Happy New Year

Wish you all a very Happy New Year!!!

Hope you all have a great year ahead filled with God's blessings :)

Jesus Is The Reason For The Season

It's Christmas eve people!
Now I know there are people who don't celebrate which is why I must say that I have no intention of offending you with today's post.

Hope you all have a Merry Christmas.

We do not know when the Lord Jesus Christ actually came down to earth but what we are sure of is that He came down to free us from our bonds of sin. He gave up His life so that we could be saved from our impending doom - eternal destruction in the lake of fire.

Thanks to God's unending love we now no longer have to fear and no longer have to serve sin and Satan. All we have to do to have eternal life and an everlasting and personal relationship with God, our creator is accept that we are sinners and believe in the saving power of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Since I probably won't be online much till I get back home I wish you all a very Happy New Year!

White Wash

I've never actually seen it snowing. I have seen snow once when I was little but never after that and seeing all these pictures from friends abroad who are enjoying a white winter made me wonder what it would be like if it snowed here.

That didn't really help so editing a portrait of my friend too make it look like it was snowing seemed like the next best thing.

Happy Holidays everyone!

A Walk

Another one for a recent series of photos I took for two of my friends.

We had a great time shooting in that park. Taking pictures of people is challenging but also really interesting because there are so many options and you can be as creative as you want with almost no limits.

Anyway I got to go back to the school where I spent the last (and best) two years of my school life for their biennial concert and it was really great!

Confidence

With the temperature dropping steadily and the layers of clothes increasing it seemed like a good idea to share a picture taken during the warm summer months. More specifically during on the best holidays I've ever had.

We came across this little puppy as it was resting inside the FRI (Forest Research Institute) building. As we were leaving we saw it strolling about on the grass. It was really friendly and went up to a few tourists and started playing with them. It's nice that they seemed to like playing with it too. My aunt on the other hand didn't even want to see it which was really funny because at one point it came right up to us.

Upwards And Onwards

I love the way trees grow. Just like fingerprints no two are alike. It's amazing and makes any place look so much more beautiful and interesting.

There is a park of sorts not very far from where I live. It's just outside a wildlife sanctuary and it has there really tall and really beautiful trees. This is one of the first trees you see as soon as you enter.

Side Move

With the internet problems and then the countless problems that Windows 8 and 8.1 bring to the table it's really difficult to post regularly but I'll try and do my best - even if that means a post from my phone.

In keeping with my recent interest in portraits I thought I would share one of someone I share a birthday with. He's older than me but we share the same birthday and I still remember celebrating together whenever we were in the same place - good times!

Deciding between black and white or colour was really difficult. Maybe I'll post the colour one sometime in the future.

The Core

I've been noticing these flowers in the garden and almost always the centre seems to decay and die last. That's what stays till the very end. It stays attached to the plant for quite a while even after it has completely dried up.

Maybe it's the same with us as well. The real us always survives no matter what experiences we have and no matter what we go through. I came across this quote recently "We are who we are...eventually". That's what got me thinking.

The Loner

In keeping with my recent black and white photographs here is another one.
Once I started editing in black and white I just kept going. Revisited some photographs that I had archived because they looked amazing in black and white.

I have no idea what this flower is called but I do remember that we would fight for this when we were younger. You don't get a lot of nectar out of it but what you do get is really sweet and will leave you wanting more.

Across The Hill

Someone told me that I should go back to landscape and nature photographs. Diversification is great! Just saying.
Yes, I do love photographing nature over other things because it reminds me and shows how amazing God's creation is but I can't help photographing other things as well - including people. After all people are God's own creation...created in his own image so that's amazing!

Hills with fog make amazing photographs. The fog was really thick when we reached this place but it seemed to move away after a little while which is when I got this picture. Then it came back again and we couldn't see more than a few feet ahead of us.

Up There

I've got to say that shooting people these past few weeks has been immense fun and a great learning experience.
These are my friends Lakpa and Anisha. They wanted a few pictures so I thought I'd help them out - they get pictures while I get to learn.
We found this great little place (it's not that big) that is away from busy streets and noisy people. Not many people go here so it's the perfect spot for pictures.
I've been here a few times just to take pictures of the scenery and to get away from the crowd - it's great.
My apologies if this post ruffles any feathers.

