The Dusty Mic Chronicles

Editing is not the final step in the process of 'making a photo.' The final step is sharing that image with the world, either as a print or on social media. Editing, like presenting, involves choices and compromises that you must make. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.rajivchopra.in/subscribe

In this episode, I talk about the challenge of becoming invisible, or becoming a part of the landscape, when doing street or travel photography. The challenge is to get people to accept your presence on the street. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.rajivchopra.in/subscribe

I walked up the hill in Dunagiri, Uttarakhand, and met a sadhu, the priest of a small temple. We had a brief but fascinating conversation. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.rajivchopra.in/subscribe

I was in the market in Janpath, New Delhi, where I reflected on photography, waiting, and 'the decisive moment.' Capturing the decisive moment requires patience, active watching, and anticipation. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.rajivchopra.in/subscribe

Photography in the heat and dust of Delhi's summer is unpleasant and can be torture. Can you use these difficult conditions to create stories? Can you lift yourself above your misery to create stories? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.rajivchopra.in/subscribe

In this podcast episode, I ask you to consider, or reconsider, what your definition of obscenity is, as applicable to humanity, society, and photography. I will continue this topic later. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.rajivchopra.in/subscribe

Aura is strange. It is almost impossible to define but you know it when you encounter it. I examine - briefly - Walter Benjamin and Roland Barthes and include an image by Eugene Atget as a case. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.rajivchopra.in/subscribe

I based this episode on a book called "Time & Light," set in a post-apocalyptic future in a place called Fullerton, where photographs are banned. Imagine, if you will, a world without images. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.rajivchopra.in/subscribe

What does the future hold for photography? Based on an abstract of James Mudd's talk, 'A Photographer's Dream,' I wonder if the obsession with technology will ease or not. Or, will we think about art? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.rajivchopra.in/subscribe

I met a young lady who wished to buy a camera, then asked if the camera would make her a pro. There is much more to becoming a pro than the camera. You must learn to use the camera and you must also learn to build your craft. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.rajivchopra.in/subscribe

In this episode, I talk about the importance of deliberate practice and building your muscle memory. If you do not do this, then your skills will atrophy and you will forget everything. Expertise takes effort. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.rajivchopra.in/subscribe

Dhyana, being in the Zen mode, in the flow: call it what you want. When you are in this mode, and it is difficult, your work will get better! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.rajivchopra.in/subscribe

Discipline is more than a caning, and I have been caned often! When you find the field you love, more often than not, you will find the discipline to follow your passion. You will also find the time! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.rajivchopra.in/subscribe

In this podcast episode, I draw parallels between a hunter's mindset and a photographer's. Photographers can learn a lot from people like Jim Corbett. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.rajivchopra.in/subscribe

I based this podcast on an incident that took place a few years back, when a photographer jumped on the corpses of Bangladeshi men. If you are a biased individual and allow your prejudice to dominate your thought process, it will affect your work. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.rajivchopra.in/subscribe

Discrimination seems to be endemic to humans. A young man from Tripura died when he objected to drunk rowdies in North India calling him 'Chinki.' Humanism is a better policy or approach to adopt. But always remember - better photography begins with humanity. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.rajivchopra.in/sub...

This episode, hopefully, is a more cheerful and optimistic view of what needs to be done - by me -in 2026. We can hold on to hope, even if the situation seems grim. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.rajivchopra.in/subscribe

Even though politicians are scum, we can learn from them. Politicians are scum, and there is almost nothing anyone can do or say to change my mind. Yet, even if we detest their morals, we must admire their administrative and other related skills. I used politicians’ techniques to promote our business. Years back, when I was a young Area Sales Manager, selling our products in Uttar Pradesh (a crazy...

In this year-beginning message, I was to deliver an uplifting message, and I failed! So I will deliver Part Two next week, but in this podcast, I urge all of you to keep your courage and keep striving to make the world a better place, even though everything seems to go mad. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.raj...

One memorable journey. Four posts. I had planned to write a blog post about my memories of several journeys or incidents that are now just amusing recollections. Still, the sudden memory of a long-dead t awaif jerked me away from that direction, and put me on the path to writing a four-part essay about a young, insignificant – and dusty – town called Azamgarh in the eastern part of Uttar Pradesh i...

I have taken the time to reflect, just a tiny amount, on 2025, the year that is about to die on us. While I am satisfied with what I have done, I realize there is much to do. We can, as individuals and creators, choose to make the world a better place, each in our own way. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.raji...

My last boss was an ass. The founding and brief history of Jaunpur. “Firoz Shah devoted himself to the founding of cities, forts, mosques, colleges and gardens… He restored prosperity to regions that had fallen into ruins.” Barani, Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi, mid 14th century. Almost no one knows of the Delhi Sultanate. The Delhi Sultanate consisted of five dynasties that ruled Delhi and parts of North...

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.rajivchopra.in/subscribe

I have based this week's episode on an idea I got from a book called "Basti & Durbar." In her stories of Delhi, she describes Delhi as a city of stories. But all towns have stories, and while I briefly tell the story of Delhi, I ask you: what stories do you know of your city? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.r...

This will be my final post about Allahabad. I ramble. With this post, I will conclude the series of articles/essays/posts about Allahabad. I’ve been reading articles on JSTOR, and it transpires that my earlier research was correct. Even though the Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang visited the area in the seventh century, the city did not enter the historical record until Akbar built his fort on the banks o...