snapthoughts

Color Fountain

2006-07-05T23:08:00.000-07:00

July 4th fireworks ...

2006-07-05T23:00:00.000-07:00

Constellation

2006-07-05T22:55:00.000-07:00

Budding..

2006-04-02T16:30:00.000-07:00

Budding...

Ensconced

2006-04-02T16:24:00.000-07:00

Ensconced

Solo

2006-04-02T16:19:00.000-07:00

Solo

Ensemble

2006-04-02T16:16:00.000-07:00

Ensemble

Howdy?

2006-04-02T16:13:00.000-07:00

Howdy?

Come to me!

2006-04-02T16:11:00.000-07:00

Come to me .....

Let us welcome spring with a twirl

2006-04-02T16:07:00.000-07:00

Twirl

Macro lens pictures

2005-11-20T19:48:00.000-08:00

I recently got a manual focus tokina 90mm, having a lot of fun with it.

On the way back

2005-11-06T18:58:00.000-08:00

Symmetrical hills on Darren Bay.

Pulp factory

2005-11-06T18:56:00.000-08:00

The commute boat took us to this factory.

Reflections - 2

2005-10-25T22:53:00.000-07:00

The commute boat arriving in Darren Bay.
I liked the reflections of the clouds, as the sky was clearing out.

We later found out that this boat is used for transporting
workers on a nearby paper factory located in an island.
This ride is even free for visitors (hurray), so we clinged on
to a 1.5 hr ride that will take us to the paper factory.
We were literally taken for a ride!

Darren Bay Pier

2005-10-24T20:30:00.000-07:00

After seeing Shannon falls, we took an exit to see a pier
off Darren Bay. This was a by chance discovery, the fog
enveloped when we arrived there. Then we saw a commute
boat approaching the dock. A lot of things happened from here
on, I am starting it as a series on this blog.

I like the misty weather giving a warm feeling, with the pattern
of waves the boat was creating. What do you think?

Waterfalls - 2 second exposure

2005-10-18T22:33:00.000-07:00

My first attempt for a long exposure-waterfall-shot.
This is an offshoot of the Shannon Falls, on the way to Whistler.

Brandywine Falls

2005-10-12T21:58:00.000-07:00

Brandywine Falls, enroute to Whistler, British Columbia.
The camera had to be placed inside a raincoat as it was
raining when this snap was taken, hence you can see the
wooden planks from where we view the falls.

Reflections - 1

2005-10-05T22:28:00.000-07:00

I took a lot of snaps reflecting sky and water. What do you think of this one?
Is this composition flat?

Stream

2005-10-04T22:01:00.000-07:00

This was taken from a park on the way to Whistler. The ride to Whistler has 2 beautiful
waterfalls, Brandywine and Shannon. It is littered with some streams like this one.
I should have used Spot metering, as it was a cloudy day and the only white thing was this
stream. Hope its not too overexposed.

Native Indian art

2005-10-02T22:20:00.000-07:00

Last week has been kind of hectic, both at work and home. I have resumed
on our Vancouver trip. This one is an Indian art taken from a souvenir store
on Grouse Mountain. Challenging indoor lighting, without flash.

Capilano Suspension Bridge

2005-09-25T23:13:00.000-07:00

The longest suspension bridge in North America. It is over the capilano river
some 10 miles from Vancouver downtown. The bridge can hold 1500 people
at any given time. It was fun going end to end.

Gondola to Grouse Mountain

2005-09-21T08:52:00.000-07:00

Ride was 5 mins, you can see Vancouver downtown and some times
the surrounding hills if it is not cloudy. A cafe, souvenir shop, a lumberjack
show, a couple of bears housed in an electric fence are some attraction in
summer. Winter has more activities like sking, snowboarding etc.
It is just 15 mins from Vancouver downtown.

Ensemble of flowers

2005-09-18T13:43:00.000-07:00

On a meadow on top of Grouse mountain in Vancouver.
I have shot a lot of flower pictures during this trip. Even at attractions
like Grouse Mountain and Capilano bridge, there were a plethora of
different flowers. Imagine how the blog will be when I start the series
on Burtchart Gardens. Hang on !

Flowers and Hay

2005-09-15T23:55:00.000-07:00

Outside a souvenir shop near the Capilano Suspension bridge, Vancouver
Cloudy day, liked the wheel and grass trolley in this one.
What do you think?

Single and lonely

2005-09-13T23:48:00.000-07:00

Flower in Grouse Mountain, Vancouver

Szechuan Vegetable with Tofu

2005-09-12T23:18:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the absence for past few days. This one is taken from a chinese
restaurant in Vancouver. We arrived there at 2pm and were very hungry,
having lost the way to our hotel, we parked here and got directions.
Since we stopped there anyway, we filled our stomach. I had ordered this
dish which was very colorful with all the veggies and tofu. The camera was
also hungry for this I guess. My first hand in food photography.
Moral of the story, don't trust Yahoo directions for Canada!

