It is summer time and the street of Gurugram offer a nice opportunity for urban street photography. First I will try out the auto settings of Fujifilm X S-20 to see how the color science works. Afterwards I shall be trying the most popular film recipe, Kodachrome Daily for Everyday 64 Style.
Please note – I will be little harsh on the criticism of the city of joy because I believe that the city authorities have relaxed certain rules which have led to a breakdown of services and deterioration of infrastructure.
Platina Tower – A corporate nest at a prime location
Located at the most advantageous location right next to the Sikanderpur Metro Station complex, this has the right cafe brands. Rapid Transit Metro station is also nearby.
Chaayos keeps revamping their menu. They have the best seating for working professionals and have free WiFi too. For the people working in the offices nearby or for those who are transiting, this is the best stop over. The folks at She Grow and JiSOT regularly have their meetups at this location.
What had become a renowned and trusted brand, one day suddenly had to shut shop. The concept was unique and they had lots of items which were of those quick bite types and tasty too. Plus their most important USP was that all essential items were available under one roof.
In all aspects this place is superb, but it has flaws and some of them are self created. There are two car showrooms in the building. If you come with your car anytime in the day, the whole parking space is taken up by the cars from these showrooms. Some of the parking space is permanently occupied by the cars. Now you have to look elsewhere for parking since the basement is not available for visitors. If you park outside, the police tow you away and fine you.
Photography and videography with mobile phone is allowed but with any kind of camera is not allowed. As soon as you take out a camera the security personnel come running and start asking all kinds of strange questions. You cannot contact any supervisor. So amateur photographers are not welcome here. What a shame because the location is really good.
Even in the most uptown places, you will always find the affordable options. This line of vendors is just outside the Platina Towers Complex.
Has the Fujifilm X S-20 managed to capture the colors properly? Consider the fact that it is peak sunlight time and summers too.
Clean lines of Sikanderpur Metro Station.
Kodachrome Daily for Everyday 64 Style
Kodachrome 64 was perhaps the most popular film used for photography. It showed up for the first time in 1935 and was there until 2010 when film photography in general was replaced by digital imagery. The popularity of this film remains undiminished which is why it is the most popular film simulation is for Kodachrome 64. One of the variation is the one which I use. It has grain effect OFF and White Balance set for Auto which makes it best for all light conditions. But what I like about this the most is for the ability to capture great images in daylight under the sun.
Simulation : Classic Chrome
Grain Effect : OFF
Color Chrome Effect : Weak
Color Chrome Blue : Weak
White Balance : Auto
WB Shift : +2 Red, -3 Blue
Dynamic Range : DR200
Highlights : -1
Shadows : 0
Color : -1
Sharpness : +1
ISO NR : -4
Clarity : +1
EV Comp : +1/3
