“The first meal was an object lesson of much variety. My father produced several kinds of food, ready to eat, without any cooking, from little tin cans that had printing all over them.”
Mary Antin
Everyone Can Cook… yet another new cookbook from award winning Michelin starred chef Vikas Khanna. I loved his earlier ones, ‘My Great India Cookbook’ and ‘Modern Indian Cooking’. Vikas writes for the global audience, and his books are full of food stories and personal connects. The title of this book seemed rather straightforward… or so I thought. I expected a simple, basic cookbook, encouraging everyone to cook. The catch lay in the word CAN!
Surprise! Surprise! The can refers to the CAN in the tin industry as in canned foodstuff. Possibly a first in this genre of cookbooks that I have seen in India, I was a little skeptical when I received the book for review. It was only when I read Vikas’s foreword, that I understood and appreciated his sentiments behind the book.
He talks about his first Christmas in America in 2000 where he cooked in the kitchen of the New York Rescue Mission. In his words, “It was here that I first saw canned food and the thought that moved me was how cans were touching lives through food”. Twelve years later, he was approached to conceptualise recipes for a book using canned ingredients. In his own way of giving back to the community, he educates the reader about the industry through this book.
Directly or indirectly, it impacts millions of lives – thousands of families who provide fruits, vegetables, meats etc. to the canneries, people who work at the canneries, people who transport the cans to the market, those who purchase the cans – even those who collect the cans and take them to recycling centres. In India, rag pickers are considered the main cog in the recycling wheel; they work in underprivileged conditions. For every copy of the book sold, Hindustan Tin Works, the brainchild behind the book, will contribute a part of the proceeds towards the upliftment of this underprivileged community.
Everone Can Cook is a reflection of just how large-hearted he is. I didn’t realise that the canning industry supports such a large community, fosters relationships, helps farmers. Of course it gets the freshest produce preserved for consumers with little loss of nutrition too. The good thing about steel, the primary material used to make cans, is that it can be recycled infinitely without degradation of quality. Recycled cans also inspires art … Andy Warhol type art, or recycled can art!!
Living in the plains of North India, we don’t realise how blessed we are. We tend to take fresh produce for granted. How often would you reach for beets and carrots in a can, or say canned mushrooms? India is not a huge user of canned foods. It is only now that you see shelves in local bazaars lined with canned foodstuff, a lot of it imported.
Yet in retrospect, cans were the accepted norm in certain food areas when we were young. Cheddar almost always came out of the round Amul tin, baked beans on toast {a standard of the armed forces breakfast menu} canned again. How can I ever forget condensed milk? We grew up on it, stealing spoonfuls out of the can when no one was looking.
Cut to now, condensed milk is something I always have on hand. My favourite cheesecake, Dark Chocolate Orange Yogurt Eggless Cheesecake has a can of condensed milk as it’s main ingredient, as do my eggless brownies. Of course my version of Saffron Rice Pudding also uses it. Other canned things I like to stock up is tomato puree, coconut milk & cream, and fruit bits. I did a delicious Tropical Cream Pie with canned fruit bits a while ago … won me first prize in a contest!Everyone Can Cook is divided into easy sections like starters, soups, meat, poultry, vegetables, desserts, beverages etc. I hope it will make the Indian audience look at canned food in new light. The book offers refreshing ideas and innovative ways to use canned food. The good thing is that it makes you think differently. I especially liked the Peach & Sundried Tomato Chicken Tartlets, Lamb Goulash, Coconut Curry Mango Chicken, Cheese Chili Soup, Chili Crab Mini Falafels, Roasted Peaches with Coconut Walnut sauce & Orange Lychee Pineapple Juice. So much you can cook out of a can!
The phirni custard was delicious; the fruit pairing quite interesting. It’s a book that makes you think out of the box can! It also makes one appreciate the contribution of the lesser known canning industry to our food centric lives, an industry we tend to take for granted. Did I mention the pictures in the book? Beautifully styled and leaping off pages!
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Recipe: Phirni Custard with Mixed Fruits
Summary: An all time favourite dessert, this Indian rice pudding is a celebration of the earthy taste of basmati rice, saffron and a surprise element…canned fruits. You can serve it warm or chilled. This Phirni Custard with Mixed Fruits is a decadent vegetarian dessert ‘From Everyone Can Cook’ by Vikas Khanna
Serves 4-6
Prep Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 40 minutes Ingredients:
1 cup basmati or long grain rice {washed, soaked for 10 minutes & drained}
3 1/2 cups whole milk
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp saffron strands {dissolved in 3 tbsp warm milk}
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
1/4 cup sugar {optional}
1 small can mixed fruit in syrup {drained well}
Method:
Combine rice with 3/4 cup milk in a grinder. Grind to a coarse paste.
