Light Painting!

HA! GUESS WHAT!

The Maze...

   I really have no idea how to describe this picture. I just like the way it has come out. Serene yet lonely. If there is one thing i can vouch for, its the fact that this picture would have lost half the appeal if not for the B/W setting. 

  So, that is it for this picture.

Cheers!

Ace(s) Down!

   Every time i walked my way to the bus stop i would notice several playing cards lying around. they would last there for about a week or so and then get blown away by the wind or, maybe, get trransported into another world. However, some weeks later, fresh pack of cards would appear. I always had a fascination with the cards. But back then i didn't have my camera. But, just a week after i got mine, LO! these fresh cards appear! 

 So, this is the product of my fascination combined with somebody's persistent effort to litter the road sidewalk with a pack of cards every two weeks.*

(* All statistical data are subject to approximation. Please do not use them for either your debates or PG thesis)

Cheers! 

More than a song...

   A song post after a long time. the song that i am gonna ask you to listen to is a different kind of song. Its a song where a superhero breaks down. Where he asks people to see him as something beyond a "superhero to the Rescue"

Superman- Five For Fighting ( http://www2.mp3raid.com/search/download-mp3/617168/superman_fve_for.html )

   The best thing about this song is that it helps us when we think we have done something terribly wrong and are responsible for hurting somebody. It really happens to the best of us. But, come on! do we do it intentionally? Of course not!  i know, you won't feel all bright and happy as soon as you listen to this. But, it might just help you. Its a two way song, i feel. It not only helps you feel better but also might just soften up the person who thinks you have hurt him/her thanks to Your mistake.

"i'm only a man, inside a silly red sheet"

   So, go ahead and listen to the song. If you already have and liked it, Hi-Fi!! if you didn't like it, i'm sorry... 

   

This! No! That!

   Back with a Bang! Or with reference to this post, i think i should say, Back with a Bhopu! I was in a real mess. i had to choose between one of these two snaps. I could not get myself to choose at all. So, i thought you could help me! :) Here are both the snaps. tell me which one you like the most. (If you like them in the first place!)

  Place- Krishnagri. This was at around 10 in the night. really liked the way the auto was parked at the corner of two intersecting roads. 

   Same place. Same time. The auto is cropped symmetrically. But, i still have the Bhopu in frame.  

  So, now up to you to tell me which one you think is the better snap. Waiting!

Cheers! 

the Vicious Circle...

   Is today the World Photography Day? Well, i dont think i could've found a better day to put up this snap. I think, i haven't got a better snap than this one. (Not showing off okay?) To be honest, it hurt quite a lot to convince myself to put up this snap. "Save the Best for the Last!!!" But, i guess it doesn't hurt that much now. 

   Also, the specialty of this snap is that this was a result of my first Travel Photography attempt. Like, i actually set out to a place outside Bangalore. (Of course! You all know what Travel Photography means right? Dud i am! Right? WRONG!) It was a nice experience. But, would've learnt better if i was accompanied by someone who had done this before. But, its okay i guess. Have a long way to go. :-)

Ps-  What is also interesting is that this snap is also a Silhouette image!!! Ha!!! 

Cheers!

When freedom is too much but means too less...

   Self Explanatory isn't it? this is just two days after the much celebrated Independence day. The situation right now is so bad that social activists have to start a campaign to teach us to respect the National Flag and not to discard it like we discard almost everything else after using them. Its shameful to even think that the people of our own country have to be taught to respect our own national flag.

  The national public has to be taught to respect the national flag and, more importantly, the national leaders have to be taught to respect the nation!  What a task in front of us considering the fact that it is the 65th year of our independence! 

At least like this, we'll be remembered!

   Isn't this one of the most common genre for photographers? Subjects found everywhere, subjects more than happy to pose for clicks and once you've got a nice one, turn the picture into black and white and voila! a damn perfect picture! 

