Just Back from the Barber Shop

I am just back from a Barber Shop. Not 'Saloooooon' . Read Barber Shop. One of those places where Barbers (Not stylists) look at you with a glee in their eyes if you present yourself with an unruly mop of hair.  The look is akin to those that are found in the eyes of Sheep farmers who are about to shear the wool off their sheep.I was asked if I had come for ‘Hair Cutting ‘. A very precise description of what actually happens there at the barber shop. No further questions were asked or suggestions given. To hell with what the customer wants. We are here to cut hair.  And mind you, there is no dearth of customers waiting to have their haircut at this shop.


I have always had this strong belief in three businesses. Food of the retail variety, laundry and Barber Shops. I have never ever come across anybody not making money in either of these businesses unless they screwed it up from their end.  Among these three businesses, I find Barber shops the most promising. You can’t stop hair from growing can you? So a monthly haircut is a must for those who still have some hair left.

India currently has only two or three types or Barber Shops.  The first are the old local ones which have been around for two generations at the least. They still use the same old chairs and benches with duplicate after shave lotions and creams. The second variety would have air conditioning and better hygiene. The third one refers to the branded saloons such as Jawed Habib/Naturals etc which promise a better overall ambience as well in addition to personalized styling.

However, on the pricing front, there exists a huge gap between the second variety and third variety as described above. The second variety of shops roughly charge about Rs 60 to 100 bucks for a haircut whereas , the high end ones start at Rs 250 and may go up to Rs 500 or a thousand bucks. If some smart aleck could work out starting a chain of saloons which offer personalized styling at a reasonable price, I’m dead sure that it is going to be a HUGE success. Training the people makes all the difference. And that is going to be the key differentiator along with implementation.

It is my fervent wish to see a chain of Saloons who care more for our hair while its still there and charge a reasonable price for styling it.

Lord Shiva

Shot this at about 5pm when the sunlight  had an orange/yellow hue. Real water flowing from top added an amazing effect to the serene look on this beautifully made sculpture of the Lord. Shot with a Canon Powershot S3 IS in manual mode. Don't remember the settings though. 

Light & shade

Got tied up with work and have had little or no time to write. Thought i would post a few photos taken with my camera. Its a Canon Powershot S3 IS all of 6 megapixel. But as they say, Its not the gun , but the man behind the gun eh ?   Just kidding ; )

This photo was taken at Shilparamam which is an arts/crafts/cultural village in Hyderabad. Noticed a riot of colours and the warm evening light falling on these bags through the trees.Found it interesting enough. I am a natural light/ambient light person so indoor/table top photography is not for me with those flash guns and other razzmatazz.

Flickomania !

India ranks No: 1 as the world’s biggest shoplifters topping the Global Theft Barometer survey. A small percentage of these shoplifters could actually be suffering from Kleptomania.

I happened to witness an interesting incident at a big retail store near my house. While I was grudgingly awaiting my turn in the que for the billing to commence, I could hear , what appeared to be the beginning of an argument between the security guard at the store and a girl in her early twenties.  The girl was seen arguing with the guard while holding a small green plastic bottle(Mouth freshener/hair oil or whatever ).  It would hardly be worth about 35 or 40 bucks max. Since the conversation was in Telugu, I could sense my listening ability and rudimentary language skills being tested to the limit on account of my curiosity. From what I could figure out of the conversation, the girl was trying to give the lamest excuse I have ever heard in my life, that too for an obvious shoplifting case.  I heard her explaining in vain to the security guard that it was billing clerk’s mistake that he had not billed the item! Two of her friends who had accompanied her to the store kept looking in all directions except towards their friend, extremely embarrassed at the turn of events and the attention the whole event was generating at the store. She was let off after getting the item billed and paid for. It would be too preposterous for me to judge if she was a kleptomaniac or just a young girl who needed some severe reprimanding.

In another instance, a friend of mine had been to this famous mall in the city and was shopping at big clothing and accessories retail chain. She had noticed a well dressed couple with a cute kid at the store. A while later, she was aghast at seeing this lady coolly grabbing up a shawl   from the rack with one hand and thrusting it in her bag in a deft maneuver.  Her husband and child where oblivious to the whole thing and so were the others at the store. Before my friend could react, the lady just walked out of the store tagging her husband and child along. The shawl according to my friend could be worth not more than a few hundred bucks. Something which this lady could easily afford.  The question now is, was she a kleptomaniac?

I would however, like to place some bare facts in front of you to have an informed opinion or at least think about it.  Kleptomania is said to begin in ones teens or twenties. It refers to the irresistible urge to steal. The object being stolen would normally be of very small value which they could easily afford to buy otherwise. Kleptomania tends to occur more in women than men.  0.6% of the population could have this disorder according to studies.  Diagnosing the same is a challenge as no kleptomaniac would come forward and admit to stealing.  Once diagnosed, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is one form of treatment to get rid of this disorder.

