Planning to be a First Time Dog Owner? Read this!

 

Being a first-time dog owner isn’t easy. It comes with a lot of responsibility and work. But don’t be fooled by that statement. What you get in return is way more worth than you could ever imagine! I grew up with 2 German Shepherds so dogs have a very special place in my heart. And the day my son was born, somewhere I knew I wanted him to grow up with a dog as well. The companionship, that unconditional love that you get from a dog is beyond imagination. And especially when you are a single child, the meaning of that support and love quadruples.

This article is to educate families who plan to own a dog for the first time. I have often seen that people get a dog and then later realize it is not their cup of tea. Eventually the dog is put out for adoption after a few months. Most of the times it happens because families don’t envision what responsibility comes with a dog. They don’t do enough research before they get a dog and then it becomes a disaster for both the family and the pet. I will break this article into sections, so it is easy to read and understand.

Researching on a lot of different things before getting a dog is the first step that any family should undertake. Trust me it is not a decision you make in a week. It can take several months of research. Let us look at some of the things you need to research upon before you get a dog.

1.       Selecting the breed:

Several factors to consider are:

·       What breed and size do you prefer?

·       What type of home do you stay in? For example, if you stay in a condo or a small townhome, getting a dog like German Shepherd which requires a lot of exercise might not be a good idea. As opposed to that if you have a large, fenced backyard, it makes perfect sense.

·       Do you want a hypoallergenic dog who doesn’t shed much?

·       Do you want a dog that doesn’t drool?

·       Can you walk your dog everyday for a good 45 to 60 minutes? Or do you prefer a couch potato?

·       Do you have children at home? If yes, what age?

·       Are you ready to own a dog breed that requires regular brushing and maintenance of their coat?

These and so many other factors that need to be taken into consideration just to decide what breed of dog you want to get. Many websites allow you to take a quiz and then come up with top 3 breeds that suits you well. You can take 4 or 5 different quizzes and then see which breed shows up in most of the quizzes. That probably might be your best choice. Also, talking to friends and family who already own a dog and getting their opinion can be helpful as well. Once you lock upon a breed, do research on “breed specific” dog maintenance to see if you can commit to those responsibilities as a dog owner.

2.       Associated Cost:

One of the major factors that many people fail to consider is the factor of COST. A dog comes with a cost associated with it in terms of money. Some of the things that you need to spend money on are:

·       Cost to get a dog (If you are buying a puppy from a breeder, based on the breeder, breed and other factors, you will pay a price to get the puppy). In general price can vary from $200 to $3500.

·       Dog health insurance. Like humans, it is best to get a health insurance for dogs (Both preventive care and illness/accident insurance). Dog insurance from a reputed company can run anywhere from $25 to $100 per month based on coverage you choose.

·       Routine visits to Vets (especially during first one year) for vaccinations, worm control treatment etc. It is best to call a Vet place and find out what is the average cost for vaccinations and preventive care for a puppy.

·       Dog basic needs such as crate, playpen, dog food, dog toys, harness/collar, leash etc.

·       If your dog needs regular grooming, the cost of grooming also needs to be taken into consideration. Grooming can cost anywhere from $50 to $125 and your dog might need it every 2 or 3 months based on the breed and size.  

·       Dog sitters: If you want to go on a vacation and you want your dog to stay at a dog sitter’s place for a few days, you will need to consider paying the dog sitter anywhere between $30 to a $100 per day for taking care of your dog. Even on an everyday basis, if both you and your spouse have to go to work for 8 hours, you’ll need someone to come to your home and feed and walk the dog. Again, if you have friends and family that are willing to help, awesome! But sometimes when no one is available, a pet walker will come, feed and walk your pet for 30 minutes for a fee (Usually $12 an hour). Other option is to drop your dog at a dog day care. All of these options surely cost money.

 

3.       Responsibilities:

So, you decide on what breed you want to get. Now you need to research on what responsibilities come with that dog. Some responsibilities like puppy training, house training is common for all dogs. But other responsibilities can be specific to what dog breed you plan to get. For example, many Doodles such as Goldendoodle, Labradoodle require regular grooming and brushing. I would say they need to be brushed almost every other day in order to avoid matting of their hair. You need to ask if you can commit to such responsibilities without fail on a daily basis. 

