On that particular day in Barcelona at the zoo, there were a few proud peacocks (Pavo cristatus) strutting their stuff to very disinterested peahens! Growing up in India, the peacock was a relatively common sight, and their plaintive calls at sunset time during summers usually heralded possible rain!
Month: April 2016
Bible stories in Barcelona
Details of carvings on one of the gigantic doors on the passion facade of that Antoni Gaudi classic – La Sagrada Familia. The carvings portray different stories from the bible. This structure has been under construction since the 1880. More fantastic pictures from this basilica to follow soon!

Red anemone
As promised, a picture of the red anemone flowering at home and complimenting the blue anemome that I posted previously.

Camera settings: f/5.0, 1/80, ISO100 Lens Settings: f/2.8, 105mm Sigma macro lens Camera: D7000
Tulip – 1
A tulip from my garden. I love the hint of yellow on the deep colours of the tulip suggesting a flame!

Camera Settings: ISO100, f/10, 1/20 Lens: 105mm f/2.8 Sigma macro lens Camera: Nikon D7000
Christmas Cactus
This Schlumbergera truncata in my home is still flowering, well into April when I was expecting this to begin to set new branches for the coming year!

Technical details:
f/7.1, 1/30 second, ISO100, 105mm f/2.8 Sigma macro lens, Nikon D7000
Daffodil
Blue anemone
I also have a bright red anemone flowering at the moment in my garden (pictures follow soon!). I have eliminated the background to better focus on this flower using Adobe Lightroom.

Now you see it, now you don’t
Now here’s an experiment at removing those irritating lines and wires that make their way into every photo (especially those in cities). Having read about Snapheal CK, I bit the bullet and bought a copy of the license. And the results are below to compare. Snapheal makes removing lines, wires and other unwanted features from a picture a doddle. Interestingly enough, the algorithm underneath the hood does a brilliant job and understanding the background patterns so that there are no ghosts left from the removal! Of course, nothing is perfect and one shouldn’t expect miracles and nothing can rescue a badly composed photograph.
The photos above are of Casa Bruno Cuadros (a famous umbrella shop in the La Rambla area of Barcelona), and show the photos before and after treatment with Snapheal CK.
That-a-way!
Yesterday while taking a lunchtime walk around Hinxton, I came upon this glove hanging off a hedgerow in the middle of nowhere! It seemed to be pointing to the way I must take!
View from a bullring!
The Les Arenes Bullring in Barcelona is now no longer a bullfighting arena but instead has been converted to a shopping centre and a great eating place on the roof. The view from the top provides lovely views of Placa Espanya and Palau Nacional (that houses the National Museum of Art). Some views below.


