SenK – Page 8 – TRAVELOGUES AND TREASURES

Bokehs and Starbursts!

There are some amazing things one can shoot during night. Long exposure shots of light trails, amazing bokehs, starbursts, star trails, and much more.
Tonight, like many before, I was at office past sundown, and I had camera with me. Had a concept to try out too. So, off I went to the terrace to try out the shot.

While I was up there, the Mahim bay glittered and tempted me to take the long exposure shot. Looks damn nice, right? Worth climbing up to the terrace for a peek!

Something I noticed, while processing the photos, if you suspect that there may be some dirt on your lens, shoot a bokeh at night, the dirt ll show up as a shadow in the orb!

Guess I need to clean the prime!

Cheers!!

November 8, 2017 by SenK Categories: OCOL, PhotographyTags: 50mm f1.8, Arabian Sea, Bandra Worli Sealink, Bokeh, Lenovo K6 Power, Long Exposure, Mahim Bay, Mumbai, Nikon D7200, OCOL, Starbursts Leave a comment

Fire works on Diwali Night at Marine Drive Mumbai

Diwali Night – 2017

This Diwali, I was at Mumbai. Had just a day of holiday, so it was out of the question to go home then. Instead, I came to office that night, went to the terrace, which is on the 42nd floor for a view. Looked quite nice, I must say, the photos didn’t come out to be that amazing though.

But, I wanted good photos, so, I went to the Marine Drive to watch the fireworks. With the rounded curve of the road, it is always amazing to watch the light trails. The glow from the lights add to the beauty, and the occasional police van on a patrol, makes it an interesting picture.

This, here is a composite image of 5 to 6 photos, each of 30 seconds exposure, and then stacked on photoshop. While I am not very deft at photo manipulation, it does help to know bit of retouching.

A bit of advise dear readers, always use a tripod and remote while shooting long exposures for stacking. No matter how stable the surface is, each time you press the button, the position shifts just a tiny bit, and that shows up blurred in the final stacked image.

Cheers!!

October 28, 2017October 29, 2017 by SenK Categories: Photo EffecctsTags: 18-55mm, Blogging, Cars, Diwali, Fireworks, Glow, Light, Long Exposure, Mumbai, Nikon D7200, Photo Challenges, Rounded, Tail lights 3 Comments

TTL: Clean Beach, Clear Water ; Diveagar

Within the group, we had all joined our respective jobs in April, and by the time it was September, we were desperate for a break. So, when the Dusshera break presented an opportunity for 4 days of holidays, a trip was immediately planned and executed.

We had planned to go from Pune to Diveagar. About 150 kms drive west through the western ghats would take us to this beach. We had heard of it to be quite a picturesque and clean one, so we were quite interested about it. I was looking forward to the drive, it had been quite a few months since I had gone for a drive. The Google Maps screenshot depicts the route we had taken.

We booked ourselves a self drive car from Zoomcar, a snappy Honda Jazz and we were away at the crack of dawn; at about 8 am.

The road we took, would take us through the scenic Tamhini ghat and then further on, we shall reach Mangaon and then on to the beach.

Natural beauty galore. The road is patchy at places, with ditches which needed us to creep over them, but over all, the road to the beach was kinda fine.

Once near the coast, there runs a parallel road to the beach, with multiple points of entry to the beach. Find the right fork and one can take the car directly to the beach.

The beach was quite amazing. Wide and clean. The slope is a gradual one, making it ideal for families consisting of kids to come over and have fun too. Options of water sports were present too. The water is clear and absolute fun to splash about it.

In terms of crowd density, this is not a dense beach. One can find space to run about and play happily on the beach or have their own peaceful time. Be advised though, there is almost no shade on the beach and no provisions for chairs or umbrellas are present. Only a handful of shops selling water bottles and snacks could be found, so carry your food and water positively.

Once we had exhausted ourselves on the beach, running about and splashing about in the water, we were on the ride back home. Instead of taking the route we had come by, we chose to take the alternate route, which would have us join the Mumbai- Pune expressway near Khopoli. On map, all we could see was a nice long almost straight road. What it actually turned out to be, was very close to a nightmare. The road is non existent for most of it and there are murderous ditches all along. Ditches the size of dustbins which would gobble up a wheel and some of the axle too. By the time we had reached the expressway, we were tired as hell and still had another hour and a half worth of travel left. So, take it from me, do not take the return route that we had taken, it was horrible.

We did make it safe and sound, albeit worn out and tired. Had a nice big meal at an old haunt of ours and we retired for the day.

When I look back, yes, it was tiresome; true, we could have gone to some other places too, but in the end, it was fun, and absolutely worth it.

Until next time!
Cheers!!