Golden Gate bridge

2005-09-07T22:46:00.000-07:00

This is the view of the bridge from a hiking trail in Angel Island.
We got back from Vancouver last night. Hectic trip. Enjoyed every bit.
Lot of nice places, I will start posting those in a couple of days.
Also learned a lot about the D70, with different situations, lighting
etc. I am tired and sleepy.....zzzZZZ

Tiburon - Angel Island ferry dock

2005-09-01T22:49:00.000-07:00

I am now starting a series on Angel Island, which we visited over last
weekend. You drive 5 miles off the Golden Gate Bridge and take an
Exit for Tiburon, a small little town by the SF bay in Marin County.
From here you board the ferry for Angel Island, which is now a California
State Park. This is from the ferry.

I am off to Vancouver for the long weekend. So, no blogs till next tuesday!
Have a great weekend! More about Angel Island after I get back. :D

Giant Forest Museum

2005-08-30T21:25:00.000-07:00

This will be my last snap for Sequoia National Park.
As the name says, this museum has a repository of information
about history, preservation of Sequoias.

The cave inside the tree

2005-08-29T22:20:00.000-07:00

This photo is just to show how big the width of a sequoia tree is.
Featured here are me and my missus and height of 1/10th of the
whole tree. Hope you get the perspective.

Under the giant sequoias

2005-08-28T21:31:00.000-07:00

This is the view from the ground between 2 giant seqoias.
The size of these trunks are around 60-80 feet wide, their height
around 200 - 300 feet. Estimated Age is more than 2000 years. Amazing!

Odd Twins

2005-08-27T20:51:00.000-07:00

Odd Twins, two different trees, like the color and texture on this one.
Sequoia National Park.

Layers

2005-08-23T00:27:00.000-07:00

From a pull out, Sequoia National Park. The road from the South entrance
is hilly and windy. This is from a vantage point. I like the layers of hills
in the background and the green foreground for some mix of color.
What do you think?

History building

2005-08-21T23:13:00.000-07:00

Another Stanford photo, this one before the Dept of History building.
I like the line of arches inside the first arch. Trying different composition
techniques. You can see kit lens vignetting here at 18mm.

Hoover Observatory

2005-08-20T13:27:00.000-07:00

Hoover observatory, Stanford University.
Stanford is a nice place to shoot for architecture. I didn't have a circular
polarizer during that time. I have decided to mingle Stanford and
Sequoia National Park photos for a change.

Potwisha Crossing

2005-08-18T23:07:00.000-07:00

A wooden bridge on the marble kwai river in Sequoia National
Park. I like the shadows on the pathway of this bridge, resembling
a welcome carpet. We stayed in the town named Three Rivers, 0.5 miles
from the park entrance. A good time to visit the park is from Apr - Oct.

Lines and shadows

2005-08-17T23:41:00.000-07:00

I didn't get a chance to take pics lately. So here is one from my patio.
The lines formed by shadows of my patio railing.

Glen Canyon Bridge

2005-08-16T23:56:00.000-07:00

This is taken from the Glen Canyon Dam. I couldn't bring the full span
of the bridge inside the picture. This one is using a P&S.
I want to give a sense of this bridge's long span, hence took it when
a truck was going through it.

Wall hanging

2005-08-15T23:57:00.000-07:00

I love the sharpness of this picture. The colors, the glass pieces
on it, I have fallen in love with the D70, nails the sharpness.
Just got a 50mm 1.8 lens for portraits. BTW this pic is with the kit lens.

From Hoover Observatory

2005-08-13T19:16:00.000-07:00

From Hoover tower in Stanford, this is a building opposite to the
observatory. I was trying to frame this shot. Hope I didn't overdo it.

Down by the stream

2005-08-12T23:38:00.000-07:00

I shot this near a creek when I visited Detroit. The yellow flowers
down the steps were more colorful. I was trying different kinds of framing.
This was one of them. Although there is no center of focus for any object,
unlike what is told in photo books, this one is supposed to lead you to the creek.

Flower

2005-08-10T23:51:00.000-07:00

This is my first attempt at close up photography. Now, an excuse to buy
a macro lens for my SLR. This is what they call lens lust :)

Candles again...

2005-08-09T22:20:00.000-07:00

Close up of the candles.

Candles inside Chapel

2005-08-08T22:57:00.000-07:00

Nothing special about this snap. For some reason, I liked this one a lot.
Is it because of pattern and light or the contrast of red color between
the tall and short stands? What do you think?

Chapel of Holy Cross

2005-08-07T15:03:00.000-07:00

This is taken inside a chapel which is on a small hillock in Sedona.
I wanted to convey the landscape on which it is located.
Hence the back drop of the rock formations behind the glass.
Light was not at all in my favour, as it was a cloudy day.

This is must see if you go to Sedona.
More on how it looks from outside here.

Chimney Rock, Sedona

2005-08-06T18:19:00.000-07:00

We visited Sedona on our way to Phoenix. After seeing Antelope Canyon,
these shots may look so-so. But reality is different from dreams.

Actually Sedona had some interesting rock formations. This one is
supposed to resemble a chimney, :) from which, the name is derived.