Bring the remaining milk to a boil over medium high flame, add rice paste, reduce flame to low and cook, stirring continuously till the rice is cooked. Stir in the condensed milk, saffron {with milk} and cardamom powder {and sugar if using}. As soon as the mixture thickens, remove from flame.
Divide the phirni custard equally into 6 bowls, top with mixed fruit and serve.
Alternatively, refrigerate the phirni custard qnd fruits separately and serve chilled.
“What is more mortifying than to feel that you have missed the plum for want of courage to shake the tree?”
Logan Pearsall Smith
Wholewheat Plum Frangipane Galette … it is strange that when the season is bidding adieu, the palpitations grow. I tend to hang on to the last fruit like they are going to go out of fashion; trying to extend their shelf life beyond reasonable measure. Plums have sadly gone. I have been happy looking at the last lot in the fridge for past 2 weeks.
Yes, indeed. That is how long I kept them, and interestingly, that is how long they stayed. Beautifully! Bidding goodbye to summer is never easy given my deep emotional bond with stone fruit. I still have one last batch of frozen plums. Thoughts of sorbet, granita, fro yo dance in my head!
I had this recent conversation with a friend where I mixed up my grey cells and gray cells. It was so funny, by the end of it nothing looked right. I knew I needed help! Good time to hand over to an online editor. I used Grammarly to grammar check this post. It took care of what they taught me at school. Grammarly carries out plagiarism checks too! So cool!!
Did I mention my uber healthy baking spree of late? I have always attempted to keep my baking healthy. I went one baby step further with this Wholewheat Plum Frangipane Galette. I’ve never made a galette or pie with mainly whole wheat in the pastry. I am usually haunted with scary thoughts. What if it all falls apart; what if the pastry does not hold; and what if it does not taste good?
Whole wheat is not what one might traditionally use in pie crusts, but trust me, it works well. You got to give it some extra TLC. Surprisingly, the crust was buttery, light, flaky and delicious! A bit fragile, but expected. Take baby steps from all purpose towards whole grain. There’s a whole new world out there!
This pie crust is not a 100% wholewheat. I added a teeny bit of plain flour. Next time, I’ll be bolder. See baby steps? I’m doing it. You can too.
I made lemonade that day as well….plum lemonade to be precise. Not to be served with the moorish galette, but here anyway. Simple and a fun way to include more fruit in your diet. The kids gulped it down greedily asking for some everyday. Too late! It’s goodby plums for now! We’re already staring fall in the face.
I’ve made plenty of galettes. It is one of my favourite forms of pie. If you are lucky and still in plum season, then you could try making this rustic free form tart. You could always substitute plums for peaches, nectarines, cherries, strawberries, blueberries, apples, figs, pears, or frozen fruit. A combination of fruit works equally well!
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Recipe: Wholewheat Plum Frangipane Galette
Summary: A delicious wholewheat plum frangipane galette with a light, buttery, flaky crust. Frangipane in here is as delightful as can be. It adds to the taste, and also offers a layer between the pastry and fruit. This keeps the pastry from going soggy!
Place the 2 flours and salt in the bowl of food processor and pulse to mix and repeater.
Add the chilled diced butter and lime juice and process again briefly until you have a pea sized mix.
Add chilled water 1 tbsp at a time and process until the dough comes together when pinched between your fingers.
Turn out, knead very briefly to pull together. Flatten into a round disk, wrap in cling-warp and chill for about 2 hours. {There’s a nice pastry tutorial here}
Almond Frangipane
Run all the ingredients in bowl of food processor until nice and smooth. Refrigerate until required.
Topping
Toss the plums with the lime juice and 30g sugar. Reserve in a bowl.
Preheat the oven to 190C.
Roll the pastry dough out on a large piece of parchment.
With an offset spatula, spread the frangipane over the base, leaving a border of about 1 1/2″.
Top with the resrved plums.
Gently draw the pastry up around the filling, using the parchment as a guide.
Pleat the pastry around the filling, pressing gently into place. Transfer onto baking tray.
