Posts tagged ‘photography’

February 11, 2011

Fremont Indian Petroglyph – Spectacular Rock Art – Hunters Panel

Fremont Indian rock art is often positioned on trails and commonly depicts mountain sheep, hunting weapons, and trapezoidal human figures. Out of curiosity I dug further to understand the difference between a petroglyph and a pictograph, if any. To my amazement, below is what I found !

Petroglyph is an image or design cut into a rock surface without the use of pigment or coloring. In canyon country, desert-varnished sandstone was most commonly used. In desert areas, this brown or black varnish builds up on rocks after prolonged exposure to the elements. The tool usually used to produce petroglyphs was agate, chert, or jasper.  Pictograph on the other hand are painted on light-colored sandstone surfaces. A mixture of sumac, yellow ochre, and pinyon gum was used to make a black powder; yellow from rabbit brush and red from red ochre or the roots of mountain mahogany. Animal fat and plant oils were used to bind the powders together.

Anyways, Utah has some of the most spectacular rock art – found in Nine Mile Canyon northeast of Price. The canyon is actually 40 miles long, probably the name -nine mile- is a misnomer :). Beware, this Canyon is remote, hostile, unblemished and dryly beautiful. Called “the world’s longest art gallery” it is home to numerous rock art panels, including the below famous “Hunter Panel”. Most of the rock art  was created by the Fremont Indians who occupied this area some 1,000 years ago.

The “Hunters Panel”  is one of the more famous and most recognized Fremont style petroglyph rock art panels in Nine Mile Canyon, Utah. The panel depicts 36 bighorn sheep, 5 hunters, a snake, and several ambiguous images. Notice how the bighorns are connected by consanguinity lines – probably depicting a natural relationship that co-existed.

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Hunters Panel, Nine Mile Canyon
Price, Utah, USA

February 4, 2011

Jacaranda – The Purple Carpet of Bangalore

Jacaranda (blooming period Feb-Mar): Delicately beautiful, this tree carpets the roads and yards all over town, with fragile purple flowers. It is one of the most ethereal sights to see every feb/march or so. Of all the places in Bangalore, Cubbon Park, as usual has a prize collection of the colorful carpet flowers, apart from houses all around town.

Was quiet lucky when the sun-set treated me one nice evening, from the luxury of my balcony, with the below scene. HDR really came in handy in capturing the twilight along with the beautiful violet jacaranda in the foreground. It is probably worth to check out the full size (clicking the below image and selecting ‘X3’ in the sizes).

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View From Alpine Eco Apartments, Bangalore
Karnataka, India

January 28, 2011

A Visit to Venetian

Las Vegas , is an awesome place – to gamble, to kill time, to shop, to spend, to visit places across the world (with themed hotels from La Paris to NYC to Luxor) , to eat (from the themed hotels ;-) ) – and of all – a great place to photograph.

Though at some level the whole Vegas feels a little artificial (it really is) , it does provides an awful lot of photo opportunities.  The night offers different options like fountains of Bellagio, Eiffel tower of La Paris, Fremont street experience at the old Vegas. The day time is equally interesting- in case you have the energy & manage to get out of the hotel room, after the loooong night life from the previous day :-)

Today’s shot is from a street or rather canal near Hotel Venetian, Las Vegas. If not for the water, I would have walked right past , only to hit on the wall. Yeah look again, anything behind the first set of brick pillar is actually a painting. Though I was not able to do full justice to the painting , tried capturing the essence and the feel of the scene ! The HDR technique did help capture the mood subtly. Do you know of any more sweet spots across Vegas, do share in the comments!

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Hotel Venetian, Las Vegas
Neveda, USA

January 21, 2011

Go with the Flow

There is something magical about water falls, yeah the falling water. It is so soothing, just to sit by the running water and let yourself flow. May be it is the fluid nature of water, may be it is trying to find your ever flowing inner self, may be its the calm that it brings, may be …
what ever it is, i always love to visit a waterfall …how about you !!!

