree 

with this sentence. Emotions like melancholia 

and sadness are not necessary negative, and it 

would be wrong try to avoid them. They are 

just part of our lives as joy and happiness are. 

In the oriental philosophy, symbols of Taoism 

remind us exactly about these aspects of the 

human nature. 

Yes, I agree with you. It would be wrong 

to try to avoid them. And since you have 

mentioned Taoism, has it affected you in 

any way? 

Well, actually I don’t have a deep knowledge 

of Taoism, but I can tell you that I’m surely 

more attracted to these kinds of Eastern 

philosophies rather than the Western ones. 

I believe that we usually undervalue the 

importance of accepting the life for what it 

is with its contrasts and difficult moments as 

well as considering our mind, body and soul 

separated and not as a single piece. 

A piece of advice to the amateurs to keep up 

the good work? 

Well, I wish them all the best and I’d like to 

tell them to continue their journey into the 

photography world, regardless the difficulties 

that this kind of art has. Try to perfect your 

vision and desire, concentrating your efforts 

A Sublime Mistake 


on one particular goal. It’s important to delve 

deeper in one thing, instead of covering 

different paths. 

Thank you for the time you have given us 

and your efforts are very valuable to us. 

Thank you! Pleasure was mine! 

Shivanker Kamboj 

shivanker@chiiz.com 

He is an aspiring 

photographer and loves 

to travel to new unknown 

places. He believes in live the 

life you love, love the life you 

live. An ardent football fan, 

he is as good on the field as 

on the desktop. 

Vol 3 

61

Guest No. 696 


Scared Damsels 


The Godfather Cries 

Leaf Credo 80 110mm F/14 1/160s ISO50

Unaged Experiences 


The Wheel Of Time 


Cornered Emotions 


Shredded Habiliments 


Guest No. 336 

Leaf Credo 80 80mm Thai F/14 Paradevatha 1/160s ISO50 Theyyam 

Nikon D810 200mm F/2.8 1/200s ISO500

Movie Review 

Fur: The Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus 

Duration: 2hrs 2 mins. 

IMDB Rating: 6.5/10 

Released: 2006 

Life of a photographer is not as easy as it sounds. Yeah, like clicking 

every time you see an eye pleasing sight. But seeing the flipside, the 

real work of a photographer comes to getting to that eye pleasing sight, 

finding it in the webs of life and hustle. Not everyone can be a photographer 

but anyone can be a photographer. This is what this movie portrays. 

It is not just a movie, it is an eye opener, a sheer magnificence in the field 

of cinema. 

Directed by Steven Shainberg, and written by Erin Cressida Wilson and 

Patricia Bosworth, Fur shows how a photographer sees the world, the real 

scenario and what all a photographer, being just as a normal being as any 

of us, goes through while trying to showcase the realities of the world. 

Plot: 

The story is based on the life of the photographer, Diane Arbus, who seems 

to be lost in her own little world, full of weirdness and strange things. And 

not just the things we should be talking about, but also the people, the 

people that are generally not accepted by the societal norms. However, it 

was the case with Diane, played by Nicole Kidman. Her parents obviously 

knew all this and forced her to lead a suffocated life with her husband, 

Allan Arbus, the photographer in the movie played by, Ty Burrell and 

their two daughters. 

As the circumstances were, she could not resist when a new neighbor 

moves in the apartment above their's Her curiosity takes her to his 

apartment and that is the place where the real story is revealed. 

The neighbor, Lionel Sweeney, played by Robert Downey Jr. portrays 

an enigmatic mentor to Diane, and is evidently one the most intriguing 

characters in the whole script. His well hidden background and the 

awkward relations with awkward people takes it up a notch. 

To tell the story would be to reveal the movie, which I do not intend. There are certain moments in the film where you would like to take easy 

guesses but at the end, it will all be invain so, sit back, relax and enjoy the movie. It is guaranteed that Nicole and Robert have done their very 

best to not let us down through their acting. 

This movie is based on the life story of Diane Arbus, 

a legendary photographer who was famous for her 

photographs of outsiders and people on the fringes 

of the society. Some of her famous images are 

‘Child with Toy Hand Grenade In Central Park’ and 

‘Identical Twins, Roselle’. 

