Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.
Canon 7D : Tamron 18-270 mm : ISO 100 : 85 mm : f5.6 : 1/30 sec
Spring Greenville, South Carolina, USA |
I am not much of a wildlife photographer, but once in a while I do get lucky, This was one such instance while scouting the Thatcher Woods in the suburbs of Illinois, for capturing the fresh snow.
The snow was still falling with a light drizzle. The white blanket of snow was spread around everywhere. It was biting cold, but there was a serene feeling in the air. As I was snow shoeing thru the trees, there she was. Just at hint of slightest sound, she turned back, posed for a second & went back to what she was doing. ignoring me completely. Luckily had my camera ready to get that shot :)
Canon 7D : Tamron 18-270 mm : ISO 200 : 270 mm : f5.6 : 1/250 sec
White-tailed Doe Thatcher Woods, Illinois, USA |
Baha’i Temple carries an architecture that successfully incorporates spiritual, artistic, and cultural influences. This architecture aims to unify the people of many different backgrounds and religions & beliefs into one. People of different cultures and traditions can come here to pray, meditate or simply enjoy the tranquility and artistry.
From the first time I visited this place, I had always imagined how divine this place would be with a delicate white blanket of snow. With all the snow lately, the weather was in favor. Though the day was a bit overcast, decided to head up as we just have some good snow showers. I had wanted to capture the mood – the white blanket of snow everywhere – making sure not to blow out the intricate designs on the walls – while still highlighting everything from the symmetry of the temple to the texture of the snow. It was quiet a challenge, but a fun challenge that I sure enjoyed :)
This is my first attempt at black & white. How do u like it ? If you prefer color, check this out for the visual treat from previous spring !
Canon 7D : Canon 10-22 mm : ISO 100 : 10 mm : f16.0 : 4 sec
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Baha’i Temple of Worship Wilmette, Illinois, USA |
The winter brought loads of snow !!! It is always fun to walk in the snow. If you are dressed appropriately and do not mind the cold, the winter can add so much beauty to even the regular neighborhood, that you are familiar with. This is from one such drive from within the city @ Schaumburg :)
There is something incredibly honest about trees in winter; They are experts in letting things go.
Canon 7D : Canon 10-22 mm : ISO 100 : 10 mm : f22.0 : 0.5 sec
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Busse Woods Elk Grove Village, Illinois, USA |
I missed the last year Capture the Color Contest just by a day. Luckily this year I got to know abt the same just in time to make the submission. Capture the Color is a content by Travel Supermarket involving submission to 5 categories – Yellow, Blue, White, Green & Red. The theme is open to interpretation and is judged by folks whose work I follow and admire ! It definitely was not an easy task to go over the archives and identify shots for this challenge. Learning abt the contest in the last week did not help either :)
Will stop my rambling and let you enjoy the shots. Check this if you would like to preview the entries from others for the Contest.
Little Explorers at Latourell Falls
Latourell Falls in the Columbia Gorge is one of my favorite falls. It has a beauty of its own – be it rain or shine. This particular day – along with the rain, the spray from the falls was so much that I could not even get my camera out. Having the falls to myself, I decided to let the camera rest and enjoy the serenity of the scene. Just then these two little guys came in – well equipped – to explore the falls. There was no stopping them be it the rain or the spray from the falls. This is not predominantly yellow. I still wanted to go with this shot, as the yellow in the shot – the little explorers – is what that make this click. For me all elements from the terrain to the water to the rocks – all lead to those little guys :)
Twilight Colors at Sunset
It was one of the strongest & vivid sunset that I had witnessed.
Twilight – the time of day between light and darkness, whether that’s just after sunset or just before sunrise – is one of the best times to enjoy nature’s splashing of colors. The sun’s rays from below the horizon are scattered by atmosphere and clouds to create the colors of twilight. This twilight shot is from a sunset, just after the afternoon thunderstorms. These are rare – since they have the potential to burst into a million shades or just blend out flat into the horizon. This particular day I was lucky :)
Peace, Pride and Beauty
Peacock is known for its beauty ; The color of white is generally soothing, spiritual and has a special beauty of its own. A peacock in white – it was not easy to capture this shot as it was all pure white, but watching the angel dance was definitely a moment of joy !
Meanwhile at a Trail in Oregon
I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in tune once more.
This shot is from the Mirror lake trail at Mt Hood. As we were heading up the setting sun decided to accompany us. Any hike in pacific northwest is so peaceful, so serene and so close to nature. U can’t go wrong, just get out and enjoy nature.
Just Around the Corner
Sweet Ride. Some of the trips are amazing, because of the destination. Some because of the company you have. Some because of the car you drive. But many a times we don’t realize that the enroute journey itself, is quiet fulfilling and sometime much more than the destination. This is from one more of my impulse drives, around the pacific northwest. And it did not disappoint ! What are you waiting for, get a break… take ur car, just drive :)
As part of the Contest, I also get to nominate 5 of my friends who have amazing portfolio themselves ! Sorry folks, being the last day , not sure if you would make it to the submission. I still would go ahead and take the opportunity to share ur awesome work with my readers here :)
Josh Kulla : An amazing photographer from PNW. Lovely captures from waterfalls to lush greens to the Coast. Interacted with him a lot, a down to earth person, looking forward to shooting with him some time.
Gary Randall : If you had been following my work, you already know abt Gary or that I a big fan of his work. Mt Hood is his backyard. But don’t let that think he is confined to PNW. He has some amazing collection – be it the Utah deserts or the Eifel tower or the lava of Hawaii :)
Michael : Is from Florida focusing more on high dynamic range photography. Some of his favorite subjects to photograph are architectural objects, nature, and classic and antique cars.
Nandini : Day to day shots from Himalayas to Hyderabad. She has a knack of writing, along with the shots – capturing and conveying the daily feelings in small nuggets !
Ram : I presume he carries the camera to locations where he get to work, like me ! Check out his work for some lovely shots from Singapore. Am looking forward to his London shots as he recently moved out there :)
P.S : Cut off Date for Submission : Oct 9, 2013 ; Just so to be clear – you do not need to be nominated to participate in the competition. Check out this link for Contest details. Hope you enjoyed my collection for this year. Looking forward to travelling more, together :)
Mt. Rainer receives so much snowfall, that u can enjoy spectacular winter scenery like below, even in July. This was shot when I got a chance to drive up last month. My plans of getting a reflection shot of Mt Rainer during sunrise did not go well, with so much snow at Tipsoo Lake. But as I drove up just a mile ahead, was treated with this wonderful scene. I couldn’t have asked for anything more. Just pulled over, parked and spent around an hour to just enjoy the scenery.
The snow probably had melted by now. Couldn’t wait to get back again this month to enjoy some wildflowers and summer hikes. Have you been to Mt Rainer National Park, what is your favorite spot ?!!!
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Tipsoo Lake Mt. Rainier National Park, Washington, USA |