In The Mirror

Sometimes you just have to take a picture of yourself but why make it just another selfie in the mirror when you can be creative.

Sure it takes a little more time and effort but it's fun even if it's an amazing photograph. It's quirky and a way of self-expression.

With all the Halloween images that the internet was bombarded with recently I thought I'd do something a little silly.

Look Beyond

I've been really enjoying taking pictures of people lately especially little children.

This little girl lives next door. She is hyperactive as most children are so it is really trying to get her to stay still enough to grab a quick shot. I probably got this after countless failed attempts.

Her name is Eunice.
I used the 50mm f/1.4 for this. It has a few focusing issues but other than that it's an amazing lens!

Day 5 - Singular

The last day of the 5 day black and white photo challenge. This has been fun. I've gone back and processed some photographs that I never though would get to see the light of day and they've looked really good. Today's upload is one such image.

This didn't look particularly interesting in colour but it just popped in black and white.

Day 4 - The Chains That Bind

Day 4 of the black and white photo challenge.
Not sure who started this challenge but it's a good idea.

I'd shot this photograph earlier this year and never looked at it again until the challenge. Once I converted it to black and white it just popped and looked great.

It's back to exams now so I might not be really active but I'll try and reply to messages, comments etc. as soon as I can.

Hope you've had a great weekend.

Day 3 - Future Hope

Today is Day 3 of the Black and White Photo Challenge.

I'm actually running out of people to nominate since most people have already completely the challenge.

This is a macro shot of the centre of a rose. God's creation is so amazingly detailed and always so interesting. I didn't intend to convert this to black and white but once I did I just loved the feel of the photograph.

Day 2 - Bringing The Clouds

Today is Day 2 of the Black and White Photo Challenge.

I didn't think I would enjoy this so much but this is fun. It's forced me to work outside my comfort zone and see things differently and that's a really good thing. I've been going back and reprocessing some photographs and they look amazing in black and white which is interesting.

So, everyday I'm supposed to upload one black and white photograph for 5 consecutive days while also challenging one other person everyday to do the same.

This was shot on my phone so the quality might not be that great but I really like the photograph.

Black And White Challenge - Day 1

One of my friends on Facebook challenged me to upload one black and white photograph everyday for the next five days. Today is the first.

I don't usually do a lot of black and white photographs so this should be interesting.

The Connection

I'm really running out of ideas for picture captions (also my blog post titles).

Anyway my friends wanted me to take a few pictures of them so we met up and got a few good ones. This is probably one of my favourites from the entire lot.

Stay Away

I'll admit that shooting little people is fun. This is Yemima and she is really cute.

Unfortunately, she is scared of me for some reason (still trying to figure out why). So, taking a picture of her was tough. I did manage to get this one as she gave me this death stare - still cute though haha

A Hint

Here is one of my favourite portraits - not that I've take a whole lot but I still like it.

Children are really difficult to photograph. Getting them to stay still is the biggest problem which is probably why it's best to just let them do whatever they want and keep taking pictures as they're doing it.

Meet Stephanus. He is really cute and I couldn't resist taking a picture of him. Shooting him with a really wide aperture lens means you'll end up deleting a lot of shot but you'll also end up with a few keepers like this one.

A Light Display

People here are all busy celebrating Diwali and enjoying bursting crackers. Some look really beautiful as do most of the light displays. This little bowl with the candle and the flowers looked really great too.

I apologize for the poor picture quality. The noise levels on my phone can be unbearable at times.

Final Blossom

These flowers blossomed a few days ago and I just happened to pass by this place at sunset. I noticed the light hitting these flowers and they looked amazing.

So, I decided to revisit this place again and got a good shot. My main purpose was to shoot a timelapse or the setting sun because it just looked gorgeous. The entire scene was bathed in this warm light that had an amazing reddish glow. It was beautiful!

I'm working on a timelapse film of this place that I plan to finish before I leave here.

Take Me Away

Some of my friends convinced me to share this online. I didn't want to do it because it is a little embarrassing but what's the worst that could happen? I will get made fun of. It's not like that hasn't happened before. Anyway, here goes.

I saw this empty-ish room and knew I had to do a levitation style photograph here. Unfortunately I feel sick and so couldn't get it exactly how I wanted but this isn't half bad either.