Anjali Chaudhary 

anjali@chiiz.com 

Although a portrait of innocence, she 

is our one of the boldest member. She 

is sharp, quick-witted and discerning, 

often a dreamer who sees her life as 

having a higher purpose than simply 

earning a living.

You will find two kinds of people at every airport 

and, those who know and love it! 

WHICH ONE ARE YOU? 

FIRST AIRPORT SOCIAL 

for those who want to make the most of wait times at airport transit 

intransit 

Now available on 

Google Play 

/ flyintransit / flyintransit / flyintransit.com

A journalist-turned-underwater 

photographer, Pia Oyarzun, has had her 

fill with sharks. She has worked with them, 

fed them, photographed them and now she 

is spreading awareness to protect them. This 

Bahamas based photographer started a series, 

‘Made In Water’, where models pose with 

sharks. NAMAN GUPTA from Chiiz gets in 

talk with her on her successful career and lots 

more. 

How did you get into photography and 

when did you fell in love with sharks? 

Since I was a child I loved photography. In 

my dad’s home, we had a dark room and he 

taught me how to take pictures with film in 

a Pentax. I desired to travel the world so I 

became a scuba instructor. In Brazil, I trained 

and worked with “Barracudas” who used to 

take photos of customers underwater. Once 

I felt I learnt everything that I needed in 

Brazil my boss by that time (Marta Granville) 

recommended me to come to work with 

sharks at Stuart Cove’s Dive, Bahamas. I 

understood how amazing and majestic they 

are. I wanted to do the shark dive every day. 

world underwater, also it is the connection 

of a woman with the ocean. I collaborated 

with professional scuba divers and freedivers 

to combine the visual ideas and passion for 

the ocean. Starting as a project for fun, it 

developed into a full-time lifestyle of creating 

images and now to share with the people who 

enjoy an underwater magical world. Also, we 

are trying to show that sharks are far from 

what the media is trying to sell. 

We got to know that your idea behind this 

project is to spread awareness about the 

Shark Tank 

Canon EOS 7D10mm F/9 1/100s ISO200 

Pia Oyarzún: Modelling With The Sharks 

conservation of sharks. Enlighten us. 

I need to say, when I was a child, I was 

terrified of sharks. After watching the movie 

‘Jaws’ when I was 8, I avoided the ocean and 

would ask my mom why people didn’t kill 

sharks. I believe, a lot of people like me would 

fear them too until they get to know one. It 

is the media that spreads unnecessary panic 

and fear to the public if any incident where 

a shark attack on humans occur. And not 

keeping in mind that thousands of sharks 

are killed everyday and no one wants to talk 

about it. Also forgetting the fact how sharks 

Also, tell us about 'Made In Water' project! 

This is a project I started here in the Bahamas 

in 2015 and began with my vision to create 

artistic images that could reflect a magical 

Pia Oyarzún 

Photographer

are important for maintaining the balance of 

the ecosystem. I have been diving with them 

every day for the past 3 years and I have never 

felt threatened. I walk on the street and feel 

more scared than when I am in the ocean with 

40 sharks. So, I try to create these images with 

humans, without any scuba gears, interacting 

with sharks, so people can see them and 

realise that sharks are not that dangerous as 

they seem or as they are portrayed by the 

media. 

What do you think is the biggest obstacle 

for you till now? 

I would love to travel and see other species 

and share my experience with more people. 

But it’s hard to get sponsors and people who 

can help to cover the expenses and to create 

new content. 

What do you prefer to do in your spare 

time, apart from photography? 

I love running and talking long walks. This 

year, as a charity representative with the 

Chicago Marathon, I am fundraising to 

spread awareness and protection for sharks. 

I have collaborated with Project AWARE for 

the charity called ‘Run for Sharks’. 

What advice do you have for other people 

who are looking to get into underwater 

photography? 

Get first a nice and easy camera and housing. 

Probably a canon G12 or something similar 

will be nice. Then the key is to practice and 

try everything you can imagine. 

Do you want to give any message through 

us to the masses out there? 