Give the border a quick brush with milk, sprinkle over the remaining 15g brown sugar.
Bake for about 50-60 minutes until the crust is golden brown and firm.
Cool for at least an hour before cutting. Slice and serve with unsweetened low fat cream.
Note: We enjoyed the galatte chilled as well. It kept well in the fridge for 2 days.
“The body is the soul’s house. Shouldn’t we therefore take care of our house so that it doesn’t fall into ruin?”
Philo
Amaranth Pom Parfaits & Amaranth Dark Chocolate Brownies. Can you tell that amaranth is my latest obsession? I have been baking smart of late. Eating smart too, and hopefully spreading the word a little! You might have noticed that I am reaching more often than ever before for whole grains in my recipes. It’s a practice I strive to stick too, and have been lucky so far.Not every time though. Amaranth is one ingredient that has caught my imagination of late. Sangeeta introduced me to it, inspiring me to experiment with this wonder grain. I strive to find better ways of including it in our diet. Popped amaranth eluded me until Cookaroo was generous enough to give me a bag!
Like buckwheat and quinoa, amaranth is an especially high-quality source of plant protein including two essential amino acids, lysine and methionine, which are generally low in grains. Amaranth is packed with iron and calcium, and its fiber content is triple that of wheat. Amaranth is completely gluten-free and suitable for those with celiac disease; what’s more, it is an especially digestible grain, making it a traditional food for people recovering from illness or transitioning from a fast or cleanse.
The Pomegranate Salsa Parfaits made for interesting {and pretty if I may say so myself} glassfuls. A nice breakfast dish, maybe an evening snacky dessert! I love making pom salsa. It’s got a complex mix of flavours with ingredients that pair beautifully with each other.
Got the recipe while googling for a pom salsa. Happily enough I had everything on hand that day. We had friends over. I’ve made it a few times after that too. The flavours are refreshing. Different too. As deep, red Kandhari anaars or poms begin to flood the market again, it’s a great side to make for flat bread or crackers.
The salsa worked well for these Amaranth Pom Parfaits too. Layer them, drizzle some pom molasses over them, leave them for a bit, … and dig in! Not quite what kids might like, but we enjoyed them.
So I got more adventurous. Ordered more amaranth online, didn’t realise I hadn’t ordered the flour. It was in grain form! We live and learn, and so did I. Tried milling it in the thermomix but didn’t quite get what I was looking for. Yet made brownies with it. They came out quite good. Gluten free too. The only drawback was that you could feel the graininess coming through. Still, the kids enjoyed them. {Recipe once I get the flour!}
With all these healthy choices I am beginning to include in my everyday food, it’s a good time to review SmartEats … a subscription service to delicious, natural & healthy snacks in the NCR.
We at SmartEats have started, what we call a “Healthy Eating Movement” towards making us and our children, healthier and happier. We have teamed up with well-known nutrition specialists to develop & find snacks which are delicious, unique and healthy. These snacks are 100% natural, made from whole grains, high in micro nutrients, high in Fiber and have balanced calories.
SmartEats is a convenient and tasty way of healthier snacking for you and your family. Your monthly membership of Rs. 499 delivers a box full of 100% Natural, Delicious, Unique and Healthy snacks along with smart-living ideas to your door. Each box contains 5 new & exciting snacks. These snacks are a delectable mix of Baked & Roasted snacks , various flavors of Nuts, and Fruits recipes, Rich tea infusions, Herbal drinks and much more. It’s a great way to “EXPLORE & DISCOVER”.
The box arrived for a review and I was impressed with the neat packaging, both outside and inside. It had the promised 5 exciting snacks within. I reached for the nuts first. They didn’t disappoint. Honey Chili Nuts … very very nice. Well balanced, slightly chili but the honey fixed that. The Very Berry Strawberry bits were absolutely delicious and addictive. A great snacking option I thought. However I got curious as they were really sweet. Did ask the SmartEat folk who told me that liquid glucose had been added to enhance their sweetness. I’m not sure if that still makes them healthy. I’d sooner opt for fresh fruit. Next came the Lean Bean Mix which was very nice too. Maybe a little over spicy for me but nice flavours. A healthy mix of baked/roasted lentils. I think this can make a good base for a bhel puri like snack too. Some chopped onions, tomatoes, fresh coriander, a dash of lime … and I’d be a happy camper! Marching on to snack four, and it was time for Parsley Pepper Crackers. I liked these even though they could be cheesier. They were really good with the pom salsa {and the Baba Ghanouj & Muhammara I had on hand that day}. The Oat & Raisin Cookies are the only snacks that disappointed. To be fair to them, on giving the company feedback, they tried to fix the problem and sent me another batch. Cookies for me are truly comfort food, something I would definitely reach out for again and again. That comfort is lacking here. These were too oaty, and far from crisp. The nut-oatmeal balance didn’t quite excite the palette, and I would probably give these a pass the next time.
