Record Shell Output to a File

There are times when you need to post the outcome of a particular command(s) from a shell on a forum or somewhere else. It might be for troubleshooting or demonstration. However, copy-paste is not exactly a good option if your shell is filled with tons of information. Not to mention, you would spend a lot of time just selecting the text & then pasting it into a word processor. Wouldn’t life be easy if there would be a script which would gather all the data from a terminal & save it to a file? It does exist.

Before starting to run the command(s) whose output you wish to capture, enter;

$script -a filename

You will get,

[shuttertux@localhost ~]$ script -a filename

Script started, file is filename

[shuttertux@localhost ~]$

Now one can begin entering the required commands. Once done, type;

$exit

You’ll get,

[shuttertux@localhost ~]$ exit

exit

Script done, file is filename

[shuttertux@localhost ~]$

Now you can view the output file simply by,

$cat filename

Wasn’t that easy? Just remember, the output file is saved in your present working directory.

GIMP startrail-compositor plugin for easy Star Trails

Star-trail photographs are mind boggling to look at. Its one of the most beautiful vista of nature. However most of the times when it comes to post-processing the photos after shooting a star trail can be a pain. Here is a small GIMP plugin which will help you elevate all that pain & concentrate more on shooting part of star trails. The plugin is known as ‘gimp-startrail-compositor‘. You can download it here.

Calculate Exposure easily with Exposure Calculator

Setting the correct exposure is one of the most fundamental of photography. With the inbuilt light meters in our camera’s, this becomes a piece of cake as we no longer need to work by the Sunny 16 or any other gothic rule. However over dependence on these inbuilt meters have meant most of the amateur photographers not able to count exposure mentally in terms of stops.

This ability to increase or decrease the exposure by stops comes in handy when one is trying his/her hand at really long exposures. Once you put a dense enough Neutral Density(ND) filter, you will need to count back in stops so as to determine the correct exposure. Depending on the density of your ND filter, this may demand to count back up-to 10 or more stops. Now if you’re sound of your knowledge about the aperture & shutter-speed scale, then you’ll breeze through. Else you might go for the trial & error method. However, the trial & error method would take sometime before you figure out the correct exposure. Instead, use ‘Exposure Calculator‘.

Exposure Calculator is a nifty android application which allows one to calculate exposure for long exposures. One needs to simply input the current correct exposure settings(indicated by your camera’s inbuilt meter) in the top part of the application after which you input the density of your ND filter in stops & you’ve your new exposure automatically calculated for you at the bottom. Makes sure you input the correct settings in the first place else your exposure will be skewed.

That’s it! Now if maths was not your favourite subject in high school, simply use the ‘Exposure Calculator’ & give all the worries of your calculation to your maths teacher.

Lively Leaves : Photo Series

Leaves! I’m fascinated by them. Each leaf has a unique texture, shape & colour to it. The symmetry, the lines & the details truly testify the wonderful creation of the nature. As the season’s progress, they transform uniquely & again take on an entirely new character. I’m obsessed with all these qualities of leaf. Here is another photo series on them. Enjoy.

Crowd

Love – Two Bodies, One Soul

Birth

Insurance

In case you’re curious about the first photo series on leaves, check it out.

ST Photo Tip # 10 : Listen to Music for Better Photographs

“I am happy when I read a good book, listen to a good song, play with my dog, joke with my mother, take a walk in the wild, watch the stars in the sky, help someone, spend time in solitude, speak the truth, watch kids play. Happiness is both within and without.” – Priya Kumar

Music is a universal motivator. I feel, I make good photographs when surrounded by music. Music lifts my soul & freeds it from any anxiety which in turn let me concentrate better on getting the photographs I envision. Try it. Put on your favorite play-list on your mobile phone, plug in the earphones & begin to photograph. You’ll feel motivated & that will show up in the photographs you make.

Music is also known to divert the mind from fear & anxiety. If you or your clients feel uncomfortable, let the music flow into background as you shoot. Playing their(clients) favorite song will make them drop their guard resulting into more natural photographs.

And at times when you cannot foresight any photography, sit down, close your eyes & listen to music for a while. Let it pierce through your soul. When you’re done, you will experience a new vigor to photograph. So put on the headphones & grab your camera to go on a journey to make musical photographs.