Setting Moon

I woke up early one morning and went up to the roof and the run was just rising in the east while the moon was setting in the west.

It was just amazing. That was the first time I'd ever seen the moon setting behind the hills and it was gorgeous.

It was great. Fortunately the cloud had cleared by then and that provided a clean and clear view of the moon as it set and with the rising sun adding colours to the clouds it was beautiful.

Homey

Not a misspelling. I wanted to go with "homely" but then Google told me that it's a British word so I decided against it.

Anyway I took this picture a couple of years ago when I was experimenting with HDR photography.

It was a phase that I soon got over. I mean I still shoot HDR but I don't use it all the time like I used to because sometimes a single RAW file will suffice.

Peeking Blue

Another one from my recent visit to a nearby hill station. It was amazing and I'm sure you can tell from the pictures.

For this particular picture I wanted to try something new in post-processing.

When I took the picture I remember the blue in the sky was really close to the blue hill in the background but that somehow got lost in the picture and that when split-toning seemed like a good idea.

I actually quite like this look even though some may say it doesn't look real. Of course I'm not going to use it for every picture but I think it works well for this particular one.

A Carpet Across The Sky

Since it's World Photography Day I thought I'd share one of my favourite pictures from this year.

I love landscapes and clouds and I think this picture is pretty neat. I woke up one morning during a recent vacation so this amazing view.

The clouds spread across the sky like a carpet fit for a king. It was as if there was another entirely mysterious world hidden by the clouds.

Anyway hope you all had a good day.

Who Covers The Heavens With Clouds

I'm still tired after my short holiday but I thoroughly enjoyed it. The part that I enjoyed the most was the fellowship there. It was amazing. I wish I didn't have to return.

Anyway the view that had last week was just amazing. You had to see it to believe it because pictures don't do justice to it's awesomeness.

This particular morning the clouds were just clearing after the rain and as I looked towards the south I remember Psalm 147:8 which says
"Who covers the heavens with clouds,

Who prepares rains for the earth,

Who makes grass to grow on the mountains."

I wish I can go back there again soon.

Victors

I noticed this Oriental Garden Lizard on a metal fence one morning so I ran back home to grab the camera and take a few pictures.

When I got back it was still there but so were two more male lizards - fighting! Now I know these lizards will protect their territory fiercely but I've never actually seen two lizards fight. I tried my best to get a few pictures but they were all over the place so it was tough. I'll share a few pictures soon. I still have to pick the best one.

After the fight the victor went and joined the lizard that was already on the fence and stay close to him. Maybe they thought the fence was some kind of podium :P

Anyway that was quite the experience and that be to God for that and also for the pictures that I was able to take :)

Aerial Aura

Ok. Before you start complaining I'll admit that that title is cheesy. I honestly couldn't think of a better one.

Anyway if you have read my previous posts then you will definitely know that I love my sleep. So I was a tad irritated when I was woken up so that I could get ready in time for school. After freshening up I usually like to go to the balcony and look out at the sunrise, the birds, the people on their morning walks, the dogs they bring with them and just everything else.

So I went out to the balcony as usual and the sun which was hidden behind a few clouds imparted a yellowish-orange (forgive me as I'm not very good with colours) colour to the the entire sky. It looked nice so I went to get my camera. When I did come out again I was surprised by what I saw. The clouds no longer hid the sun (this is not the part that surprised me, in case you are wondering) and instead a Bulbul (which happens to be one of the birds that my Mom loves) was blocking the sun. What was interesting was that because the sun was so bright it gave the Bulbul a nice rim light. I'm sure the Bulbul was blissfully unaware of how great it looked but it sat there long enough for me to get a few good pictures.

That's the story behind today's picture.

I'm not sure what my settings were but I'm pretty sure I exposed for the sky in order to get a nice silhouette of the bird. Here is another picture from the same morning.

I've nearly finished the Light Painting Tutorial and I'll put it up later today.

Heavenly Mosaic

After tying the dog and putting him in his kennel I usually go back to sleep (I'm lazy that way) but for some reason I didn't go to back to my warm and cozy bed that morning and I'm really happy I didn't because I would have missed the amazing sunrise if I had gone back to the land of dreams.

Needless to say the sunrise was amazing! The clouds were like a carpet spread across the sky. I could almost image walking on those soft, fluffy white clouds. Things like this always make me smile.

I quickly grabbed the camera and went out to try and capture the beauty of it all. There was a man with his dog walking towards the west. Surprisingly he seemed to be blissfully unaware of the beautiful sunrise behind him. I almost felt like shouting out and pointing him in the right direction but I didn't for two reasons - he himself looked threatening and second the I'm sure the dog would like a total stranger shouting at it or its master.

A couple of days later I ran into him on my way to school. He turned out to be quite friendly and seemed to smile a lot while talking. I still don't know his name but we exchange greetings whenever we happen to meet.

The sunrise was so amazing that I kept staring at the sky for more than an hour. Needless to say my neck hurt and I was nearly late for school. It was totally worth it!