Along with breed specific responsibilities, there are many other common responsibilities that come with a dog. Some of them are:

·       House Training: Any puppy needs to be trained to go out and take care of their potty and pepe business. House training a puppy needs some serious commitment during the initial days. A two-month-old puppy can’t hold its bladder for longer than 2 hours, which means you will have to make sure your puppy needs to be taken outside at least every two hours. How to house train a puppy is an entirely different world so I will not dive into details, but it can take a good 4 to 5 months before your puppy is fully house trained. And more importantly, all house members should be on the same page when it comes to disciplining and encouraging the puppy to get house trained. While all of that is happening, remember there will be accidents around the home. As dog owners you need to be calm and patient until your puppy is completely house trained. Some people punish their puppies for an accident or even hit them! PLEASE never ever do such a thing. That little fellow is learning through his initial tough phase along with giving infinite love to you. Last thing you want is hurt or punish the puppy or even an adult dog at any stage of their life. It is MISERABLE and INSANE when I hear people hit their dogs. Such people should never be allowed to become dog owners. PERIOD!

 

·       Crate Training: Puppies have a habit of chewing things or even picking things and putting them straight into their mouth. Letting a puppy roam around the entire house can sometimes be extremely unsafe. Imagine the puppy swallows a Q-tip or a bunch of your kid’s Legos! That will have you drive straight to emergency! Restricting the puppy’s mobilization area through either a playpen, crate or baby gate is extremely important for both the safety of your puppy and your house (Imagine your puppy getting on top of an expensive couch and ripping it off with its puppy teeth!). Just like house training, crate training is an entirely different topic of discussion so I will let you ‘all research more on that.

 

·       Socialization: Puppies need to be socialized with both humans and dogs for a healthy mental hygiene. Puppies who don’t socialize with other dogs and humans can have very severe mental issues that can lead to destructive nature or even fear for other humans or dogs. As dog owners it is extremely important that we commit time to socialize our puppies. Having your puppy attend an age-appropriate dog socialization meetup, calling friends and family over so your puppy can meet other people and many other activities are needed in order to introduce your puppy to its new world. This requires commitment in terms of both time, effort and money. It is best to enroll your puppy in a puppy training and socialization class that will help build your puppy’s confidence and also help you to train your puppy for obedience and basic commands.

 

Along with some of these basic responsibilities, walking your dog every day, playing with it, training it for basic obedience and spending quality time with it becomes an integrated part of your life. You can’t just get a dog and let it live outside without spending any time with it. We as dog owners need to realize that as soon as we get a dog, the dog becomes a part of the family.   

On an ending note, just remember that raising any little one takes lots of efforts. Be it your own kid or a little puppy. But once you get past that tough phase and the little puppy grows up, then you really enjoy that beautiful time and bond with your dog. After a tiring day when you come home, your dog is ready to welcome you with a wagging tail and lots and lots of licks and kisses. Trust me that is the BEST feeling in this entire world. The whole world may turn against you, but your dog will always stay besides you no matter what! Hope this article helps you in making an informed decision whether getting a dog is a right choice for you. And if you ever decide to get one, then all the best to you and welcome to the “Dog Owner’s” world! Finally, here is a picture of our 5-month-old Labradoodle puppy, “Leo”! He means the world to us!

Thanks for reading through this. Please reach out to me at pnbhosale@gmail.com if you have any questions. Happy to assist! 

 

6 Months Body Transformation

 






Background:

Life happens to all of us. Some major events in our lives can often change our everyday routine. Career changes, relocation, part-time college; the list goes on. I started my part-time MBA back in August of 2017 and my day's routine went on a turmoil. With a toddler at home and a full time job, most of the day's hours that were available for myself apart from home and work were either spent attending Business School or studying at the library. Studying late night at a 24-hour coffee place, I often ate a donut or two and had few rounds of coffee. Before I could realize, I had wrapped up my MBA and had found a new job for myself. With that, I had to prepare for an out-of-state relocation which meant I had to pack everything, sell my home and move to an entirely new destination! With so many events happening around me, I hardly paid any attention to my body. I had always been a fit person mostly because I have been a competitive Tennis player since I was a fourth grader. I was never used to seeing myself like this. By September 2020, I had gained more than 20 pounds with a body fat percentage of more than 30%.

New Chapter of Life:

I moved to North Carolina in September 2020 and slowly indulged into the new chapter of my life. Wrapping up my MBA and relocating out-of-state had kept me super busy. After I relocated to NC, I had gotten myself on cruise control. Take it easy as they say! I lacked any motivation to hit the gym or get into any serious exercise routine. Fast-forward about 1.5 years; I had gained some more pounds on top of what I had gained already. I started looking at my pictures and I realized how bad of a shape I had gotten into. At that point, I decided that this chain of bad habits needs to be broken and I need to get back to a "Fit" me one more time.