Under The Clouds

It's been crazy busy here these past few weeks. Just when I thought I would find time to share a few pictures it got really busy again. Anyway I thought I would share something from my last vacation since our vacations for the festivals just got over.

 This was taken as we were flying towards Delhi. It was an amazing sight and the clouds were just beautiful.

In other news, my computer forced me to upgrade to Windows 8.1 and I can't say that I like it all that much. It's not a huge improvement from Windows 8. Actually I don't see a lot of differences. It did uninstall my anti-virus software which is really annoying.

Fling

Until fairly recently I didn't realise that shooting people would be so much fun. I now wish I had started sooner but it's better late than never. So much to learn but it's just so much fun. It's kinda addicting to be honest.

This is one of my closest friends and she was kind enough to let me take a few pictures. Sure it's not perfect but it was just for fun.

Under The Arch

I've been really inactive this past week and the reason is I've been busy with exams.
Anyway my holidays started today so I'm really looking forward to taking some more pictures if the weather permits.

Places like this always make for good photographs and they look really cool especially in black and white.

Over The Hills

I still think about last week and the time we spent shooting in Darjeeling. It was truly an amazing experience. This was shot on an iPhone 3GS. We stopped at a place on the way to Darjeeling via Kurseong and decided to shoot a few scenes there. Just before we started shooting the storm clouds began rolling in and I was able to get this photograph.

This is looking towards Siliguri (the vast valley).

Burst Of Colour

Usually when it's been raining continuously for a few days you don't expect amazing colours at sunrise or sunset but one morning the sky exploded with amazing colours. I just stood and watched the colour spread across the entire sky as it kept changing and evolving. It was amazing!

In Amazement

Now that was a week I'm going to remember for a really long time. It was really tiring but it was fun as well and I got to learn a lot.

We worked with a film crew from Calcutta (or Kolkata as it's now known) and it was good.

This was near on of the shooting locations. These are some of my classmates. It was a picturesque location. Definitely one of the best places I've been to in a long time. It was beautiful beyond words. So perfect! God's creation never ceases to amaze!

This was shot on a iPhone 3GS and processed in Snapseed.

Night Lights

This is one of the many photographs I took of the Milky Way a few days back. I don't think I'll ever get tired of this because it is just breathtaking.

The was a storm cloud in the distance and the lightning within that clouds made it look really cool as did the setting moon!

Look Up

Last night was just spectacular! I got to see the milky way again which made it really special too.
The light pollution means it's really faint in the night sky but if you let your eyes adjust for a few minutes you can see it without the help of any equipment.

I took one photograph and then just stood there looking up at the stars and the lightning in the distance. It was an amazing and a really humbling experience. God's creation sure is marvellous.

The moon was setting and gave off this yellow glow that made it all the more amazing! I stayed up for a couple of hours just looking and occasionally taking pictures. Sometimes I don't bother to take pictures because I get so caught up in what I'm looking at and to be honest I don't really regret it because it's really an amazing memory!

To The Other Side

I keep going back and looking at pictures I took in June. That was a great vacation.

This place was definitely one of my favourites. It was an amazing experience. The clouds just made it so much better. You can just go to this Eco Park and spend the entire day there. You'll also have some really interesting monkeys for company.

The Burning Clouds

We really haven't seen the sun in a while. We've only been given brief glimpses of the sun. Today evening was different as the rain stopped and the clouds began to clear. One particular cloud at sunset reminded me of this picture.

The colours you see at sunset are just amazing!

Surrounded By Light

Yesterday the media science department had gone to an Awareness Park in the middle of a forest to shoot a few scenes.

We ended with lunch and then decided to head up the hill for fun. Since we didn't have proper transport some of us decided to walk and I must say that this is one of the most beautiful roads I've been on in India. Not just this particular part but the entire stretch. Further down this same road there are some really amazing views to be enjoyed.

Courtesy of: SnapKnot - Find Local Wedding Photographers

Towards The Fading Light

This was one of the last photographs I got that evening. I waited a long time for some birds to come into the frame but they all seemed to be avoiding the frame almost perfectly so I had to resort to Photoshop.

The bird was shot as it was flying towards the west on the same evening - about a few minutes after I shot the background.

Those trees are actually quite a far away.

