iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

In this post, I dive deep into the sheer excitement of seeing your print slowly appear in the developing tray. medium.com/essays-on... Do read, comment, share and subscribe!

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The enduring magic of my first print. I made this image at Halebidu in Karnataka. I used a 50 mm lens with my Olympus OM-2n When I started working in a darkroom, the magical sensation of seeing the latent image come to life in the print never left me. www.rajivchopra.in/p... #essays #podcast

Black poster with www.rajivchopra.com and the title The Magic of My First Photographic Print above a centered black-and-white photo of ornate temple carvings. Bottom text reads I always looked forward to getting my images. But nothing compared to seeing my first print emerge from the printing tray into the light. 08.09.2026.

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George Orwell was much more than 'Animal Farm' and '1984 '. To really appreciate his writing, read his brilliant essays. link.amazon/B0fBOvuYD www.goodreads.com/re... #essays #bookreviews #bookrecommendations

Blue promotional layout for George Orwell’s Essays, with “ESSAYS” at top left and “GEORGE ORWELL” and “Rajiv Chopra” plus rajivchopra.com, rajivchopra.in, and rajivchopra.co.in below. On the right is a Penguin Modern Classics book cover showing a black-and-white photo of a man writing, titled “George Orwell Essays.”

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This one was in Benares. I was standing in the center of the road while traffic whizzed around me. The trucks came too close. It was almost like a dare! Don’t try this at home! #photography #motionblur

Motion-blurred black-and-white scene of a truck driving past on a road, with the vehicle and background streaked by fast movement.

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This episode is not about snake wine. www.rajivchopra.in/p... Here, I discuss my past experiences caring for my camera and lenses, placing them in glass bottles, and sealing them with grease. I placed the camera and lenses on beds of silica gel to prevent fungus from spreading! #cameras #podcast

A green poster says “This episode is not about snake wine.” with “WWW.RAJIVCHOPRA.IN” and “Tramping the Dusty Roads” beneath it. Below, a clipped photo shows a bottle containing a coiled snake, surrounded by other bottles, with “Camera Care” printed at the bottom.

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Country Exploration: Korea medium.com/essays-on... I continue with my country explorations. Photography in my part of the world has a rich history and tradition. Do read, comment, share, like and subscribe! #history #photography #korea #essays

Sepia group portrait of four men in traditional Korean clothing and tall black hats, seated and standing around a framed calligraphy piece; the man on the right holds a cane. Overlay text reads “MIN CHUNG SIK,” “A group photo.” and “Min Chung Sik is presumably on the right, holding a cane,” with “WImage from WikiCommons” at bottom left.

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I like this image also because of the smiles on their faces. I hope the kids, now grown up, are still smiling. #school #schoolchildren #smiles

Several South Asian children crowd together in a close-up, with three boys in front and others peeking from behind. The boy in the center smiles broadly while the others look serious or curious in bright sunlight.

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Country Explorations: China medium.com/essays-on...

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This one was in Benares. I was standing in the center of the road while traffic whizzed around me. Don’t try this at home! #photography #motionblur

A large vehicle rushes past the camera on a road or bridge, creating strong motion blur across the right side of the frame. In the distance on the left, a motorcyclist and a few other vehicles are visible on the roadway.

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Wordle 1,936 4/6* ⬛⬛⬛⬛🟩 ⬛🟩⬛⬛🟩 🟩🟩🟩⬛🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

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A world without images: Possible? medium.com/essays-on...

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Again. Somewhere in India. Probably Delhi. Yes, it must be Delhi. It has to be Delhi!! #motionblur #photography

Blurred black-and-white street scene with a building facade on the right, parked vehicles or scooters along the sidewalk, and motion streaks suggesting the camera was moving quickly.

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My family's roots lie in West Punjab, now in Pakistan. www.rajivchopra.in/p... In this post, I write about remembering our roots and never forgetting that we must never allow artificial national borders to rob us of an insight: those across the border often come from the same cultural stock as us.

White text over a map reads “Before we forget our roots. My family heritage lies in West Punjab, now part of Pakistan.” A black arrow points toward Lahore, and “WWW.RAJIVCHOPRA.IN” appears at the bottom.

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I started my photography journey shooting with black-and-white film. I always experienced a thrill when i got my photos back from the lab. The magic of developing my negatives never left me either The Magic of my first Photographic Print   medium.com/essays-on... Do read! Comment. Subscribe!

James Mudd delivered a satirical speech in 1865 at the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society, in which he spoke about the obsession with technology, which, in his future world, had only intensified. What about art and creativity? www.rajivchopra.in/p... #podcast

A hazy sci-fi scene with multiple floating cameras and mechanical parts surrounding a central clouded space. Large black text in the middle reads: James Mudd had a dream.

