Water Scorpion

Ever seen a water scorpion? They're pretty common here. They're also really easy to miss since they blend in really well with their surroundings. It's been a while since I've seen one but I did see two recently. They were on this pavement which made them easy to spot.

They look really terrifying and can scare almost anyone. Fortunately they stay motionless and if caught they'll act like a twig or something. However if you don't handle them carefully they have a nasty sting. I know they're not as venomous as normal scorpions but I really don't want to see how bad those stings are. The internet says they're really painful so it's best to keep a safe distance.

Looking Through

I thought I'd share an iPhone photograph today instead of one from a dSLR. I'm busy with examinations and haven't been able to use my camera a lot lately.

Btw here is a really great video I saw today. It's called "Look Up" (That link should take you straight to it). It's a little less than 5 minutes long and it well worth the time. Definitely a must watch.

Wake Up

This is what I saw when I woke up this morning. The sky was amazing. Unfortunately I had an exam I needed to prepare for so photography had to take a back seat.

Food Fight

Found these ants searching for food. Not sure they found a lot because they didn't seem to be in any one place for long.

Ready

Ever seen a jungle babbler up close? Let me tell you that their eyes can be really scary but they're really nice birds. A couple came into our house yesterday and they were really cute. I almost felt like reaching out and ruffling their feathers.

Getting Busy

I've been photographing Oriental Garden Lizards for a while now and I've almost documented an entire life cycle - right from the eggs to them shedding skin. What I hadn't been able to capture was these lizards mating. Well, I kinda did. I won't say I'm 100% satisfied with these images because I wish I could have gone closer but I'm happy that I got something.

Hornet

I recently found this dead hornet in the garden and it looked like it would be a good opportunity to try focus stacking for the first time.

Turns out it's actually tough, specially when you're holding the lens, the flash and the subject. Anyway I managed to get the required shots and then had to run it through Photoshop which took a very long time. Photoshop crashed a few times on my computer but after multiple tries it finally worked.

Two Together

Remember those two eggs that were in an abandoned nest in our house? Well here is another picture of them.
The 50mm 1.4 is a great lens. I've had a few problems with the auto focus but I'm guessing it's just this particular unit that has this problem and not the entire lot.

The Light In Darkness

A few days back we had really amazing light somewhere around midnight. We had a full moon and some amazing clouds that just made the night light one from a painting.
I was out for a very long time just staring at the sky. It was so beautiful that I didn't notice time flying by.

A Pretty Bunch

I'd almost given up on seeing this plant flowering because it had started drying up. Then a storm hit and while most of the other plants were damaged this one surprisingly had flowers on it - and pretty ones too.

The Fire Above

Thank to my friend who told me to look out at the sky today evening, I was able to get this shot.

It looked like the sky wouldn't put on a show today but it did, and a great one at that. Definitely some of the best late-evening light we've had in a while.

V

There are so many people moving to this area that we're loosing some amazing flora and fauna that was commonplace earlier. Case in point these spotted doves.

They were once so numerous that you just had to step outside to spot a bunch of them. Sure, we do see a few nowadays but nowhere near as common as they were.

Perky

I just find this dog really cute so here is another picture of it. This is probably one of my favourites from that lot.

She just wouldn't sit still but when she finally did I was able to get a few good ones.

Patience

The title must seem a little weird since this is a picture of a bug but it's a really important quality.

Especially if you're going to get really close to these beautiful creatures.
Hope you had a great weekend! :)

The Other Way

So today I got to photograph one of my friend's pets. I was actually out biking and I thought it wouldn't be good because my rear tire got punctured but it turned out ok in the end.

Anyway the dog's name is Saffron and she was really obedient. This is the first time I've actually tried to get pictures of pets.

Midnight Show

The moon looked amazing when it rose yesterday and I didn't think the night could get any better because it was already just so very beautiful.

Then around midnight I was proved wrong. The sky just seemed to come alive. The clouds were amazing and the moonlight highlighted every last one of the beautiful clouds. Honestly pictures don't do justice to what I saw. It was just that beautiful.

Redhead

Can you spot the Oriental Garden Lizard? Should be easy since it's the only thing with a red head in the frame.

Tiny Blooms

I'm really enjoying shooting reverse lens macro. It is challenging and you do end up deleting most of the images but the ones that you do get to keep are just great.

It's as if the closer you go, the better it gets. This, I'm guessing, is the female part of the flower.

Upwards

The one thing I really love about the rains are the amazing clouds.

I noticed this really bright cloud peeping out of this gap in the thick, dark clouds and I knew I had to take a picture. A "selfie" (self-portrait) seemed appropriate.

Encompass

Recently I tried to do a fine art/still life shoot with a few lights, a candle, some lace and a glass.

I kept adding stuff to it and this is from the second stage. I think there were four stages to the shoot and I shared the fourth stage a while back.

In The Open

I really don't mind if I had to photograph Oriental Garden Lizards all day. They're awesome and beautiful.

Guiding Light

Although I love summer this makes me miss the foggy winter months.

This was taken sometime in January when we had really thick fog. I shared a similar photograph a while back and quite a few of you thought it was the sun - it isn't. It's a simple street lamp.

Into The Darkness

I tried my hand at long exposures recently. It's tricky when you have no filters whatsoever so I decided to shoot late evening when the clouds were still visible (barely visible is more like it).

Anyway this is what a one minute exposure was like that evening.

Underlying

It had just rained and the colours in the flowers looked really good so I decided to take a few shot of the flowers in the garden but I ended up taking a shot of bugs and spiders instead.

Flowing

Another portrait for today. This time it isn't a self-portrait. I can actually hear your sighs of relief ;)

This is a shot of a good friend of mine who was kind enough to give me permission to upload this one - Thank You! :)

The Coming Storm

I seem to take iPhone shots only when I go for class because today's is another example.

Curiosity

I noticed this Oriental Garden Lizard on this wire fence once morning and I had to get a picture.
It seemed to be really willing to all me to take a few pictures after a while. It was quite shy in the beginning but got comfortable with me being around.

Just The Face

So I thought it's time for another profile picture change which means another self-portrait.

Steady Gaze

It's no secret that I enjoy photographing Oriental Garden Lizards. These are amazing creatures but most people don't really like them.

This one got a little too close to my dog and he started barking his head off. Fortunately that meant that I got to take this picture.

Out On A Leaf

It's been a while since I've take extreme macro shots. Photography has been put on hold ever since my exams started but when I saw these flowers and the bugs that they attracted I just couldn't help myself.

This particular one didn't like me getting close so a good detailed shot of its eyes and everything wasn't going to happen. However it did allow me to get this shot before flying off.

Yes, I use the reverse-lens technique. It's challenging (as is all extreme macro stuff) but it's worth it.

Pretty In Pink

This rose didn't look like it was going to be more than a pretty little pink rose but when it bloomed it turned out to one of the most beautiful roses I've seen.

It has these white streaks and dots that just make it so much more beautiful.