The Rising Clouds

I haven't been able to maintain this "one picture a day" thing ever since the holiday in June. Anyway I've tried to be as consistent as possible but that difficult with the long college hours and the added assignments they give us everyday.

This photograph was taken the last time I saw this tower. I haven't seen it since because of the weather here. We've had rains everyday which is a good thing since it brings the temperatures down a bit but it's not that great when you have to get to class in the morning.

A Wonder

I'm not quite sure which I like better - the Taj Mahal or the clouds. Since I've only seen the Taj once I think I'll go with that.

It's definitely a magnificent structure and you can't really comprehend how huge it is until you notice the tiny people in the distance. It's huge!

Happiness

I must say that I'm as happy as a bee that's found a fresh flower with tons of nectar. Well I don't know if bees experience emotions the same way we do but that's not the point.

God has been faithful throughout even though I've failed Him so many times. Got my results today and by God's grace I got good grades.

"But you , O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, Slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth."
Psalm 86:15

Ethereal Glow

We were on our way back from the Eco Park where I took the last picture I uploaded and this is the view we were treated to. It was amazing to say the least.

We ended up stopping quite a few times to take in the view. It was exquisite, to say the least!

His Way Is Perfect

This picture reminded me of the verse in the Bible which says "As for God His way is blameless; the Word of the Lord is tested; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him." 2Samuel 22:31

I had a great vacation. Now I know you're probably tired of hearing that but it's true and I can't help but go back to these pictures.
Hope you had a great weekend! :)

Going to put the final touches for the music video to Demons by Imagine Dragons. That's a project for school.

Minaret

The Taj Mahal is a beautiful structure for sure and so it was exciting to see it for the first time.

I ended up taking more pictures of the four minarets that I did of the main structure.
Someday I plan to go back there and spend the entire day shooting. Maybe even do a timelapse or something fun.

The Fading Light

The sun itself was blocked by clouds but this particular portion of the sky was just beautiful as the sun went down.
I decided to shoot a timelapse of the clouds which I'll try and put together soon. Having a slow computer does not help with timelapses especially when it crashes.

Into Oblivion

This is another one from my holiday last month.
I really like colour in my photographs but I do dabble in black and white as well. Black and white has its own beauty and it just seemed to add so much more to this photograph.
This was taken just as the fog was rolling in. It was definitely a sight to behold!

In The Morning Light

I think this is one of my favourite images. I just love the way it turned out.

The sunlight looked amazing in the morning and so I decided to go up to the roof and shoot the hills but I saw this little pocket of light and couldn't help but stop to take a picture. The weeds here had this soft, warm glow that just made it perfect for a good photograph.

This was take just as the sun was rising and was no longer a giant red ball of fire in the sky. It was overcast but there was a gap in the clouds at the horizon through which the warm and beautiful light from the sun hit this spot.

Castles In The Sky

Usually when you take a flight to Delhi you get an amazing view of the world's tallest peak, Mount Everest and the amazing Himalayas. Unfortunately for me it was cloudy and so we couldn't see anything but I did see some pretty cool cloud formations.

This was one of them. I took this just as we began our descent towards Delhi. It was like a castle (or a mountain, if you will) in the sky.

Last Light

It didn't look like the sunset would be spectacular but then again that's how quite a few of my posts in the past year have started so you know where this is going.

The clouds looks spectacular so I thought I'd go up to the roof and watch them and see if I could get a few good photographs.
Just before it got dark this particular part of the sky burst with colour. It was just amazing! The colour seemed to make one final peek before it went dark.

Evening Splendor

We had gone out for a gospel meeting today and this is what we saw on our way back home.

Wow! I mean WOW!

Overlooked

How often we tend to overlook or even ignore the little things in life that actually matter. I think these flowers represent that very well. They're tiny, maybe not more than a centimetre or two in diameter and yet they're so beautiful. It also goes to show how beautiful and wonderful God's creation is even at a macro level.

These flowers grow all along the hillside on the way to Mussoorie which is a hill station in India. Most people don't notice them and some ignore it and fail to see the beauty in them. When I was taking pictures of these flower someone actually asked me why I was wasting time photographing these flowers!

Also notice the tiny insect on the flower in focus. I really wished I had my DIY flash adapter so I could take a few extreme macro shots. Unfortunately I couldn't figure out how to take it with me without damaging it and thus rendering it useless.