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.

Pray For Nepal

I'm sure you've all heard about the massive earthquake that quite literally shook Nepal and where we live.

We weren't hit quite as bad as Nepal which has been left devastated by the quake. A huge 6.9 magnitude aftershock hit it today afternoon.

I can't help but empathise with the people there and the thousands that have been affected. We live really close and yet feel so helpless during times like these. Really heartbroken after these events.

All we can do now is pray for them and help them any way we can, however small it may seem.

To my friends who still haven't been able to get in touch with their friends and family I really hope you're able to get some information soon.

Praying for everyone!

I hope you find comfort in these verses
‘Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,
Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ Isaian 41:10

God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change
And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;
Though its waters roar and foam,
Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Psalm 46:1-3

The Lord is near to the broken-hearted
And saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18

Mnemonic

We finally witnessed a really beautiful sunset yesterday which was something I was really looking forward to. It's things like these that really cheer me up and I needed cheering up. One of the best teachers I've ever had left our college yesterday. We were all sad to see her go and gave her a farewell. So it was not a really good day for us but then I watched the sunset on my way home and that put a smile on my face.

I thought I would shoot a timelapse of the sunset but the sun dipped behind some really low clouds on the horizon and didn't come out until it was too late. So I walked around the fields for a bit looking for some good photo opportunities. I came across the tree in today's picture. I don't know how I hadn't seen it before but it just might be my new favourite spot to take pictures. I'm just waiting for the next good sunset to get some really good pictures.

About the post-processing. I took three bracketed shot (-2,0,+2) in order to get the entire range of light. I ended up using just the normally exposed photography at the end. I used a few luminosity masks on this one. They work great!

Luminosity masks are still a new technique for me so I do require a lot of practice but they're great for digital blending. I've also created a handy GIF that shows you the various stages in the creation of this image - hope that helps. It's a rather large file so it might take a while to load. You'll find it after the picture.

And now for the GIF (let's hope this works)

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.

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.

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!

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.

Ravishing

Rainbows always fascinate me and I know that holds true for most, if not all people. They're just super beautiful and always brighten up your day.

I noticed the clouds looked absolutely stunning today and so I decided to go up to the roof and watch them while the sun set behind me. It was beautiful. I did have my camera and so took a few pictures from time to time.

However, I did not expect to get this picture. These colours didn't last for more than a few seconds but it just added to the beauty and grandeur of the evening sky and remind me of Genesis 9:13 which says "I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth."

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.

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.

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.

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.

Sun Burst

This was one massive cloud in the sky. So big in fact that just one picture didn't do it justice and couldn't capture the cloud along with those amazing beams of light emanating from it.

It had to take four pictures of it just to get a something worth posting.

My computer is super slow so it took me more than half an hour just to stitch it. It was worth it though. This reminds me of Psalm 36:9 "For with Thee is the fountain is life: in Thy light shall we see light."

Rays Of Hope

This was taken a while back but today's amazing sunset reminded me of it.

From my previous blog post you'll know that the past few days have been cloudless so it was a bit of a surprise when we saw clouds today.

Frankly in winter I'd rather have a cloudless sky than a dramatic sunset.