The Journey Begins:

A friend of mine had just enrolled into an online diet and exercise plan. I reached out to her to get the details. This was a 28-day plan, which focused on eating healthy along with simple floor based exercises at home. I thought to myself that this would be a good head start. With a coach who is monitoring my progress on a weekly basis, I would get into a discipline of following the diet and exercises (Sometimes having someone watch you closely helps tremendously in terms of pushing yourself towards the goal). In the middle of February 2022, I started my 28-day plan towards weight loss!
The next 28 days were a test in terms of discipline and consistency! I ate healthy and exercised on an everyday basis. My diet routine mostly involved eating very little carbs. Most of my diet comprised of Grilled Chicken and Veggies, Nuts, small portions of Oat Bread and Millet/Quinoa etc. Sugar and Dairy products were a total ban for me. Along with this, I exercised 6 days a week. My entire workout was at home that required very little equipment (A pair of Dumbbells at the most). I did about 8 to 10 different kind of exercises. Every exercise comprised of 3 to 4 sets of 15 reps each. Some of the exercises I did on an everyday basis were Pushups, Planks, Glute Bridges, Burpees, Lunges and Squats. After following a rigorous diet and exercise plan, I was able to lose 10 pounds in 28 days.

The Journey Continues:

By now, I had realized that there was no turning back for me. I had to carry this discipline forward. I was 100 percent committed towards this because I had seen the changes that happened to my body. I knew I had to take things to the next level now. I enrolled myself in a Gym, which gave me access to a wide variety of exercise equipment. The Gym's mobile app had several exercise routines for Strength Training. I picked the "6-Week Shred" program. This program consisted an exercise routine for 5 days in a week (Monday: Chest, Tuesday: Back, Thursday: Shoulders, Friday: Legs, Sunday: Arms, Wednesday and Saturday: Rest days). Each day had about 6 to 8 weight-based exercises. Every week was a different challenge in terms of exercises and weights. I finished two rounds of the 6-Week Shred program (12 weeks total). A point to note here is that apart from this exercise routine, I absolutely made sure that I ate no powdered sugar, no fried or fast food, very little carbs and consumed as much protein as I could on a daily basis (I did have 1 to 2 cheat meals a week).

Here is a summary of a typical everyday diet for me:

Breakfast: Kodiak Protein Pancakes mixed in Almond Milk (Pecans, Raisins, Dates, Almonds and Walnuts added to the mixture) OR 2 whole eggs on a slice of Oat Bread
Lunch: Millet, Quinoa or Brown Rice with Indian Chicken, Goat or Vegetable Curry (Cooked in very little Coconut Oil)
Snack: A low sugar Protein Yogurt OR Protein Bar.
Dinner: Millet, Quinoa or Brown Rice with Indian Chicken, Goat or Vegetable Curry (Cooked in very little Coconut Oil)
Beverages: Tea or Coffee (2 times a day) with very little milk. Stevia added for sweetness.

Apart from this, I also consumed Organic Plant based Protein Powder (3 scoops) in Almond Milk after my workout. I did have one or two cheat meals every week (Like Fried Rice, 1 or 2 slices of pizza or a bowl of ice cream). Trust me; life will be boring if you keep eating the same thing everyday. Having 1 or 2 cheat meals helps you fulfill your cravings and gets you ready mentally to diet and exercise well for the next week.

After 12 weeks, I had dropped an additional 17 pounds, which meant I had lost a total of 27 pounds since I started my diet plan in February! My body fat percentage dropped to 17.3%. I had a toned body now compared to where I was after finishing the 28 day plan back in Feb-March.

No Turning Back Now:

I tell myself that I have entered a maze so deep that when I look back, I do not see the entry point. I cannot dream about going back to that old me! The amount of hard work, discipline, self-motivation and consistency that I have put into my health and body over the past 6 months has molded me into someone very different. It feels amazing after waking up everyday. A feeling that makes you pat yourself on the back for eating healthy and working out rigorously in order to be in your best shape. Looking into the mirror, you feel good about yourself. It provides a huge amount of boost in terms of self-confidence. Suddenly everything you wear starts looking good on you! The feeling is simply priceless! I decided to write this article in hope that my journey would help many people to start eating healthy and getting into an exercise routine on a daily basis. Once you do that, it would not be long until you realize that someone surely has very wisely said, "Health is Wealth"! On an ending note, here is a picture of happy "me" after stepping out of the gym:

Thanks for taking time and reading through this article. I am hoping this inspires many to indulge into a healthy lifestyle. Until next time!

