White Wonder

I have no idea what these pretty white flowers are called but they are just beautiful.

Gorgeous really. You would easily overlook them because they are quite tiny but when you look closer you can really appreciate their beauty. It's really amazing.

The macro world has so many surprises. There is so much just waiting to be explored and seen but we are too busy to notice these tiny yet truly amazing things.

Learning The Ropes

I came across this juvenile Oriental Garden Lizard after months of not even seeing a single lizard so I was really quite happy.

Also this happened to be the first juvenile I'd seen up close. It seemed really shy and really didn't like me going too close. I assume this is because it is still a juvenile as adults don't really seem to mind too much unless of course you make them feel uncomfortable by making sudden movements or loud sounds.

After a few attempts to get a good shot it decided it didn't want to pose for me anymore and scurried away. Fortunately, it didn't go too far and just climbed this brick and stood there staring at me. This was a good opportunity and made for a good shot :)

Two Little Bulbuls

When I wake up in the morning I usually like to go and spend a few minutes on the balcony just looking out at the sunrise, the birds and fields and people out with their dogs and stuff. It all seems so peaceful and beautiful.

One morning I noticed these two beautiful red-vented bulbuls on this guava tree. They seemed to be talking to each other - probably discussing their own dreams of a tasty guava feast or something like that.

They they kinda just stayed there for a while talking and then just quietly. They were there for quite a while which made for a good photo opportunity.

Living Water

Out one gloomy day we passed by this waterfall.

It wasn't very large or majestic or anything like that but it somehow looked like a good subject for a photograph.

It also reminded me of John 7:38 which says "He who believes on me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water".

The Trap Is Set

When I was little I wasn't really terrified of spiders even though we had some really huge and scary looking ones. Sometimes we'd watch a giant spider weave it's web across our roof as we fell asleep.

My parents told me that if a spider went from one spot to another and then back to the previous spot a few times it was building its web. They were right of course and that always amazed me.

This particular spider had one of the most elaborate webs I have ever seen. It was actually built between three trees that were spread very far apart. I have no idea how it did it but it was actually beautiful.

Watching it weave its web wasn't boring either. Sometimes a strand would break because of the wind and so it would quickly scurry over and fix it before it got worse.

Red Alert

These dragonflies might look like they are just resting and not really paying attention to their surroundings but they are actually quite alert.

I noticed this dragonfly early one morning in this place and it looked like it had spent the night there so I assumed it was sleeping. I think I was wrong because the second I got too close it flew away.

Fortunately it came back and perched on the same stem which is when I was able to get this shot.

A Pretty One

Flowers are just great. So vibrant, pretty and diverse. Plus most of them smell good too :D

They always make for good photo opportunities. Sometimes they can definitely be a challenge but when you get that one picture that is just right it more than makes up for it.

There isn't just one way to photograph flowers and I think as long as you are able to capture it's beauty and you are happy with it, that's the way to go.

Spring is long gone and you won't see a lot of flowers nowadays but this little beauty was in full bloom in the hills. It was pretty amazing too - the hills not far behind and this pretty little thing blooming there.

Shining Bright

The night I decided to go to the terrace during a recent visit to a hill station was a surprise for me. The main reason being that the moon wasn't a full moon yet was so bright that it seemed like a full moon. Actually even brighter than a full moon.

That was surprising for me. It was cloudy and I didn't think I'd be able to get a good shot but the clouds were moving fast and so for a while the moon wasn't obstructed and I was able to get this shot.

I thought the lights on the hills would overpower the stars and maybe even the moon but the stars and the moon were so bright that they actually showed up pretty bright and clear in the photograph.

No major adjustments here - just minor highlight and shadow tweaks and some noise reduction (the noise on the SX50 is bad).

Natural Beauty

Earth's only satellite is actually quite beautiful.

Have you guys watched the recent video that NASA released? The one of the moon's rotation? Well you should definitely check it out. It's amazing to say the least. Here is the link if you're interested http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnSHqaEGb9c

Clear skies always make for good shots of the moon and that night was actually pretty cloudy but it was clear moon-side for a bit so I was able to grab a quick shot of this beautiful satellite :)

Out Of Place

Monsoon season means we get rains almost everyday. Actually we do get rains everyday and strong winds too so delicate flowers don't really survive for very long.

One afternoon I noticed this little flower resting on this weed. It just seemed odd because there were so many of these weeds around and so many other flowers that had fallen and yet only one had managed to get itself stuck in this manner.

But it looked nice and I just had to get a picture of it. It was only when I'd copied the pictures to the computer that I noticed there were some really tiny bugs on the weed. They kinda look like mosquitoes but not quite like mosquitoes too.

Waiting Patiently

That title actually goes for both me and the dragonfly. We were both waiting patiently for a good catch but very different kinds of catches :D

While I was waiting to catch a good shot of the dragonfly, the dragonfly was waiting for catch a good insect for a nice meal.

The picture actually turned out way better than I'd expected. I was fully zoomed in using the SX50 and as you know the picture quality deteriorates a great deal on this camera when you zoom in fully so I didn't expect to get a lot of detail but I was surprised by the amount of detail I did get.

Just A Peek

Shooting dragonflies is fun but also challenging and so a break is a good idea.

I was shooting dragonflies when I noticed some movement a few feet away from me. The grass was really thick so the first thing I thought of was that it was a snake but when I went closer I saw a juvenile Oriental Garden Lizard looking right at me.

He/she seemed scared and just ran off when I tried to get close but it stopped at this fence and put it's tiny little head through it.

It looked so very cute and adorable (yes, adorable) :)

Candle Horns

Recently I wanted to do something different because sunsets were getting a little monotonous so I grabbed some candles and LEDs and a camera (obviously) and started shooting.

