(Bael Biwaha/Bel Bibaha) or “Ehee” is a ritual that signifies a coming of age for Newar girls. It is an age-old tradition followed devoutly by the Newar community – the predominant resident population in Patan, Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Kirtipur in Nepal.
An advanced point-and-shoot camera (also referred to as a prosumer camera) to top up on my photographic arsenal – a Canon 500D - has been on my wishlist for over a year now. The steep learning curve with the DSLR camera has been a rewarding experience, but work and other commitments has me limited to an amateur photographer who gets to try photographic quips on seldom weekends; the AmazonBasics backpack, with the shoulder strap split at the seams a week after purchase, is also a reasonable load, and is a rather obtrusive addition to my work backpack on a work day. Additionally, the Canon Powershot G series or the Nikon Coolpix series always did seem like a wonderful backup/substitute for a DSLR kit – less obtrusive and easier to lug around.
Wingardium Leviosa is the levitation spell – the spell that makes things fly/hover. Most Harry Potter fans would swear by it. Here, this spell has a different connotation – photographs of floating people. Inspired by the Japanese yowayowa blog and with hints and howtos from the Digital rev channel, I and Udayan decided on doing something similar – taking photographs of levitating people. We were fairly successful in getting our colleagues to join us in our endeavor and Udayan, a true photo aficionado that he is, was ever bubbling with ideas. The venue – the campus at work, and our very good friends served as the models. With a lesser number of people and prying eyes likely to disturb us on a Sunday, we managed to squeeze 1-2 shots in-between breaks during the practice for the cultural programme at work. Some of the photos turned out decent and some had more to be desired. We even planned on using a hose and a trolley as props, but those will likely follow in the days to come. For now, we managed to use an umbrella and a schedule as props.
