Take 52 Challenge: Week 10 – Angle

It’s all about Angles this week and suddenly I see them everywhere! This is the first time this has happened for me…that I’m literally seeing the subject of the Challenge everywhere, in everything, all the time! It’s rather overwhelming not to mention a tad weird 😛 They are truly ubiquitous – whether in Nature or the man-made World, whether geometrical or metaphorically, as nouns or verbs…it’s all a matter of perspective. We’ve had some lovely angled shots this week…some soft, some sharp and some downright dramatic. Angles tend to do that – add drama. If you sense a metaphor coming, breathe easy 😉 I’m steering well clear of them this week. There’s such a thing as too much thought and I’m just not in the mood. Although I must confess that was my intention when I began to write. You’re congratulating yourself on your lucky escape aren’t you? And the fickleness of my mind?! You and me both 😛

Last week for the Roots Challenge, I shunned Mother Nature and went man-made. This week I embraced Her 🙂 And like most Mothers, she didn’t disappoint 😉 I found this plant with dagger-like thorns encircling its thick stem from top to bottom – a throwback to some medieval torture instrument 😛 They were protecting the most delicate greenish-pink buds that offered a wonderfully soft contrast. The flowers however I didn’t like very much…they were flat and lacked the alluring innocence of their younger selves! See, I promised no metaphors! How am I doing so far? 😉 It was harder to get the right angle than I had imagined. Translating 3D into 2D is tough and doesn’t always work. I took a lot of shots and finally chose this one…

Natural Born Angles!

Here is what they were protecting…

And here are some others I took just for fun…

I loved these delicate Blue blooms 🙂

Alien vs Predator?!

Perfect Natural Symmetry!

I love the angles on my copper watering pot!

That’s my apartment block – angling into the Sunset 🙂

The Weekend is upon us People! ENJOY every ANGLE 😉 😀

Take52 Challenge: Week 9 – Roots

I should have posted this last week but better late than never! The theme of the Challenge was Roots, once again a word with many meanings and as many interpretations, several of which I’ve enjoyed viewing on our site. I love that about this Challenge, it’s making me look at things from different perspectives 🙂 Again, I knew I didn’t want to take a traditional ‘root’ picture. For one, there weren’t any interesting roots or even root-like objects in the near vicinity. Lots of trees but with their roots tucked safely underground! So I decided to grow my own…and since I have a non-existent green thumb, they would have to be grown from something that I could not destroy 😛

I came across ‘water candles’ on Youtube while surfing for ideas and decided to try them out. I’m not a ‘crafty’ person (pun unintended!), but these seemed simple enough and I wouldn’t have to go shopping for material. I have plenty of used candles and a million wax crayons thanks to Junior! So into my little fondue pot went the chopped up candle wax and a brown crayon and in 5 minutes, I had some nice bubbling, melted wax. I must say I felt very accomplished 😉 Then I poured small amounts of the melted wax onto a plastic base with a votive previously fixed, and dunked & swirled immediately in a bucket of water. The instructions said ice-cold but I didn’t bother with the ice. It was fun to see the strands of wax stretch out and rise the instant it hit the water 🙂 They looked more like icicles than roots but I didn’t care. I used my macro lens to get up close and personal with my waxy roots!

Roots of Wax!

Last week, I also managed to download Photoshop and Lightroom – Finally! Now that I have them I’m looking forward to learning more about editing. I think it’s a great way to add some more fun into the photographic process. I’ve been using Youtube to study Photoshop tutorials and learnt recently how to blend two pictures into one, inspired by my friend Wendy who used the technique to create a wonderful image for the Roots Challenge. I used it to create another picture which if I had got done in time, I might have submitted for my Challenge. Then I found a rather nice ‘root’ picture that I had taken a year ago in Bombay and I used Photoshop to change it into a painting (an effect I really love). I thought it turned out rather nice.

The Root of all Evil?

Cling-on!