The below is from a hike to Donut Falls – a gem hidden at the Big Cottonwood canyon, Salt Lake. It is always an ideal place to hike up and spend the afternoon, provided of course, the path is not covered with snow !

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Donut Falls, Big Cottonwood Canyon
Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

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January 14, 2011

The New Dawn

Just a fortnight onto 2011 and I had a chance to make it to Nandi Hills twice clubbed with a hike. Great way to start a year ! But yeah both the times the security check at the foot hills jeopardized the sun raise shots , which was ridiculous. Anyway, the hike at Nandi hills today, with my bro was a real treat. We got to find some real sweet secret spots. Note to self : Plan for an overnight @ the place, to better leverage these view points and avoid the early morning check post trap !

Below shot – The New Dawn (as apt as it seem) – is from an un documented spot at Nandi Hills, which is around 60 kms from the maddening crowd of Bangalore. Being a week day not many people were around , allowing oneself to bathe in nature’s lap with out any disturbance. Though the sun was almost up , the blanket of fog was still covering the distant mountain ranges. It is worth checking out the larger version by clicking on the image below (like all other Photos , it would open up the larger version @ my dedicated photo site) to see around 10 mountains tips over at the horizon. The early morning dawn light with the for created an amazing splash of colors.

And Happy Sankaranthi (இனிய பொங்கல் வாழ்த்துக்கள்) to all. This is partly the Indian version of Thanks Giving for those who are not aware !

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Near Bangalore, Karnataka, India
January 8, 2011

OutStanding – Wishing a very Happy 2011 Ahead

2010 had been a great year. Just that it flew fast, real fast ! Wishing a very happy and a prosperous 2011 to all my readers. And to me – hoping that I would keep pace with 2011 as much as I am wanting to. Though I had been blogging on and off for quiet some time now, I had not shared as much as I wanted to (oh no, not the rare ramblings, but atleast some inspiring photographs ! ).

This 2011 am planning to share atleast one photo every week this year [and yeah u can keep a tab on me :) ]

This week shot is from the numerous sunflower fields en’route Hampi to Bangalore. Hampi by itself is so majestic, that these travel experience are noting but an additional bonus!

It is not who you are that makes you stand out. It is what you do, with what happens to you , that makes the difference !!!

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Sunflower Fields
Enroute Hampi, Karnataka, India

November 21, 2010

Twin trees @ the Tetons

The Grand Teton National Park – as the name suggest is awesomely grand ! The jagged, craggy peaks of the Tetons are quiet magnificent  by themselves. Really enjoyed this place as we drove thru for our Yellowstone visit. Made a note to myself that one day would need to get back to Teton for, may be a week just to get soaked in her beauty.

As much as I would like to have been there for the early morning golden light, that afternoon did not disappoint either. The quick storm, that was fast approaching, created the dynamic lighting for the below shot. Really loved the way the sun lit up the foreground , while the storm was brewing back at the mountains. Hope u like the same as much as I do !

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Grand Teton National Park,
Jackson Hole, Wyoming, USA

November 14, 2010

The Flight

Vedanthangal sanctuary (@ Kanchipuram district, 90 kms of Chennai) , serves as a nesting home for many species of birds. The vegetation, the lake, the swampy land and the peaceful ambiance attracts and sustains the birds each year.  The birds nest here mainly from the months of November to February. Depending on the time of visit one could see groups of painted storks. The below shot is with the aid of my 18-270mm Tamron. After about 15 mins of chasing ;-) , managed to get this shot. Wish I had a 400mm, may be next time I make a visit, I should atleast rent one of those bazookas !!!

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Vedanthangal Sanctuary
Kanchipuram Dist, Chennai, India

November 1, 2010

Shivanasamudram (Bharachukki) Falls

This is one of the amazing falls @ 2-3 hrs drive from Bangalore. There are different names around this falls like Bluff, Shivanasamudram, Shivasamudram, Gaganachukki, Bharachukki. Mother Kaveri splits into two major branches creating Gaganachukki and Bharachukki falls. The below is that of Bharachukki , few kilometers to the south-west of the Gaganachukki falls. Even here, the falls is huge (roughly with a width of 850 mts). It is a beautiful panoramic view and with the full flow one can find different kinds of smaller falls. Like Jog falls, not sure if each of these have their own names :).  The center falls is very different in that it creates different levels before flowing and continuing down . To its left are couple of beautiful ones [not with too much of water] and lends itself for longer exposures even during early evenings (as it would be in shade :) ). Onto the right, the rock formation tends to create multiple stepped falls with the right amount of water [will post this some time in future !!!] .