I'd done it once before with the SX30 IS but never with the SX50 HS. Turns out that not being able to control the ISO for slow shutter speeds was a problem but not a very big one.

It was a little difficult and took hours to get one shot but it was definitely worth it.

Into The Sunset

So many movies have a final scene in which the main characters walk/ride away towards the sunset.

This particular scene reminded me of just that.

There were a lot of birds out that day and this particular bird seemed to be flying off into the sunset while all the others were flying away from it.

As The Clouds Rise

Those who have been reading my blog know that I've been working on a series called "The Tower On The Hill" where I photograph this particular tower on the far away hill that is visible from where I stay.

This tower is in a town called Kurseong and is called Eagles' Crag.

I didn't know this had a name until a friend told me. Apparently the view from that tower is stunning so I'll have to visit someday.

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.

A Delicious Meal

We have two guava trees in front of our house and this season we didn't really get a lot of ripe guavas.

There were tons of raw ones and then they would suddenly disappear when they ripened.

Turns out these red-vented bulbuls were the once eating them. We did manage to get a few which were really delicious.

It's a real treat to see these bulbuls everyday :)

The Rays Of Hope

Whenever I see these amazing scenes it always reminds me of hope. I don't know why but it just does for some reason and I'm not complaining.

As I said earlier this scene was also a surprise. There weren't many clouds in the sky that afternoon and out of nowhere this massive clouds covered the sun.

The rays of light just looked really majestic and it was an impressive sight to behold.

Dark Eyes

Coming across this silk moth was a pleasant surprise. I didn't expect to find it when I went to shoot some dragonflies that evening.

It was really huge. The first I've seen (I think).

Anyway the antennae really impressed me. Look at those things. They look so fluffy and yet the closer you look the more details you'll fine.

The pitch black eyes just make it better.

Angry Insect

This is one of those times that a DSLR would come in real handy and where the SX50 HS just can't win. I wish I could have got a better macro shot of this insect but this is the best the SX50 could do...plus it's cropped.

Anyway this insect actually looked like it was frowning and like it was very angry. You know when you're really hungry and there is no break in sight you kinda get angry? Yeah? Well, that's the kinda angry it looked.

Below is a low res image of the insect cropped from the original image above. It looks angry, doesn't it?

Pretty Damsel

This is probably the first good picture of a damselfly I've been able to get.

That's probably because I never really gave it a shot but while shooting dragonflies one day I saw this pretty little thing flying around and it landed on a blade of grass very close to me.

That was a really good opportunity and I think it turned out ok given that the Canon SX50 HS isn't a great one for macro. This is the closest you can get on this camera and I must say that the details are actually quite impressive.

Ready To Bloom

I have no idea what these flowers are called but they sure are pretty.

When we were little we would pluck some and then suck the nectar which was really really sweet. Too bad that these flowers are tiny and you don't get much out of them.

Plus I think the bees and butterflies would have hated us then for stealing from them. These flower come in bunches and last pretty long too so that just brightens up any garden.

When Storms Arise

During my recent trip we had a lot of rains. When I say "a lot" I mean it rained most of the time.

In a way that was a good thing because of the clouds. The clouds would be really dramatic and so they would provide some really great photo opportunities that might otherwise be lost.

One example was this temple. Its a temple on a far away hill and you can actually see it in the panorama I uploaded a few weeks back.
The storm clouds were rolling in and I grabbed this picture just before the overhanging clouds completely engulfed this temple.

Focal Point

Photographing flowers is always so rewarding. A pretty flower can make a pretty picture and you do feel good when you get a good picture.

Sometimes we do need to look closer and see the beauty in minute details. Like this flower for example. It's really pretty as a whole but even when you get really close you can see there is much more to it that is waiting to be explored.

So details are important and we need to look closer and appreciate little tiny things :)

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.

Over Boundaries

I've always been fascinated by things that fly (and this goes for man-made stuff too). Birds, bats, dragonflies...all sorts of creatures...they just are so beautiful and graceful when they fly and even when they don't :D

It seems like they have no limits and boundaries don't really matter to them. They can just fly over those boundaries and go wherever they want.

Seeing this dragonfly sitting atop this fence immediately made me think of that fact.

We humans are so tied down and limited in our actions but these beautiful wonders of creation (just like us) are free.

The Comb

I was going to go with "The Comb-Over" but I didn't know how many people would actually get it so I decided against it.

We'd gone fishing and this cock kept following us around and so I decided to take a few pictures of it while we waited for the fish to take the bait.

I quite like this one from the entire bunch because I think it portrays the pride of the cock quite well.

Watchful

I ran into this juvenile Oriental Garden Lizard when I was shooting dragonflies.

The dragonflies were really all over the place and it was really hot so that made it all the more difficult to get a good shot. Then I noticed this little fellow eating some tiny insects that were flying around it.

I tried to get close but juveniles are a lot more nervous than adults and so it kept running away even when I wasn't close to it.

Finally it went behind these weeds and poked its head out and stared at me providing a good photo opportunity.

Light Painting Vase

I've tried getting back to light painting because I haven't done it in a while and I'd forgotten how much fun it was. Of course it requires a lot of patience but it's worth the effort.

This particular picture was part of a "welcome home" banner that I did recently out of light painting.

I wanted to do something unique unlike the previous banners that I'd done and I thought light painting would be a good place to start.


Painting this vase wasn't too difficult but took a lot of time because I really wanted to get all the details so I had to go in and paint each flower separately and then the vase itself. The white streaks you see are actually reflections of the torch I was using. I used a home-made diffuser (ok, it was just a piece of paper).

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.