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Stairway to....

Stairway to...., a photo by "The Wanderer's Eye" on Flickr.

" I'm only human, I'm just a man Lord, Help me believe in what I could be, and all that I am, Show me the stairway I have to climb, Lord for my sake Teach me to take, one day at a time..."

Featured in Light & Composition Magazine Photo of the Day Awards

1. Light & Composition Magazine Photo of the Day Award - July 08, 2011





2. Light & Composition Magazine Photo of the Day Award - July 11, 2011





3. Light & Composition Magazine Photo of the Day Award - July 17, 2011





4. Light & Composition Magazine Photo of the Day Award - July 20, 2011





5. Light & Composition Magazine Photo of the Day Award - July 23, 2011





Thanks to all my Flickr, FB friends, other friends with a keen photographic eye and the folks at Infy SLRBB who have critiqued and given feedback on my photographs! :D

merci, gracias, danke, thank you :)

Drill Down

Drill Down, a photo by "The Wanderer's Eye" on Flickr.

Shooting Blanks!

Coming into the weekend I had a few pics in mind that I had envisioned and visualized over the week and now was the time for execution. So I got my camera out to shoot, took aim and shot, but the Rebel fired only blanks! So I tried again; compose, focus, click: heard the shutter open, but it stayed way long open than the shutter speed setting dialed in, long enough to take several breaths and at the end of the wait, just another blank and no picture captured. That got me worried, and I thought perhaps that I had given a wrong shutter speed. So changed the exposure settings, compose, focus, click; but only a blank again. I tried several exposure combinations in all the creative modes, but to my great dismay, no pictures, only blanks! Then I tried in the Basic modes, and this time the cam worked just fine. Now this got me gunning for the panic button. My first notion was that the battery did not have enough juice, so placed the batteries for charge. But that theory was soon proved wrong. By this time I was swathed in cold sweat. The thoughts of giving the camera for service raced through my head; the warranty period was over, the cost et al. In a mad rush of frenzy, I grabbed the manual and quickly had a cursory check, then the troubleshooting section. But nothing at all there! The panic button was flashing crimson red by now and feeling desperate I called one of my fellow photographers who used the same model as me. But he could not give me any clue to the prob. So I went back to scouring the manual albeit this time a little more religiously. The desperation getting the better of me, I then turned to the net and voila, soon enough I found a post on a forum with exactly the same problem as mine. But did I get a simple straight solution? Nope! Fast losing hope, I searched for some more solutions. And then I read in one of the forums in very fine print, the Mirror Lockup*. Yeah, so what? I know about the Mirror Lock* and how it works and its use and so on. But that does not solve my prob! Then it hit me like a storm. Bingo! If the Mirror Lockup* was enabled then the shutter had to be clicked twice to record the picture! Aaah, that could be it.  Why didn’t this strike me all this while? So with trepidation I checked whether the Mirror Lockup* was enabled.  A sense of relief washed over me; indeed the Mirror Lockup* functionality was enabled. I quickly disabled the Mirror Lockup* functionality, compose, focus, click and sweet relief, the pic was recorded. Phew! Thank you Lord!! Later on I realized that in my previous shoot, I had used the Mirror Lockup but failed to revert back the setting. Heights of gaffe! And sheepishly, I had to explain to my friend that there was nothing wrong with the cam. It was just one of those days that I made a total fool of myself!

* Technical info: Mirror Lockup aka MLU is a functionality in most SLRs. It is employed to reduce camera shake and accompanying blur, induced when the shutter button is depressed during exposure.  Normal operation in an SLR camera involves flipping the mirror up out of the light-path just before the shutter opens, and then returning it when the shutter closes. This causes vibration of the camera, particularly when the mirror slaps into the top of the mirror box. Mirror lock-up involves flipping the mirror up well before the shutter opens, allowing the vibrations to die down before exposing the film. In the Canon EOS SLRs the MLU is operated by an extra push of the shutter button, the second push resulting in the actual opening of the shutter. Note that when the mirror is in the up and locked position, the subject is no longer visible through the viewfinder. Therefore, the photographer must compose the photograph prior to activating mirror lock-up and keep the camera from moving. Use of a tripod helps prevent movement of the camera during this operation. Combined with a remote or cable release, this greatly reduces the potential for vibration of the camera.