Some suggest to get to the falls before noon as the light would directly be falling on the falls. But for me it is always the dreamy effect and the dusk light that creates the magic. Its worth checking out the larger versions by clicking on the below image.

It is also significant to note that the Asia’s fist hydro electric project was started here in the beginning of the century(1902).

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Shivanasamudram, Bangalore, India
September 19, 2010

Temple guarded by Lions @ Kanchipuram

Kanchipuram (???????????) is rightly called the “City of 1000 temples”. Though we might not find 1000s of temples currently, there are atleast few hundreds. And a handful of them still active with rituals and pujas being performed on a daily basis. The below is from Kailashnath Temple. Accounting to Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations at home (yeah yeah my laziness too added to the delay :))  ended up at this place just after noon- after an hour and half drive from Chennai. Though the sun was harsh, the shot came out really good as I was able to sneak and set the tripod in the extreme corner for an HDR shot.

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Chennai, India
May 30, 2010

Mahabalipuram – Panchapandava Rathas

The monolithic temples @ the Mahabalipuram are known as rathas as they resemble wooden chariot. It is an innovation of Pallava King Narasimhavarman-I (Mamalla) [AD 630-668]. A Huge rock sloping from south to north was utilized judiciously to cutout different forms of temple, besides few animal sculptures.

Though these monolithic temples are termed as panchapandava rathas, they have nothing to do with Mahabharatha. These rathas with their ekatala to tritala, vimanas and different in plan and elevation, exhibit splendid forms of south Indian art and architecture. The nakula-sahadeva ratha has apsidal vimana, a relief sculpture of ardhanariswara on the wall of Dharmaraja ratha, with perfect balancing of the masculine and feminine features. It is considered to be one of the finest specimen of the early Pallava art. The ratha also contains Pallava-Grantha, inscription recording the titles of Narasimavarman-I.

The group of the five rathas were executed as models of South Indian temples and were not consecrated as their stupas are still attached with the bed rock.

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Pancha Pandava Rathas, Mahabalipuram
Chennai, India

April 25, 2010

You just can’t Fence Nature !

Horsley Hills, Sunrise
Horsley Hills
Karnataka, India

Horsley Hills – a unexplored hill station – is around 160 kms from Bangalore. This kind of was a good place for a weekend outing. The guest house was really neat, cost effective and you can generally get custom food made, if you get the required things (chicken etc) and provide sufficient time !

The sunset point was really good and easily accessible – thought we actually missed the sunset due to timing. This also had a lot of potential for star gazing and star trail photography – the point being walkable from the guest house [do remember to carry a torch].

There is no specific sun rise view point, but you could go up for a small hike adjacent to the holiday inn (or something named similar, close to the Governors’ Bungalow, if you are an early bird !!!

April 18, 2010

Painted Hills


Painted Hills, John Day Fossil Beds
Eastern Oregon, USA

What is it made of

Layers of hard claystones which include ancient soils (palesols) and lake beds. Recently the surface of the hills had weathered into softer clay. The claystones were formed by several geographic events in the past 33 million yrs. the volcanic activity of cascade mountains (some 100 miles west) deposited layers of cooled ash. The atmosphere with the help of the plants and animals oxidized the ash. Ground water feed’ed the varied minerals. And in due course today’s claybeds were formed (wow what an amount of structural and chemical changes would have happened !!!!)

 

Colors of the Painted Hills

Aluminum, Silicon, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Sodium, Calcium, Phosphorus, Titanium, Potassium, Oxygen, Hydrogen – All this above and some additional elements by a very special secret recipe forms the beautiful colors of this wonderful scenery. Depending on the amount of moisture and the light available , the shades keeps varying thru the day and all seasons.

