How I Became a Travel Photographer with My iPhone

iPhones are great, no doubt about that. However, the worst part about buying a less expensive iPhone is that its camera is not up-to-the-minute. When I had the iPhone 4 while iPhone 6 was already there in the market, I felt it too frustrating to click second-class pictures with what I had. Now that I have iPhone 6s, iPhone X is already there with many people. And those who have even iPhone 7 Plus or 8 can click breathtaking portraits.

Having vented out all that frustrating aspects of not owning the newest iPhone, nothing can convince me to spend a lakh of INR just to buy a Smartphone that is only slightly better than what I have. I can and I have already saved thousands of rupees just by being 3-4 generations behind in technology. And I get the guilty pleasure of seeing the prices of latest phones dropping down like a rock falls from a cliff, after just one year. Nevertheless, that was too much about why I don’t buy the hottest iPhones. Let me share how I rediscovered my iPhone and became a pro at clicking best travel photos on my road trips. Yes, I have to work extra harder than my peers to have magnificent pictures, but I don’t mind that.

I choose the subject carefully

I don’t like to click everything that I come across when I travel, like I see people doing. I have seen people capturing almost the whole lot of their vacation in their camera rather than enjoying their real time. I carefully analyze the things, places, and people I would like to click and then invest a few minutes in getting the best shot of it. Even if I choose ordinary subjects for my pictures, I make sure that I change the angle of my images to give them an interesting look.

No zoom policy

I hate zooming in to click anything or anyone. Even if I am there at a distance of several meters, I like to reach as closer as I need to because the zoom feature distorts the quality of pictures. I don’t like the grainy and blurry pictures that are too embarrassing to upload on Instagram. Yes, Instagram is another guilty pleasure that I indulge in. In case the background of my subject is too large, I can crop the picture later without compromising on the quality.            

    

Sunlight photos

Thank God that we have sun that gives us blissful daylight for most hours of the day, and we can click awesome portraits with the humblest cameras on earth because of sunlight. I love wearing my sunglasses and have myself clicked to get the best portrait of mine. I happened to be in a professional outdoor shoot a couple of times during the day time. Even though I was feeling uncomfortable because of the scorching heat, the pictures came out surprisingly well. We were shooting for the Self-Drive Cars in Chennai, and the photographer was brilliant in capturing the sunlight in moderation. From that day, I became a fan of outdoor photos.

The best thing that I bought for my road trips was a tripod rather than a Selfie stick. I have always hated Selfies, even when I was not clear about the reasons for it. Now that I see almost the entire world obsessed with those silly close-ups of their nose, I know why I despise Selfies. Anyway, my tripod helps me to click as many pictures as I want without taking help from anyone, which has made me an even better travel photographer.

How I Met a Bad Traveler on My Road Trip to Chennai

Meeting people online is nothing new these days. Although I don’t prefer making romantic relationships online, I still end up having a crush on someone or the other whom I meet through different forums. I have been a member of Chennai travelers’ groups since three years, and have met a few amazing people through the road trips that this group organizes. However, my last experience with meeting a guy last month turned out to be horrible.

I was on my road trip with a group in a bus to Mahabalipuram. I found myself attracted to a guy named Shreyas, who worked as a civil engineer in Bangalore. Although I did not initiate any conversation with him, I wanted to listen to him as he talked with his friends. I knew that it was quite objectionable according to the Indian standards to act romantic with a stranger, so we decided that we will meet in Chennai once the road trip was over. Did I forget to mention that he looked very handsome?

We met at a fancy fine dining restaurant, and I showed up wearing my best outfit. While we waited to take our reserved seat, we had a pleasant conversation. When the waitress asked us about the order, he ordered a cocktail for me and a glass of scotch for himself. I told him that I don’t take alcohol, but he dodged my opinion saying that it is a mild ladies’ drink. Even though I did not like what he did, I still preferred to ignore it thinking that it might ruin the meeting. Probably that is why; he assumed that I would not mind anything he ordered.

While we were scanning the menu to order the main course, he ordered mutton kebab for me as I was going through the non-veg section. I told him that I don’t like mutton, but he again gave his logic that there is no difference between chicken and mutton as both are meats. So he decided that he would order one mutton kebab and mutton biryani for us. He argued that it is no use being so picky about meat unless someone is vegetarian.

When the waitress showed up, he snatched the menu card from my hand and placed the order as he wished. I looked at her and asked, “I had seen a sign board of Self-Drive Cars in Chennai, can you book one for me?”

He was perplexed as I said that and asked me, “Why do you want to book a Car Rental right now?”

I could not resist being blunt and said, “I don’t like your company and the way you are imposing your opinions on me. You are no one to decide what I should eat or drink. Thank you for your company, but we are not meeting again.”

