My name’s Nikhil and I have a pretty interesting background. I worked in the Merchant Marines (big ships carrying oil in bulk) and traveled the world for a few years. In 2000, I quit sea life and got a dual masters’ (MBA and a masters in finance) from NYC and London respectively. I have lived in a lot of interesting places like NYC, Hong Kong and London. I currently live and work (in financial and strategic planning) in LA and am loving it here.

I don’t really have any formal training in photography. I just learned it by reading books and through practice (you should have seen some of my first shots - rolls of film wasted shooting blades of grass - quite sad really!!!). Over time, I have learned to hone my skills via books and going through other photographers’ work and of course practice.

I started photography around 12-15 years ago, reading up a few ‘Kodak’ photography books, which I think are great for any beginner. I used to come down from my ship and then head out with my photography friends on short trips to shoot photos. It was a lot of fun to go on these road trips with like-minded people. In a way digital has alleviated some of the heartache associated with film, as the PP is up to the photographer (more often than not, my local lab would ruin my photos with a color cast or something else).

I love Nikon and have been with that brand since early on. I initially had a Nikon F4S (which I adored) and then moved on to an F5 (another wonderful offering from Nikon). It took me a while to move on to digital, but I did so last year when I bought my D300. I just love this camera and it has revived my passion for photography - I actually look forward to weekends, so that I can get out and shoot something. For my lenses I have the Nikon 35-70/2.8 (love that lens), 80-200/2.8 (super sharp and a wonderful lens), Nikon 105/2.8 VR, 18-55 DX (which is surprisingly sharp for a lens of that price range). I am looking to add 2-3 speedlights this coming summer (either 3 SB 800s or 2 SB 800s and 1 SB 600), as I want to get into flash photography. I recently came upon this amazing website www.strobist.com and am really looking forward to trying techniques mentioned on that site. I also want to add the Nikon 200-400/4 (but that is when I win the lottery...)

I love photographing nature and so like heading out to America’s national parks. America has so much natural beauty that it is mind-boggling. One of the biggest advantages of living in CA is the opportunity to drive away on weekends to the National Parks in the vicinity (Joshua tree, Sequoia, Yosemite etc) to do some photography. Besides landscapes I also like to photograph people and want to delve into macro photography a lot more.

I know it sounds clichéd, but it would have to be Ansel Adams whom I admire a lot (as I am a huge fan of the B&W medium). I really like the work of contemporary photographers like Dan Heller. Besides them, I have found so many amazing images taken by the SmugMug community (Andy comes to mind immediately). I like to examine their work and see what elements they have incorporated (on a technical as well as an artistic level) that I might have overlooked. That is the beauty of diversity - different people with different viewpoints who can show me something I would never have seen through my lens.

I joined SmugMug in January of this year and have to say, been more than satisfied with the site. Apart from the wonderfully customizable options provided by SmugMug, the great folks at dgrin really seal the deal for me. If I have any issues with the site or want to customize it further, I just head there and the community and of course the pros (Allen, Barb, Andy, Denise etc.) are right there ready to help me out. Amazing bunch of people and cannot come more highly recommended.

I think SmugMug has been instrumental in reviving my love for photography. As a photographer, one of the joys of taking pictures is sharing them with others. SmugMug provides a wonderful platform to photographers to showcase their art to its fullest potential. I look forward to a long and healthy relationship with SM.

Follow your heart and go for it. Don’t get discouraged during the process as you will get better over time. Look at other people’s photographs (dgrin’s member forums, national geographic website etc) to learn technique and composition and then go out and click away. Most importantly have fun!