October 22, 2017October 22, 2017 by SenK Categories: TravellingTags: Arabian Sea, beach, Clean Water, Diveagar Beach, Friends, Honda Jazz, Maharasthra, Travelling, Western Ghats, Zoomcar 1 Comment

Meeting Mother!

It had always been a dream to meet “Mother”. She has taken care of her boys in rough weather and inhospitable conditions, gave them a deck to fly off and rain hell on enemies and hover back to safety of her hangars. She could carry 2100 men and supplies at 28knots and in wartime scenarios, she had commando transport facilities for 750 men and a fleet of 26 aircrafts, all ready to take the fight to the enemy. She is none other than the erstwhile INS Viraat.

INS Viraat has served the Indian Navy since 1986 and has been formally decommissioned in 2017. After serving for 3 decades, now she is docked at the navy docks of Mumbai.
Due to some friends, I got a rare opportunity to take a tour of the ship. The first thought was… she’s huge. HUGE! I haven’t been on any other carriers yet, so I can’t compare, but she’s bigger than any machine I have ever seen. True, there is rust on her LCVPs, and all armaments are gone, but it hasn’t done anything at all to reduce the grandiose of the ship.

We climbed up to the deck and it was a feeling beyond expressions. For the first time, in a long time, I felt elated. I stood there, slowly gulping in the feeling, I was standing on the deck of one of biggest machines that exist in the world. We walked the entire length of the deck and then climbed down to the hangar. A single sea harrier adorns the floor today, but once upon a time, there would be a total of 26 aircrafts and helicopters. I was interested to go to the boiler rooms too but then, that takes quite a while, so the idea was parked for a later visit someday.

I did not take my camera along, not knowing the permissions that I may be given. Had the mobile phone though 🙂

This was an experience that shall be in my heart for ever.

Me and a few friends, we went on a trip a few weeks earlier. An account of that shall follow soon.

Till then, cheers and Happy Diwali to all.

October 18, 2017October 18, 2017 by SenK Categories: PhotographyTags: Aircraft Carrier, Dream, Indian Navy, INS Viraat, Lenovo K6 Power 4 Comments

The face of God

The phrase, seeing is believing holds true for the majority of the population. To believe, one needs to have an image, a face to relate it to.

To the thousands, who visited the Lokhandwala Pandal during the Durga Puja this year, god looked like this.

Next up shall be one about a break from the daily grind and a breath of fresh air.

Cheers!!

October 6, 2017October 6, 2017 by SenK Categories: OCOLTags: Asura, Durga, Durga Puja 2017, Face, God, Good vs Evil, Lokhandwala, Mahisasurmardini, Mumbai 6 Comments

Pupper Party, Mumbai

Wouldn’t it be just wonderful if we had a casual congregation of loads of dogs and their owners and both species could socialize???
I believe this is the thought the organizers of the Pupper Party had in their minds.

In what appeared to be a ramp up to the Pet Fed celebrations in December, at Mumbai, the Pupper Party was organized by the Pet Fed at SamBar Pub & Kitchen, Khar, Mumbai.
There were about forty dogs, Gunda, Oreo, Bitsy, Poshto, Magic…and so many more, followed, dragged, chased by and along with their owners all around the property. One could hear barks, howls and the occasional,”Who’s a good boy??” from the crowd. We all know who’s the good boy right???

There was a meal made ready for the guests, dog food, ice creams, treats. And there was also beer for the handlers.
There were numerous games to play customized for the puppies, the tiny ones and the big ones.

It was interesting to see strangers become friends over the shared love for the dogs. No doubts, there were a few loud barks here and there and the owners running around apologizing everywhere, in all, I found the event quite interesting and am really looking forward to the PetFed Mumbai scheduled in December 2017.

Till the next post,
Cheers!!!

September 24, 2017 by SenK Categories: PhotographyTags: Afso, Dogs, Golden Retriever, Huskie, Labrador, Pug, Pupper Party, Puppies 1 Comment

The Weavers, 12-17 Sept,2017, Mumbai

If you are the one who loves handloom and handicrafts, this event is for you to visit. Hosted by a society of crafts and craftspeople, this exhibition cum sale event, The Weavers has brought together artisans from all across the country, each with their special products.

One can find sarees, scarves, dupattas, shawls in the various stalls. Handmade jewelry galore at the stalls. One can also find handmade bags for everyday use, as well as tokris for storage.

The exhibition provides an opportunity to sample the various handicrafts and handloom products that our country has to offer.

I recommend having a visit at the exhibition for one may just find the perfect bit of jewelry or that amazing fabric you wanted, right here!

Go visit The Weavers at the Coomarswamy Exhibition Hall, Chhatrapati Shivaji Museum, Fort, Kalaghoda, Mumbai.
The event is being hosted by Sampoorn, check out their website too.