I have loved experimenting with traffic blur. They are fun. I have tried various techniques. One of my favorites is using a slow shutter speed and zooming in and out while pressing the shutter. Somewhere in India. Maybe Delhi.

Blurred black-and-white street scene with tall buildings on both sides, cars and a motorbike in the roadway, and pedestrians along the sidewalks, creating a strong motion-zoom effect.

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In this post, I discuss the tension I always felt when I went to the photo lab to pick up my contact sheets and negatives. Later, when I started working in a darkroom, the magical sensation of seeing the latent image come to life in the print never left me. www.rajivchopra.in/p... #podcast

Dark poster with the website www.rajivchopra.com and the title The Magic of My First Photographic Print above a centered black-and-white photo of ornate stone temple carvings and figures. Bottom text reads I always looked forward to getting my images. But nothing compared to seeing my first print emerge from the printing tray into the light., with the date 08.09.2026.

In the mid-19th century, a photographer named James Mudd delivered a talk titled 'A Photographer's Dream,' whose substance holds true even today. Are we obsessed with technology at the expense of art? medium.com/essays-on... Do read, comment, share and subscribe! #photography

Surreal mixed-media artwork of a seated man in a suit reclining beneath an exploding cluster of gears, buildings, and abstract forms, with swirling blue skies and moons above. Readable text says JAMES MUDD HAD A DREAM, Image Created using MidJourney AI, Graphic created in Canva, and www.rajivchopra.com.

Rajiv Chopra @rajivchopra.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Strands #946 “Oh well, too bad, such a shame ” 💡🔵🔵🔵 🔵🟡🔵🔵

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Rajiv Chopra @rajivchopra.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

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Rajiv Chopra @rajivchopra.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Strands #944 “A figment of your imagination” 🔵🔵🔵🔵 🔵🟡

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Rajiv Chopra @rajivchopra.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

A young girl at the school in Bangalore. We often forget that kids enter school with much hope. Some enter with trepidation. Others just want to make friends. What do we do to kids when we impose ideology into their learning? #photography #school #learning

A young schoolgirl with braided hair tied in black bows looks at the camera, wearing a red-and-white checkered shirt, striped tie, maroon vest, small earrings, nose stud, and forehead bindi. Another child is partly visible behind her, reaching toward her hair.

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Rajiv Chopra @rajivchopra.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

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Rajiv Chopra @rajivchopra.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

The image on the left is the original one I shot with my Google Pixel 10. The one on the right is the one I edited in Lightroom and then in Nik Silver Efex Pro. I figured the mud had some abstract potential. Nik Silver Efex Pro tidd.ly/3NdVDy7 Google Pixel 10 amzn.to/3PP5qAk

$Close-up of a rough, layered terrain surface with ridges, cracks, and rippled bands in gray-brown tones. Darker fractured material runs horizontally through the center, surrounded by smoother, eroded-looking areas.$ Grayscale close-up of a layered, muddy or sediment surface with smooth bands, ridges, and cracked textures, resembling eroded earth or riverbank deposits.

Grayscale close-up of a layered, muddy or sediment surface with smooth bands, ridges, and cracked textures, resembling eroded earth or riverbank deposits.

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Rajiv Chopra @rajivchopra.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Wordle 1,931 3/6* 🟨⬛⬛🟩⬛ ⬛⬛⬛🟩🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

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Fujifilm X-M5: क्या ये 4mm लेंस वाकई कमाल है? youtu.be/WfWFZ3nDq-Q This time around. I made a video with my Fujifilm X M5 and my 7 Artisan 4 mm lens. A spot of fisheye magic. with extreme distortion! Do watch. Subscribe. Comment. Share and give me a thumbs up! #fisheye #video #distortion

Dark navy poster with gold lines and a central fisheye photo of a busy street market in Chandni Chowk, Delhi, showing a man standing beside shops and hanging goods. Readable text says “THE PHOTOGRAPHY MARKET,” “CHANDNI CHOWK, DELHI” on both sides, and “AND A FISHEYE LENS !!!”

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In this post, I dive deep into the sheer excitement of seeing your print slowly appear in the developing tray. medium.com/essays-on... Do read, comment, share and subscribe!

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Black-and-white abstract aerial view of rippled sand dunes or beach sand with flowing light and dark patterns. A watermark near the bottom center reads Rajiv Chopra.

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Two girls. One has a broad smile, and the other looks thoughtful. When kids look at you, you will often see a lot of hope in their eyes. What happens to hope and optimism when they grow up?