 

How come there is not much of flora on the hill

Its a interesting to note that there is not much of flora on the painted hills. And the reason is more interesting  – The clay on the painted hills has a great ability to absorb water and swell. And most of the plant are not able to compete with the soil for water. And the once that do, u can see them in the crevices and gullies of the red hills (the yellow ones that blossoms during the spring are chaenactis and bee-plant.

For the Flowers view of the mountain check this out !!!

March 7, 2010

Lovely Sunset over Bangalore, India


Sunset
Bangalore, India

Lovely sunset with warm vibrant fading in the horizon and kind of leaving Inner Light to the skys above.
This is one of my favorite sunset shots due to various reasons

This was a shot from my new apartment @ Bangalore, India ! It is amazing what u can see when u take some time to look around. Generally we travel all over to get to see sights like this … atleast I do !!!

Also this was a first shot from my new Wide Angle (10-22mm !!!) It has got amazing clarity. Need to try a full size to see the details on the construction , the playground etc. Probably need to get some vijayanagar architecture shots to better leverage the wide angle.

November 22, 2009

Mahabalipuram – Arjuna’s Penance


Arjuna’s Penance

Mahabalipuram, India

Arjuna’s Penance, as locally known as , is located in Mamallapuram or Mahaballipuram [???????????](60 kms from Chennai enroute to Pondicherry). It is believed to be from 7th century, measuring 96 feet long by 43 feet high.

Arjuna’s Penance, perhaps the world’s largest bas-relief, is the universe itself in stone, throbbing with a vastness of conception. Legend has it something close the tale of Noah, but differs in its cast of characters. It goes like that, King Bhagirath brought down the Ganges from Heaven to purify the souls of his ancestors. His plan went awry when he realized that the flood would inundate the earth, so he had to undergo a penance to convince Shiva to intervene, who came down to earth and let the flood trickle through his hair, dispersing the waters safely in innumerable streams all over the world.

 


Arjuna’s Penance
Mahabalipuram, India

Arjuna’s Penance has the magically sculpted scene, which opens the doors of cosmic imagination, it has over 100 figures of gods and celestial creatures, birds and beasts, man and saint.

Mamallapuram is 60 kms from Chennai and connected by a good road that runs along the coast. It a good one day trip, or probably a weekend drive if clubbed with Pondicherry from Chennai.

October 6, 2008

Smugmug – First Impressions

‘Wow’, ‘Aah’, ‘Great’, ‘Wonderful’ …. [yeah all with caps !!] so goes the first impressions  with Smugmug.

If ur not aware – Smugmug is a family run, self sustaining, non external funded, profitable, web2.0 photo sharing site.

I had known about Smugmug for quiet sometime, but paying for the account, had made me a bit skeptical where there were lot of free alternatives. As I was using Flickr (and am still & will !) was looking for other alternative to load / categorize and share photos. Zooomr was quiet promising a year back. But after its move to Japan(couldn’t agree more with RaohlPop) and no promises or updates on the horizon , lost hope on the same. Wishes for Zooomr to spring back. Only time will tell.

Last week, was pulled back again to Smugmug, by Don’s passion and commitment to online photography and video sharing [if you already have not , definitely check out the video from Vincent using Canon Mark II]. Decided to tryout their photo sharing site. Signed  up for a trial account. The more I played around, the more tempting it became to use. You can use flickr / yahoo / picasaweb, based on what ur using currently, in the coupon/e-mail field & receive 50% off. Grab while it lasts.