The Monsoon

The Monsoon, a photo by "The Wanderer's Eye" on Flickr.


 Lighting Diagram for the shot

Stages of a Photographer

Need I say more..??

Midsummer Night's Dream

Midsummer Night's Dream, a photo by "The Wanderer's Eye" on Flickr.

I had been trying to get a heart shaped bokeh ever since the time I first saw pics with heart shaped bokehs. After many attempts spanning over a few months (including times that I thought it is not worth it and gave up), I finally succeeded in getting my maiden successful photo with heart shaped bokeh.
The technique used here is called Aperture Masking. The size of the bokeh is generally the size of the aperture opening when it is fully open. So if you mask the lens aperture with a cut out having different shape and the size of the cut out being equal to (preferrably slightly lesser than the aperture when it is fully open) will give the shaped bokeh.

Dia of the aperture opening = Focal length of lens / Aperture used
So if you are using a 50mm prime lens fully open at f/1.8, then you would need a cut out not bigger than 27mm.

Smell the coffee..??

Smell the coffee..??
Originally uploaded by "The Wanderer's Eye"

Nescafe Open Up

by Laurie Anderson

You can be rich with no money to spend,

you can do everything when you understand,

you can be mother when you are a man,

open up - you know that you can.

Open your eyes, open your mind, open your thoughts - Don’t stay behind!

(Open up, open up, open up, open up)

Nescafé

(Open up, open up, open up, open up)

 

The key is inside you to open your mind,

you know what is helping (outhere???) - your heart can’t be blind,

open your eyes and open your mind,

open your thoughts - Don’t stay behind!

Open your eyes, open your mind, open your thoughts - Don’t stay behind!

(Open up, open up, open up, open up)

Nescafé

(Open up, open up)

 

You race all the boarders and start in your head,

open your mind to thoughts out and say, (????)

open your eyes and open your mind,

open your thoughts and don’t stay behind.

 

Open your eyes, open your mind, open your thoughts - Don’t stay behind!

(Open up, open up, open up, open up)

Nescafé

(Open up, open up, open up, open up

Open up, open up,

Open up, open up)

Nescafé

(Open up, open up,

open up, open up,

open up, open up,

open up, open up,

open up, open up)

Nescafé

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‎"Man shall not live by bread alone,....

‎"Man shall not live by bread alone,.... 
        ... but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."
                                                                                                            ~ Matt 4:4






  
Originally uploaded by "The Wanderer's Eye"

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TGIF

TGIF
Originally uploaded by "The Wanderer's Eye"

Critique discussion: www.flickr.com/groups/photographycritique/discuss/7215762...

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Homing in..

Homing in..
Originally uploaded by "The Wanderer's Eye"

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Monsoon at Khandala

Monsoon at Khandala
Originally uploaded by "The Wanderer's Eye"

"Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain.
And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see [it] together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken [it]." ~ Is 40:4-5


When all my concentration is on getting the photograph right, there's yet a small whisper! 
There are days in life when everything is apparently smooth and then you are there right on top feeling ecstatic, praising God as if you are on a mountain top; and then there are those despicably forgettable days, tumultuous days of  anguish and sorrow when you take offence to God. But the Word lucidly states that the glory of the Lord is revealed only when there is perfect rest in the Lord; neither a mountain nor a valley, but a trustful rest!!

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O to grace how great a debtor, daily I'm constrained to be!

O to grace how great a debtor, daily I'm constrained to be!
Originally uploaded by "The Wanderer's Eye"


"O to grace how great a debtor, daily I'm constrained to be!
Let thy goodness, like a fetter, 
bind my wandering heart to thee. 
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, 
prone to leave the God I love; 
here's my heart, O take and seal it, 
seal it for thy courts above."

