tranquil night
under a blanket of stars –
sleep gone, again :)
This shot is from a lovely spot is nestled less than 100 kms away from the bustling Bangalore, by the forests of Kanakapura (or whatever is left of it). Stay late, it is great to spend time with the stars :)
Sony A7III : Sony 16-35 mm : ISO 3200: 16 mm : f2.8 : 20.0 sec
Stars by the lake
Kanakapura, Karnataka, India
Had planned to visit this particular area last year with a friend. That never materialized because of you know who :) Accounting to the same, 2020 had not been great, even more so for travel. Then what can be said for night travel ?!
Hence, when the Astro season started this year, was trying to hold my expectations low. This time of the year the Milky Way graces the night sky after 3 or 4 AM. It was only a small window, but the twilight even from the horizon behind graciously blanketed the lake with its warm light. The stars finally aligned, and I couldn’t be happier.
Feeling thankful that we still have pockets of the night sky in a short distance from busy cities where the stars can be appreciated. Here is to the love of stars. Happy Valentines Day !
Sony A7III : Sony 16-35 mm : ISO 5000: 16 mm : f2.8 : 8.0 sec
A Hillock by the lake
Kanakapura, Karnataka, India
Our society thrives on the concept of being busy all the time. The entire system is built around to keep you busy, on the edge, always being bothered, forcing to carry the mountains that aren’t yours to carry.
Photography for me, helps to go within and contemplate what is it I am here to do. Sometimes our life is full of chaos, sometimes the mind is full of chaos. It is all about Calming the Chaos …
Hidden in the chaos, are the treasures of life … Would you agree :)
Canon 7D : Canon 10-22 mm : ISO 160: 14 mm : f4.0 : 1/30 sec
Lake Hartwell State Park
Fair Play, South Carolina, USA
Once, while driving to Atlanta, the evening sky was so dramatic, that it would have been a sin not to stop. Luckily, Maps showed a blue patch near by, indicating a water body. But only in a crunch, you realize how much time it takes to drive up, even a few miles, when it is not the highway :) Shot this literally scrambling to find a spot, from where I had parked …
The light was fading down quickly and there was not enough time, but was real glad I had pulled over !!!
In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you. – Deepak Chopra
Canon 7D : Canon 10-22 mm : ISO 160: 10 mm : f3.5 : 1/60 sec
| Lake Hartwell State Park Fair Play, South Carolina, USA |
Just because you
didn’t see me
Doesn’t mean that
I wasn’t there
Did u know that on average there are 25 Million cloud-to-ground lighting hits per year or ~48 strikes per second … and that is only counting continental US. Still I had managed to capture only a very few till date, this being the first strike ;-)
Being one of the most unpredictable forces of nature, lightning storms present unique challenges in photographing them. Lightning is probably happening all thru the day, but is more rewarding to photograph them once it is dark or during twilight, when the foreground accentuates the composition. I had been trying to capture lighting for a while now, but it all came together only this particular evening at Everglades National Park. How do u like it !
Canon 7D : Canon 10-22 mm : ISO 100: 15 mm : f5.6 : 4 sec
|
Pine Glades Lake |
Driving this past weekend was like a theme park ride. During thru the afternoon thunderstorms, the rain was lashing quiet heavily. All that was visible were the blinkers from the car ahead. Even with that visibility the traffic was flowing at 70 mph & there was no way to slow down. Once in a while, the lighting would remind and highlight miles of everglade wilderness on the right. Listening to beats of the AR Rehman , interrupted by the far thunders – it all was like a adventure theme park ride :)
Was planning for the sunset, but driving for hours with out knowing, if the clouds would indeed open up, in quiet daunting :) Racing with time, arrived at the pristine lake just in time. But the horizon was still cloudy.
As the sun started going down, the sky towards southwest cleared & the colors started to bleed. Then something peculiar happened, the break of clouds, around the horizon added the much needed depth and the clouds were backlit with subtle shades of the pink. It was interesting to watch the sun set in a veil of clouds.
Finally, as I was trying out a time-lapse, the lightning from the distant storm made it for one Striking Sunset, with some pristine reflections :)
Canon 7D : Canon 10-22 mm : ISO 100: 15 mm : f22 : 1.5 sec
| Pine Glades Lake Everglades Wilderness, Florida, USA |
Autumn is a Spring, where every leaf is a flower !
Canon 7D : Tamron 18-270 mm : ISO 100 : 18 mm : f3.5 : 1/30 sec
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Devils Lake State Park Baraboo, Wisconsin, USA |
Every person you meet is only your reflection.
Canon 7D : Canon 10-22 mm : ISO 100 : 10 mm : f5.6 : 1/45 sec
| Chicago Botanic Garden Glencoe, Illinois, USA |
When ever I need a shot of tranquility,
When even I need to rejuvenate,
When ever I need a kick in the butt,
When even I need to find my self – I get to nature.
This shot is from a lovely night at Mt hood. It is always quiet an experience to be admits nature and once the sun goes down its even more intimate :)
It has been quiet a while – time to make some plans and shake some hands, with nature !
