On a windy day at the Staines Reservoirs. This swan made a perfect contrast to the choppy waters in which it was swimming. I was reminded of the song “Like a bridge over troubled water” except with the words “Like a swan over choppy waters”! 🙂
Technical
The world must seem enormous to this small insect on a fruit!
Photographed at the Dinosaur Valley State Park in Texas. Please drop me a line if you know what this fruit it (about 2cm across).
HDR of a set of steps leading from the River Walk to the city above. San Antonio, Texas. Photos taken at -2, 0 and +2 stops, then merged and processed in Photomatix Pro.
What is it about the serene bubbling sounds of water that so calm the human mind? Does it hark back to millions of years to our origin from water to land?
3-shot bracketed HDR using a 28-70mm f/2.8 Sigma Lens fitted on a Nikon D7000. Processed in Photomatix Pro and Adobe Photoshop Lightroom.
This bird obviously knows something I don’t! Hence that expression and the hint of a smile.
Photo shot at the Fort Worth Zoo, Texas.
At the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. A HDR of 3 shots at -2, 0 and +2 merged in Photomatix Pro. I loved the tranquil moods in this part of the gardens with the flowing stream and colourful japanese maples.
The battle of the Alamo (1836) has attained a mythical status in american culture and history. The story of this battle has been told many times in print and on film, so much so that it is now difficult to separate truth from hype and fiction. Either way, the remains of the Alamo mission is a historical legacy of the wars between american forces of the Texas colonist and Mexico leading to the establishment of the Republic of Texas. The story of a few embattled soldiers fighting against an overwhelming force resounds throughout human history and the Alamo is one such example of exemplary bravery in the face of all odds.
Photographed at ISO100, f/14 20 second exposure. Sigma 28-70 f/2.8 lens perched on a bottle cap!
In any other city but Agra, home to the famous Taj Mahal, this architectural beauty would be classed as one of the wondrous feat of art and architecture. A pity then, that this beautiful marble building often gets overlooked by visitors to the Taj and Agra fort. And a blessing for providing plenty of opportunities for quiet photography!
The Itmad-Ud-Daulah was commissioned by Noor Jehan, wife of the mughal emperor Jehangir and built between 1621 and 1628. This building is considered to be the precursor of the Taj Mahal and utilises similar design element, albeit on a smaller scale. The relatives of Noor Jehan (including her father) are interred in this mausoleum. Like in the Taj Mahal, the buildings and grounds are built to exquisite symmetry, disrupted only by the positions of the cenotaphs of Noor Jehan’s parents (similarly followed in the Taj Mahal, built almost 30 years later). The building is made of white marble inlaid with semi-precious stones.
I recently re-processed a picture of the Taj Mahal that I photographed in 2004. The original photograph was taken as dusk and fog and pollution added to the haziness of the photo. Re-processing the picture has brought out the details, what do you think?
The original photo (before processing) is below.
There is something to be said for the merits of going back and looking over old photos and trying to improve them using modern post-processing techniques.
Boats moored on the marina at Monterey Bay, California. Can you spot the seal?
Juridicious 