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

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!

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

Drama In The Skies

Another one of those rare shots that I just happened to come across.

It had been raining all morning and the sky was just clearing when the sun dipped behind this cloud creating some really interesting light.

Again, I was out shooting dragonflies when I saw this scene that I just had to capture. It was amazing. Believe me when I say that pictures don't do justice to that amazing scene.

The Warmth of The Sun

Couldn't really think of a proper caption/title so I just went with a cheesy one.

Anyway this was taken a few days back during a stunning sunset we had here. We haven't had many great sunsets since but these pictures more than make up for that.

Kinda busy today so I'm not going to go on and on.

A Roof Of Clouds

Surprises are always awesome especially when it comes to stunning sunsets and beautiful clouds.

It had been raining the entire day and I honestly didn't expect to see the sun setting but God gave us a really really beautiful sunset. It was really stunning and to think that I almost missed it because I didn't expect it.

Anyway the view from our terrace is pretty good although we'll soon loose it because of all the houses coming up. Gotta enjoy it while it lasts :)

As Darkness Loomed

It's been raining almost everyday and this isn't always that great because spectacular sunsets are rare. This was the last spectacular sunset we had. It was pretty beautiful but lasted only a short while.

Usually the sun sets behind the hills this time of the year but the clouds had taken over and had hidden the hills so the sun was setting behind the clouds. I took this shot just after the ball of fire dipped behind the clouds.

The light was just lovely. The dark clouds stood in stark contrast to the very bright clouds that were lit by the setting sun. It was beautiful. I did take a few shots of the entire sunset but more often than not it is details like this that are really beautiful.

Dramatic Clouds

If that title doesn't make sense I apologise. It's probably my medicines doing the typing today so it probably won't make much sense.

I think I posted another angle of this sunset a few days back and people loved it. I did too. Unfortunately the actual sunset was way more beautiful, dramatic and stunning that the picture. There were so many colours in the sky and it was really difficult to post-process because it kinda looks unreal but I assure you that this is how it was. Actually it was even better.

So there you have it. Another view of the dramatic sky. A lot of people thought I'd added in the yellow and the blue and other colours but you have my word that I didn't mess with the colours..not one bit.

Looking To The Skies

Remember the dramatic sunset I spoke off a while back? It was really dramatic where the sun was setting and I almost missed the other side.

I happened to turn around and I was in complete awe of what I say. It was beautiful. So I decided to go and get my tripod and take a couple of self-portraits.

Post-processing was real pain because my laptop kept hanging and then finally crashed. Thankfully it was just a temporary crash and it rebooted. I'm quite happy with this anyway.

Monsoon Advantage

Personally I don't mind the rain when I'm in the house but I also don't like it if I have to get to college in my uniform and it's raining. But of the things I absolutely love about the monsoons is the amazing sunsets.

We don't get beautiful sunsets all year round. It's only during the monsoons that we get such beautiful views. God has been really kind this year and has given us some of the best sunsets I have ever seen in this area.

Of course we don't get beautiful sunsets everyday as the sky is a dull monotonous shade of grey on most days but when we do get amazing sunset - Man! Oh Man! Are then stunning! I've spent hours on the terrace just watching the sky and the sun as it sets behind the hills. It's just beautiful...what else can I say?

Unexpected View

It started raining very early in the morning and the rain showed no signs of stopping so I thought it would go one for a day or two.

Surprisingly it stopped in the afternoon and the sky began to clear. I hoped for another amazing sunset and God gave us a really amazing sunset.

I was on the terrace for nearly two hours just watching, taking pictures and listening to music. It was so beautiful at times that I would forget to take a picture because I just loved the view.

I did manage to get a few pictures but they didn't turn out quite the way I had expected but I still like them.

Today was another one of those days when there were really dark clouds in the sky yet the sky was blue. People say this is unusual and pictures that capture this are fake but I disagree because I've seen this happen so many times before.

Drama In The Sky

Before I attach today's picture I just want to thank you all for all your support and help, feedback and the amazing response. I really appreciate it all and am really grateful :)

I took this picture just as the sun was setting behind the clouds. I know the colours look a bit off but I assure you that these colours are 100% natural and authentic. I made no adjustments to the colour.

All I did was amp up the contrast and I must admit that I was pretty surprised too. I could see all this in real life but didn't expect the camera to pick up so much detail. It just blew me away...the sunset, that is, not the strong wind that was also blowing.

Hope you all have a great weekend ahead! :)

Sky Glory

We've had some pretty awesome sunsets this year and so I've been able to get some really cool shots.

I have God to thank for that :)

I had to put this image through photoshop because the image SOOC (Straight Out Of Camera) wasn't really what I had seen. It just didn't capture the beauty of the sunset that evening.

I increased the contrast a lot then used the Dodge and Burn tools to bring out the detail in the shadows and highlights respectively. It was only after a minute of using these tools that I was satisfied with how it turned out because this image just gives you a glimpse at the stunning sunset that evening.

The real sunset was way more beautiful and surreal. The colours were really dramatic.

Which brings me to another thing...someone asked me how I'd retained only the yellow in yesterday's picture and removed all the other colours. Simply - I didn't. Yes, you read that right. The colours are all natural. No adding or removing of any colours at all. That's just how beautiful and stunning the sunset was and I'm glad you all enjoyed it too :)

Bursting Forth

We had a pretty nice sunset yesterday. I wasn't sure if my camera (or rather my dad's) would be able to pick up all the colours but I must admit I am pretty happy with the result.

Of course the dynamic range isn't great and I would have loved some detail in the ground as well but nothing is ever perfect so I'm pleased with the final result.

For some reason Photoshop won't let me save this image citing a "program error" so I could only save a compressed version. I'll have to re-process this image later on. It's probably because I have a really slow laptop now but that's ok. I love this image and I wouldn't mind having a second go at it :D