Canon 7D : Tamron 18-270 : ISO 100 : 18 mm : f3.5 : 301 sec
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Reflections by Mt Hood Trillium Lake, Oregon, USA |
Though Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes, you could get a flavor for the same in the neighboring upper peninsula of northern Michigan too.
This shot was from the day when I drove up to Bond falls, to capture the Perseids. After initial scouting, realized the back drop of the falls was not conducive for sunset. Hence decided to fire up Google maps and started driving towards a water body with a west side view. After a couple of miles and a few lakes, ended up at this lovely view. The banks of the lake was laden with mosquitoes and a bit swampy – but the view from behind the grass, the colors from the setting sun and the crescent moon – made up for it :)
Canon 7D : Canon 10-22 mm : ISO 100 : 19 mm : f8.0 : 1/10 sec
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Sunset by the Lake Land O’ Lakes, Michigan, USA |
Life is truly a reflection of what we allow ourselves to See & Be !
Wisconsin Dells might be know as the Waterpark Capitol of the World, but it also very close to several state parks, know for its fall colors. Mirror Lake State Park is only a few miles from Devil’s Lake State Park and is often thought of as the “Overflow” park for campers who can’t fit in at Devil’s Lake. However, just visit once and you would realize that Mirror Lake State Park has a special beauty of it’s own. Though this is closest to Wisconsin Dells, it feels so far away from civilization.
At the heart of the Mirror Lake State Park is a beautiful lake … It is a great place to swim and paddle in. The evening was chill and the water was still. I just decided to stay out and enjoy the reflection, with just occasional birds accompanying me. The twilight from setting sun, the fall colors and the reflections were just complimenting each other. It turned out to be an amazing evening ! Now this is worth calling a Mirror Lake, right ;-)
P.S : The entire dynamic range was possible with 7 exposure, thanks to Magic Lantern !
Canon 7D : Canon 10-22 mm : ISO 100 : 13 mm : f13.0 : 30 sec 
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Mirror Lake State Park Baraboo, Wisconsin, USA |
Trillium lake is one of my favorite places from Pacific North West. For folks that are not from around here – this is one lovely spot located at the higher elevations of the Mt Hood. Its unique location makes it a great spot – be it an ideal summer fun afternoon, or a leisurely walk in the evening or some boating / kayaking. Being away from city lights it is also a great place for some amazing night photography. This shot of Perseids Meteors shower and milky way was from from this same spot !!!
Canon 7D : Tamron 18-270 mm : ISO 100 : 18 mm : f10 : 1/50 sec
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Trillium Lake Mt Hood, Oregon, USA |
The starry skies on a clear night is so peaceful and soothing. Trillium Lake @ the base of Mt hood is an awesome place for watching the stars too. It is just far enough from the city to avoid the light pollution and short enough for an evening drive.
This was shot with the canon 7D at a slightly higher ISO [6400] and exposure of 30 seconds. It is indeed amazing how much cameras have evolved there by enhancing flexibility, freedom and creativity. This is one of my initial try, yeah there is lot more learning yet to be done … Though I am not satisfied with the overall shot, I was glad to be able to capture the milky way. Now I would just have to wait for the winter to pass so I can just drive up to Trillium Lake. U know, its biting cold to hike up, and not so pleasant to camp out in the snow :)
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Milky Way @ Trillium Lake |
It is a really nice feeling when you least expect and things just unfold – one step at a time – resulting in something awesome. The same was the case with this shot. One lazy afternoon, just decided to take my son for boating at the KR Puram lake. Little did I realize that it is a commercial picnic spot run under the name of ‘Fantasy Lagoon’. Apart from the jogging / walking track, there is a choice of boat rides – pedal, speed or scooter boat. They do have food options, though we did not try anything. As we were enjoying our pedal boat, the sun decided to peak out of the clouds to create the stunning scenery.
It is a nice place to kill time. How do you think it is ! What are your favorite places around Bangalore to spend a lazy afternoon ?!
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 Flickr Page |
KR Puram Lake |
Kodai Lake is located in the Kodaikanal city (Dindigul district) in Tamil Nadu, India. Sir Hentry, then collector of Madurai was instrumental in the initial set up of the lake in 1863. The lake is probably one of the most popular stops at this summer destination.
Apart from the regular boating – the lake offers much more. A late evening walk with a loved one, a bicycle ride with ur kid [oh yeah u can rent all kinds of cycles], shopping for or with ur wify along the entire periphery or just gazing from one of the view points – the possibilities are limitless. Outflow of the lake create the much famed silver cascade falls [that would be a shot for a diff week ;-)]
The low f stop (f/22) actuated the star effect on the lights, which I really dig. This is a single exposure, with minimal adjustment on levels. Was really surprised how sharp the shot came out even with a minute long exposure. Looking at the shot really brings back the stillness of the evening – both inside and out.
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Flickr Page |
Kodai Lake Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu, India |
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Like the Ocean 