You can reach SmartEats here. The good thing about this exciting new company is that they are eager to listen, and willing to adapt. I am impressed by the variety they have on offer, new snacks each month!
Interestingly enough, there seems to be a lot happening on the food front of late. In recent times, emphasis on food safety standards has taken centre stage in the global food trade, alongside food security concerns. Assocham cohosted a day long event with TÜV SÜD … Safe Future Now Summit for Food safety – a collaborative approach today for a sustainable future in Gurgaon yesterday. I was privileged to be invited to moderate a panel discussion on “Effective implementation of new age media strategy, to safeguard consumer’s interest and enhance company’s reputation.“
As globalization increases and the food chain gets increasingly complex, it is natural for incidents of food safety to increase. Food safety was the key message delivered touching upon the power of social media, the burgeoning online market economy, how to contain a safety issue, and how to use the power of social media the leverage a food crisis to the benefit of all concerned. The consumers role as an important entity in the food chain was established. {On the panel that late afternoon were Mr. Max Hegerman, Managing Director, Edelman Digital, Mr. Samir Kuckreja, President, National Restaurant Association of India, Liz Fendt, Vice President, International Marketing, TÜV SÜD and Kishi Arora, Chef}
[print_this]Recipe:Amaranth Pom Parfaits
Summary: Popped amaranth, pom salsa and honey yogurt layer together to make an interesting breakfast parfait. This could even double up as a low cal dessert. {I eyeballed the ingredients. Am including a rough guideline below}
“To me, the smell of fresh-made coffee is one of the greatest inventions.’
Hugh Jackman
Chocolate Cake & Coffee Patisserie Cream Trifles. The deep, sensual aroma of coffee steeping won me over! Are you devastated by the smell of fresh bread or cookies baking? Or onions in gently frying in butter? Roasting garam masala? Fruit stewing with vanilla beans? Or maybe coffee beans roasting? Fresh herbs? Freshly plucked tomatoes? I absolutely am. It’s an olfactory explosion of sorts.
When I was young I often woke up to the delicious smells of onions frying, a chocolate cake baking, a clarified butter/pure ghee dal tadka … but the most vivid memory was of the smell of wet earth after the first monsoon showers. To this day, the smell of wet earth takes me back to those childhood days when we used to race out to play in the rain. Pure nostalgia!Now more than ever before, my world is ruled by food aromas. Does your nose lead you to the kitchen? At home here, all day long, you’ll find folk following their nose into my kitchen. It’s the most happening place in the house. I baked a chocolate cake 2 days ago. Yet this coffee pound cake was on their mind. ‘Why didn’t you bake another coffee cake?’. The teens pestered me! Annoying? Yes!I’m an out-and-out coffee sort of person! The family is too. Fresh coffee beans roasting … nirvana. Takes me back to days down south. Every house would roast their own coffee. Ours did not, but the neighbours generously shared the aromas. What a beautiful heady feeling to wake up to. Instant upliftment.
I’m also a vanilla sort of person, mostly paired with fruit. The fragrance of splitting a plump vanilla bean and scraping the insides makes my day. That morning was good! Once the thermomix got down to making the creme patisserie {7 minutes is all it takes}, I had ample time to sit and take in the fragrance. My hands smelt so good.
Try reducing fresh strawberries and vanilla bean for a compote. The whole house smells beautiful. Seriously … never underestimate the power of smell. Walk into a good coffee shop and if you’re like me, you’ll fall into a trance! So to cut a long story short, I was MAD that my chocolate cake didn’t go down well. I counselled myself a little. I knew what went wrong. I had tweaked a good recipe and added more baking soda than necessary. Extra baking soda always plays spoil sport. Note to self : BEWARE in future!I almost trashed the cake yet knew the crumb was light. It was a good cake basically, so trifle was on my mind. I love it when cake obliges with neat little squares. Two minutes later, I was in coffee creme patisserie mode. Time to win the coffee lovers back! Pastry cream that smelt like heaven, felt smooth as silk. Asked the daughter to check for sweetness. She couldn’t wouldn’t stop spooning it into her mouth! Just one last spoon, she begged!