Live wild, and don’t be scared to take a 

different road. I was meant to be a journalist 

and work in a newspaper or TV channel, but 

here I am, diving with sharks every day. 

You really need to have confidence and faith 

in yourself to take a different road to follow 

your passion, and Pia’s hard work and faith 

has paid off and here she is as a professional 

underwater photographer. Till now, she 

had worked with Discovery Channel, Nat 

Model Sharks 


Geo, BBC, Myth Busters & Zena Holloway 

Productions. She is very proud of her Made 

In Water Project. It has been a very gratifying 

and joyful experience for her to create such 

out of the world images. We wish her all the 

best in future endeavors. 

Naman Goel 

naman@chiiz.com 

Naman has passion for 

following art related fields 

and stuffs. He really likes to 

explore different things with 

different genre. His favorite 

thing is to talk with strangers 

and knowing about them. 

Isn't It All Obvious? 

Nikon D800 15mm F/5 1/125s ISO250

Stinger Ray 

4Canon EOS 7D 10mm F/6.3 1/160s ISO125 

Statute Of The Sea 


The Ultimate Kiss 


Kyle Castelyn 

Strand, South Africa 

HoneyComb Eel 

Canon PowerShotG1X Mark II 12mm F/6.3 1/60s ISO100 

Kyle Castelyn 


Pterois 

Canon PowerShotG7X Mark II 13mm F/8 1/200s ISO125

Kyle Castelyn 


Order Teuthida 

Canon PowerShotG7X Mark II 13mm F/11 1/1000s ISO125 

Kyle Castelyn 


Aetobatus Narinari 

Canon PowerShotG7X Mark II 10mm F/5 1/500s ISO125 

Kyle Castelyn 


Blenny Fish 

Canon PowerShotG7X Mark II 37mm F/7.1 1/1000s ISO125 

Kyle Castelyn 


Requiem Shark 

Canon PowerShotG7X Mark II 9mm F/2.8 1/250s ISO125

Tips and Tricks 

Aerial/Drone Photography 

More and more people are stepping into photography business 

globally. We talked to some of the experienced and professional 

photographers and came up with the list of 10 useful hacks for Aerial/ 

Drone Photography that will make your photographs look incredible. 

Let’s take a look. 

TIP 1: Time and location 

If you need to capture a beautiful mountain while first ray of sun is 

about to peek out, you will definitely be ready around mountain in 

the morning. Just like that, you need to plan the time and the location 

according to the kind of photographs you need. Simple time difference 

can result in miscellaneous photographic effects. 

#Pro tip – Join photography pages on social media as they have 

number of professionals with good knowledge about the location and 

the best time for clicking. 

TIP 6: Battery preservation 

It’s possible that some of the photographers might not know about 

how different weather conditions can affect your battery differently. 

When you are travelling to an icy mountain or a sweltering desert, 

remember to store your batteries properly according to the weather. 

#Pro tip- Keep woolen storage for cold weather as cold weather can 

drain your batteries faster than expected. 

TIP 2: Camera safety 

Camera safety is the most relevant thing while snapping from a plane 

or a drone. If you are planning to stick your camera out of the window 

of a moving plane or fly it over places, you should consider safety 

measures such as a neck strap and drone covering. 

#Pro tip- Get rid of the lens hood, as it can mess up with the 

stabilization of lens. 

TIP 3: Choosing the right lens 

Unarguably, choosing the right lens is a pretty significant thing to do. 

The first recommendation will be the zoom lens. If you are spending 

money on a plane or a drone, you should probably spend some more 

to get a zoom lens. You will never regret spending extra bucks. Zoom 

lens lets you capture location better and clearer. 

#Pro tip- You can always rent different lens. Search for websites or 

stores that can lend you one, or simple, ask your photographer buddy. 

TIP 4: Color correction 

Applying little hacks like using white balance while clicking under 

the scorching sun, adjusting brightness to mid-tone and saturation & 

contrast boost according to your liking can give you better results. 

#Pro tip- Don’t bother with additional settings if you lack the 

appropriate knowledge. It’ll affect your pictures negatively. 

