Nascent

Pune! Pune! Pune!

I've finally moved here which is why I haven't been active online in a while. I haven't really had much time to shoot and edit either; add to that a horrible internet connection and you're left with virtually no internet access on your laptop.

But let's not focus on the negative. This is quite the experience. I've seen, heard, felt so many things in such a short span of time that it's quite difficult to even process everything. I'm still trying to get used to things here.

Which is why visiting this place was even more special. It made me miss home so, so, so very much. The hills reminded me of the hills I used to climb back home and the birds combined with the amazing sunset almost made me tear up. But I'm glad I didn't get stuck in the past and could enjoy the moment for what it was. Stuff like these are reminders to me of God's amazing grace and His love that never leaves and that's one of the reasons they never get old.

In case you're wondering, this is Pashan Lake. It's quite beautiful.

Also this was shot on my phone, the OnePlus 2. I use an app called Camera FV-5 that allows you to bracket shots like you would on a dSLR. I then combined the exposures in Photoshop and played with the light a bit. Just goes to show how advanced the tiny sensors in phone cameras are.

All my bags are pack, I'm ready to go

It's now time for me to say goodbye. To bid farewell to everything and everyone I've known my entire life along with the place I've called home ever since I was born and move away.

Just writing that makes me tear up but life isn't always easy and you've got to make tough choices and decisions to progress and this is probably the toughest thing I'll ever have to do. It still hasn't struck me fully yet but it's slowly sinking in.

Today's picture is special which is why I thought I'd share it even though it's an old one and you've probably seen it before.

This is one of the very first pictures I took of Salbari with my house in the distance when I was just getting serious with photography. It reminds of a much simpler and beautiful time. It reminds me of what this place was and this is how I want to remember Salbari. I don't want to remember it for what it is today. There was a time it actually had it's own character. As soon as you saw a picture you'd know it was Salbari but today it's just like any other place. It's lost. It's gone. It's no longer what it once was and that's so sad. Which is why it's probably for the best that I leave now so that this new grotesque image isn't permanently seared in my mind. The people here have changed too. Just today I witnessed three boys hunt a garden lizard down and kill it just for fun. I caught them on Snapchat so you can see these idiots on my Snapchat. That showed me that people here have lost something. We were all once so close to nature and lived among some beautiful and amazing creatures but they've all slowly disappeared or have been killed and driven out. That's just so sad.

More than the place itself, I'm going to miss some people. There have been certain individuals who've meant a lot and still do. They're the ones I'll miss most of all and telling them goodbye is what's been really difficult because I don't even know if I'll ever get to meet some of them again. But hey! Here's to bigger and better things, right? God has helped me thus far and I know He'll continue to help me.

To all of you reading this - I cannot thank you enough! You mean a lot and I'm really grateful that you're following my work.

Also this view no longer exists. It's been blocked by hideously designed matchbox houses.