15th February 2016

15th February 2016

It's been a mild winter. Mild winter in Michigan is like very cold winter with fewer snow storms. So, there is no relief from the cold but still the cold is bearable. Is this just a temporary thing or is the climate changing for good , I wonder sometimes. It's good to have a mild winter but that brings in lesser snow and hence lesser water to the Great Lakes which in worst case can turn to drought in the summers.

The image is of a bridge over a creek in the winter in a park. It was quite a day after the storm. Loved the freshly fallen snow on the branches of the trees.
Lens is wide angle at 10mm.
Aperture is F11

ISO 100

Just in the park is a river which looked really beautiful after the fresh snow and the blue sky.
You can see the reflections of the trees in the water which is very still. It was just  heavenly.

Lens is wide angle at 24 mm
Aperture is  F11
ISO is 200

Rest of the days when we do not have snow, we have rains. This picture is of the windscreen f my car on a rainy day.

Aperture F11
ISO 100

October 17th 2014 - Welcome Autumn!

It's been a while again since I've penned down my thoughts and displayed painting with light of some fleeting moments of life. At the end of each post I always say to myself that I would write more often but juggling all the balls of life and not letting them fall in the wrong places is what every human being that takes birth on this plane has to accomplish. This is the way life is. That was some serious stuff, but once in a while you have to ponder on such things. Let's take some time to admire the painting that is set before our eyes at the moment. It is that time of the year when it is colorful again like spring, only difference is that the trees and plants are not sprouting leaves but shedding them after they have colored the landscape in the most artistic way.


The above pictures have been taken last week when the Fall had started. The gorgeous fall colors of Michigan are here to stay for some while. The whole place is lighted up with yellow and orange red leaves. I tried slow shutter speed in the creek pictures.

Aperture varying from F8 to F27. Yes, and it was not hand held except for some shots. I did not forget to carry my tripod for once. It was a low light condition and cloudy and the park had tall trees. I am sure you can picture that.

I had fun taking slow shutter speed pictures. I stood in the middle of the creek for some shots. It was fun. My shoes caught some mud as the soil around this time of the year is slushy and mushy.

The train tracks pictures is a bracketed shot. I love my wide angle lens. Just makes you see the world in a different perspective.

  The above pictures were from last week  and in just seven days time you can see the changes that the landscape has made.

The next picture is of a path with leaves fallen on the path. Autumn is so colorful. It has been rightly said by Stanley Horowitz- "Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of all of them." 


Aperture - F 9.5
ISO - 200


Click on the picture to enlarge.

This picture is of a small reservoir of water separated from the main river. The beautiful Maple leaves make it so lively. I was lucky to see a few floating leaves in water near some rocks in the Thornapple River.


Click on the picture to enlarge.

The adjacent picture is of a fire pit in a park.The rocks act like benches people have bonfire in the center.

 I love the view we have here and to tell you the truth this is the most spectacular view I have seen in years here in Michigan.

Hope you all will have a nice weekend. Hope to see you all soon. If you have a beautiful view that you can capture, do it now. Happy shooting!

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.

November 15th 2013 - The first snow fall of the season.

Taking a picture in studio is like creating art, while capturing something in nature, or architecture or landscape is like capturing art. I like to do both the things but some photographers think that in studio pictures do not take much effort. It  is more difficult to create than to capture , I believe. I say this because the past week I have been trying to create and for that you need  fresh ideas and fresh mind, which were both not possible this week as I have exhausted myself with work. This is a random thought which came to my mind, anyway I was lucky to take a few pictures of the first snowfall we had this season. Here are a few...

In this picture I found a few leaves on the path leading to the woods which I thought would look good in SC.

Shutter Speed -1/60 secs
Aperture - 4.5
ISO - 125

As this was the first snowfall , there are a few brown, red leaves on the Oak trees even now. So this shot is of 8:00 am in the morning when the sun was lighting up the leaves on the top of the trees. The golden hour light is always considered the best time to take pictures outdoors. The pictures are soft and magical. I usually miss this time when I am not on vacation, which means I am working as this is the busiest time. That day I left everything and shot a few first snow pictures.  It looked magical. Being a photographer you are blessed with such views and feelings. Very often you can just admire the beauty that surrounds us. 

Shutter Speed - 1/60 secs
Aperture - F16
ISO - 100  

This picture is of the snow on the deck. Just loved how the leaves are sitting there and the sun rays dancing it's way through the railings of the deck. You will be seeing a lot more snow pictures  from me as it's here to stay for some four-five months. Hope you enjoyed the view too and hope you all will have a nice weekend.

Shutter Speed -1/20 secs
Aperture - F16
ISO - 200