TIP 5: Adjusting altitude 

Everything looks amazing when you are in the air. You want to capture 

every possible thing. But what if you have less time and you can’t click 

dozens of pictures? Adjusting altitude according to the place can help. 

If your altitude is low and you are looking straight, you can capture 

a glimpse of the background, whereas if you are looking down, your 

focus will only be at the object. 

72 Vol 3 

TIP 7: Eliminate prop shadows 

This one goes without saying. Pictures where we can see the prop 

shadows look very unprofessional. Consider the location of the sun 

and plan accordingly. Search for more information about undesirable 

flicker effect in the footage. 

TIP 8: Orientation of landscape and portrait 

Everybody knows how some pictures always look better in a landscape 

mode or a portrait mode. People mostly use landscape or portrait mode 

when they need to focus on the background or the object respectively. 

#Pro tip- Mix up your images with both portrait and landscape modes 

to see for the best ones. Do not be dependent on one kind of mode 

always. 

TIP 9: Don’t expect anything from the weather 

Weather can be a nuisance sometimes. The best way to prevent bad 

luck is not to expect anything from the weather. Keep ready for the 

worst case scenario. Pack anything necessary to cope up with the bad 

weather and you will be good. 

#Pro tip- Always keep camera protection gear which can protect it 

from water, ice, fire, wind and other detrimental things. 

TIP 10: Safe flying 

Last but not the least, fly safe whether you are flying a drone or flying 

in a plane. Always stay authorized and use safety precautions. 

Saurabh Upadhyay 

saurabh@chiiz.com 

He is a Delhi based geek who believes that 

the world has more to it which still needs to 

be discovered. Serenity and intellect are his 

forte. Words are his cavalry. He is an avid 

writer with the hunger of refinement.

Gear Review 

GoPro Karma 

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you want to capture 

not just the view but the way on which you are travelling? I guess it won’t 

be wrong to say that GoPro is the first word that comes to your mind when you 

are in the midst of a jungle safari riding a motorbike and want to capture the 

best of sceneries. GoPro has always been known to provide the best and most 

advanced of the technologies in a camera that you can just fit on your helmet 

and are good to go. They have actually changed the definition of shooting a 

video. You no longer have to stand at a place and hold your hand steady when you want to capture anything that you feel, is worth sharing. This 

time GoPro has done something different and as GoPro’s CEO said, “It’s not just a drone, it’s a complete package”. 

Yes, you heard it right. This time GoPro has introduced not just a fit in camera but a flying one. GoPro Karma is the name of the newest launch 

from GoPro. It is a drone which captures the bird view of every unique place you discover from an angle that you could have never imagined. 

GoPro karma leaves you amazed and anyone who sees it can’t refute the beautiful and mind blowing package it is. So since they have introduced 

the all new drone camera, GoPro Karma, let’s see what it holds to be worth around $1000. 

GoPro Team has given a complete thought on the packaging of the drone. Since Karma is not the 

first drone camera, the team has made efforts to make it light and portable. It has folding propellers 

that folds and even disjoints to make a compact package and takes very little space. It is very light 

and comes with a flight controller which is equipped with highly advanced technology. The complete 

package also includes a Karma grip which is used for making the videos handheld by attaching the 

camera to the grip. A stabiliser is also included in the package which gives you a shake free movie 

experience. GoPro Team has kept in mind every anomaly that other drones have had and removed 

them all from their product. This is not just true for the packaging but also for the technology that 

they have provided with the available features. 

GoPro Karma comes with a controller which is described by the senior software team as, “The most advanced controller and not lesser than a 

smart phone.” The controller has many features including flight simulator that helps the beginners as to how the flight will be carried out and 

adjustments of the controls. The camera is designed to take video in 1080p and is placed in such a way that propellers are not seen while filming 

the video which is a great relief for the video makers. GoPro Karma is really fast when it comes to speed. The drone has a speed of 15 meters 

per second, and can go as far as 3 kilometres in distance and to the maximum altitude of 3.2 kilometres. The drone is also designed to handle 

and resist wind speed of upto 10m/s. The GoPro Karma has received extraordinary response and its capabilities and features have dominated 

its price that everybody was mostly talking about before its launch. GoPro team has proved once again that there is no other company that can 

beat them when it comes to capturing videos through every angle. I wonder what is next to come. 

