Complete Guide to Visiting Montserrat Monastery, Spain | Day Trip from Barcelona to Montserrat Monastery | Everything You Need to Know to Visit Montserrat Monastery from Barcelona
Europe Travel Blog Shirshendu Sengupta Europe Travel Blog Shirshendu Sengupta

Complete Guide to Visiting Montserrat Monastery, Spain | Day Trip from Barcelona to Montserrat Monastery | Everything You Need to Know to Visit Montserrat Monastery from Barcelona

Montserrat, literally meaning “serrated mountain” or "saw mountain" in Catalan, is a stunning 1,236 m high mountain, 50 kilometers northwest of Barcelona. The mountain gets its name from the curiously rounded rock pillar formations that appear to have been sawed and sculpted by wind and rain over thousands of years. Pink conglomerate, a sedimentary rock, is the main constituent of the mountain. Cradled at 725 m on its slopes, is Santa Maria de Montserrat, the historic mountain top Benedictine monastery that houses the statue of the Virgin of Montserrat, one of Europe's rare Black Madonnas. It is one of Catalonia's most important shrines, as well as one of the most prominent Catholic pilgrimages in the world, making Montserrat the most popular day trip from Barcelona.

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Top 20 Things to See and Do in Barcelona | 20 Best Places to Visit in Barcelona | 20 Must See Tourist Attractions in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Europe Travel Blog Shirshendu Sengupta Europe Travel Blog Shirshendu Sengupta

Top 20 Things to See and Do in Barcelona | 20 Best Places to Visit in Barcelona | 20 Must See Tourist Attractions in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Barcelona, Catalonia's dynamic capital, is a gorgeous seaside city known for its alluring cultural attractions, legendary architecture, world-class dining scene, and Mediterranean sunny lifestyle. Where colossal temple columns, historic city walls, and subterranean stone passages provide a peek into Roman-era Barcino, the Gothic quarter's gloomy streets, past peaceful plazas, and majestic 14th-century cathedrals transport you to the Middle Ages, and the mix of inventive and quirky wonders of Modernisme, by Gaudi and his Catalan architectural colleagues mesmerize you. Where a jog, a bike ride, or a long leisurely stroll along the seaside, followed by a refreshing dip, against a backdrop of sun-drenched beaches makes your day complete. Where flamenco's rapid-fire rhythms, brassy jazz spilling out of cellars, and hands-in-the-air indie-rock at old concert halls make your night.

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Top 20 Things to See and Do in Athens and Attica | 20 Best Places to Visit in Athens and Attica | 20 Must See Tourist Attractions in Athens and Attica, Greece
Europe Travel Blog Shirshendu Sengupta Europe Travel Blog Shirshendu Sengupta

Top 20 Things to See and Do in Athens and Attica | 20 Best Places to Visit in Athens and Attica | 20 Must See Tourist Attractions in Athens and Attica, Greece

Attica is a historical region in east-central Greece comprising Athens, the capital of Greece, and its countryside, that has acted as the seat of Greek civilization for ages and held a very important position in Classical history. Geographically, it is a peninsula surrounded on three sides by the Aegean Sea, with the rest of the continent to the north. Although Athens and its suburbs occupy the majority of the area, it also features sparsely inhabited communities, particularly along the boundaries. Archaeological sites, highland villages, seaside towns, and numerous beaches can all be found in Attica.

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Top 19 Things to See and Do in Santorini | 19 Best Places to Visit in Santorini | 19 Must See Tourist Attractions in Santorini, Greece
Europe Travel Blog Shirshendu Sengupta Europe Travel Blog Shirshendu Sengupta

Top 19 Things to See and Do in Santorini | 19 Best Places to Visit in Santorini | 19 Must See Tourist Attractions in Santorini, Greece

Even before you've ever visited Santorini, it's possible that it has already conquered a corner of your imagination. The island looks like a giant slab of layered cake resting in the middle of the indigo Aegean, with multicolored cliffs soaring over 300m from a sea-drowned caldera, sapphire waters of the Aegean Sea, and gleaming snow-drift of white Cycladic houses topped with half-spheres the color of a stormy sky. The reflections on the buildings and the glow of the orange and red on the cliffs appear tinged with every color of an artist's pallet as the sun sets.