I picked up my bag and left the place without bothering to look at him again. Thank God I did not hear from him again.

How I Won Over an Auto-Rickshaw Driver in Chennai

When you are in Chennai, you have to be  prepared for a difficult time while commuting. So here I was in the city during summers for a few months. While dealing with the tough office life for an outsider, I had to cook for myself. I found it especially painful when I had to make every effort to live a decent life, especially when I was alone. I live in Mumbai with a roommate, and I do not have any complaint doing the household chores, just because I have the company of a friend.

Anyway, I had to drop a friend at the Chennai Central as he had a train to catch. The train was supposed to arrive late at night. By the time I got free, it was already 11 pm. I knew what I had to face when I went out. I would have to catch an auto-rickshaw to drop me home, and they would charge me an exorbitant amount. The auto-rickshaw drivers in Chennai are known for their notorious behavior with the locals, as well as, tourists.

Just what I had thought; there was a chain of vacant auto-rickshaws outside the gate of the railway station. They all looked at me as their potential prey, and I knew what was going to happen in the next few minutes. I had only 8% battery remaining in my phone, which was going to nosedive sooner than expected, thanks to Apple iPhone. Still, I went ahead and reached an auto driver.

Me: Anna, Navy Nagar. How much? [Brother, take me to Navy Nagar. How much?]

Driver: 300 Rs. Bhaiya [300 INR brother]

Me: Anna, 300 is too much. It is only 4 kilometers from here.

Driver: No. It is not close, it is far. First time in Chennai?

Me: I live here. I just came here to drop someone. Can you see any bags with me?

Driver: Okay. 200 last.

Me: I booked an Uber for 60 Rs. only while coming here.

Driver: I did not see any Uber here. 

(His confidence was remarkable)

I was getting too frustrated by then. I took out my mobile and tried to book a cab again. It was because of such drivers in the city that I always preferred to use Self-Drive Cars in Chennai for longer routes. Anyway, I tried to book a cab on the meager battery of my phone, which had dipped to 5% by then. The driver kept looking into my phone while I booked the cab. Suddenly, my phone got turned off.

Driver: Bhaiya, phone off ho gaya. Aajao. Pay 150 Rs. (There was a huge smirk on his face)

[Brother, your phone is off now. Come and pay 150 INR]

I chose to ignore him. My Uber arrived in a few minutes and I entered into it like a celebrity. I switched on my mobile (I had deliberately switched it off), rolled down the window, and showed the screen to the auto driver. I had to pay only 60 INR for the ride)

Now I had a huge grin on my face!

Why I Cannot Stop Eating While Traveling

It all started when I decided to go for food tourism. I had got a job in a media company where I was required to taste foods in various restaurants and review the place. In the beginning, I had though that it was a great job as I would get to travel and eat free of cost. However, it has now turned dramatic when I cannot stop eating; I have become a compulsive foodie. Let me share how my job gave me perks in the starting phase of my career.

My blog

I could be my own boss whenever I wrote about the foods I reviewed on my blog. In addition to the job, I would write a lot about food for my personal blog. I could design my website, write content for it, and get into the technicalities of my blog. It gave immense satisfaction to have that kind of creative freedom. I could imagine myself growing with time and have a team to work for me, which became true anyhow. Now I do review a lot of cuisines and have my team work on it. I always wanted to build a brand out of my name, and my blog has let me do it in all these years. In the previous few years, I could gather significant audience and monetize from the advertisements.

Compulsive eating

The worst part of being a food blogger is that it has turned me into a compulsive eater. No matter how full I am, I cannot stop eating. Although I am trying hard to quite binge eating, I am little successful at it. If I am at a wedding, for example, I would want to taste every single cuisine at the venue. I cannot leave the place unless I have at least a dozen samples in my stomach.

While traveling, I love to have an open packet of chips in front of me even if I am not hungry. After every few minutes, I like to touch the chips, bring them to my mouth, and probably not eat it. The fragrance of foods are sometimes enough to soothe my senses. I don’t know why I do it, but I buy more packaged food than I require.

Shopping for food

While shopping for groceries, I do not forget to purchase good number of biscuits, fruit cakes, nachos, chips, sodas, rolls, and what not. I know inside my heart that I am bursting my budget while overdoing the shopping thing, but I cannot stop myself. I once took an Innova for hire for Self Drive in Chennai, went straight to the market, shopped for countless foods, stuffed them in the car, and left for a solo road trip so that there is no one to interrupt me while eating as people often get too critical when they see me eating like that. I know that they are right when they interrupt; I can only say that I will try to quit my bad habits.