Quick Specifications 

Maximum Speed 

35 mph (15 m/s) 

Maximum Distance 

Up to 9,840ft (3,000m) 

Maximum Flight Altitude 

10,500ft (3,200m) 

Maximum Wind Resistance 22mph (10m/s) 

Operating Frequency 

2.4GHz 

Dimensions (Opened/No Propellers) Length: 12in (303mm) 

Width: 16.2in (411mm) 

Height: 4.6in (117mm) 

Dimensions (Folded/Transport) Length: 14.4in (365.2mm) 

Width: 8.8in (224.3mm) 

Height: 3.5in (89.9mm) 

Propeller Length 

10in (25.4cm) 

Weight 

35.5oz (1006g) 

Flight Time 

Up to 20 minutes 

Rating 

14.8V 5100mAH (75.4Wh) 

Battery Type 

Li-Po 

Rishabh Jain 

rishabh@chiiz .com 

Youngest member and tech guy of 

the team. He loves finding bugs not 

in the backyard but in the servers. An 

ardent soccer fan, Rishabh is also the 

sports freak of chiiz. 

Vol 3 

73

Tea At Ease 

Canon EOS 5D MarkIII 100mm F/3.5 1/30s ISO200

Masoor RocketDal 

Canon EOS 5D MarkIII 100mm F/2.8 1/250s ISO320 

Topiaca Pudding 

Canon EOS 5D MarkIII 100mm F/9 3.2s ISO250 

Strawberry Fro Yo 

Canon EOS 5D MarkIII 100mm F/4.5 1s ISO320 

Red Wine Lamb Chops 

Canon EOS 5D MarkIII 100mm F/4.5 1s ISO250

Butlers 


A 

Deeba Rajpal 

food stylist, recipe developer & food writer. A 

non-conformist, 'rabid' baker cum food blogger 

from Gurgaon, for whom visual appeal holds as much 

significance as healthy & delicious food. Deeba has been 

baking at home for over 15 years, and she enjoys it more 

and more each passing day. It’s challenging, inspirational, 

creative and therapeutic. She is inspired by seasons and 

the colours that nature offers. Her blog has photographs 

and recipes of her adventures in the kitchen, and a little 

bit about other interests – food styling, nature, art, 

photography, props, travel. Ms. Rajpal's current passion is 

making as well as developing recipes that use fruit, mainly 

in desserts, and bakes using alternate grains like oats etc. 

Food styling is something that she absolutely adores. 

Mascarpone Cheesecake 


The Royal Breakfast 


Allesandro Sigismondi 

Ivrea, Italy 

The Blue Bliss 

Canon EOS 5D MarkIV 24mm F/2.2 1/200s ISO100 

Aysha Mou 

India, India 

The WarHorn 



Mumbai, India 

Faith Of The Oldest 

Xiaomi MI5 F/2 1/30s ISO100 

Allesandro Sigismondi 

Ivrea, Italy 

Serene Poses 


Amlan Sanyal 

Siliguri, India 

The Book Thief 

SONY A6000 16mm F/5.6 1/60s ISO2500 

Mir Yasir 

J&K, India 

Children Of Nation 


Amlan Sanyal 


Midtown Madness 


Amlan Sanyal 


Sneak Peek 

SONY A6000 16mm F/5.6 1/200s ISO100

Manvir Singh 

Punjab, India 

Thirst Quencher 


Thomas Ferrari 

San Diego, CA, USA 

Sunkissed 


Suhas Karanth 

Banglore, India 

Caterpillar In the Bush 

Canon EOS600D 200mm F/5.6 1/160s ISO100 

Amith Nag 

Bangalore, India 

A Day's Pay 


Amith Nag 

Bangalore, India 

The Blue Bug 


Sachin Arora 

New Delhi, India 

Fusion 


PHOTOGRAPHER Of The Month 

Shailendra Rana 

Shailendra Rana is a dreamer, traveler and a fashion and advertising photographer from 

Delhi, India. He has worked with both national and international agencies for catalogue, 

lookbooks, fashion editorial, e-commerce shoots and other commercial projects. He is also 

associated with Bharitiya Vidya Bhavan, Delhi, as a guest faculty for fashion photography. 