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An Interview with Bart Ros | One of the Most Popular City Photographers from Deventer, the Netherlands
Guest Interviews Shirshendu Sengupta Guest Interviews Shirshendu Sengupta

An Interview with Bart Ros | One of the Most Popular City Photographers from Deventer, the Netherlands

Bart Ros is an architecture, interior and city photographer working in the Deventer and Overijssel region. Bart is originally a multimedia engineer and graphic designer, but for several years now he has also focused on photography. From an early age, Bart has always been busy with drawing, painting, and taking apart radios, TVs, and old cameras.

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An Interview with Sanak Roy Choudhury | Landscape and Travel Photographer, Photography Educator, and Mentor from India living in Muscat, Oman
Guest Interviews Shirshendu Sengupta Guest Interviews Shirshendu Sengupta

An Interview with Sanak Roy Choudhury | Landscape and Travel Photographer, Photography Educator, and Mentor from India living in Muscat, Oman

Sanak Roy Choudhury is a landscape and travel photographer from India, living in Muscat, Oman. Being a professional optometrist for the Royal Palace Clinic of Oman for the last 14 years, working with geometric and physical optics is his routine job. His passion and knowledge of optics have led him to capture mesmerizing landscapes, stunning cityscapes, and iconic architecture photographs.

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An Interview with Reetwika Banerjee | ‘Padma Shri’ Nominee, Travel Blogger, Filmmaker, and Bestselling Author from Kolkata, India
Guest Interviews Shirshendu Sengupta Guest Interviews Shirshendu Sengupta

An Interview with Reetwika Banerjee | ‘Padma Shri’ Nominee, Travel Blogger, Filmmaker, and Bestselling Author from Kolkata, India

Reetwika has received multiple awards and top media coverage for her short films and travel books. She has recently won ‘Apollon Sirmiensis Honour 2021’ from Serbia, ‘Swami Vivekananda Excellence Award 2020’ from Ministry of Youth Affairs India, ‘Power is You 2019’ title from the USA, to name a few. Above all, Reetwika was nominated for ‘Padma Shri,’ one of the highest civilian honors conferred by the Indian government in 2020 for her literary contributions.

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The Ultimate Travel Packing Checklist for Your Next Trip | Vacation and Business Travel Packing List
Travel Tips & Tricks Shirshendu Sengupta Travel Tips & Tricks Shirshendu Sengupta

The Ultimate Travel Packing Checklist for Your Next Trip | Vacation and Business Travel Packing List

Technically, when you start packing for your holidays, you need to bear in mind a few parameters like your gender, whether you are traveling for vacation or business, the duration of your trip, the season of travel, weather, temperature, countries you want to travel to (Western countries, Middle-Eastern, Asian, etc.), kind of places you plan to visit (beach, forests, weddings, professional events, religious monuments, etc.), and the gear that you would need for the activities you plan to do on your vacation (hiking, camping, swimming, scuba diving, surfing, rafting, kayaking, skiing, snowboarding, etc.)

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The Ultimate Step-By-Step Vacation Planning Guide | Pre-Travel Checklist | Things To Do Before Your Next Trip
Travel Tips & Tricks Shirshendu Sengupta Travel Tips & Tricks Shirshendu Sengupta

The Ultimate Step-By-Step Vacation Planning Guide | Pre-Travel Checklist | Things To Do Before Your Next Trip

Our readers often ask us what are the things we need to keep in mind while planning a trip and the things we need to do before we travel. To be honest, years back, when we started with our travels, we didn’t even know where to start. And today, after having traveled to 39 countries across the globe, by driving 300,000+ km, taking the train, plane, boat, cruise, and whatnot, and having created a chest of thrilling memories, I can safely proclaim that we’ve had our share of experiences and learnings!

