Zubin Pastakia is a documentary photographer and urban researcher living and working in Mumbai.

In 2006 he began working on a series looking at single-screen cinema halls in Mumbai. The project was initially supported by a fellowship from SARAI-CSDS and was awarded the TOTO Funds the Arts Award for Photography in 2008. The intention is to exhibit and compile the work into a photobook in the near future.

His other photographic project looks at the built environment of Mumbai. Focusing on slum rehabilitation projects, housing colonies of different social classes, peripheries of new business centers, suburban townships, sites of environmental degradation and open spaces that are pending development, the project takes a critical look at the forces that are shaping the city's constant metamorphosis. Still in progress, the series has been supported by a grant from the India Habitat Centre. Some of the work from this project has been exhibited in group shows by Tasveer Gallery.

Zubin freelances for various publications and also photographs for architects and interior designers.

And, yes, the prints are for sale. Contact Zubin for more information.

If you have questions for Zubin, post them in the comments section below. I am sure he looks forward to hearing from you.

You've got literally 7 seconds to capture your audience on your website. Do you hook 'em or do you flick 'em?

Tyler Garns heads up Think Big Art, a company that's sole goal is to help photographers like myself market our services better to our clients. He is currently developing a photography marketing course called OVER[Exposure].

To be fair and open, I must tell you that I have entered into a partnership with him because what he has developed so far is rock solid information that I have found to be very useful for my documentary wedding photography business. What I am about to present to you has affiliate links but let that not deter you into at least checking this out. I think it is amazing that Tyler has come up with a tool to assess your website.

The tool allows visitors to look at your site for 7 seconds only and then give you feedback on the message that you're conveying. I think you'll be shocked at the results! Try it now!

The 7-second Test

Every time someone takes the 7 Second Test and reviews your site, you'll get an email with their feedback (the emails will be slightly delayed). Review them carefully and consider changing your homepage so the message that is received is the message you want to convey.

You're missing out big time on capturing the attention of your visitors and getting them to engage if you don't nail the first 7 seconds of their visit. Use this tool to test your site. You can submit up to 3 websites if you desire.

Check out the 7 Second Test now.

Like so many photographers I “meet” today, Matt Brandon and I came to know of each other thanks to Twitter. His passion for photography, people and travel intrigued me. Scanning his blog one day, I stumbled upon the beautiful multimedia show you see below on Bangla Sahib. What I liked most about this slideshow was Matt's use of ambient sound and interviews as we are taken through the lives of those who visit this beautiful Gurudwara (a Sikh temple).

Matt Brandon has a special eye for portraits of people set in their natural environment. He photographs images of the forgotten, the unknown and the helpless. He shoots beauty and sees it everywhere. The beauty in the eyes of a seven year old street girl of Old Delhi, an eighty year old shepherdess in the Himalaya. He sees the beauty in the face of the over worked 60 year old Indonesian farmer or the Buddhist monk Cambodia. He sees value in telling their story. These are stories that most people would over look. The cultures of the “other part” of the world have a special draw for him, ever since he was a child in Alaska.

Matt spent over thirteen years living in India and now resides with his family in Malaysia. He shoots often for international faith based NGOs and non-profits. He takes assignments regularly. Matt's images have been used by international clients such as Partner Aid International, NeighborWorks, the BBC, Honda Motor Corporation, and the Bombadier Transport Corporation. If you are looking for a photographer for your next assignment, no matter where, please give Matt a call or email him.

It was a magazine clipping that my mother handed me on my way back to the US that first introduced me to Homai Vyarawalla, India's first woman photojournalist. In a field that is clearly overrun by men, I was easily charmed by her tenacity and resolve to also bear witness to India's first waking moments as an independent nation.

Check out this film – it's rather long at 70 minutes – to get acquainted with a legend in the field of photojournalism.

View this movie at cultureunplugged.com

Post your thoughts below in the comments section. I look forward to hearing from you.

What do you make of this advertisement? Like anything I know there are two sides to this story. What have you heard? I want to know. Yes, the natural environment must be protected. Yes, the nation's progress depends on manufacturing, jobs, infrastructure etc. But who has done a cost-benefit analysis here? Is there an environmental report somehwer that is free of jargon and easy to understand by the lay person? Do we give a shit one way or another?

Here is your chance to speak up. Tell me. Tell us. Keep the language clean and the discussion civil. And, when you do comment, please use your REAL name, a real email address and if you have a website, a real URL. If you are going to want to remain anonymous, I am afraid your comment will be deleted. Sorry!

Now, speak!