He specializes and provides services related to fashion, lifestyle, travel, food and concert 

photography and cinematography. Some of the brands and agencies he has worked with: Fiat 

New Holland, Homeshop 18, Chalk and Chuckles, Smile foundation India, Trendspotters. 

tv, B4moda.com, Shopnineteen, Pehraan, Ti couture, Radhika J, Ridhi Arora, 4700BC 

Popcorn. 

He gets in talk with PRATEEK KASHYAP from Chiiz over his life and philosophies. Here 

is an excerpt from the chat. 

Reverence From The Cat Kingdom 


Why did you decide to be a fashion photographer? 

It started out as a part time job in my initial days and somehow I took a liking 

towards this genre. Here I got an opportunity to experiment with different forms and 

light setups. It feels like you give some sort of life to the cloths/designs/colors with 

your concepts. Fashion photography as a genre is like a salad bowl where (if rightly 

executed) all forms of photography can be introduced with their own unique style and 

flavors, and it still maintains a perfect balance. 

What are the things that inspire you? 

I get inspired by everything around me. Everything is beautiful. All you need is the 

right angle to look at it. 

What kind of skills are required, outside of being really talented at shooting, to 

survive and thrive in this industry? 

You really need to market yourself well, and that too through the right people, because 

10000 likes on a social media platform would not serve the purpose if you're not 

presenting it to right audience. 

What are the few things that young photographers should know in order to get and 

retain clients? 

Quality and consistency, with a professional attitude towards work, will go a long way. 

Is fashion photography as glitzy and glamourous as media makes it out to be? 

That's what we want everyone to know. (Laughs) Jokes apart, like every other industry 

it has its highs and lows, but nothing which is be stereotyped. 

Do you prefer to work in natural light or inside studios? 

It depends on the clothes, but usually I prefer indoors as you can control light as per 

your needs. 

Apart from fashion photography, is there any other genre of photography that you’re interested in? 

There are many things. But I would prefer a concert, a travel excursion or a conflict. 

Do you spend more time clicking pictures or retouching them? 

I'm one of those technically challenged guys, who likes to get 99% result by the camera, so I would say, clicking pictures. 

Any final words of wisdom you would like to share? 

Life is too short to be taken seriously. Just enjoy whatever you do. 

His picture was even selected by Vogue Italia, August edition, 2012. He has already covered events 

like NH7 Weekender as a pitboss 2013, Outrage Festival 2014, DOGMA Wrath Festival 2014, 

Bass masterclass 2014, Pandemonium-3 2014, Big 69 Delhi gig official photographer. He was also 

declared a finalist in Better Photography Tamron Challenge, 2014. 

Prateek Kashyap 

prateek@chiiz.com 

An adventure seeker by heart, 

his passion for photography 

was ignited in the Great 

Himalayas. Clicking clear 

frames and solving the mysteries of life, he just wants 

to spend his time as a confused photographer. 

Vol 3 

83

Eye To Eye 


Welcome To The Subject 


Nature Queen 


Sheroes Of The Fall 


Madame Marley 

Eternal Abyss 

Nikon D7000 50mm F/3.5 1/250ss ISO100 

Beautiful Souls 


Poker Face 


Friday Queen 

Canon EOS 5D MarkIII 88mm F/9 1/80s ISO160

Dimitry Lvov 

Russia, Russia 

Hide And Seek Me 

Canon EOS 5D Mark II 24mm F/4.5 1/40s ISO800 

Dimitry Lvov 


Sing Me To Sleep 

Canon EOS 5D Mark II 100mm F/4 1/160s ISO320

Dimitry Lvov 


Dimitry Lvov 


Dimitry Lvov 

Russia, Russia

Stylist of the Month 

Rashmi Shastri 

Just the way a painter renders strokes on a canvas, Rashmi decided to 

pursue her long cherished dream and passion for hair and makeup. 

She lays her transformational and caressing strokes on hair and faces 

of individuals. Rashmi’s approach is minimalistic, edgy and arresting. 