As for Roots – I’ve just posted about how ‘Rootless’ I feel in my soul and how this ‘rootlessness’ feels authentic for the moment. So for now – it is what it is, and if ever I do sprout some myself – I promise, you guys will be the first to know. Meanwhile for those of you with Roots – Bask in their Glory 🙂 And for my fellow ‘Rolling Stones’ – Enjoy the Ride!

Take52 Challenge: Week 8 – Blue

This week, we had a colour theme. Blue. A favourite of mine as it happens 🙂 There’s such a soothing serenity in Blue I find – whether it’s the blue waters of the ocean or the baby blue of the Virgin’s robes; whether it’s a star-studded blue sky or the azure in the innocent eye of a child; whether it’s the rough feel of denim or the silky smoothness of blue velvet…it never fails to calm me and bring me joy. The house is littered with lots of little blue things – boxes and boards and stationery and pottery, but nothing seemed to catch my eye, or rather I couldn’t think of a creative way in which to photograph them so they would appear interesting. I have since seen how it can be done through pictures posted by friends, as always. It never fails to astonish me…this human capacity to innovate!

Carrying on with my effort to think out of the box and attempt new techniques – I decided to try my hand at the Zoom Effect as it’s called in photography. It’s something I first heard of in the Challenge and that caught my fancy. It involves slow shutter speeds and a manual manipulation of the lens while the shutter is open to create a zooming effect. I know, I know…everyone who isn’t into the technical aspects of photography is clicking their tongues at this point at all the gibberish – and that’s cool! When I first read the method I was skeptical too about whether I would be able to do it, but I sure did have fun trying! And the results were not too bad even if I do say so myself 🙂 Here it is…my Picture of the week.

Electric Blue!

This was a busy week and I didn’t have time to dig through my archives so instead, I took a few shots in which I tried to be creative! You can be the judge of whether I was any good at it 😛

Here goes…Can you guess what these are?

And these are two that I took just for fun…coz not everything is about technique 😉

On of my Top 10 Favourite books of all time…in Blue 🙂

A Blue Shot anybody?! 😉

Take52 Challenge: Week 7 – Cherish

This week, the theme for our photography challenge was ‘Cherish’. These themes are tricky things…they can be obviously simple and singularly complex at the same time. It did get me to thinking along the lines of what I cherish and Family, friends, love, happiness, memories, mementoes etc, come instantly to mind. And although I have  enough and more pictures of family, once again I wanted to tickle my ‘little grey cells’ (I’m inhabiting the Hercule Poirot universe at the moment, in case you should wonder!), and see if I couldn’t come up with a creative way of presenting abstract emotions.

This is what I thought of…although not unique, in that Google has similarly-styled pictures, I had a lot of fun getting the paraphernalia together, setting up my equipment and clicking away 🙂 It helped that Hubby and Junior were sent off to dinner at KFC 😉 Oh don’t go getting all judgmental – fast food once a month for dinner never hurt a soul! And Art involves occasional sacrifice non 😉 Well anyway, I spent a happy hour climbing ladders and focusing and playing with the lighting until the boys came home. It’s been a long while since I had such a good time and I must say at the moment this challenge itself is something that I cherish because it has rekindled my motivation for photography, and introduced me to a group of talented, supportive fellow photography enthusiasts who are helping me learn the craft through their considerable skills.

I feel good 🙂 

So here are a few pictures I pulled up as I always do…

I cherish My Granny…a studio picture taken to show prospective bridegrooms no doubt!

I cherish new beginnings!

I cherish Mom & Dad…the reason I am.

I cherish Peace! Tried the sign with a game called Brain Teaser which we bought in Mauritius 🙂

I Cherish Time. My Dad’s Rolex…now Hubby’s and some day Junior’s! Cherished heirloom!

I cherish my Planet! Here’s a shopping basket made from recycled milk cartons!

I cherish being a Mom! The two people who teach me how 🙂

I cherish Freedom! What a Man! What a Life!

I cherish my boys!

