Monthly Archives: March 2012

My experiments with Fire

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Ye ishq nahin aasaan, bas itna samajh leeje

Ik aag ka dariya hai aur doob ke jaana hai

– Ghalib

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These photos are the result of a bored evening at home. They are straight out of the camera (Picmarkr was used for watermarking, but apart from that, no post-processing was involved). Also, I chose not to include a translation for Ghalib’s couplet for no translation can ever match the original.

So, which one is your favorite? Let me know! 🙂

Delirium

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A deified gulp

The sin?
My name.

In the name they Sin
and sing
of the Sins they Sing,
and
erase many a men;

base rats rule the world,
cutthroats revered,
deep cuts and rum tins?

A mark of intrepid pretense
while death –
the reward.

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Lest this post strike you as perhaps a tad abstract, let me take this opportunity to apologise for I find myself gripped firmly in the talons of an existential crisis and this is the most sensible thing to come out of the camera as well as my pen. Oh, and in case you’re wondering what that light is, it’s the flash from my Nokia E-5. This photograph has not been edited at all, not even the slightest bit. No, nada, nil. Zilch.

Eclipse

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I stood in the cold on the porch 
And could not think of anything so perfect 
As man’s hope of light in the face of darkness. 

 – ‘The Eclipse’ by Richard Eberhart

If you have been around for a while, you know my fascination for lights. The other night it started raining and I took a stroll for some pictures. But I couldn’t figure out how to keep the camera dry and yet click pictures (if you have an idea, do tell me). Feeling absolutely miserable I returned home. That’s when a faint blue glow caught my attention. Yes, that blue glow in the picture. Any guesses what it could be? 🙂

Bored and depressed

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If the title of this post made you rush here, then you might just be more sadistic than you give yourself credit for. But with all due respect, this post is about me. For the last one week, I’ve had absolutely nothing to do except stay at home and try or pretend (the latter mostly) to study/work. While all my friends were busy enjoying their mid-semester vacations (road trips and usual debauchery), I rested my ass off and finished watching the entire ten seasons of FRIENDS for the nth time.

I had made a 21-point list of stuff I had to accomplish in these vacations. I was all geared to make the most of them. What happened, you ask? Beats me! Lethargy, procrastination and clinical depression struck, it seems. Again. And the fact that I haven’t had a single smoke in over a week has only added to my woes. I’ve been PMSing without actually PMSing. 

Now that I’m done puking all over my blog, here’s a little gift for all of you. I tried flipping my regular 18-55 mm lens to try my hand at macro again. I didn’t like any of the shots. But I did some post-processing on one till I thought it was good enough to be posted here. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, 

The Maze

Holi

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Holi is kind of a big deal in north India. I hate it. But one cannot deny what a great photo-op the festival is, and here are some shots I took this morning.

 

Colour clouds (Yellow)

These were scented gulaal crackers we used. Really pretty. I think I’ll get more of these next year.

 

Feet and Froth

 

Crimson swirls

 

Rainbow Feet

 

Colour Clouds (Blue)

 

Psychedelic

 

 

Colored

 

 

Lilliputian Soldiers

 

Color me Purple Pink Blue and Green

 

Tangerine Eddy

 

Red Canvas Shoes

 
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That’s it for today, folks! Which photo did you like best?

Did you celebrate holi? Would you like to share pictures? You can mail them at facesplacespaces@wordpress.com. You can also get in touch via my Facebook page (link in sidebar). Say hi or just drop by. 🙂

Lights

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I have a fascination with lights. All kind. There’s something about them that photographs well. I do not wish to analyse what makes them so fascinating. I find them ethereal. ‘Nuff said.

So, here’s a collection of photographs of some light sources.


1. Evening Sun

The sun, as it looks like on a regular December evening. Shot from my terrace. Had to crop the original remarkably.


2. Candles in a Bowl

Shot at a Christmas Party. Honestly, this was the only good thing at the party.

3. Turned On

Samsung NC 10. A friend's.

4. Blue Butterfly

I once knew someone who blogged under that alias. I wish she was still around. This is a friend's rather interesting portable hard-disk drive.

5. Ambushed

The only remotely good thing at Hotel Teej's lounge in Jaipur.

6. Captive Flames

At the cafe atop Nahargarh Fort in Jaipur, taken on a beautiful night.

7. The Victory Lantern

Again, at the cafe atop Nahargarh Fort in Jaipur.

8. The Phosphorescent Cinquefoil

At the Albert Hall in Jaipur.

9. Flowers in a Lightbulb

Title courtesy: Mihir Vatsa. My brain stopped working. Also, I forgot where this was taken.

10. Juxtaposed 

Again, at Hotel Teej in Jaipur.

And just some random shots of the sun I took from the train while on my way to Jaipur.

11. Sundown

12. Hide and Seek

13. Burning Bright

 

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Which one is your favorite? Do you have any suggestions what I should photograph next? Just leave a comment. Thanks.

Typewriter

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And though each word be wan and blurred
I’ll tap you till I die.

– Robert William Service; from ‘My Typewriter’

Like sweetest serenades

Of forgotten times

Abandoned words beckon

(Found this extraordinary piece of equipment in my college’s ECA (Extra Curricular Activity) room during the recently concluded Wordsmith 2012. Needless to say, it made for a fascinating subject. There are more photos but since this is my current favorite, I chose this to accompany the poetry. If you’d like to see some more photos of this delightful machine, just drop a line in the comments below. Thanks!)