When we end the meal with a dessert, the sweetness lingers on our tongue, for some more time. It feels satisfying. I had a terrible 2024 and wanted to end the last month of 2024, doing/learning something for the sake of fun. Somethings feel like therapy. I intentionally visited sweet shops & cafes to lift my mood. My wife learnt home baking of cakes & cookies and I feel thankful for that. Taking inspiration from this blog, casually clicked and shared random beautiful pics. Decided to watch one TED video on photography daily in the evening. Some were pleasing and some showed the difficulties/realities, as shared by photo journalists. The compilation of the talks are below. Also, below are a lot many resources, I found on the internet, which I plan watch later, at leisure. Happy video watching at leisure 🙂

• Steven Addis: A father-daughter bond, one photo at a time | TED Talk 
• JR: One year of turning the world inside out | TED Talk
• Becci Manson: (Re)touching lives through photos | TED Talk
• Erik Johansson: Impossible photography | TED Talk
• Cesar Kuriyama: One second every day | TED Talk
• Five great moments in time-lapse photography | TED Blog
• Levon Biss: Mind-blowing, magnified portraits of insects | TED Talk 
• Alec Soth and Stacey Baker: This is what enduring love looks like | TED Talk
• Jimmy Nelson: Gorgeous portraits of the world’s vanishing people | TED Talk
• Stephen Wilkes: The passing of time, caught in a single photo | TED Talk
• Giles Duley: When a reporter becomes the story | TED Talk
• Sebastião Salgado: The silent drama of photography | TED Talk
• Lisa Kristine: Photos that bear witness to modern slavery | TED Talk
• Paul Nicklen: Animal tales from icy wonderlands | TED Talk
• James Nachtwey: My wish: Let my photographs bear witness | TED Talk
• Jonathan Klein: Photos that changed the world | TED Talk
• David Griffin: How photography connects us | TED Talk
• Frans Lanting: The story of life in photographs | TED Talk
• Taryn Simon: Photographs of secret sites | TED Talk
• Kristen Ashburn: The face of AIDS in Africa | TED Talk

nb: TED encourages sharing the talks, under Creative Commons license. Please refer TED Talks Usage Policy

A wealth of resources on photography, from the internet.

• Good photography channels on YouTube – Reddit
• National Geographic – YouTube
• Recommendations from Shaikh Samar
  • “Tales by Light”: Explore breathtaking visuals and storytelling behind the lens.
  • “Abstract: The Art of Design”: Gain insights into the creative process of various artists, including photographers.
  • “Photography Masterclass” (Annie Leibovitz)
• 20 Best Photography YouTube Channels To Follow in 2024
• 9 Must-Watch YouTube Channels for Photographers | ISO Republic
• The 8 Best Photography Youtube Channels for Beginners – FilterGrade
• 9 YouTube channels that will help you become a better photographer

PS: I don’t aspire to be a professional photographer, but like to click random beautiful things that are pleasing to my eyes, using mobile phone. Thanks to my friend Ravisuriya, my school senior Balaji man & Ram, whom I met at Kabini, whose photographic works, I admire.

As we end 2024, I whole heartedly thank my family, friends & relatives, for all the support in times of extreme distress.