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The Ultimate Step-By-Step Video Post-Production Workflow | A Complete Beginner’s Guide to Streamlined Video Editing Process | Da Vinci Resolve Tutorial
Photography Tips & Tricks Shirshendu Sengupta Photography Tips & Tricks Shirshendu Sengupta

The Ultimate Step-By-Step Video Post-Production Workflow | A Complete Beginner’s Guide to Streamlined Video Editing Process | Da Vinci Resolve Tutorial

Our readers often ask us about our video post-production workflow and the tools that we use for video editing. To be honest, years back, when I started my videography journey, video post-production was completely an uncharted territory for me. And today, I’m glad to say I've trained myself in video editing, color correction, visual effects, motion graphics, and audio post-production on DaVinci Resolve Studio, the #1 post-production solution for Hollywood that has been used for color grading and/or editing of feature films like Alien: Covenant, Avatar, Best of Enemies, Jason Bourne, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, La La Land, Love & Mercy, Pirates of the Caribbean, Prometheus, Robin Hood, Spectre, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, X-Men: Apocalypse, and many more. I have created a structured video post-production workflow for myself that I thought of sharing with you today. So, let the journey begin!

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My Step-By-Step Photo Post-Processing Workflow | A Beginner’s Guide to RAW Photo Editing | Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop, and Nik Collection Tutorial
Photography Tips & Tricks Shirshendu Sengupta Photography Tips & Tricks Shirshendu Sengupta

My Step-By-Step Photo Post-Processing Workflow | A Beginner’s Guide to RAW Photo Editing | Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop, and Nik Collection Tutorial

Our readers often ask us about our photo post-processing workflow and the tools that we use for photo editing. To be honest, years back, when I started my photography journey, I trembled at even the thought of entering the dark and scary den of the monster named Photoshop. And today, I can proudly say I've tamed the beast along with a dozen other imaging apps to extract the most out of my photography. I now have a structured photo post-processing workflow comprising several tools and techniques. Today, I thought of sharing them with you so that you can take your first steps towards making the world look as beautiful as it is!

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A Step-by-Step Guide on How to Photograph Fireworks | Fireworks Photography Camera Settings | 17 Powerful Tips and Tricks to Master Long Exposure Fireworks Photography
Photography Tips & Tricks Shirshendu Sengupta Photography Tips & Tricks Shirshendu Sengupta

A Step-by-Step Guide on How to Photograph Fireworks | Fireworks Photography Camera Settings | 17 Powerful Tips and Tricks to Master Long Exposure Fireworks Photography

Oh, how the night sky is illuminated by fireworks' brilliant colors and amazing beauty! A fireworks display is incredibly magical, and as a photography enthusiast, you can't help but feel the burning need to freeze those passing moments in time. However, shooting fireworks requires long-exposure photography know-how which can be tricky and require some genuine technical finesse. But trust me, if we follow the steps I’m about to mention below, there won’t be anything easier than this. So let’s start our journey towards mastering the craft of fireworks photography and taking jaw-dropping pictures!

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A Step-by-Step Beginner’s Guide to Master Snow and Winter Photography | Snow and Winter Photography Tutorial | 20 Ultimate Tips and Tricks for Snow and Winter Photography
Photography Tips & Tricks Shirshendu Sengupta Photography Tips & Tricks Shirshendu Sengupta

A Step-by-Step Beginner’s Guide to Master Snow and Winter Photography | Snow and Winter Photography Tutorial | 20 Ultimate Tips and Tricks for Snow and Winter Photography

Let’s face it. We all love the snow. We bow down to the miraculous power of minute frozen water droplets to transform a landscape into a winter wonderland. And also, let’s accept that photographers like us get tempted to get out in the snow to capture some remarkable images. But photographing the snow can sometimes be tricky.

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A Step-by-Step Beginner’s Guide to Master Long Exposure Photography | Long Exposure Photography Tutorial | 30 Ultimate Tips and Tricks for Long Exposure Photography
Photography Tips & Tricks Shirshendu Sengupta Photography Tips & Tricks Shirshendu Sengupta

A Step-by-Step Beginner’s Guide to Master Long Exposure Photography | Long Exposure Photography Tutorial | 30 Ultimate Tips and Tricks for Long Exposure Photography

It’s no secret that while scrolling through Instagram or Facebook, at some point in time, we’ve all wondered how to get those silky waterfall textures, how to capture those stunning motion blur of the clouds, or how to shoot those dazzling car light trails.