Travel Guide - Cancun Mexico

Each one of us should have a few days of vacation time in winter by planning a getaway to some warmer place. From my personal experience, escaping a few days from cold is extremely beneficial for your body and your mind! Cancun - Mexico is one of the most popular destinations to travel from the eastern shore especially because of the travel time. A direct flight takes you to Cancun in about 3 hours and 20 minutes. I and my family went for a vacation to Cancun recently and we fell in love with the place! I love to write so I knew I had to write a blog when I got back! I will be covering each aspect of travel like time, flights, resorts, activities etc. in the sections below.

Time of Travel

Good season to travel to Cancun is from November through March. Everything from mid-November becomes expensive because a lot of people plan around thanksgiving holidays and prices in December are always on the higher side. Prices drop significantly in the 1st week of January so travelling from January through February is the best time in my opinion. A point to note is that Martin Luther King holiday comes around 3rd or 4th week of January so avoid that long weekend (Unless you absolutely have no choice) because flights are expensive around that time. From what I have experienced, the same package of flight and hotel that I booked for 2nd week of January was 3.5 times expensive from 15th of December through New Year’s. March and April are other months to avoid because Spring breaks happen during that time so Cancun is flooded with college kids. Everything is expensive during that time! So if you want to go during March or April, find out about spring breaks and time your trip accordingly.

Weather

Weather in second week of January was in lower to mid-80s during day time and mid to late 70s during night time. Sunrise happened around 7:30 AM and sunset around 6:30 PM. A bright sunny day is a perfect day to relax either at the beach or at the swimming pool in the resort! On super cloudy and windy days, it might feel little chilly to be in the water but it is manageable.  

Beautiful day at the pool

How many days?

Don’t settle for less than 3 nights and 4 days. That’s the minimum you want! If you breakdown your days, you’ll need to spare one day for activities around Cancun. So at least another 2 days to just relax in the resort and enjoy the ambiance and food. In my opinion that’s what matters the most especially in a trip like Cancun. You don’t want your trip to be like you are running all over the place. Many people want to do everything while they are there. That just ruins the trip in my opinion especially if you are with kids. The point is do some activities but then give time to yourself at the resort. Relax at the beach and at the pool, sip some nice cocktails and eat your heart out!

Where to book from?

There are several travel websites like bookvip.com or applevacations.com. Most of these travel sites have either non-refundable charges or a heavy cancellation policy so watch out when you book. Read the terms and policies carefully. I booked from Southwest vacations for 3 reasons. First, I found better deals on nonstop flights. With a kid, last thing I want is to take a pit stop somewhere and have my travel time lengthened to 6 or 7 hours. Direct flight takes you there in 3 hours and 20 minutes! Second, checked baggage is free for southwest airlines. Lastly, southwest has excellent policy in terms of re-scheduling. If for some reason I need to reschedule my vacation, there are no additional fees. I just pay the difference of flight plus hotel and that’s it.

Immigration and VISA

If you have a stamped American VISA on your passport, you get Mexican VISA upon entry. The only documents you will need to carry is your passport with the stamped VISA and I-797 (It is advisable to make sure that the passport isn’t expiring in the next 6 months). Green card holders and US citizens don’t have to worry at all.

From Airport to Resort

When you book your vacation, there is an option of purchasing transportation to and from the airport and hotel. If you don’t want to rent a car, this is your option. Just get out of the airport and head to the transportation company’s van (The name of the transportation company is mentioned on your itinerary). You share the van with people who are heading to either yours or other resorts.

Vans ready for pickup outside the airport

Hotel Zone

The hotel zone is a strip of land along the coast that has several resorts next to each other. The hotel zone is an extremely safe area so you can get out of the hotel and go for a walk or to nearby stores if you want to get something (There are pharmacies and other stores in the area just in case you need something on an urgent basis). Also, many resorts have a convenience store inside of them so you may not need to step out (Confirm with the hotel before you book if that matters to you). Our hotel had a convenience store which had everything from baby wipes to toothbrush. I advise not to leave hotel zone and go to deeper pockets of downtown Cancun. Not safe!  Also, everyone understands English at the hotel zone so no need to worry about language barriers. Although before the trip I would still recommend learning some basic communication in Spanish like good morning, thank you, how are you etc.

