silence

After nearly 13 years, the old wooden Buddha statue on the shelf in front of my writing-desk is one of the few remaining remainders that I once walked on that native land, Myanmar. A souvenir from my cousin, I have kept it with me throughout the years. What beckoned me, I know not; but it was to this statue I looked at when I thought of creating a simple close-up picture in my room.

The solemn subject and the contemplative mood of the moment overwhelmingly dictated the style, and I decided to settle with low key lighting. My writing-desk served as a good platform and the reading-lamp the sole source of lighting. I chose the lamp to be at 10 o'clock direction from the Buddha, since the 2 o'clock would have got the out-stretched hand casting a long shadow on the lap.

I set the camera on the tripod. To get the background that was being illuminated by the ambient light of the reading-lamp disappeared, a high contrast reading on the camera shooting setting as well as a somewhat precise exposure was required. I took about 4 shots and this is the one I was most satisfied with.

A much needed antidote for the peace, that has been a long time in coming. Cheers to 2011!

Location: N/A (well... on my writing desk)
Camera: Nikon D300
Lens: Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR
ISO: 200
Exposure: 0.3s
Aperture: f/10
Focal Length: 105 mm
Filter: N/A
Flash: No
Tripod: Yes