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The Dancing Girl: All the world's your stage

The Dancing Girl: All the world's your stage
Originally uploaded by "The Wanderer's Eye"

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A Heavy Trigger Finger

Before I Hit the Shutter, I ask:

• 'Taking' a snapshot or 'Making' a picture? 'Taking' & 'Making' are like chalk & cheese. A lot more goes into the making!
• What mode do I want to shoot in?  Creative mode: Manual, Av, Tv or Auto mode: Auto or a pre-programed mode?  
• What F-Stop or Shutter Speed am I going to use? 
• What format do I want to shoot?   RAW or jpeg? or both? ..RAW rules the roost!!
• What’s my ISO? Is it fast/slow enough?  Too grainy for the shot?
• What White Balance am I set on?  never mind, more often than not, PP to the rescue!
• What Metering Mode should I be on?  Evaluative, Partial, Spot or CWA
• What Colour setting do I need? 
• Am I going to use Manual or AF? 
• Do I want to use Auto Exposure Bracketing for the shot?  HDR in mind..?
• Am I going to use a Flash? And how am I going to use it? .. aah, this is a toughie alright!!
• What story am I trying to tell?   the photograph should speak for itself..!!
• Do I need to change lenses? If so, which one?  Scratch your head...This is an all time toughie!!
• Am I shooting in Landscape or Portrait perspective, or even a jaunty angle? 
• Do I need to use a Tripod? 
• Will I use the Rule of Thirds or break it? 
• What other rules should I be following?  the Sunny f16 rule or perhaps the Tripod rule
• Are there Leading Lines, Horizontal lines, Diagonals I can use in the shot? 
• What about finding an S-curve for the leading line? 
• Is there any thing I can use to Frame my picture?  eg. Tree branches. 
• Can I use any foreground element in the shot without detracting from the subject?
• Is the background cluttered and distracting?
• Will I change this to B&W, Sepia or something else in PP? 
• Do I have a Focal Point? 
• Is my subject Moving or Stationary? 
• For Moving Subjects, do I want to Pan the shot, Blur the background or Blur the subject? 
• For a portrait, is the focus primarily on the eyes? Is the background blurred out?
• Is there a Pattern I can pick up on? 
• How’s the lighting? Are the Shadows harsh or weak? Do I want to emphasize them?  okie dokie... this is a dodgy one! perhaps play around with light back-lighting, side-lighting or front-lighting ;)
• Should I deliberately boost or ramp down the EV?
• Is the light too strong? Will it wash out detail? 
• Is my horizon straight? Is it cutting across 'dead-centre' in the frame? 
• Can I get this at a better angle?  its all about perspectives mate..
• Should I wait for better lighting?   this is another dicey one!
• What does the light meter read?  dont't let the light meter get the better of you mate!!
• Should I increase shutter speed or open up the aperture? 
• Is it in focus?  ..duh!!
• Did I just miss a great shot?  gee mate..!!

With all these questions, it’s a wonder that I still haven't lost my sanity, or the enamour for photography and the the willingness to learn it. Life was so much simpler when all I did was point and shoot! Certainly less stressful!!  :-D :-)

Beat

Beat
Originally uploaded by "The Wanderer's Eye"

An enamour for books + An enamour for photography = :-D :-) :-D

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lily of the valleys

lily of the valleys
Originally uploaded by "The Wanderer's Eye"

I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys.
Like a lily among thorns is my darling among the maidens. ~ Song of Solomon 2:1-2 (NIV)

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Nature's Pattern Matching: Young fronds of a Cycas

Nature's Pattern Matching: Young fronds of a Cycas
Originally uploaded by "The Wanderer's Eye"


I was just admiring the beautiful filigree patterns and intricacies of nature when a thought came upon me: 
"Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?"  ~Rom 9:20 (KJV)

Simply put it....Man, the created one, has no right to question God, the Creator!!

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An ode to the wonderful weather in Bangalore!

An ode to the wonderful weather in Bangalore!
Originally uploaded by "The Wanderer's Eye"

The times and seasons are ordained by the Lord! Had some great weather in B'lore today..a spell of rain, a great respite from the dust and heat!! Dad helped with me with the umbrella, while I fidgeted with the cam and the tripod. Ahem.. don't try this when there's a lightning storm brewing overhead!!

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