Resort

I will say this a thousand times. BOOK AN ALL INCLUSIVE RESORT. It’s worth every penny! All-inclusive resorts are resorts where you stay and eat unlimited food and drink unlimited beverages (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic). The resort has several restaurants inside of it. Either buffets or luxury restaurants. Every restaurant serves alcoholic beverages so if you love margaritas and cocktails you will fall in love with the all-inclusive package! The swimming pool also has a poolside bar and a bar in the middle of the swimming pool called as swim-up bar. So you can just sit at the pool and sip drinks or swim and come sit in the water at the swim up bar and order drinks. The room has a small refrigerator which is stocked with beer and water everyday. The buffets have several cuisines so you get different variety of food to eat everyday. All you do at the all-inclusive resorts is just relax at the beach or pool and drink and eat whatever you want and how many times you want in a day! While researching on resorts look for kid friendly resorts (If travelling with kids) because kids remain occupied with different activities in the resort. The resorts have activities for kids of different ages be it at the pool or a dedicated mini water park. You can relax while kids play at their designated spaces. Many resorts have a babysitting facility (Paid service around $15 an hour). So if you and your spouse want to go on a dinner date for a couple of hours, you can do so. Again, don’t forget to read a lot of reviews before booking the resort. Websites like TripAdvisor have excellent in-depth reviews both by travel experts and recent customers. Another tip I have is to spend little more money and book a room on a higher floor and with an ocean view. You’ll not regret a bit! Waking up and looking out of the balcony at the blue ocean is just breathtaking. If you have booked a room without a view, at the reception just ask if they have an upgrade option. With empty rooms they just move you up for a very little charge.

Sunrise from the room

Swim up Bar

Buffet at the hotel

Workers and Tips

From what I’ve observed at the resort, the workers at the resorts are always smiling and greet you with respect. I have seen these guys work double shifts tirelessly. From what I’ve read, they work on a minimum wage.  But they still always smile at you and have their happy faces on. So please make it a point that you tip them in an appropriate way. Little appreciation goes a long way. There was a guy who was so nice towards us at the buffet and took care of our table so well. When we tipped him more than usual the joy on his face was just undefinable. So if you find an exceptional service from a waiter or a bartender don’t hesitate to give something extra. Tips are accepted in dollars and in Mexican pesos. Also, don’t forget to tip the driver who drops you off to the hotel from the airport. They take care of all of your luggage so they expect a dollar or two. As a guideline here are general tips that you can offer at different places inside of the resort:

1. Waiter serving your table at Buffets: $1 per person
2. Waiter at upscale restaurants: $5 per table
3. Bellboy: $1 per bag
4. Bartenders: $1 per one or two rounds of drinks
5. Housekeeping: $5 every time they clean the room
6. Room Service: $2 to $3 per service

Activities

The two most frequently done activities in Cancun are Snorkeling and visiting the historic site of Chichen Itza. If you have a toddler I wouldn’t recommend going to Chichen Itza. It’s almost a 3 hour drive one way from the hotel zone. So the day trip lasts for about 8 hours total. A toddler would get exhausted in the bus the whole day and your day might get ruined because of a crazy tantrum. Also, you can’t go snorkeling if you have a less than 5 year old kid so that isn’t a good option as well. What I would recommend though is doing the SubSee adventure. The SubSee adventure takes you through a glass bottom boat into the coral reefs where you can see the reefs, fish and other aquatic life. It is like travelling through a submarine. My 3.5 year old loved it! The total duration is 3 hours from and to the hotel so it isn’t very overwhelming. Most resorts have a desk near the reception area from where you can book the tours. I would recommend that as opposed to booking it from an outside vendor. Other activity to do is hop onto one of the local city buses and go to Market 28 to shop for local handicrafts and other souvenirs. If you love bargaining, Market 28 is the place for you!  

SubSee Boat

Handicrafts at Market 28

I hope this information is beneficial to any prospective families travelling to Cancun. I remember reading through so many blogs and forums when I was planning my trip so I thought it was my moral responsibility to write a blog myself for others to read. So plan a trip soon and have a blast! Please don’t forget to comment if you liked the write up or if this helped you plan your trip in a better way! Gracias Amigos!

Settle back in India for good? Ummm let me think!

Settle back in India for good? Ummm let me think!

So I recently visited India for vacation. While I was there, the most common question asked by friends and relatives was: "Why don’t you come back to India? Enough of staying abroad". I had to make an ‘I don’t know’ face in front of them because I know that question is not answerable in a simple Yes or No. So let me try to answer that question in the shortest form possible! 

Let me start from the beginning. I came to this country in year 2006 as a student. I had a burden of education loan on my back when I landed here. Not that my parents weren’t able to afford my college fees but after working for a year in the IT industry, it felt shameful to ask to parents for money. That education loan kept building up with each semester as I ordered checks from my bank to pay towards my college fees. At the end of my educational cycle, I had quite a heap of debt sitting on the back of my neck. The bank allows you a grace period of one year before you can start re-paying the loan so I had immense pressure on myself to find a job. 

