Sunblinds

These are leaves of Erica Palm plant taken from such an angle that they look like the usual sunblinds we put at our windows. Initially I was planning to focus upon the view that can be seen from between these leaves, but then I decided to capture these beautifully distanced leaves, curved in a specific shape to give me the perfect view. For particulars, the snap has been clicked at my home.

Apartheid

Don't ask me why I chose this tag for the snap- its just that this was the first word that hit my mind when I looked at this new plant in my home. All other leaves are a mix of the two shades of green while this one puts a sharp distinction line between the two halves. That is where this colour difference brought me to think of apartheid. Clicked at a slow shutter speed of 1/50th of a second, the snap captures well the reflections of sunlight over it. I donno the plant variety still, will post it as soon as I know about it.

Forlorn

This guy was pitifully lonely: standing still amidst all the greenary around him as if only with a hope... a hope that is unlikely to be fulfilled. I clicked this one only because the combo of life around this dead tree attracted me.

On The Rocks

Nothing special about this one as such, just an abstract representation of the term- On The Rocks. I clicked this snap on my way to Pushkar. The way is a paradise for photographers; every second thing looks clickable!!

The Saffron Brigade

White walls and Orange windows... ??? Doesn't go well, unless you belong to the Saffron Brigade. Orange is my fave colour (after Black) but since this saffronization's started biting Indian cities, I've come to hating it.

Tall, Dark & Handsome

Tall, Dark & Handsome... isn't that whats in demand always? ha ha ha. When I clicked this snap I had no such intention of putting it this way. Then suddenly it clicked me, and so its here! Clicked in the evening, I specifically took the sun as background to give this tree the blackout effect.

Unbidden

Somethings are not in our hands- Howsoever we may try, we can't control them. Well, this snap is one such depiction where I'm trying to chain the sun, but its glimpses are there in between the chain locks. The snap has been clicked on a cloudy evening, at a shutter speed of 1/800th of a second. I had to use a tripod to click this snap because even a little bit of vibration would have spoilt the position of the sun.

Stand at Ease

Another Cobra snap! Please click here to see the earlier Cobra snap. This guy was majestic- so huge! Its one of the biggest hoods I've ever seen (except on TV). I guess thats why, he was standing at an ease against any of the passers bye. But you see, stand at ease here has a dual meaning- howsoever fearsome a Cobra may look, he won't come and attack you; so if you see one, you may as well stand at ease and appreciate his beauty.

India

People love clicking birds, but (un)fortunately the only bird that visits my home is a Peacock. Well, this is an Indian Peacock [Pavo cristatus (Asiatic)] and I feel proud to say that its my country's national bird. Whenever I look at this bird, I'm reminded of India, since this bird is symbolic of qualities like beauty, grace, pride and mysticism.

In 1963, the peacock was declared the National Bird of India because of its rich religious and legendary involvement in Indian traditions. The criteria for this choice were many. The bird must be well-distributed within the country so it could truly be 'national'. It must be recognizable to the common man. It must lend itself to formal depiction, i.e. abstract depiction on government publications, etc. It must not be confused with the bird emblem of any other nation. It should be associated with Indian myths and legends. The peacock fit the bill. It is a sacred bird for Indians, protected not only by religious sentiments but also under the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

Honeycombe

Its a Dahlia 'Arabian Night'. And its leaves really are curved that ways, as if at any moment some honeybees gonna fly out of it. The flower is such a beauty, I can't chip in words to describe it- All I can say is that it was huge! I'd put this beauty in the sun at the perfect angle to have that hollow effect being created by the leaves' shadow due to sunlight.

Gendered

Let me at the very outset confess that the term gendered has no significance to the dictionary meaning- All I wanted was to portray how we've associated the colour blue with guys and pink with girls. When I'd tagged this one, I thought the term did not exist, but out of curiosity I put it in google, and blah! there was everything I never wanted to know about the term.

The beautiful flowers are Asters, which had been gifted in the form of a bouquet. I felt like preserving their uncontaminated beauty before they became a prey of time, and so my Nikon got in action. The bouquet wasn't big enough so I focused intentionally upon the front flowers, such that it looks big.

Slide

I was just moving about with my Nikon in my home garden when this Dry Cena plant attracted me. Especially, the focal point of the leaves merging into the dark. I manually set the focus of my D60 into this vent, and came out an amazing effect of blurriness, bringing clarity to the central vent. When I looked at it, it seemed like a long slide whose end is unknown. I liked it so much, I had to put it here.

Combative

There are approximately 5,000 species of lizards in the world, of which 300 are reported in India, and 30 of them are in Rajasthan. This is one of them! It was so quick, I clicked this snap at a shutter speed of 1/800. Not too big, but I must say that this one was a real beauty- shiny brown smooth glowing skin, a sleek built, and not to forget the often coming out forked tongue. Although it had legs, but it preferred to crawl, and it crawled fast. I first noticed her crawling in my room! Then, dragged her out to click some snaps. Combative suits her- ready to strike.

I have no scientific info upon her, not even her species or whether she's poisonous or not. All I know is that this one belongs to the Skink family. If you know anything, please do convey it to me.

Silhouette

The best thing in capturing a sunset or a sunrise is that it comes good automatically, without much efforts at the photographer's end. My intent was not simply to capture the going-down sun or the shadows, but to capture the sun in a window formed by these leaves. The pic's been taken from the terrace of my home at Ajmer (Rajasthan), and I had to sit for 7-8 minutes waiting for the sun to go down the right depth.

C for Cobra

C for Cobra: Just for info's sake, the name cobra (naja naja) is short for cobra de capello, which is Portuguese for snake with hood. This is my favourite animal- sleek, slender, swift, supreme... and the list goes on. I like this specie of snakes especially because of their ability to form a hood, their perfect arch shape giving their personality another dimension.

Unfortunately, this guy had been unlawfully kept by a snake charmer. I donno why the government does nothing against them. I clicked this snap in Pushkar (Rajasthan) when the snake charmer was trying to fool people by making this guy dance in rhythm with his been (snakes are deaf!). It was hard, since I only have a Nikon AF VR 18-55 mm lens and had to take my gear too close to him to capture his features sharply- but the risk was worth it.