And here is the one I chose for the challenge 🙂

The weekend’s round the corner…

Peace, People 🙂

Take52 Challenge: Week 6 – Ancient

Ancient…such an evocative word. It has an inherent strength that conjures up visions of lost grandeur and beauty; and of staying power…of things that weather the onslaught of time and the human race and survive long enough that they are transformed from merely old to majestically ancient. For this challenge the first thing I thought of was Nature, coz what could possibly be more ancient than Her! Everything about her is Ancient – the Sun, the stars, the Moon, the Oceans, the Mountains…so many fantastic photo opportunities. But a lot of group members had already done a fabulous job of capturing those and so I settled on this vintage silver pendant that I bought in Delhi 2 years ago. I don’t really know how old it is…and it’s certainly not Ancient in the way I wanted it to be, but it will have to do.

I do have pictures of a lot of Ancient things in my archives…London for example is choc-a-bloc with Ancient; Lisbon is teeming with Ancient as of course is India. The Taj Mahal, The Red Fort…centuries old…excellent examples of Ancient architecture and relics of an ancient history. And yet ancient is relative too…for a flower, ancient is a matter of days at most, perhaps weeks. I dug up a few pics I’ve taken over the years…it was fun as always 🙂

The Taj – a ancient symbol of enduring love. 2 decades in the building!

A beautiful antique figurine of Lord Krishna I found in our hotel in Pondicherry.

Hubby’s old ancestral home in Goa…probably close to a century old.

An ancient tile mural on an old building in Lisbon.

I love the headlight on this vintage car!

The most ancient of them all!

As one flower ages…new beginnings…

An ancient invention!

The Lighthouse @ Fort Aguada, Goa. A favourite spot of mine 🙂

The Tower Bridge built (1886–1894)…One of my favourite London icons.

I hope you’re all having a wonderful weekend 🙂

Take52 Challenge: Week 5 – Eyes

This week, the theme for my photography challenge was Eyes. Fairly simple and straightforward one would think, and so once again I wanted to do something different from the human eye – picturesque as it. Had a couple of ideas and finally settled for Barong Eyes, as you can see in the picture below. The Barong is a lion-like creature, the King of good spirits in Indonesian lore, that I came across in Bali. I spotted my Barong in a woodwork shop in a lane in Ubud and fell in love with his colours. He was quite gorgeous and I had to have him 🙂 He has had a place of pride in my living room ever since we brought him home and makes me happy just because! 

Then of course I trolled around looking for stuff that I thought fit the scheme and came up with a few options – some old, some new. I’ve taken several pictures of my boy asleep over the years, but this one is new. I took a few angles, but when it came to sharing, I felt as if they were too intimate, an intrusion into his most unguarded, innocent moments…moments I wanted to keep for myself alone. I chose the one I thought was least intrusive…although it still feels a little odd.

Week 5 – Barong Eyes!

I had taken the avocado shot a couple of weeks ago, but it struck me that it would be a fun take on the theme – an exophthalmic eye of some creature from Middle Earth perhaps?! An orc eye 😛 Had fun putting together these pictures – looking through the older photographs I’ve taken is always enjoyable 🙂 I hope you like them! Let me know! All critiques welcome 🙂

Peaceful eyes…

Another angle of Mr. Barong’s pop-eye!

What do you think? Orc eye?

Bird-eye!

Woman in a Hat by Picasso. I love this print that I bought in Barcelona 🙂

Shut-eye ❤

Take52 Challenge: Week 4 – Creamy

Should have posted this one earlier but was having a busy week! Last week’s theme was Creamy and again I wanted to do something other than the normal ice-cream, creamy coffee, shaving cream shots, although after seeing some of the other pictures this week, I’m beginning to regret my decision! I think I could have done better but Hey! Live & Learn right?

After I posted my picture, I was still on the lookout for something creamy and I took a couple of more shots that I thought fit the theme.

Guess what?

the beginnings of a creamy pasta dish!