Trifles are great make ahead desserts. Also a lovely way to use up leftover cake. We love fruit trifles and we loved these Chocolate Cake & Coffee Patisserie Cream Trifles too. Deep coffee flavours, great pairing with chocolate, nice play of textures. The cake cubes soaked in a coffee syrup. A swirl of whipped cream might have completed the trifle. So tell me dear reader, is your life is ruled by good food aromas? What are the smells that awaken your senses? Are you convinced that if something smells divine, it must taste even better? Do you eat with your eyes first? And do you believe, like me, that the sense of smell, sight and taste are all interlinked to make our world more delicious?
Food, ingredients, aromas, the folk, the garden, the venue, memories, the ambiance … the entire connect weaves a delightful ‘spread’!
~For Indiblogger and Ambipur … ‘Smelly To Smiley!’ ~
Summary: We loved these Chocolate Cake & Coffee Patisserie Cream Trifles too. LOVED! Deep coffee flavours, great pairing with chocolate, nice play of textures. The cake cubes soaked in a coffee syrup. A swirl of whipped cream might have completed them! Serves 6-8.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes plus cooling time Ingredients:
Chocolate buttermilk pound cake {recipe adapted from here}
Chocolate shavings to garnish {or/and whipped cream}
Method:
Chocolate buttermilk pound cake {you will have leftovers}
Preheat the oven to 170C.Line the base and sides of a 7″ round tin.
Sift the flour with the cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Reserve.
Cream the butter and sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract.
With beater on low add the flour and buttermilk alternately in three lots.
Bake for 50-60 minutes till the tester comes out clean.Cool in tin for 25-20 minutes, then gently remove from tin.
Cool completely, this cut into squares.
Coffee Cream Patisserie {Thermomix recipe}
Place all ingredients in bowl of thermomix and process to mix on speed 6 for 1 minute.
Turn the TM to 90C, speed 4 and set for 7 minutes. {You can add the vanilla bean shell if you like. I did}
Strain in a bowl and allow to cool. Stir often to avoid a film getting made on top. Cover with cling wrap, the plastic touching the surface, and chill until the cake cools.
Coffee syrup
Place all ingredients in a pan and simmer until the sugar dissolves. Allow to steep and cool until needed.
Assembling trifles
Place a handful of cake cubes in the base of serving glasses/bowls. Drizzle liberally with coffee syrup. Top with coffee pastry cream. Repeat again.
Finish with a few cubes of chocolate cake {drizzled with coffee syrup} and chocolate shavings. {Pipe over whipped cream if desired}.
Chill for about 2 hours before serving to allow the flavours to mature. You can assemble these a day ahead.
Note: You can make the Coffee Cream Patisserie by the traditional stove top method too using the above ingredients.
“May your life be filled, as mine has been, with love and laughter; and remember, when things are rough all you need is … Chocolate.”
Geraldine Solon
These are tiring days. Life seems cumbersome. Maybe it’s that time of the year, the heat and humidity; maybe the after effects of trying to pack too much into working days. I needed a break. That came today! I offered to guest post on Cookaroo to help ease her tiring days! This Baked Dark Chocolate Mousse seemed to be the thing! {Recipe here}
Had to send Ruchira’s blog some deliciousness while she works hard {read struggles} to get life up and running in her new world. The thought of doing something for this large hearted and fab girl injected some enthusiasm into me. With a spring in my step, I grabbed the camera early this morning. I knew just what would make her smile.
So grab your spoons and head straight for Cookaroo for these petite beauties. They’re a chocolate lovers dream come true. Deep, dark, sensuous, seductive … petite dark chocolate mousse with a drizzle of deep, dark, salted caramel. Need I say more?
“Skills are never taught, they are acquired. I can give you a camera, but can’t feed your vision.”
Raghu Rai
Mumbai, Aug 19th, 2013
It was Aug 19th, 2013. I landed in Mumbai early that morning armed with my camera. Shot the above as I was driven to the hotel. Google was celebratingWorld Photography Dayin Mumbai, the city of dreams.Shantaram’s Mumbai for me, the book that brought the city virtually alive for me. It played out like a film in my head as I read the book. Then came Slumdog Millionaire. It offered the world this bustling city frame by frame, captured to take your breath away! The Mumbaikers, the colours, the light, the smells of Mumbai … all fascinating! All this has one common thread. IMAGES.