I passed out in 2008 and started looking for a job. Autumn of 2008 was insane where the big financial crisis of 2007-08 had taken place and jobs were being slashed. Many of my college mates had to return to India because they weren’t able to find a job here in the US. I was lucky to have survived and found a job for myself. There was a lot of mental stress during those days where finding a job was extremely difficult. Well, that is my first reason why I don't want to come back to India right now. I had a very hard time finding a job here and I don't want to quit now. I have seen my classmates head back to India with no jobs under their belt. I have found a good one with extreme efforts and I don’t want to look back. 

Anyways, my job started and things got a little better (There is light at the end of every tunnel). Soon I started to re-pay my education loan which was of course in dollars. So I had to earn in dollars if I had to survive with paying that hefty amount each month to the bank. That was my second reason to stay here. I had to earn in dollars because I was paying in dollars to my bank. Banks in India charge a good 11-13% interest rate on education loans so it took me 5 years to get that loan off my back. So 5 years gone and I didn’t come back to India (You already know a few reasons why I didn't!)

Well, in the meantime several major events happened in my life. I got married. I had saved very less money because I was paying my loan for the past 5 years so now saving money and family responsibility was a top priority. Also, in the meantime my company was ready to sponsor my green card. That was a good news! I knew so many people who had to return to India because their employer didn’t file for their green card. I was lucky that I was getting an opportunity to become a permanent resident of this country. My honest work had paid off in a good way. How could I let it go? I couldn’t. Now there comes my third reason for not returning back to India. My green card was being filed and I had to get it! Approval of green card takes anywhere between 5 to 10 years so now I am at a phase where I am waiting for it to get approved and just can't leave everything and come back.

Also, once my green card processing was approved, I got a home for myself. It made no sense to keep paying rent to someone else every month. Buying a home was a good investment and I had to take that decision. There comes my fourth strong reason to stay here. I have a commitment towards a mortgage now and I have to stay here longer to make my investment well worth.  

To sum up, there is a very vicious cycle of events that makes one stay away from their country. It is like a big maze. You keep walking into it only to realize that the point of entrance is now out of sight. I am sure many Indians who live outside of India have similar stories. And I also believe this post would clear doubts of many people in India who wonder why their friend or relative isn’t ready to come back to India. 

I could have covered so many other points but I wanted to keep this as short as possible! Thanks for taking your time and reading through this patiently.    

TO BUY OR NOT TO BUY: A PHOTOGRAPHER'S HURDLE

TO BUY OR NOT TO BUY: A PHOTOGRAPHER'S HURDLE

So I was all excited because my 7 year old Canon 7D just got sold online! Which meant I had successfully raised some cash for my next camera. Now my brain was battling it out where several cameras were running through my head and it was not an easy decision to make. The first question that ran through my mind was what applications am I targeting?. I do lot of wildlife photography followed by landscapes and very few portraits. This year I have also committed myself to get into some Astrophotography where I want to capture pretty Milky Way shots. That is where the decision got even more complicated. The challenge here was to find that one camera which can do everything for me. 

There are two types of DSLRs that companies like Canon and Nikon manufacture. A crop sensor camera and a full frame camera. A crop sensor camera has a relatively smaller sensor whereas a full frame has a larger sensor. Biggest advantage of a full frame camera is that it can draw more light into the sensor which in turn gives less grainy and noise free images at higher ISO levels. On the other hand the biggest advantage of crop factor cameras is that you can get closer to your subject. For example Canon crop sensor cameras have a 1.6x crop factor which means when you mount a 100mm lens to your crop sensor camera, it actually becomes a 160mm lens. This works perfectly for wildlife because you now get more closer to your subject due to the automatic 1.6x zoom. But then crop sensor cameras don't work well at higher ISO levels because of their limited sensor size. Crop sensor cameras have evolved a lot over the years. Older crop sensor cameras were no good beyond 400 ISO but these days you can shoot at about 1600 ISO with a crop sensor camera and get noise free image. But they are no match to a full frame. On a full frame you can shoot at 6400 ISO and still get a noise free photo which you can print on an extra large canvas and hang it up in your living room. When I looked at my budget there were two cameras that were fitting inside my wallet. The Canon 7D Mark II  which is a crop senor body and the Canon 6D which is a full frame body. Third option was to stretch my budget little bit and get a Canon 5D Mark III which is a full frame camera. Let us now look at these three cameras on an overall basis and what advantages/disadvantages they enforced for my applications:

CANON 6D

The 6D would be a fantastic camera for Astrophotography and Landscapes because of its full frame nature. But that camera performs extremely bad when it comes to wildlife pictures, primarily because of these reasons: 

1. It shoots just 4 frames per second, which is not fast enough to capture a fast wildlife scene like an Eagle fishing. For something like that you need a camera that can capture more frames per second so you don't miss the action.