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A Step-by-Step Beginner’s Guide to Master Manual Mode Photography | Manual Mode Photography Tutorial | 14 Ultimate Tips and Tricks for Shooting in Manual Mode
Photography Tips & Tricks Shirshendu Sengupta Photography Tips & Tricks Shirshendu Sengupta

A Step-by-Step Beginner’s Guide to Master Manual Mode Photography | Manual Mode Photography Tutorial | 14 Ultimate Tips and Tricks for Shooting in Manual Mode

Before we begin, let me first ask you a few fundamental questions -

1. Have you invested in a new expensive camera, but the output image quality is not satisfactory to you?

2. Are your images too bright with whitewashed/blown-out backgrounds or too dark foregrounds?

3. Are you not getting the artistic background blur that you have seen in the images of other photographers?

4. Are your images not sharp and/or shaky/blurry?

5. Are your images noisy/grainy?

If the answer to these questions is yes, you are at the right place. Trust me, you are not alone. We’ve all been there, done that. Your questions are the questions of the entire humankind since all eternity. And today, I’m going to help you remediate these eternal challenges of a startup photographer!

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Ultimate Guide to the Best Camera Settings for Video Shooting
Photography Tips & Tricks Shirshendu Sengupta Photography Tips & Tricks Shirshendu Sengupta

Ultimate Guide to the Best Camera Settings for Video Shooting

Every day, we get questions from our readers about the camera settings we use for videography which can be leveraged as a standard across any camera model. As a matter of fact, we do have an extensive set of ‘fixed’ settings that you can set up once and for all and forget about them since they are not dependent on the shooting conditions. Additionally, there are a set of ‘variable’ settings that you need to change on the fly according to shooting conditions. We arrived at these after a lot of trial and error and are more or less applicable to almost all brands of cameras available in the market. Today, I’m here to share them with you!

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A Step-by-Step Beginner’s Guide to Master Basic Photography Camera Settings | Best Manual Camera Settings for Beginner Photographers
Photography Tips & Tricks Shirshendu Sengupta Photography Tips & Tricks Shirshendu Sengupta

A Step-by-Step Beginner’s Guide to Master Basic Photography Camera Settings | Best Manual Camera Settings for Beginner Photographers

Every day, we get questions from our readers about the camera settings we use for photography which can be leveraged as a standard across any camera model. As a matter of fact, we do have an extensive set of ‘fixed’ settings that you can set up once and for all and forget about them since they are not dependent on the shooting conditions. Additionally, there are a set of ‘variable’ settings that you need to change on the fly according to shooting conditions. We arrived at these after a lot of trial and error and are more or less applicable to almost all brands of cameras available in the market. Today, I’m here to share them with you!

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Step-By-Step Beginner’s Guide for Buying Camera Lens  | How to Choose the Right Lens for Your Camera?
Photography Tips & Tricks Shirshendu Sengupta Photography Tips & Tricks Shirshendu Sengupta

Step-By-Step Beginner’s Guide for Buying Camera Lens | How to Choose the Right Lens for Your Camera?

Lenses are precious gifts; they are the eyes of the camera. So it’s imperative to treat them as preciously as you would treat your eye. Remember, different camera bodies may come with different sensor qualities, features, and ergonomics, but it is the glass that makes the most significant difference in the image quality.

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DSLR vs. Mirrorless Cameras | What are the Key Differences and How to Choose Which is Best for You?
Photography Tips & Tricks Shirshendu Sengupta Photography Tips & Tricks Shirshendu Sengupta

DSLR vs. Mirrorless Cameras | What are the Key Differences and How to Choose Which is Best for You?

The DSLR vs. Mirrorless war is at its peak like never before. People seem to have different opinions about it and the internet is flooded with articles advising you to go this way or that. Speaking of myself, I had always been a Nikon DSLR loyalist, despite having worked with Canon. After using Nikon DSLRs for a decade, I finally made the big switch to the Sony Mirrorless ecosystem in 2020.

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Our Cameras
Gear Shirshendu Sengupta Gear Shirshendu Sengupta

Our Cameras

I've always been a big proponent of the age-old adage, "The best camera in the world is the one that you have; you just need to know how to use it!" As in Kung-Fu Panda, Po finally realized, "There's no 'Dragon Scroll'; it's just you," I genuinely believe it's not about the gear. If you possess good composition skills, have a fair understanding of optics and know the settings of your camera and use it well, you will be surprised to see the kind of miracles you can do with your existing gear. However, it's also true that every gear has a technical limitation and it's never too bad to keep upgrading. So, based on your requests, today I'm going to share my perspective on the camera models we've been using over the past years and which one to choose in what scenario. I hope it helps you in making your choice!

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