Zoom-In Zoom-Out Magic from Humayun Tomb, Delhi, INDIA

Recently I went to Humayun tomb for shooting Lunar Eclipse 2011 and some of the folks were well equipped for capturing this eclipse with Humayun' tomb in front of the Moon Trail. results are yet to come, but at same time I was playing with my lens. This Photograph was taken by an exposure of 20 seconds, out of which 5 second exposure for Zoom-Out and different exposure of 3 seconds in various Zoom-In levels. More photographs form this shoot can be checked at HUMAYUN TOMB

Lunar Eclipse 2011 - 10th December

Most of the photographers in India were really excited on 10th December because we had lunar eclipse that day and it was in December, which is comparatively good for Dehlites.  Many photographers moved to different cities in India to shoot this Lunar Eclipse. Some of my friends had special permissions to shoot at various monuments in Delhi and I also joined one of the group at Humayun Tomb. I know this photograph is not very special, so will share the real project with all shapes of Moon with Humayun Tomb in foreground. Some of the casual shots can be seen HERE

Lakshmi Pooja on Diwali Day

Lakshmi puja is performed during Diwali which is a very popular festival of India and also known as Festival of lights. According to tradition people would put small oil lamps outside their homes on Diwali and hope Lakshmi will come to bless them.

Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped by those who wish to acquire or to preserve wealth. It is believed that Lakshmi (wealth) goes only to those houses which are clean and where the people are hardworking. She does not visit the places which are unclean/dirty or where the people are lazy.
 

 Above photograph shows one of the steps of Lakshmi Poojan, when clay lamps are ready to start pooja during Diwali evening.

Dulha Dulhan sitting on one side of VEDI !!!

In Indian marriages, most of the ceremonies happen inside a small house shaped structure, made up of four pillars (usually bamboo sticks) and leaves of some specific trees. There is a proper method of creating this Vedi and Indians used to follow that process properly. With more involvement of  new generation, idea has changed. Now it should look better and it will work if something is missing. As per my knowledge, different names are used instead of Vedi in different parts of country. In Himachal, it's called as Vedi or Ved. And all four pillars are considered as four Vedas...

Anyway, Marriages are being converted to parties rather a traditional ceremony which used to happen initially. But still many things are followed in rural India and comparatively small towns.

Shimla Town Hall !!!

Shimla Town Hall !!!

This is one  of the beautiful buildings in Shimla and right in the middle of Mall Road... I love Shimla so much and really excited that I will there on this Saturday (1st Oct 2011)... Hope to collect lot of new memories this time !!!

Water Fountain at Samrat Hotel, Delhi !!!

This is a photograph of water fountain in an open garden of Samrat Hotel in Delhi. This is just outside the LAP club, to be very specific. LAP club is one of the popular club in Delhi and owned by Bollywood actor Arjun Rampal !!!

This garden is really beautiful and lights around this look amazing during the evenings.

Mobile click of Radisson Hotel in Noida (Sector-18)

Sector-18 and GIP are main places in Noida to hang out during weekends... There is lot of parking space in front of Radisson, Noida... We usually park here and roam around... Even if we want to go to GIP, this is best place to park as GIP charge 3 times what we pay here :) ... And its hardly 8 minutes walk from this parking area to Great India Place...

Well lit Christ church on Ridge ground, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh

Every person who visit Shimla has to go to Ridge and Christ Church is one of the interesting structure out there. Its on the rightmost edge of the Ridge when we go towards Lakkar Bazar !! Ridge is a huge ground on top of the biggest water tank in Shimla.. There is an underground market at Ridge which is known as Indira Market but not very popular.. People like to shot at Lakkar Bazar or Mall Road !!! For better options for warm cloths at reasonable prices, don't forget Lower Market below Mall Road, but one needs to do proper bargaining as required in any Hill Station :)

India Gate created of light Bokeh

During one of the Photo-shoots last months I was trying out few things with Bokeh and here is one of the photograph I liked... The up side down U shaped building is India gate with street lights on both the sides... I tried lot many things with various focal length and manual focus !! I guess it would be one of the technique to test quality of Camera Lenses...

A family getting group shot near India Gate Delhi

A Family having group Photograph at India Gate in Delhi !!! I liked the composition of this family having two children, their parents and grand-parents together in a happy pose... India Gate is very popular place for spending evenings in Delhi and in summers crowd increases suddenly as the area around it is airy because of lot of green areas around it. And India Gate area is very less populated as compared to other parts of Delhi !!! There are some huge grounds around India Gate and people come here with prepared dinner and spend their evening and go back late night !! Then time for young groups starts and lot of people can be seen hanging around till 1:00 am...

Hawkers selling Chip and Pop-corns around India Gate in Delhi, INDIA

A female hawker selling some chips at India gate in Delhi (INDIA). There are lot of such options like chana-jor-garam, Golgappas, bhel-puri etc... All these folks do find some buyers and it is good that these people get to earn their livings as well. The only problem is cleanliness around the place. People find it too tough to walk to one of the abundant dustbins in the area to dispose of their plastic wastes and instead prefer to leave it lying in the green grass or on the roads... although people get everything cleaned next morning but over the time these places have become stinky and all the greenery has been ruined due to these bad habbits. Recently I read a very good article on Ghumakkar - "The Litterbug Revolution" and very much liked it !!! Just have a look !!!

Night View of our Camp-site at Kullu Sarahan in Himachal Pradesh

Saturday Evening @ Mall Road, Shimla

Saturday evening is most happening time on Mall Road... Young crowd in Shimla tries to reach mall on every Saturday if they are busy o other days... I am not sure about the exact reason except starting of week-end in Shimla... Most of the institutions and govt departments are open on Saturday in Himachal Pradesh...

A Stunning Bride in a Brown Lehenga with Golden Lace Work. The young man next to her cannot take his eyes off her face.

While visiting Pushkar, I chanced upon a Bridal Competition where young foreign girls dressed in beautiful Indian bridal dresses, contemporary and traditional. Till very recent past, it was a norm to use maroon (a deep red) fabric for a bridal dress in north India. However, recently, designers and brides have started experimenting with new colors, such as Golden, Green, Orange etc.

CLICK HERE to see more Photographs...

Night view of Noida Raods from my Office Terrace

Every Night, Hundreds Celebrate their Indian Origin @ India

The India Gate is one of the largest war memorials in India. Situated in the heart of New Delhi, India Gate was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens. It is a prominent landmark in Delhi and commemorates the members of the erstwhile British Indian Army who lost their lives fighting for the Indian Empire in World War I and the Afghan Wars. Originally, a Statue of King George V had stood under the now-vacant canopy in front of the India Gate, and was removed to Coronation Park with other statues. Following India's independence, India Gate became the site of the Indian Army's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, known as the Amar Jawan Jyoti.

(Courtesy: wikipedia)

Ritz view @ Shimla after Sunset..

Gaiety theater @ SHIMLA, Himachal Pradesh, which has been renovated last year...

Shimla Town Hall view from back side

Shimla Town Hall view from back side
Originally uploaded by Ripple (VJ)

Night view of Lotus Temple @ Nehru Place, Delhi , INDIA

 The construction of the temple is similar to that of the Opera House in Sydney. The temple always looks mesmerizing. However, different light conditions have different effect on the way the temple appears.