   But, nobody can deny this- the smile, the sadness, the hope that you find on the faces of these little kids cannot be found anywhere else. But, sadly all that end the moment the shutter shuts and the image engraves itself on the memory card. 

  So, this is my attempt to capture the (lost) hopes, dreams, happiness and what not...

Is it fair? is what they do fair? is what i did fair? 

to be free...

   Slow shutter speed in use! For the first time, sepia looked good on my click (i guess). there are a lot of pigeons around my place. so, they formed an easy subject when i first started experimenting. Since then, have got some really nice snaps. :-) Will post them soon... 

   The best part of this snap is the fact that the subject is the center of the focus. Well, the only thing in focus actually... the sky was crystal clear. No clouds, no other birds. Nothing!

Lucky me!

Freedom... 64 and counting...

   As i am writing this post, i feel i have no energy left in me to type. But if, by being an Indian, i cannot do this, i might as well dip my nose in a bottle-cap filled with water and die! So, here goes. 

The Independence day special.

    That's it. No more energy to type any what-i-like-about-this-picture and those sorts. So, i leave you guys with this. Hope you liked it.

Thank You.

Cheers! 

Ocean Of Music!

   What a song to write about! The fact that its an Indian Band gives me extra pleasure writing! reading their bio on wiki was so damn interesting! i request you to please read it too. I will post a link here so that you can directly go ahead and read it. Trust me, its one interesting piece! The Band i am talking about is Indian Ocean and their song Kandisa.

Kandisa- Indian Ocean. wiki link-( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Ocean_(band) )
Song link-( http://www2.mp3raid.com/search/download-mp3/14150814/kandisa.html )

  You know, the song, no doubt is wonderful to listen to. But, what is more wonderful is to read their story! Damn, the Bassist of this band (Rahul Ram) is an IIT graduate and a PhD holder! ha! what a tantrum his parents must have thrown when they came to know that he's joining a band! quite a rebel, you think? wait till you listen to this. Just because they were fed up of the bossy nature of the Record Label companies, they are giving away their songs for free on their website with one new song every month! How cool is that! 

  Anyway, getting back to the song, through out the song, i guess, there are only two drawbacks. Firstly the song gets a bit slow at places. and secondly the song runs a little over 7 minutes. Quite long huh? but if you are going on a long drive, you'll still love it! the guitar solo towards the end is very, very nice. (Archana, if you are reading this, you must ask sir to play it!) The tabla is groovy and gets your feet thumping. I Bet! Overall, a must listen! There are also other songs which are very good. Please listen to them if you can! Promote Indian Ocean! promote Indian Music! 

Happy Independence Day. (In advance of course! Don't know why i am so emo all of a sudden!)

Cliched Barbes...

   Yeah... i know... you would have seen this concept being used a lot of times. But, still man! it always looks nice. This was right behind my house. Not Kargil or anywhere. Again, silhouette in progress... There are so many images of  obstacle within this one frame. The compound wall it the background and the messed up wires too. But, nothing beats the Barbed wire. (Have you ever tried crossing one without getting caught it its tangles? you must!)

   Ah, well... i guess there is nothing more to talk about this picture. so.. that's it! 

Cheers! 

piece of me...

   My first attempt at Portrait photography. Not sure if i can call it that. Anyway, This was the second day of me owning the camera and i was all excited and clicking pictures. (i do that even now though and i am not showing off!) i saw this security guy at a mall and i thought must take a pic of him. I had never done this before and was confused as to how to approach him. (I seriously wonder- how professional photographers manage to do this on a daily basis?) But, somehow i mustered enough courage and went and asked him for a snap. He did not decline. did not except either, i guess. But, i took snaps of him nevertheless.
  I had no idea of any camera settings at that time and as it is pretty obvious the ISO settings were too high. the picture has come grainy. But, what i like about the snap is the look on the face of that guy. it's like as if he is asking me- "do you want a piece of me? huh?" Well, i am quite thin. But, i think i would have been able to take him on! what say?
Cheers!!

and the sun went down...