Cheers!!

September 14, 2017September 14, 2017 by SenK Categories: PhotographyTags: Bags, Dupatta, Ear rings, Fabric, Handicraft, Handloom, Jewelry, Rings, Sarees, Scarves, Tokri, Weavers 2 Comments

Ganesh Visarjan, Mumbai, 2017

Undoubtedly, Ganesh Chaturthi or Ganesh Puja as you may call it, is the biggest and the most grand event every year pan Maharashtra. The entire week pujas are held in the pandals, and then, on the designated day, the grand murtis are paraded through the city and then immersed in the waters of either the ocean, or a river or big lakes. Here, in Mumbai, Juhu chowpatty and Girgaum chowpatty are famous for the visarjan ceremonies.

Along with the idols, there are throngs of crowd all along the way. The spectators cheer and give the god a proper sendoff. The chants of “Ganpati Bappa Morya!! Mangalmurti Morya!!” fill the air quite often.

Me and a friend, we were at Chinchpokli, waiting to catch a glimpse of two of the most famous idols in the city….

Laalbagh cha Raja (King of Laalbagh)

and Chinchpokli cha Chintamani (Chintamani of Chinchpokli)

Despite the crowd and the shoving and pushing, it was quite an amazing experience. I must add, this event, this visarjan coverage, also served as the field test for my newly acquired Nikon D7200. I had been meaning to buy this camera since quite some time, and now that I own it, I am absolutely in love with it. The quick 6fps burst in the CH mode, ensures that no frames are missed. The best bit of it all, my 50mm prime lens, auto focuses on this body.

Let me know how you find the results.

Until next time,

Cheers!!

September 10, 2017 by SenK Categories: OCOL, PhotographyTags: 50mm F1, 8, Camera Review, Chinchpoklicha Chintamani, Ganesh Chhaturthi, Ganesh Puja, Ganesh Utsav, Laalbaghcha Raja, Nikon D7200, Visarjan 4 Comments

Mumbai Nightscape Encore

A few weeks back, I posted a few photos of the city of Mumbai, at night, shot using a Lenovo K6 Power here. The photos were not of the quality that I would have wanted, hence, a few days back, when the opportunity presented itself, I was there with the camera. The location, the terrace floor of L&T Realty Crescent Bay.
We waited from dusk to nightfall and thankfully, it didn’t rain this certain evening.

The next post, dear readers, I shall introduce you to something new. Do keep an eye out, the post shall be up soon!

Cheers!

September 3, 2017 by SenK Categories: PhotographyTags: 18-55mm, Bandra Worli Sealink, Cityscape, L&T Realty Crescent Bay, Lodha, Long Exposure, Mumbai, Night, Nikon D3100, World One 8 Comments

The night cityscape : Mumbai

It has been close to 4 months that I have returned to Mumbai, and most of the posts that have gone up since then, have something or the other related to the tall buildings. This post has more of the same, except there is one major difference today. The shots here, have been taken at NIGHT!

I had been planning for a view from up top for quite a while now, and this gave me a satisfaction of sorts! Not that am totally happy with it, but now, you, my dear reader know what to expect, as I take my camera along, soon.

Come to think of it, now, in Mumbai, instead of saying that the elements of nature are air, water, earth and fire, it should be air, water, fire and concrete! Just look at the buildings that have come up in the last few years!

For the ones who are uninitiated and are new to Mumbai, this ribbon here is the Freeway as it is called, which is basically a high speed motorway starting near Chembur, all the way till CST. The ride on the bridge is quite interesting, doesn’t beat the Sea Link though!

These shots have been taken using my Lenovo K6 Power. It boasts a 13MP camera and some smart modes. Then the photos have been tweaked on Snapseed. The results, are kinda interesting, for they give an idea of what can be achieved with the camera.

Keep an eye out for the HD version post, soon.

Cheers!!

August 15, 2017 by SenK Categories: PhotographyTags: Bandra Worli Sealink, Cityscape, Clouds, Concrete Jungle, Freeway, high rise buildings, Lenovo K6 Power, Lights, Mumbai, Night, Snapseed 15 Comments

Mumbai : Clouds and Rain

Hi there all,

As it must be evident by the sheer number of posts that I manage to post, I do not get a lot of time to pull out the camera and go shooting. Add to that the famed monsoons of Mumbai. Days of incessant rain, followed by a hot and humid sunny day, and then suddenly, out of no where, rain again, transient weather I say! Clothes damp and soggy, fungus just waiting to grow anywhere they can, it is difficult.

Not to be disheartened and following the concept of the best camera is the one you have on you, I turn to using the Lenovo K6 Power to shoot. Once better climates prevail, my beloved NikonD3100 shall come back in action.