I did some graduated tint for the skies through Picasa.
So is the post processing very visible? If yes, then I have failed in my efforts
to blend the skies.

The Journey ends

2005-08-05T00:23:00.000-07:00

With this snap, I am concluding my journey of Antelope Canyon.
I should say the path travelled was very special. It took me to a different
world.

It is an awesome place to photograph and play with light.
I am presenting only an iota of what you will experience.

Plan on spending 3-4 hours here when you plan a visit to this place.
We stayed in Page, AZ. It is very centrally located between 4 national parks,
Bryce, Zion, Glen Canyon and Canyon lands.

As naturalist John Muir said "Mountains are calling... I need to go",
This canyon will call me forever...

Fire.. Fire..

2005-08-03T23:23:00.000-07:00

The day we visited Antelope Canyon, it was a cloudy day.
Many people in our group clicked photos anticipating
the light coming inside the canyon, from above.

This is one such picture, where journey of the light was
worth the wait. If you look at this one closely you can see
that the place is on fire in the middle. Light has arrived...

The Mystic Pathway

2005-08-02T23:22:00.000-07:00

This is a pathway inside the canyon. When the wind blows,
the sand from the walls and ceiling fall on the ground.
So if you bringing a camera you need good protection,
to cover the lens from dust.

Is this the mystic pathway that leads to heaven?

Oriental Alphabet

2005-08-01T23:25:00.000-07:00

This is a shot inside the canyon when a streak of light was falling inside
partly. This resembles a oriental alphabet or is it the Z in Zorro or is it a
flame ? Imagination has no bounds.

Waves.. O Waves

2005-07-31T20:45:00.000-07:00

As we entered the antelope canyon, our guide was explaining how it was formed
due to water playing the role of a sculptor doing a statue. It was very dark the
time we entered. As our group entered after a couple of minutes there was sun
coming out of the clouds smiling and I turned around the entrance and here it
was, the waves after waves of sand sculpted by water.

They recommend people not to touch or lean on the walls. These walls drive
our imagination crazy by becoming the objects we visualize. This one was
straightforward, waves. He showed different objects such as a parrot, an
elephant and so on.

Texture and variation of light are the highlights of this place.
And ofcourse our creative visuals... Very wavy.. Waves .. O waves...

Upper Antelope Canyon

2005-07-29T23:44:00.000-07:00

After enjoying Grand Canyon for a day we drove 2.5 hrs to Page, Arizona.
We were supposed to take a lake cruise in Lake Powell. But unfortunately
the cruise was fully booked. So we went on a by-chance land cruise to a place
called Antelope Canyon.

What we were to see, was unbelievable. It was narrow pathway very dark until
the sun came out. Sunlight through these narrow strip make it shine and
change colors from dark brown to orange.
This canyon was formed by water flowing through it, its walls full of mud , giving it
a wave like structure. It was magical!!

My next few entries will be about the Upper Antelope Canyon.

Grand Canyon from Desert View

2005-07-28T20:54:00.000-07:00

In 2004, we bought a National Park pass. Actually getting this pass
made us visit 7 parks over the past year - Shenandoah, Yosemite,
Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Grand Canyon, Glen Canyon, Sequoia and Kings Canyon
Parks. This was indirectly helping me discover my liking for Photography.

I am posting pictures from these parks, starting with Grand Canyon.
This picture was taken from Desert View, we rushed to this spot to get a glimpse of the
sunset. This is view of the canyon with the Colorado river flowing through it.
It was 45 deg and we were shivering, the sun set around 6.52 pm.

Nataraja - Lord of Dance

2005-07-27T22:38:00.000-07:00

Nataraja - Lord of Dance

This is taken using Nikon D70. 10 minutes before sunset inside my living room.
I had a hard time taking this as the shadow of leaves to the left that were moving due to wind.
It is a steep learning curve with the D70, but enjoying every bit of it.

Winter in Tahoe

2005-03-07T22:32:00.000-08:00

Taken from the moon roof window while driving.
You can see the snow falling on the camera lens.
My first shot in falling snow.

South Bend of Snake River, Idaho

2005-03-02T20:59:00.000-08:00

A rest room exit on the way to Idaho Falls, unravelled this beautiful scenery.

Half Dome, Yosemite

2005-02-26T00:47:00.000-08:00

The view of Half Dome from Glacier Point, Yosemite.

Sunset from Lahaina Beach

2005-02-24T22:31:00.000-08:00

At dusk, from the shores of Lahaina, Hawaii
p.s: Click on the snap to see an enlarged image :)

Glitter on the lake

2005-02-24T08:37:00.000-08:00

Sun smiling on the Yellowstone lake, this is first attempt to capture a shot with sunlight hitting the lens directly.

Lower Falls, Yellowstone River

2005-02-22T00:43:00.000-08:00

This is taken from Artist point, an apt name, to admire the Lower Falls

Panchamukha Vinayakar, Dilli Haat

2005-02-21T23:03:00.000-08:00

I have started to pour my thoughts about some pictures, I have taken, starting with this blog. This snapshot was taken in Dilli Hatt. One of my favorite pillayars.