Spend on Experiences !!! Make memories all over the world...

Fueled by a desire to take better photos? But you are always confused with the technical stuff; ISO, EV, MACRO, APPERTURE, and SHUTTER SPEED, oh my-gosh! So many things to consider before taking a photo! Do not worry I am equally confused. But taking awesome pictures is not just about the technical stuff.  For me it’s all about creativity and individual style. And that’s what makes it so interesting. There are lots of tips and tricks available on the internet, most of which makes you go haywire. Here, listed below are some of the simple thumb rules to follow to get your photo appreciated across different social media platforms or you may never know you could even get your photo featured in some Travel Magazine.

The Composition - The heart of a photograph is its composition—the position of different elements in a frame. Try and align the subject of your photo into the frame. Don’t just capture the subject right in the center and miss out the environment. This gives you a more dramatic, visually interesting shot than one where you subject is located dead center.

Disclaimer: This document is based on my personal experiences and some information might not hold true for everyone. I moved to New Jersey. So things might be slightly different in other states but not entirely. Don’t hold me responsible for anything that goes wrong and yes I make mistakes too!!!

You have planned your move to the U.S. and are looking forward to a new exciting life ahead. But give yourself a moment to pause here. Things always look bright on the other side but it’s a long way before you make it to the end. And believe me you probably will be changing your mind and think ‘let me stay back, India is awesome’ by the time you reach the end of this document. Wait! You have already planned your move, don’t let these hold you back. Get that international exposure and you can always come back to your home land. So let me start the journey for you.

​First few weeks
As you land at the airport, remember you need to pay for your luggage cart (first shocker!!!) – About $6 per cart. Second stop converting that to INR. You cannot survive in the US unless you stop that.
You can rent a car (self-driven) from various car rental counters:
Hertz - https://www.hertz.com/rentacar/reservation/         
Enterprise - https://www.enterprise.com 
The car rental can always help you with initial few days in the U.S. where unlike India you are handicapped without one. Go for weekly rates which are much cheaper as compared to the daily rentals. And note, you can drop the car back at any Hertz/ enterprise counter nearest to you, in any city (yes, even California if you picked it up from New York). Hertz is more wide spread and easily available. And get that GPS on your phone to work. Trust me, google maps will be your best friend in the U.S.
If you are not comfortable driving around in a car right after you land, get a taxi to your destination from the airport (again expensive but your only option unless Uber is willing to pick you up or if you will be living in a city where you have access to metro or buses)  - Costs about 75 cents a mile.
You first few days in the US should be spent on getting a social security number, opening a bank account, applying for a credit card, finding a home for yourself, locating a school for your child (if you have one), getting the gas & electricity connection, water connection, phone connection, cable and internet, Renter’s insurance, car, car insurance.

Last Autumn, I travelled to Spiti, one of the remotest places in India (and probably  one of the remotest in the world).  A place which has remained untouched by modern times. It’s raw yet magnificient beauty is an absolute delight for any photographer. However there is much more to this place than just its stunning surroundings. It’s the people here who make this place much more special. Happy, helpful, and humble – this precisely describes every one of them.  

One day when we were heading towards Pin Valley in Spiti (known for its wildife reserves), we stopped at the last village on the route to Pin - a small village, rather an extremely small one with only two mud houses and with a total population of 8 people. Finding ourselves in a dead end, we knocked at one of the doors. A young chap in mid twenties greeted us and invited us for tea in his house. There were some 3-4 kids as well.The parents had gone to a nearby village,  so these guys were alone here. As we entered the room, the sight infront of us was unbelievable. The guy was watching an english news channel and on further inquiry explained that he is a graduate and plans to complete his B.Ed as well. It was too surprising to see an educated village boy at such a secluded place. The guy used to walk up 2 miles to get to the only mobile network range they had access to. It was an absolute eye opener for us. Can we ever imagine to live in such harsh conditions and still manage to be happy and be so helpful and generous. Today every one you meet cribs about what they don't have. Our desires have surpassed our means and we hardly bother about others. We are so bogged down in our daily lives that we hardly appreciate the things we have and the people who care for us - the things which actually matter.

You may be thinking by now that this guy is another preachy bore! But the truth is - this incident and many more here in Spiti and all the other places which I have travelled, actually changed the way I look at my life. Every one of us struggle with the daily grind of our lives waiting for that big moment that we think will change our life – that high paying job, that promotion, that new house in a posh locality and so on. They come sometimes and sometimes they don’t. What ever the case be, in the process we often forget to appreciate the little moments of joy that we create for ourselves and others every day of our life. When you travel to places like Spiti, you get closer to yourself and your needs – both emotional and practical and you realise your true purpose.
With the experiences that I have gained over a period of time, I firmly believe that every one can bring about a positive change in their lives by just being a regular traveller. I am not asking you to travel the entire year. Just two long trips in a year is good enough to start with.

​Here I have listed some of the changes that most people witness when they start their affair with travelling and I can guarantee you too will. A start is all it takes !