2. The ability of 6D to track a moving subject isn't that great because it has just 11 auto focus points. Ofcourse it was not manufactured to serve wildlife photographers so Canon wasn't really concerned about this feature. 

3. Since this is full frame camera you don't get that extra zoom on your lens so you are little away from your wildlife subject in the field. 

So say a bird is perched on a nice branch and light is low because of an extremely overcast day. The 6D would shine here where I can push my ISO to 4000 or even higher and get a really noise free shot of the bird, mostly because the bird is perched and not moving. But then under same conditions if I try to use the 6D for an eagle who is diving in to catch a fish, the 6D would fail terribly because it would not be able to keep good focus on the moving eagle. I can still get a good shot but it would be a hit or miss situation. 

So coming to a conclusion, the Canon 6D would be a good landscape and astrophotography camera but a bad wildlife camera. So the 6D was surely on a lower priority for me. 

CANON 7D MARK II

The 7D Mark II is a crop sensor camera which shoots 10 frames per second and has 65 auto focus points which makes this my first choice for wildlife photography. The 10 frames per second rate is perfect to freeze the action. Also with 65 auto focus point system, this camera would be excellent to track moving objects and keep them in focus. The only camera that can beat the Canon 7D Mark II in this department is the Canon 1DX full frame. This is top of the line camera that Canon manufactures and it is almost 3 times the cost of Canon 7D Mark II. Also I would surely be able to take good landscape pictures with the 7D Mark II, probably at par with the Canon 6D (Landscapes don't require a high ISO value so both 6D and 7D Mark II would have almost same image quality at lower ISO). Now the astrophotography part is where it starts falling little apart. I can still get acceptable images at 3200 ISO from a 7D Mark II along with noise reduction in post processing techniques. Which means I can click decent Milky Way pictures with this camera. Looks like at this point this is my best bet under the price range that I am targeting. 

Now there was a third camera that kept popping up in my mind. The Canon 5D Mark III. Let us look at it in detail.

CANON 5D MARK III

The 5D is a full frame camera so again like our previous discussion it performs very nicely at higher ISO levels. But, there is something that attracts me towards a 5D Mark III. It shoots 6 frames per second and also has a very decent auto focusing system with 61 auto focus points. When I compare it to the 7D mark II, it might fall a little behind at frames per second but then it gives you stunning wildlife photos when the light is super bad. Many experienced wildlife photographers say as soon as the light starts falling, they keep their 7D Mark II inside their bag and grab their 5D Mark III. So looking at my applications, this camera looks perfect as it does everything from Wildlife to Landscapes to Astrophotography. But then all good comes with a price! The Canon 5D Mark III is almost $1000 more expensive than the Canon 7D Mark II and Canon 6D (Canon 7D Mark II and Canon 6D are equally priced). I now started thinking that if I need to get this camera I will need to spend $1000 more. I can get everything out of my landscapes and astrophotography, but I have to compromise somewhere on the wildlife aspect. I wouldn't get the 10 frames per second and a fast auto focusing system, which is extremely important in wildlife (You just get that one opportunity which you can't miss!) Also another factor to consider is Canon 5D Mark III is getting old now. They already have a Canon 5D Mark IV out in the market which has better technology. 

My Decision:

After a lot of thinking I came to the decision that I will buy the 7D Mark II as of now. That gets me going with my wildlife and landscapes. I can get some astrophotography as well with this camera. My thought process was that rather than spending $1000 extra for the Canon 5D Mark III, I would save up that money and add some more to it after a few months and get the Canon 6D. That way I will have two camera bodies in my bag. One for wildlife and the other for landscapes and astrophotography. Rather than holding a 5D Mark III which is relatively old now, I'll be holding two bodies which are newer and better in terms of technology. So that was my final analysis. I got my 7D Mark II this week and I absolutely can't wait to take it out in the field! 

NOTE: Sometimes the decision to buy a camera also depends on what lenses you own. Sometimes all the lenses you own only work on crop sensor cameras so if you upgrade to a full frame, all those lenses become useless. So it is always advisable to buy lenses that work on both type of camera bodies. 