My favourite creamy bar! And yes I bought the bar just to take the picture 😉

Chenin Blanc in shades of cream 🙂

And here is the one I posted for the challenge! Creamy Guacamole with crispy Nachos. The idea was to contrast between creamy and crisp. I think I could have done better. But I’m really glad to have found this group and this challenge on FB. Very inspiring 🙂

Take52 Challenge: Week 3 – Routine

This week’s theme ‘Routine’ was harder than one might imagine. Or perhaps it’s just me, challenged by the thought of making mundane ‘routine’ events into interesting pictures! I wanted to do something different from the routine take on ‘routine’ [this is becoming ridiculous!], and so took a few shots while going about my daily routine…like these…

The view from my balcony that I see every morning while having my cuppa…

Fruit for breakfast – pretty routine!

Books and the PC – what could be more routine?!

Fried fish on the menu for my Goan boys – every single meal!

Going to school – Weekday routine…

And although all of them represented routine…none of them felt ‘differently routine’ 😛 Finally thought of this and it’s what I chose as my theme pic. Books are very very routine to me, but I thought the definition of the word in Hubby’s Portuguese-English dictionary was rather a fun take on the theme. Perhaps the fact that ‘rowdy’ is on the same page had something to do with it? 😉

Hope you like it!

Take52 Challenge: Week 2 – Crisp

Funnily enough, the day the new theme was announced, we celebrated the festival of Lohri here in India, and immediately I knew the picture I wanted to take! Serendipity 🙂

Lohri is a celebration of the arrival of Spring! Like a majority of Indian festivals, it involves a riot of colour, much delicious food, loud music, much Bollywood dancing and fire in some form! This one had a rather gorgeous bonfire that served my purpose beautifully 🙂 Again I used the 50 mm, which is really hard to beat in low-light and snapped away happily at the orangey-gold flames and their showers of bright sparks.

Felt like a real photographer – a feeling I haven’t had in ages – felt GOOD 🙂 I have blogged in more detail and with more pictures about the festival in a previous post – Bonfire & Kites!

If you would like to join the challenge click here or on the CameraShy button on my homepage! You won’t regret it 🙂

Take52 Challenge: Week 1 – Revitalize

This year, in an effort to get back to taking more pictures, I’ve joined this wonderful group on FB (where else ;)), and taken the CameraShy Take52 Photography Challenge. A theme is posted for every week of the year and at the end of this year, I hope to have an eclectic, interesting set of pictures while improving on my photography skills. Just two weeks into the challenge and I already find myself being inspired by the talented photographers who contribute and learning from their expertise! I’ve decided to post the pics I take here as well, so it ups my post count 😉 

The first week of the New Year and the theme was Revitalize. Understandably so. That’s what New Years are for aren’t they – for new beginnings and fresh starts? For me personally, this time of year is charged with positive vibes and energy! Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that New Year’s Day is also our Anniversary 😛 Just 3 years short of Silver now! It seems incredible that we’ve lasted this long given how we’re pretty much polar opposites in everything 😛 or perhaps that’s the reason we stay together?! I don’t believe in over analysing that kinda stuff – It ain’t broke and All is mostly well 😉 Good enough for me!

This year, we were in Goa, bringing in the New Year at Calamari, my friend’s fantabulous shack on Candolim Beach – replete with twinkling lights, great music, delicious food, free-flowing alcohol, fireworks and most importantly – the company of beloved friends 🙂 We had a wonderful time and I for one definitely felt recharged and revitalised to face 2014. Mojitos are a favourite of mine and that’s what I drank that night (I can’t share how many simply coz I can’t remember 😉 I wasn’t driving though!). They always refresh me and so when the theme was announced, and I happened to have a fresh bunch of mint in the kitchen – it seemed like the perfect match!

Don’t you think?

I used my 50 mm lens on my Nikon D 90. A lens that I have regrettably not used at all in 2013 😦 Thanks to this Challenge, I’ve rediscovered it and now I can’t get enough! 

If you would like to participate in the challenge, click here! You won’t regret it 🙂