December 29th 2013 - Good Bye 2013

We have come to the end of the year 2013. A lot happened to everyone this year, there were some good moments and some not so good. For me, photographically, it's been a kind year. I accomplished a lot in my own standards. I thank God for all the accomplishments.

This is a shot of some place near where I live. The snow had turned into ice and the branches were drooping down by their weight.
Shutter speed : 1/125 sec  
Aperture : F11 
ISO : 100


As the year comes to an end, I saw the most beautiful winter I had ever seen. Usually I sit in my cozy home but this winter I made an effort and clicked  a lot of pictures outdoors. All this was only possible with the help of my better half who drove me to places where I couldn't have embarked on my own.

The blue sky with the icy branches.

Shutter speed : 1/200 sec
Aperture : F9
ISO :  100

The Bean in the dark.

To top it all off, I went for a vacation to Chicago and for the first time captured The Bean in the dark. I am very fascinated by this piece of architecture so I click it whenever I get a chance. It was a cold evening but worth all the walk down to the Millennium park. Captured a lot of city images too which I promise to share in my future posts.  Here is a shot of  The Bean handheld, with the buildings in the background in Black and white.
Shutter Speed : 1/2 sec
Aperture : 3.5
ISO : 1600
A very Happy new beginning to the coming New Year 2014. Have a blessed year. See you all in the New Year!

December 18th 2013 - The winter fever.

The winter fever is here. We got our first spell of Lake Snow Effect. This phenomenon is very usual  near the Great lakes. We can get cozy in our homes till March ... or is it June? I keep my spirits up and therefore I say that this is the time of the year when I can practice a lot, I mean, REALLY A LOT  (since it is such a long period of time and not otherwise ;)) on my indoor photography skills.

Shutter Speed - 1/90 secs
Aperture - 8
ISO - 100

I was lucky one day when I was at my kid's bus stop to have my ordinary pocket camera with me from which I took this picture of snow flakes. Not a very good shot but good for an ordinary camera. At the time I took this picture, I had a high fever - when am I not feeling under the weather, ugh? Since I had to pick my kid, I wrapped my self up and went to the bus stop. No one would believe, that a person shaking with fever the previous day had rolled down windows and was taking shots of snow. You see, I also have a different kind of fever - the photography fever.  Anyway, one thing is for sure, as I am unable to catch up with the flu season,  from now on I am also going to get the seasonal flu shots. Bring it on!!! I am not scared.

What will a person do sitting in bed all day? Work - of course, this time on my computer. And I did a lot of illustrations. Just a few are here as I had mentioned in my previous post. Please give your feedback below in the comments. These are best viewed at full size.

Since the viral cum bacterial infections had invaded me, I did not get a chance to do much of photography.

Just one fine day I thought to myself - that's enough and took a few indoor shots. Here are the perfect ingredients for a tomato soup, my favorite.
Keep yourself upbeat, as winters are here to stay. With this healthy soup and a splash of colors I end this post to meet you soon. Hope you all will have a nice week.

December 3rd 2013 - World in Black and White.

There was a time when photography had no color. Since the discovery of color in photography we have been seeing color everywhere. Black and white still captures the world in all it's essence and beauty. Even today when we revisit pictures in black and white, a sense of purity and simplicity prevails. So, on one hand, color attracts the viewer with its catchy designs and color, black and white attracts the viewers by it's composition, lighting, focus and the story in the picture. A beautiful excellently executed black and white picture can surely beat a flashy color picture. I love color and capturing it is just what I do, but lately I've been attracted to the black and white. There are so many tones to black and white and capturing the right one for the right thing is just as important.

The topmost picture is of Holland Beach. It is a sunset at the Great lakes. The colorful sunset can be captured in black and white with equal drama even without color. Click on the images to view a larger version.

Shutter speed - 1/40 secs
Aperture - F10
ISO - 100

The picture on the right is of Fredrick Meijer Garden. It has sculptures of various artists.  That day, when I reached the garden it was closed , so I could only take shots from outside.

Shutter speed - 1/1000 secs
Aperture - F4.5
ISO - 100
The clouds and the sky can change your black and white picture from ordinary to dramatic.

This is a picture from the Zoo. This is the African elephant. Note the skin has come out beautifully in the black and white version. The wrinkles in the skin have come out perfect. They give the texture to the picture against the blur background.

Shutter speed - 1/320secs
Aperture - F7
ISO - 200

I have even added a new gallery for black and white on my website www.dipalis.com. Feel free to visit and leave your feedback. The other thing I've been working on in the last few weeks is Illustration. Hope to share a few in the next posts.

Hope you all will enjoy these pictures as much as I did capturing them.