My world is dominated by the moments that I capture. I have a million pictures that I love to look at, share, tag, and use on the blog. I’m no different from most of us. Cameras and mobiles have resulted in photography enthusiasts like never before. An active social networking community means that we like to share the pictures we capture. We need to curate too, organise them. That’s just where is where Google steps in.
Google celebrated World Photography Day in Mumbai with an event at the Race Course at Mahaluxmi. It was a day when professional photographers and photo enthusiasts were invited to step into Googles dynamic world of photo sharing. Google invited photographers to embrace technology with its easy to use features.
“Google+ offers plethora of advanced features for budding and professional photographers to add effects, edit, and improve the quality of their photos. It provides a powerful platform for photographers to showcase their work, receive suggestions, and network with other photographers with similar interests.”
I have been using Google images in my G+ account for a while. My first real insight into Google’s world was when I was invited for Google Day in September last year. AMAZING GOOGLE were my thoughts that day. I hadn’t realised how dynamic, how responsive, how brilliant Google was. There are subtle changes that I notice as I use this platform increasingly. Non invasive, good helpful features that attempt to make life easier.
Mumbai, Aug 19th, 2013
For a world now obsessed with images and social networking, cameras and mobiles rule the world. The whole worlds clicking, and Google’s here to simplify things! Being the dynamic and proactive company that it is, Google has worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make G+ image friendly.
Mumbai, Aug 19th, 2013
They chose to celebrate World Photography Day in a big way. I was privileged to be invited. They flew me down, hosted me at the beautiful ITC Grand Central, assigned me a chauffeur driven car for the day … everything taken care of like magic. {Photography is everywhere; above adorning the walls of the hotel room}.
The event was hosted at the beautiful Tote on the Turf. An inspiring array of photo exhibits was on display, each celebrating India and photography…. with G+ of course. After a brief welcome, the stage was handed over to one of India’s best known photographers and photojournalists, the celebrated Padma Shri Raghu Rai, for the keynote session. {I have included some of his stunning B & W photographs below}Raghu Rai’s India is inspirational. Full of character. No one has shot India like he has; extensively and evocatively. At the event, Raghu Rai spoke about the evolution of photography over the decades. Also about how creativity is pushing new boundaries with the easy to use technology available on hand. {The shots below are ones I took on a recent visit to Lucknow. I love the emotional connect and vibrancy that India offers}
Lucknow, March 2013
“If your mind is not connected to what you are shooting then you are not a good photographer” Raghu Rai went on to explain. You need to connect with your inner self, your maker to try and ‘capture the moment’. Of that moment he says ” A photograph has picked up a fact of life, and that fact will live forever‘. He held the audience captivatedwith his stories, ending with how dangerously fascinating Google was for him.
From there, Sandeep Menon, Director, Marketing, Google India took over. “The advent of technology has brought easy-to-use, advanced photography tools within reach of all photography enthusiasts. Recognizing the evolving needs of photographers, Google is focused on providing useful photo-editing tools and services to help people share the special moments that matter.“
Mumbai, Aug 19th, 2013
Sandeep Menon went on to demonstrate salient features that Google has silently built into it’s photo sharing sites. With features like auto back up, auto-enhance, auto highlight and auto awesome, g+ promises to make your picture better automagically!
Mumbai, Aug 19th, 2013
As Raghu Rai said, “The world of photography has seen a paradigm shift over the past decade. It has moved away from isolated dark rooms to highly interactive social platforms.” With increased awareness and interest in photography, travel etc, and the growing popularity of such platforms, g+ fits in easily.
It leverages the power of technology to capture and curate photographs, helps address common bottlenecks like skin tone enhancing, denoising, local contrast. In a nutshell, Google offers intelligent photo editing on the go! These are all available free at g+.
Also interesting was the animated gif composition where image series can be merged to make an animation. Auto awesome! Take a look at my gif below; it’s quite animated yet could have been better!! This is my first attempt to stitch a strip!
The event wrapped up with an interactive panel discussion with celebrated photojournalists and photographers which included Sooni Taraporevala, Sumit Sen, Mulchand Dedhia and Ketaki Sheth. Thank you Google for having me over!
