Dare to Dream

I have hated the city and then loved the city and then hated it and then loved it and this cycle never ends. As they say, the grass is always greener on the other side.

Currently, I wish I was living in a city, in a high-rise building which has one of those big windows that overlook a myriad of lights, traffic and buildings around. Somehow it makes me feel lonely in a way I want to feel.

So, to make up for living in a place that everyone calls city, but isn't really one, I have wanted to photograph the exact view I was talking about earlier for the longest time. I know a store that has this exact picture for sale, its a huge framed photograph which instills that feeling in me everytime I look at it. Call it pride, or a need to find that place and capture it on my own, I cannot buy it. I want to find this view myself, photograph it and hang it in my living room so that I can stare at it every single day and feel even more miserable that I don't live there! (It's hard to remain sane when you harbor twisted feelings inside your head).

To make up for what's been missing, I took this photograph. It makes me feel like I am looking out a window that has lots of lights and activity. Plus it was fun to try this new technique of creating a light bokeh.



Some more...that gives floating effects to the lights.





Sometimes I wonder how it is that people admire the photos that are so easy to create (like a light bokeh or that famously popular milky water effect) and don't pay much attention to something that took hours of study to get it right. I do the same too! Anyway, here is a super easy technique, but something that arouses curiosity about the method neverthless.



(These photos are really poor quality due to a high ISO setting and also lack any creativity in terms of composition, but it is my first attempt at this and I am really excited, so I went ahead and posted it).

lavande

Seattle can be the most romantic of places with a very charming downtown (even though Pike Place is over-hyped) and umpteen hike trails and plenty of islands to take the ferry to.

San Juan islands is one such ferry ride away and we chose a very bright warm day to visit this place. Apart from having the usual things you have on an island, the small quaint shops, family owned restaurants and of course water all around, there was a small lavender field (which smelled heavenly)!

I tried taking a photo of the multiple lavender stalks, but it didn't really turn out fantastic.



There were some yellow flowers in a corner and I just broke off a couple of lavender stalks and held them against this yellowness to get this picture. Of course I tried a couple of different distances between the lavender and the yellow flowers to get different depth of fields. (I think I like the slightly blurred background better, tells you they are flowers there in the back).





On afterthought, I could have tried this with my new 50mm lens (and got <5.6f), but it didn't cross my mind at all. I wish I had given more thought to this and also had more time! There was also a lot of wind and it was really hard to hold the stalks with my hand and click at the instant they are still!

Candid

Inspired by the truly amazing series of pictures of the Nairobi Marketplace and its people by Sudarshan Kunjibettu(For lack of a public profile of his, cannot provide a link here), I decided to give it a try at the San Jose Flea Market.



Dragged a few friends on a hot day with a fellow photo enthusiast and clicked away. Without giving much thought to model releases and permissions, I took photos of everything and everyone I liked!



Although I was assured by professional photographers that it's okay to display pictures of people taken without their consent as long as I only use it to showcase my art, I am not yet comfortable with the thought. Hence, posting only a few that don't have people recognizable.



Talking about the experience of candid photography, I learnt quite a bit from this small bit of adventure. It definitely was one of the hardest task; to photograph people you don't know. You have to be quick, know what setting will work, musn't be shy or afraid to approach people and must just let go of some of the shots of really interesting things if the light is not right. Also realized that photographing street performers would be a better idea since they are used to the idea of people photographing them.

The only three faces that didn't give me any trouble and posed for me were these!

Love is in the air

It's that time of the year, when some people are busy getting silly and girly planning their day, while some people are dreading the day and obviously, we always have the people who don't care. Regardless of which category I belong to, I am celebrating it...by sharing these pictures with the world.

Happy Valentine's Day!

The heart shape screams cheesy, sickeningly sweet, cliche...but how about trying to find it around you. It can show up in more places than you can imagine...as grafitti on walls, signs on windows, stones in beaches, in shadows formed and many more places.

Well, this is what I wanted to do, but due to lack of time, went to a crafts store, picked up some felt and color papers for background, a few valentine ornaments and sat down in one of the inner aisles and clicked away. Thanks to one of my friends who held up stuff for me to avoid shadows and get better lighting and background. Acting like we were actually there to shop whenever a store assistant passed by was kinda fun!

Got hold of this one photo while I was "looking" for the shape.

Of doors and windows

I went on a 800 mile roadtrip recently and got down from the car only at ONE place to click! But, nevertheless here are a few pictures with a particular theme in mind.

I was working on an assignment (as a part of Carol's class) to capture parts of buildings. The aim here is to see something beautiful in the architectural details of a building and not the entire building itself.

I was never excited about photographing doors, but its really amazing how each door has its own character that tells you so much. Well, windows is another thing, but I didn't do a good job of this one. Probably should stop more while traveling!

Location: "Grandma's House" at Yreka (Enroute to Oregon, border of California, breakfast place).

Lavender

There are no rules on how to live, there's only advice that parents and friends pass on. And then you actually apply them when you face all the little dissapointments and hurdles. The mood may be blue, but hang in there.

This photo is to remind us that even in the midst of such a depressing time, there are things that are so beautiful. All it takes is to look :-)

moi

Delicate white petals

As they brush against your soft lips

I can't but wonder if it will hurt you

When my lips close on yours

I love the depth of field in this photo (so much for blowing ones own horn)! If you look at the technicality, maybe this photo could have been better, but I like the feel of softness you get when you look at it. And then I thought of all things soft...well...

This was taken at f5.6 (which is kind of the least or lets say best my kit lens can do). (Now, I am posting the photographs directly from flickr and if you click on it, it will take you to my flickr link which will give you all the details of the settings for the photograph...if you are interested). I can't help but wonder what f1.8 can do! After much thinking, I finally decided to add the 50mm 1.8D lens to my collection. Its a bummer that the Auto Focus functionality will be missing with my Nikon D40, but I have a feeling I will be upgrading soon. :-)

Note to self: Yellow and White - 2 colors where its easy to underexpose. Watch out next time, let's try NOT to do post processing!

P.S: "moi" translates to 'soft'