  I hope its not too much of sunset romance. but, again, i like the combination of nature's natural beauty and man made beauty. i really, really, really wish i could chop down those creepy looking towers. But, then its only once that you get such opportunities and such sunsets. Oh, fyi, This building is some 12-15 floors tall and stands  majestically on the Hosur road, Bangalore, Karnataka, India. (lol. as if i have international readers!!!)
   The glass windows perfectly positioned to reflect the sun's setting rays. The sun positioned perfectly to shine exactly at the level of the building. The two ugly looking towers positioned perfectly to deny me a perfect click. I guess that leaves me. not so perfectly positioned. No problems! next time. The sun is not going anywhere  Neither is the building. nor me! (at least not until December, 2012!)
   So, till then, i'll keep clicking. you keep looking!
Cheers! 

Following Breaking Benajamin...

   A music post! Yay! i guess and i hope that at least some of those who read this are familiar with the band i'll be mentioning now. (I am talking about India. In the west its a popular band) So, which song? Follow me! (Well, its the song name. Follow, to be precise)

Follow- Breaking Benjamin ( http://www2.mp3raid.com/search/download-mp3/4590968/follow_breaking_benjamin.html )

   So, what is so cool about this song? I don't know. Everything, i guess. the intro of the song is heavenly with stereo effects of the Electric Guitar. (What joy it gives me to listen to the opening 5 seconds... ah...) the vocals of Benjamin Burnley is, of course, top notch. But what really attracts me about this song is the chorus.

" I follow you, you follow me..."

it might sound kiddish or funny here. But, when you are listening to it, it makes a lot more sense. the Rhythm is very addictive. You kind of get disappointed when the "i follow you, you follow me..." part gets over. Towards the end of the song there is just one place where the line is sung without any other background music. That is the best part of the song, if you asked me. But again, who asks me? huh? So, you please go and listen to it yourself and decide which is the best part of the song.

  Oh, i almost forgot, if you have already listened to this song and have liked it, Yay! if not, i am sorry. Keep listening!

Cheers!!!

the judgement day... or judging the day?

   Hmm... i never thought a sunset in a cement jungle can be this beautiful. The juxtaposition of the 'crane-buildings' and the 'setting-sun-sky' looks extremely serene. (Although, trust me, its not. We gotta stop Building Buildings! At least, not so many.) I did not want the logo to be put up at all. It kind of looked better without anything in the frame. But, as i told myself, gotta be professional. Don't laugh! Seriously! okay... fine... Laugh...lol!

  Anyway the silhouette of the buildings is what gives it extra plus points. I guess after Macro Mode, i now am obsessed with Silhouette Images. If i am able to get enough images, i might just create a Silhouette Category! 

   Cheers! 

Ps- Avi, hope this helped you get rid of your boredom. Don't tell me it bored you even more! 

Like leaning tower of Pisa...

   So, what do you think of this? i really liked the way the sky has diffused in the background like a drop of paint does when it is dropped in a glass of clear water.  The object on the left is actually a dome kind of shelter. The sky in Bangalore has been dark for quite some time now and i consider it my luck to have got a sky as clear as this. But what i didn't really notice while clicking is that the 'dome' thingy is a bit slanted towards the right. (hence the title 'like leaning tower of Pisa...')
   lol... :-)

A Special Edition- "Avid Reader Photography"

   Again, this is not a review.

   Avid Reader, unless the guy holding the cigarette is your friend, i must say that this is quite a daring picture. The silent glow on the cigarette and the way it is lazily placed is like an invitation to take a puff (i do NOT smoke.) I like the way everything needed for a smoke is within the frame. The cigarette pack, the lighter, the cigarette itself and also the ash tray. Everything! Good job.

   But i would have liked it better if only it had been a bit brighter and the colour was a bit softer. The entire image takes on a monochrome kind of look. But,  again, can't blame you. i don't think the restaurant/pub/bar manager would have switched on the tube-lights for you. So, good job! 