Hope this write up helps you in some or the other way when you make your next camera purchase! Happy clicking!

A SHAMEFUL MATTER

I still remember walking around in my hometown of Kolhapur at Rankala Lake and its vicinity as a kid. My home is just couple of minutes away from the lake. I used to look around and find so many birds flocking over the water in the morning sun. I used to try counting the fish who were visible under shallow waters. It was a pleasant sight. I lived so close to nature and I was proud and happy at the same time.

I took a similar stroll at the lake when I visited India in October 2014. I thought I would refresh my childhood memories. But the lake had different plans for me. It brought a sense of unrest in my mind. I thought to myself, what are we doing to our surroundings? Where are those innumerable Herons I used to see fishing along the lakeside? Where are all those fish I counted? You must be wondering what did I see which made me think in such a direction?  Well this is what I saw:

There were all these Ganesh Idols scattered all around the place. It was a devastated site. These were apparently from the “Ganesh Visarjan” of countless different “Tarun” and “Mitra” mandals that Kolhapur city has (Most of them are bloody useless because they consists of youngsters who are least interested in any kind of social improvement or upbringing. They just get together in the evening, chit-chat and utter bad/abusive words in public and then go home). Because of the chemicals and colors involved in manufacturing of these idols, the water was over polluted. Fish were dead and there was only one Heron I saw who was sitting on a tree branch because probably he had nothing to eat in this corrupt water. There were two aspects that I was concerned about after looking at all of this. First was our religion and second was nature.

Let’s turn tables towards religion first. Lord Ganesh is supposed to be one of the most worshipped gods in Hinduism. He is called as “Vighnaharta” (Destroyer of Obstructions). Is this how we want to see our god? With broken hands and feet and half submerged in shitty water? There were countless flies and insects hovering around these idols. Where are we heading with all this? All these so called “Mandals” in Kolhapur collect money from people and celebrate “Ganesh Utsav”. And what is the outcome? THIS? I don’t know. This should be stopped. If I was on committee of a “Tarun Mandal” in Kolhapur, I would rather collect money from people on “Ganesh Utsav” and feed the needy and poor. Make donations to old age homes and schools for mentally challenged kids. And for the sake of traditions, buy a small eco-friendly Ganesh idol for my “Mandal”.  Atleast god will have a smile on his face when he’ll look at all of this from above. These days there is competition amongst mandals for having the tallest Ganesh idol is town. Why do we need this? An authority should step up immediately and have restrictions on the size of these idols. Why do we have to care how big the idol is? Aren’t our feelings for god and his festival more important? Does praying to bigger and taller idols intensifies the prayer? I just don’t know where we are heading with all this. If we don’t take an action now, it’s a shame on us if we call ourselves Hindus.

                                                    

Nature has its own sufferings too in all of this. Look what we have done to a beautiful place in the city. I remember we called “Rankala Lake” as “Rankala Chaupati” at one time (“Chaupati” means Beach). Since the city lacked a beach, we considered the lake as our beach. People came here to stroll in the evening time with their families. It was like a picnic spot. And we have spoiled everything. For us and our future generations. It’s a shame. That’s all I can say. I feel sad I wouldn’t be able to take my child on a morning walk and show him or her where I had the best time of my childhood. After looking at this, I’ve pledged to myself that if I will ever return to India and celebrate Ganesh Utsav back home, I’ll buy an idol which is made out of nature friendly material. Probably something that will dissolve in water after the “visarjan” and will not harm natural resources of any kind. I am pretty sure there are idols which are made out of eco-friendly material. I searched online and I’ve already found a few websites (e.g. http://www.ecoganesha.org/). And I request all of you to do the same.

I will be checking if there are some concerned authorities in the city of Kolhapur to whom I can forward this message. Hopefully some action will be taken. I know most of the times all these “Tarun and Mitra Mandals” have politicians affiliated to them. All they care about is votes and that’s why they keep these traditions running. No one takes actions. Why? Because people enjoy Ganesh Festival and anyone who takes action against all of this would be in trouble when it comes to vote banks! We need to wake up people! Wake up big time! Charity starts at home. One step at a time! We need to urge all idol manufacturers to use eco-friendly material. I don’t know how many would agree and listen but we need to try and keep trying. Well I can keep writing on and on but I’d cut short and hope we all learn something from this. GANPATI BAPPA MORYA! 

Finally a big thank you to my cousin Malhar Thorat for having his Digital SLR handy. It wouldn't have been possible to get these pictures without him.