Pissed Off Customer Oh God !

I have written my second article at IdeasMakeMarket.com on customer service.
Please do read it and post your comments.
http://www.ideasmakemarket.com/2011/02/pissed-off-customer-oh-god.html 

Photography for Beginners

Most consumer cameras allow you to experiment in various modes which are in built into the camera. I am referring to the small letters printed on your camera dial such as P (Program), AUTO, TV (Shutter Priority),AV( Aperture Priority)M (Manual) etc. Unless you plan to move on step ahead and are particular about the output that you wish to have, I suggest you stick to the Auto mode, which is the default mode in your camera. This mode takes care of most situations in everyday photography.

While it may seem rather obvious and simple, your way of holding the camera is very important in getting a steady photo of your subject. This is particularly important in low light situations such as night photography where chances of getting a blurred photo are on the higher side even with the slightest movement of the camera.  Hold the camera close to your body with a firm grip. Hold your breath for a second while you click. Keep it steady, till you see the output/photo on your LCD screen. Always wear the camera strap unless it is absolutely necessary to hold the camera considerably away from your body.

There are photographers who love to use the flash creatively and then there are these hard core ambient natural light lovers who use minimal flash that too  if absolutely necessary. Since most consumer cameras come with smaller sensors, the ability to get quality pictures during night time without flash is less. Most small consumer cameras have a harsh flash which makes the photo look very artificial. Hence daylight would be the best time to try experimenting particularly with outdoor photography. In fact the best time would be early in the morning (7 am – 9:30-10 am) before the sun builds up that sweat on your forehead.  It’s less about the sweat and more about the fact that light coming from the sun would not be harsh at that point of time. It would be bright enough to light up your subjects optimally. 3pm to 5pm would also be ideal for the same reason. Between 5: 30pm and 7pm, you will find quick changes happening in the skyline. Just before sunset you will see hues of blue and warm yellow tones getting changed to light and then dark orange. It’s a treat for your eyes and the best time to get Silhouette’s as shown in the picture here.

Composition is where most people screw up. It’s one of the most important aspects in photography. Composition simply refers to the placement of your subjects within the frame. Putting your subject bang in the middle of the frame is the drabbest thing you can do to your photo. Make it off centre and see the difference. For a slightly sophisticated explanation read the ' Rule of thirds '.

In this photo to the left, you can see concept of rule of thirds being implemented.Since the focus/primary subject is the sea with the boat and fishing nets, these should occupy 2/3rds of your frame.


Similarly in the photo towards your right here, since the setting sun in the horizon is the main subject, it has occupied 2/3rds of the frame thereby giving it a more dramatic effect. Try not to split your images horizontally  into two equal halves.


Always try to have a clear plain and simple background, avoid clutter and make your subject stand out. The viewer should not get confused about what the photographer is trying to capture. So always highlight your subject. You can diffuse clutter in the background by moving a bit away from your subject and zooming in appropriately thereby blurring the subject’s background.

That's it for now. I do not want to make the post any longer. Please feel free to write to me at manmadhanmidhun@gmail.com on any doubts/clarifications. Shall keep writing about this passion of mine.

Photography As a Hobby

Self Portrait - Circa 2007

Most people up to my generation including me had to grow up with the fact that photography was an expensive hobby. Something, which was the prerogative of either the well off people or the poor mavericks who never bothered where the money went. Others were of the opinion that you required both Michael Angelo’s brains and a rich uncle to support this hobby. Nothing could be far from the truth now.


Digital photography has created a revolution much like what has happened with the advent of the Personal Desktop Computer. You don’t even need to buy a camera to start experimenting with photography. With camera phones getting cheaper by the day, all you require is a thirst for seeking the right knowledge and the eagerness to learn.  If you have any creative talent be it in any stream, you will take to photography like fish to water.  For the rest of the folks out there who feel creatively challenged, do not worry. Any skill can be learnt. There are no born photographers.

As with any hobby, you could either start small or throw money to get expensive gear. My humble piece of advice would be: Don’t envision yourself with big telephoto lenses, camera bag slung on the shoulder with tripods to boot. Start small and simple. Most of you would be having a consumer camera boasting of at least 3 mega pixels with the latest ones hovering around 12 megapixels. They don’t mean much unless you plan to have a HUGE poster made out of your photograph. So cut the superiority complex if you have any on account of those extra megapixels : )

In the busy humdrum of daily life, we seldom get time to reflect upon ourselves and the environment around us. Photography clearly brings out the observation skills that all of us inherently posses but are too lazy to put into practice. It brings about our innate expressions, captures the mood we are in and is an excellent way to channelize the creativity within. For all the harried people out there who think Yoga is the only way out, Photography definitely helps in improving your patience levels.

So keep tuned in to this blog for some bare basic tips on getting started in photography in simple no nonsense jargon free lingo, that even a Dodo could understand. They’re extinct, so I’m not getting sued anyways.