Some of the prominent features I liked are [still trying out and finding treasures…]

  • The first statement in their about page – ” Most Internet companies dream of selling to bigger ones, and getting rich. We don’t”. It says a lot.
  • Amazing customer service support. I sent the first e-mail to real people, as the site suggests with a questions and got a reply in less than 10 mins. Later got a note from Markam, Director of BizDev for SmugMug. The query got resolved in the next one hour. It was amazing, considering that I was still having a trial account, and it was after hours, atleast for me – 6PM MST.
  • Amazing flexibility of customization and co branding [only Power and Professional Accounts]
  • Users don’t need to register to view photos / gallery [alongside with options for password protected private galleries]
  • Option to set price and sell photos [only Professional Account]
  • Open API , documentation and support [thru discussion forums, was able to find answers to most of my questions … ]
  • Surprisingly, I found about their offer of free Pro account for anyone developing applications using Smugmug API. Its a win-win for both, nice move. Yes , I am working on something, would definitely write about is once it gets pretty good shape !

Edit
My Smugmug account is still under customization and would provide a link once the same is complete.
Link to my Smug Account / Portfolio – LikeTheOcean
Link to the Smug Application – SmugBadge

August 5, 2008

American Southwest – Monument Valley


Three Mittens, Monument Valley Navajo Park
UT , USA

 

Monument Valley is not really a valley, but an upwarp of sedimentary rock that is at least 260 million years old, surrounded by sentinels that have yet to fully erode. The floor itself is more than a mile high, part of the 130,000 square-mile Colorado Plateau. Sandstone is easily eroded, and the wind, rain, cycles of frost and heat have been at work, cracking and chiseling the valley to its present form.

June 11, 2008

Grand Canyon – The Making


Toroweep, Grand Canyon National Park
AZ, USA

While the Colorado river accounts for the canyon’s depth, its width and formations are the work of even greater forces. Wind rushing thru the canyon erodes the limestone and sandstone- a few grains at a time. Rain pouring over the rim cuts deep side canyons on the softer rock. Perhaps the greatest canyon building force is snow or ice ! Water from the snow melt and the rain work its way into the cracks on the rocks. When frozen, expands, forcing the rocks away from the canyon walls.

March 23, 2008

Rock-a-mania

 
Skyline Arch, Arches National Park
UT, USA

Click here for Slideshow of the whole trip.

September 29, 2007

Ancient Drawing Board

Lower Calf Creek Trail
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
Utah, USA

It was an amazing experience just walking between mineral-streaked cliffs of Navajo Sandstone, beaver ponds and pre-historic rock art sites en route to the 126-foot-high Lower Calf Creek Falls. The total roundtrip distance to the falls is 5-1/2 miles. Though the summer sun was above and my (a little over a year old) son was on the backpack, the hike was pretty enjoyable with very little elevation change. Most of the trail is sandy & that slows the pace, at times !

The most interesting part of the hike were the wall paintings and the Indian granaries (zoom in & zoom out) and of course the jewel of the crown being the lower falls itself.

On an entirely different perspective, we travel so far, hike so long to get a peek into the lives of the Anasazi Indians. These petroglyph on the walls of the canyons does provide the glimpse. But you know what, in most of these trails you see a notice that there are messages that indicate a heavy penalty if you make new makings (or painting) on these canyon walls (of course !!!)

We do have the technology to make new painting on these walls, that could last more the existing ones. If we are not allowed to make new paintings today how would people, 800 – 1000 years from get a glimpse onto ours lives …… right :-)

Wrong !!! As technology grows, live changes and so is the medium. Who knows even the blog(s) like these -yeah the same one u r reading now ;-) could serve the purpose of providing the window to our lives, in future. Time’s Person of the year , 2006 clearly indicated the significance of the user generated content (if you already don’t know Times Person of the year 2006 is YOU) .

The count of blogs, as of writing this post, just on WordPress.com alone is 1,562,804 blogs with 53,197 new posts today. Even after dropping off the test blogs and the inactive ones, it is still quiet a number – the point is there is a good amount of user content getting generated every day on the Internet.

What would happen to these valuable user generated content, once the user is no more ?Even if someone decides to manage and maintain a users content after user’s time, On what basis would the user account details be shared with the family or friends ? May be the blog or the site could be graciously closed, but what if the users demise is not expected ? Would these become asserts of the individuate and hence be part of his Will ? How would we differentiate between the valuable and junk out of these content ?

So many things to ponder about ….