She creates each look with her mastered distinctive technique and 

an outstanding style. Over the years she has gained a huge standing 

and has had the golden opportunity and privilege of working with 

diverse clients. The list includes renowned fashion designers, leading 

international and national fashion magazines and fashion brands. She 

gets in chat with BARKHA CHANDRA for Chiiz over her journey. 

Here’s an excerpt from the chat: 

When did you know a career in beauty was for you? 

A few years ago my eyes chanced upon a poster of ‘The Starry Night’, 

by Vincent van Gogh placed right next to a hair and makeup studio. 

Since I was always fascinated with fashion, that's when it hit me what 

if I could paint people's faces and design hair. This exciting thought led 

me to pursue a career in hair and makeup. 

Today’s woman is busier than ever. What is the easiest/quickest way 

to turn a day/work look into something that works for night out? 

In this jet setting world of fast building careers and creative exercises 

women should opt for dark lips (red, wine, deep browns), heavy 

mascara (liner if you are good at it) and for hair a quick messy french 

braid or a neat high pony will never go out of statement. Don't forget 

to wear your confidence. 

Rashmi is currently 

working in Mumbai 

and continuing 

to grow into an 

exceptional hair 

and makeup artist 

and professional. 

Her work has been 

featured on the covers 

and editorials of top 

magazines including 

Cosmopolitan, 

Harper’s Bazaar, The 

Blur, The Blur UK, Women’s Health, Elegant UK, Get Inspired, Hint 

Magazine Russia, The Man, Maxim, and The Juice. She showcased her 

work at Lakme Fashion Week and Beach Fashion Week. She is also a 

certified L’Oreal Advance hairstyling academy, Paris. 

Barkha Chandra 

barkha@chiiz.com 

She is the laughter dose of Team Chiiz currently 

rocking up the PR dept. She is always high on life and 

hooked to freedom. A great philosopher, living in her 

own imaginary world as she juggles through the highs 

and lows of life. 

Some trends can feel a bit out-there for the average woman. 

Especially style-conscious women of “a certain age” who wish to 

remain current but fear looking as if they’re trying too hard. What 

are some comfort-zone friendly ways to rock the latest trends? 

Bollywood is the trendsetter in India. But if you are bold to break away 

from the rest then you can try. Two tone lip colour trend (pink and 

coral are my personal favourite two tones which works really well with 

all the Indian skin tones) which has been the most used trend of spring 

2017 or the Highlighter trend. 

Quick tip: You can use vaseline also as a natural highlighter to get 

the natural glow. You can use it to highlight your cheekbones and on 

eyelids to brighten up your eyes. 

How would you describe your signature look and what is it about 

your style that sets you apart from other makeup artists? 

For me every face is an empty canvas and creation is like a disease. I 

infect my art with unique brush strokes, abstract emotions and lucid 

colour patterns. This is the visual imaginary that becomes stand alone 

as my signature style. Eventually for me every combined look of hair 

and make up becomes a painting. 

Any tips on how girls can achieve a look that is both “cool” and 

parent-friendly? 

Bright colour eye pencils and blush. 

If you weren’t a makeup artist, what else would you do? 

I would have been a painter. I love everything related to art. 

88 Vol 3

Model Of the Month 

Sonam Chhabra 

Growing up in a simple middle class family, 

Sonam graduated from Hansraj College, 

Delhi University. After eight years of 

anchoring,modelling and practising theatre, 

she got her first break into acting with her 

debut movie "Kirket" where she is playing the 

lead actress. She gets in talks with KANIKA 

MAURYA over her successful career and a 

hard earned repute. 

What is fashion to you? 

Fashion to me is inner confidence and being 

comfortable in my skin. Fashion should be 

an extension of one's personality rather than 

followin‌g trends blindly. 

Your all time favorite style trick? 

Shoes and accessories! I feel shoes can make or 

break a look and I own more than a whopping 

100 pairs. If you accessorise an outfit well, half 

the battle is won. 

Essentials of a man/woman's wardrobe? 