   More than the actual subject, the cigarette, i think i like the way the lighter is placed (Don't ask why). Again, good job. and... err... what else? i think that's it. 

Thanks,

Cheers.

'Review' Special!!!

   Look, i am no-one to review any song. In fact i believe no-one is anyone to review any song! Every song is a result of precious time spent and effort put by an individual or group of them. So, it gives us no right to criticize the efforts. But, what we can do is like them! if we don't, just leave it there. Simple.
   So, here is one song that 'Avid Reader' liked (i assume) and asked me to share it with you guys. Firstly, Avid Reader, Good choice! Secondly, err... there is no secondly. So, here goes:

Jar of Hearts- Christina Perry ( http://www2.mp3raid.com/search/download-mp3/20219731/jar_of_hearts.html )

  All right, all right. This is a sad song and is a break-up song and what not. But, it is an exceptionally well written and composed song too. No clutter of instruments. Just the piano and the vocals (Plus the back up vocals by Christina herself). The lyrics are well thought of and are very sad (or should i say sorrowful? Euphemism?). If you have gone through a bad phase of life, (Not necessarily a break-up, but that would be more apt) then you will connect with the song instantly. But, people who are leading a blissful life will like it too! so, please go ahead and listen to it. Forced Detachment or Fake Hatred is evident from the song lines. after all, how can we come to hate something we have loved with all our life? right?
   What makes this song special is the Neutral tone. Although the emotions are high in the song, the way Christina sings it makes you feel as though she is numb from the pain of Loss and does not have any energy to feel the emotions. However, two of the most powerful lines i have ever come across comes from this song:

"Learn to live  Half Alive" 

almost like- अब तो आदत सी है मुझको ऐसे जीने मैं... (ab to aadat si hai mujhko aise jeene mein.)

"You're gonna catch a cold, from the ice inside your soul"

So, there you go. A very, very good song. 4.5 on 5. Avid Reader, hope you liked it. 

Thanks,

Cheers!

Try to Blend in, will you?

   My first 'Animal Photography' attempt. This was no fluke unlike Timon. Was lucky to have got the desired pose without having to wait for long. Apparently Mr. Liz did not like being clicked. Kept running away every time i pointed the camera at him/her. But finally he/she got tired of this chase and gave me this Killer Look! 

   Another plus point for me was the fact that there was no background noise and the liz is the only subject in focus. way to go Mr. Liz! 

   camera credit- Once again- Savvy Dalmia. Canon Powershot sx120.  (Absolute perfect clarity, no?)

unnoticed Heroes-1

   Well, time for a quick artist check. As the title suggests, its gonna be a relatively unknown artist. Right now, i think its gonna be... err.... Dashboard Confessional

   I don't know the popularity of this band in the west but, surely, in India its not even close to good. They have about 5-6 albums that have been released so far. Although all of them are not that good, some of them are exceptionally good. If i were to give the 5 best songs they would be:

1- Belle of the boulevard
2- Hands Down
3-Screaming Infidelities
4- Rooftops and Invitations
5- Fever Dreams

Their eccentric music is mostly acoustic, at times soft rock but never beyond that. (Thankfully). Eccentric because mostly their rhythm is kind of weird to first time listeners but, they have a lot of meaning filled in their songs. Please go and listen to at least one of these five songs. If you have already listened to them before and liked them, Yay!
Cheers!

    "Fever dreams can only haunt you, till the fever breaks"

Testing,Testing 123...

   Another close up shot. Was taken during my class fest. The clarity of the mike (Clarity as in the clarity of the picture and not the sound clarity. I am not endorsing the mike here!) is pretty clean and the grooves and the ridges on the mike is distinctive. The background, too, is just enough out of focused. I had no idea of the ISO settings or the aperture settings or whatever. Yet, the Snap has come clean.

   The image is a bit dark though. anyhow, nice overall. 

Camera credit, again, Savvy Dalmia.