Photo Hunt - Theme 'Free'

I need not say much about how my photo below fits this week's theme 'Free'. This flock of pigeons symbolize freedom and free spirit as they fly past a Buddhist 'stupa' or 'chhorten' in Sikkim, India.

Enough said...

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Photo Hunt - Theme 'Heavy'

Taken at a small railway station in India. Railway wagons are the primary means of transporting heavy industrial material across India. They are cheap and they are fast. Indian Railways incidentally is the second largest employer in the world. Apart from transporting an incredible number of passengers each day, it also carries more than one million tons of freight every day.

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Photo Hunt - Theme 'Narrow'

This is the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone (not to be confused with the famous 'grand' Grand Canyon at Arizona). Over millions of years, the narrow Yellowstone river has carved out this canyon from the bowels of the earth. Notice the red tinge on the canyon walls - this is because the canyon wall has 'rusted'! Rust is iron oxide (chemistry, anyone?) - and that is exactly what the rocks in the canyon walls are made of.

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Photo Hunt - Theme 'Old Fashioned'

"Have been out of the blogging world" is a refrain that I keep using. As much as I enjoy blogging, there are times that I just don't feel up to it. Recently it has been a combination of work, multiple preoccupations at home, and some photographic pursuits that have been keeping me busy. I have been reading a lot on post-processing of images via Photoshop and that is something about which I will be posting shortly. I also have been experimenting a bit and you can check out these results of some abstract shots that I took recently.

Anyway, back to this week's theme of 'Old Fashioned'. The one thing that I keep telling my friends & colleagues from abroad who want to know about India is "Never Generalize". India to me is a country of contrasts. Culture, language, dress, food, ideas, beliefs, religion, economic well-being - you name it. Also at the heart of this study of contrasts is the conflict of the old and the new. An example of this is the shot below - this is a National Highway, where you will get to see trucks and the latest cars blazing the trail. What you also have is this - an elephant on the road! So while the well-off zip by in their swanky cars, for some people life goes on as it did perhaps hundred years ago.

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If you are not from India, remember not to judge 'Incredible India' by one story or one shot. The understanding of the sheer diversity of the country is at the heart of visiting and enjoying it.

Photo Hunt - Theme 'Delicious'

'Delicious' is the theme of this week's PhotoHunt. Say 'delicious' and the obvious, obvious thing that comes to mind is food. Now food photography is a dififcult genre - it requires specialized skill and lighting, and above all practice. I cannot say that I have shot a lot of shots, leave alone good shots, that fit this theme. Here's one that I managed to dig out of from my collection.

Needless to say, these are strawberries. They look fresh and yummy - don't they?

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Photo Hunt - Theme 'Light'

'Light' is the subject of this week's Photo Hunt.

Capturing light and its amazing effects on Nature requires both patience and luck. The best time for nature photography is during sunrise and sunset. It is not without reason that these times are called 'Golden Hours' by photographers. At this time, the sunlight is not harsh and hence the details are not washed out. There is an interesting mix of light and shade, more so when cloud patterns form myriad textures. Here is an example -

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Taken with Nikon D40X with 18-55 AF-S DX Lens fitted with Tiffen 0.3ND filter

Photo Hunt - Theme 'Small'

This week's Photo Hunt theme is 'Small'. Somehow I struggled to identify a photo that would fit the bill. I am not very good at shooting macros, which I think would have been the best bet.

Then I settled on choosing the following shot. This is a baby Himalayan Leopard, and being small (in size, and in age!), I hope it matches the theme.

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Even if it is a baby, the big cats are always a sight to behold. Sadly in India their numbers are dwindling rapidly. Rapidly growing human population is resulting in alarming deforestation and loss of habitat. Poachers are at large too - skins and all other body parts of a big cat fetch a fat price in the market. Coupled with that is lackadaisical governance and lack of public awareness.

The question is how much longer will these gorgeous creatures be able to hold out?

Photo Hunt - Theme 'Long'

Have been out of blogging action for about two weeks now. Work took me away from Calcutta for a while, hence the ceasefire. Hope to make up for the lost time by posting regularly from now on.

In line with this week's theme ('Long') here are two shots, one in color and one in B&W. These shots were taken at Muir Woods near San Francisco, California. These trees are called California Coastal Redwood or the Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum). They are the tallest variety of trees in the world, growing to a height of 50-85 metres, on average. Sequoia's are found mostly in California and the Sierra Nevada mountains.

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When you walk through Muir Woods, these tall (and I mean TALL!) give you the impression that you are entering a cathedral or a hall with huge high doric columns. Being there made me feel small and humble - could not but help wonder again how wide & wonderful Nature's creations can be.

Photo Hunt - Theme 'I Love -----'

This week's PhotoHunt theme is 'I Love ___'

Travelling and photography is what I love the most. And as much as I like travelling in general, what I enjoy most is going to places of natural beauty. There is nothing more grand or awe-inspiring than being mesmerized by the beauty of Nature. I like mountains and forests more than I like the sea, by the way. For the same reason, I enjoy landscape photography more than portraits or street photography.

Enough said. Now I leave you to one of my favourite shots. A shot like this is what the effort of travelling and lugging around heavy camera equipment & tripod worth it in the end. This is a sunset taking place over Jackson Lake in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, USA.

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Taken with Nikon D40X with 18-55 AF-S DX Lens fitted with Tiffen 0.6ND filter

Photo Hunt - Theme 'Flexible'

This week's Photohunt theme is 'Flexible'. This photo is from San Francisco's famous tourist attraction - Pier 39. The bungee trampoline this boy is bouncing on is called 'Frequent Flyers' :-)

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Pier 39 in San Francisco is one of the most visited places in the US. It is part of the larger tourist district called Fisherman's Wharf. The entire area is abuzz with shops, restaurants, a carousel, street performances (the World Famous Bushman, among others) and many other attractions to keep tourists entertained. In most days families of sea lions can be seen lazing around Pier 39. Fisherman's Wharf is also a delight for the seafood lover - the signature dish being clam chowder served with sourdough bread. It is also the place from which ferries depart to Alcatraz island, the infamous prison-island which can be seen across the Bay. Ferries can also be availed for 'Bay Cruise' - an hour long journey which takes tourists under the Golden Gate Bridge and around Alcatraz island.

For more photos of San Francisco, see my post here.

Photo Hunt - Theme "Classic"

This week's Photohunt theme is 'Classic'. Perhaps not a very difficult theme to find a photo on, but I did take my time about it. Had a few options to chose and then finally settled on this one. This is Michaelangelo's La Pieta on display inside the St Peter's Cathedral in Vatican City, Rome.

Taken with a Konica Minolta Dimage Z2 on Auto mode

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There is scarcely anything to say about this magnificent work, I think the picture says it all. This is but an example of the heights in art/sculpture/architecture reached during the Renaissance. The Academia in Florence houses Michaelangelo's David, while the Vatican City has two of his greatest paintings. On the ceiling of the Cistine Chapel we can see The Creation of Man and while the wall above the altar is decorated by The Last Judgement.

Photo Hunt - Theme 'Pink'

This is the first week that I am participating in the weekly Photo Hunt. I came to know about this from David's post. This week's theme is 'Pink' - so here goes my two cents!

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This, of course, is the Hibiscus flower. They are fairly common in India, with the red variety being most prevalant. This one turned out to be matching with this week's theme - pink!