A crisp white shirt, well fitted pair of jeans, an 

LBD, black pumps, a classic bag and watch are 

must haves for a woman. As an Indian, I truly 

feel nothing is a bigger style statement than a 

beautiful saree. 

For men, I feel less is more. Clean cuts, well 

Kanika Maurya 

Kanika@chiiz.com 

Hit by wanderlust, Kanika is a hard core food addict. 

A dancer who danced her way happily out of college, 

Kanika is a photographer keen on capturing things 

or moments that are majestic. When not capturing 

or eating, Kanika is exploring places in and around 

delhi with her friends. 

fitted clothes, classic shoes and a classic watch 

are a must have. 

Who is your ultimate fashion icon? 

Audrey Hepburn and in the more recent times, 

Priyanka Chopra is slaying with her style. 

How important is internal beauty to you? 

Unless you shine from within, I feel one 

cannot be truly attractive. One of the most 

fancied personalities whom we all love, Oprah 

Winfrey, is all about inner confidence and 

self belief. I feel inner beauty is what makes a 

woman complete. 

Sonam was an active member of the Debating 

and Fashion societies of her college which 

gave her an actual break. She started off as an 

Emcee and Anchor for live events out of the 

need for pocket money. So far, Ms. Chhabra 

has hosted some of the most prestigious events 

in the country such at FEMINA POWERLIST 

Awards, Hindustan Times Top 30 Under 

30 Awards, FEMINA Style Diva, Launch of 

Honda Amaze, The India Today Conclave and 

many more. She is also doing a short film to 

be released by a big production house soon of 

which she cannot release any details as she is 

contract bound.

MODEL SHOWCASE 

Anastisia G 

Photo By Michael Austermeier 

Accompanying Models- Carolin Darr, Maria Lin 

Photo By Igor Vorobey 

Accompanying Model- Valeria Mizina 

Photo By Mechler`s Art

Photo By Fotografie & Visagistik Sophie Zahn

Gone With The Wind 

444Nikon D750 24mm F/2.8 1/1250s ISO250 

Ingo Kremmel 

Born in the lap of a vast 

Lake Constance in Austria, 

Ingo was introduced to 

the world of photography 

as a male model at the age 

of 18. His towering good 

looks made him a favorite 

subject of many famous 

photographers. 

In his professional career, 

Ingo studied in the field 

of Quality Control and 

trained as a professional 

chef. But with the dawn of the age of the digital SLR, 

Ingo decided to pursue his passion and purchased his 

first camera. 

Ingo and Jacky Liebe, his partner, started creating 

incredible images, sometimes doubling as models 

for their own shoots. His work with Jacky led to the 

creation of Schaman Photo Design (his professional 

brand) where they strive to create and capture beauty 

in every way possible. 

When asked about his passion, Ingo said, "For me 

photography is a great balancer and it fulfills me 

emotionally and creatively. Nothing in life comes 

by chance, you have to stay focused on your goals. 

Originality is the secret sauce to every photographer’s 

success and having a great team is what makes an image 

great. An image is only as good as the idea behind it.The 

image always has the last word!" 

He likes to work in bad weather to create something 

different and that’s what his images are famous for. Each 

of his images tells a story and engages the viewer while 

stimulating their senses. He has been a member of the 

Professional Association of Austrian Artists for about 3 

years now and regularly conducts workshops to teach 

new photographers different styles. 

My Very Own Temple 

Nikon D750 140mm F/2.8 1/60s ISO1000

The Chalice 

Nikon D800 35mm F/4 1/3200s ISO200

A Sleep To Remember 


The Yoga Code 


Demons Of Delusion 

Nikon D750 200mm F/3.2 1/3200s ISO160

MADE IN ITALY, MADE FOR INDIA 

Istituto Marangoni: the new School of Fashion in Mumbai 

MILANO 

FIRENZE 

PARIS 

LONDON 

MUMBAI 

SHANGHAI 

SHENZHEN 

MIAMI 

OPENING IN JULY 2017 • CEEJAY HOUSE • WORLI 

Visit the school info-point at High Street Phoenix Mall • 8 th - 9 th July 

ISTITUTO 

MARANGONI 

.COM

Chiiz Volume 3 : Tribal Photography

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