Month: May 2015

TTL: Kaziranga and Pobitora

Continuing from Shillong, next stop was the Rhino country, Kaziranga.

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Swans at Ward’s Lake: Shillong

Now, the Kaziranga and Pobitora National Parks, both closed down by the 14th of May, and we were arriving a week too late. Expectations of getting to see the rhinos were low.

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We enjoyed the road, for it was really very beautiful. And then, we came across these cute ones, ambling down the road.

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A few photos hence, the journey continued. After some time, we came across a patch of land, and stared into the wilderness.

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Rhinos Galore!

We stood there ogling at the rhinos, and they couldn’t be any less bothered. Soon, we got bored too, and continued towards the rest house.

Next day, while going back towards Guwahati, we detoured via Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary. That too was closed, but some rhinos were kind enough to give us a peek.

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Satisfied with our Rhino sightings, we headed back towards Guwahati.

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Weaver bird Nests

Next day, scheduled trip being the Kamakhya temple and a local handloom hub, Suwalkuchi. Coming soon 🙂

Cheers!!

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Skimming on the way!

 

Umium Lake, on the way to Shillong!

Check out some more takes here!

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TTL: Cherrapunji (Sohra)

From Shillong city, we went to the Shillong viewpoint, which is located within the Air Force Base. The route was dense with fog, and the visibility was rather limited. From the view point, only a few pine trees and their cones were visible.

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As we came to lower altitude, the weather cleared and we got an amazing view of green fields, dark mountains and blue sky specked with clouds.

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Before turning towards Elephant Falls, our driver, made one last detour. This time, into a pine forest.

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Next stop, was the Elephant falls. I ll be honest, this was just the way I had thought it would be, and was prepared. I had lugged my tripod, for just this kind of a shot, and I got it.

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There are 3 stages of this falls, rest two were pretty, but this one, the stage 1, was the best, by me!

Next, we turned towards the once wettest place on earth, Cherrapunji or as locally known as, Sohra.

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The route is nothing short of majestic and in every turn, you feel like stopping for a shot.

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At Cherrapunji, we met up with more dense fog and by the time we went to the tallest plunge waterfall of India, the Nokalikhai Falls, the cliff was blanketed in fog, and nothing, absolutely nothing was visible. We turned back, a little disappointed that we missed the view.

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But then, we were excited too. We were off to Kaziranga the next day! Rhinos…coming up shortly 🙂

Cheers!!

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Broken..

When things break, sometimes, they are repairable, namely, hearts and at times promises. But then, some cannot be repaired, and hence, need to be replaced, example, links of a watch’s chain! Enjoy!!

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For the other takes on Broken, head over here!

Cheers!!

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TTL: Shillong

Hi all,

Continuing now. From GAU, we went on our way to Shillong. The maps had shown twisty turny roads, what it didnt mention was the quality. For most of the route, it was 4 lane wide and pretty gentle. And the views all around, simply marvelous.

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On the way to Shillong, we came across the Umium Lake, rightly called Barapani, meaning, big lake, in Hindi.

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Some HDR and stitched photos of the lake are under process, hopefully, I ll have them up soon.

At Shillong, the first place we went was the Don Bosco Museum. I ll be honest, I didnt pay much attention to the artifacts within, and almost ran up to the top and went to the sky walk, for a panoramic view of Shillong, and it was superb.

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From here, we went to our hotel, and were tired. Next day, was towards Sohra, or as more commonly known, Cherrapunji. Coming up, soon 🙂

Cheers!!

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TTL: North East India, Beginning!

Dear all,

Allow me to take you on a virtual tour towards the North Eastern part of India, specifically to parts of Shillong and Cherapunji in Meghalaya and Kaziranga, Pobitora and Suwalkuchi in Assam.

But, lets begin at the Netaji Shubhas Chandra International Airport (CCU). We reached here at around 2330h, our flight was 1040h, next day. With more than ample time, we camped in the lounge. I didnt manage to sleep, instead, I got fascinated by the empty chairs!

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Past the security check, the wait was over quick, and we were airborne. The flight was a short one, it felt like we climbed, the hostess gave the refreshments, and we landed.

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With this, we landed at the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport (GAU), Guwahati.

From here, we loaded up on Toyota Innova, and were on our way towards Shillong, Meghalaya. Approximate time to get there, 5 hours.

Coming up, soon! Follow the series 🙂

Cheers!!

 

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30,000 ft and climbing…

Taxi, accelerate, take off and climb. Look outside, you are enveloped in the fluffy cloud cover. Fly safe!

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This marks the beginning of the North East trip posts. Follow the posts for some more breath taking views of landscapes and wildlife.

Check out the entries for Enveloped right here!

Cheers!!

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Slow!

For the love  of smooth milky waterfalls!

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Shot at Elephant Falls in Shillong, Meghalaya. A lot more to come soon!
Cheers!!

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At the Pottery Town

Hi all, While I was at Bangalore, with the 9 to 5 job, it used to be difficult to get time to out for photo shoots. But, once a while, like on this certain Sunday, I managed to make it to the Pottery Town in Bangalore. It looks like a sleepy part of the town but by around 10 am, people were up and about their respective business. This gave me a good opportunity to snap a few photos and also get to know the people there. Since they get lots of visits from the local photography clubs and individuals, they are pretty comfortable around the camera and quite like being photographed.

To the ones who are in Bangalore, go to this place to get some awesome photos. Its a little far flung, but the returns will be totally worth it. I shall be on my North East trip from 15th of this month. So, next post might be a bit late. But, if I manage to execute some of the plans I have, you are all in for some treats! Have fun, happy shooting! Cheers!!

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Tiny black ants

Hi there,

When you are in a crunch for subjects, look in your own backyard, kitchen garden, or nearby plants, you ll find the tiny insects there busy at work. And as long as you dont disturb them, they wont mind giving you a few shots.

This post, should also show that why a macro lens, though serving the purpose, is a very good option. The photos here are taken using the 55-200 mm lens with a +4 Macro lens filter. The DOF is vastly reduced, thats fine, but clarity is absolutely missing, that is not too fine. The photos here may appear to be just fine, but they are grainy, and I would love to have a macro lens and shoot with it, rather than the filters.

In a desperate pinch, these get the work done, just though.

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Happy shooting!

Cheers!!

 

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Boon or Bane?

Hydel power plants are the new age necessary evils. On one hand, they give clean renewable energy, while on the other hand, they may cause environmental effects, and at times be fatal too.

Here, the river bed was a trickling stream about 5 minutes prior to the shot. Then, in an instant, the check dam’s water valves were opened, and nature unleashed her pent up energy in the form of the raging river, it once was. A couple of kids got washed off, and eventually rescued. By me, water, is one of deadliest forces of nature.

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Check out the other takes on the Forces of Nature too.

Keep shooting!
Cheers!!

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Toxic

Hi there all,

Of the numerous requests I receive to make a photo in a certain way, few of them materialize in the way we want it to be. Here is one of the rare cases, when things went favorably. A little less windy, and results would have been marvelous.

Parul, I hope breath is illustrated here, though toxic in nature  🙂

As the name of the post suggests, cigarette smoking is toxic, and it will cause health issues for anyone who inhales the smoke, active or passive. So, kindly refrain from smoking in company of non smokers, let them live, and yeah, quitting helps too!

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The model here, is my buddy since we were toddlers, Archit Dutta! Thanks man, for posing and being patient.

Related to this post, is my entry for the Weekly Prompt for Intricate. I find the ash to have a very interesting pattern, unique, and intricate. Have a look at the other takes here.

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Keep shooting!

Cheers!!

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