Silhouettes against the Skies!

I love capturing tall trees trying to touch the sky. The dark silhouette they form reflects their grand yet silent magnificence. They exhibit desire... desire to touch the sky, to reach high, to sway along with the clouds and to live a dream. I love the way tender new stems at the top of the trees sway back and forth...just as a devout follower worships the Divine! The sharp edges of the leaves at the top looks like a razor tearing into the sky, raring to reach as high as it can...This is one of my favorite subject in photography & I never tire of capturing silhouette formed trees against the beautiful canvas of sky. The essence of a silhouette lies in the unspoken grandeur it depicts, the royal charm it possesses and the dignified silence you hear!

 

Bazaarein - Life in Markets

Bazaarein or the Markets, are so vivid and colorful. Not all of them though. I always feel that the arrangement and decor of a shop determines how many customers it can attract. No matter how big or small the shop is, if it displays a rainbow of its products, it is sure to find its customers hopping in happily. 

The first thing I am attracted to, in a shop, is definitely color. But color in order. You can have color in chaos too. But that's not what turns me on. As a person who loves discipline, I love order in everything. Neat stacks and piles of gorgeous spices, eatables, fruits, bags, clothes, baskets etc can drive me wild enough to enter a shop and start filling my bags (and emptying my purse if its a basket's shop!) I have been fortunate to see many a markets across countries. Love the dash of color, order, zest and life around a market. No matter which place I've been to, the feeling of being in a local market is the same. You get to capture the essence of that city, the vibrance of that country, the likings of the people who live there and the flavor of things you get in that place. And just in case the shopkeeper is a friendly kind, well, we splurge happily!

Would like to end on a poetic note... one of my poems on Bazaarein from my poetry blog...

Hai zindagi ki ek baazaar ye duniya

Milte hain kitne aise huzoor yahan

Dhoondte hain har kuch zindagi bhar

Bas pyaar nahi dhoond paate hain wahan

Har ek ka dil aa jata hai kisi par

khwayishon pe hai ye bazaar tikkta ... 

Bikk to jaate hain log pyaar mein

bas pyaar hi hai jo bazaar mein nahi bikta

Mil jaata hai yahaan har wo saamaan

katt jaati hai zindagi jiske sahaarey 

Jeeney ke liye to sirf pyaar hai zaruri

Milte hain jahan sabhi ke kinaarey

Hai zindagi ki ek bazaar ye duniya

Dhoond le tu bhi wo ik dukaan

Mil jaaye tujhe jeeney ki hasrat

Banaa le tu bhi khushiyon ka karwaan

A Shop in Market of Mekedatu, Bangalore

General Shop in Mekedatu, Bangalore

Jade Market, Hong Kong

Incense Shop, Macau

Cafe n Shops in Achol, Jakarta (Indonesia)

Local Shops in Jakarta (Indonesia)

A spice shop in Bogor, Jakarta(Indonesia)

Fish n Meat at a Chinese Shop in Chinatown, Singapore

The Chinese New Year Market, Chinatown, Singapore

Chinese New Year, Chinatown, Singapore

Basket Shop in Kampong Glam, Singapore

Chinatown Market, Singapore

Basket Shop in Kampong Glam, Singapore

Rustic Rumblings - Ruralscapes

There is something so soothing about the village life. A pace which we city (loving and living) people can never get used to, but a pace which we crave for. Serenity, which is unheard of in a city bustling with anxious people rushing amidst standstill traffic. Solitude, that we search for, within ourself and yet scale miles to achieve it.

The raw, rustic beauty of a village is like that of an adolescent - innocent yet eager, crude yet organized, aloof yet so together. I really like simplicity. It reflects in what I eat, wear, think or do. Village life is all about simplicity. If I happen to see any commercial hoarding of a popular brand in or around the village, it stifles me. It worries me to know that soon many more commercial brands will try and encroach the rural virginity, spoiling the rustic charm that spells innocence. 

I have tried tweaking these village pictures (I clicked around various places) by editing them. That's just to enhance the rustic character which is very well captured by a human eye but rarely by a camera. My editing has just enhanced the basic essence of what I intended to capture - The Rawness.

First four clicks are from my FujiFilm camera. The next four were, unbelievably, by my BlackBerry! Well, the beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, not the camera! :)

Nature's Color Palette - Foliage

Nature is so special. It signifies life, blooms, seasons & wonder. I love the color palette nature exhibits across various seasons & times of the day. While no time is ever enough to behold a beautiful sight of nature, yet some of its essence is what love to capture through my lens.

Foliage is one of the most colorful part of a natural surrounding. Right from the time a leaf blooms on a tree to the time it gradually decays and blends itself into earth, it changes into really astounding colors. I love capturing leaves that are changing color while on trees and leaves that have fallen and are now slowly preparing to lie in eternity on the soil.