A New Home - - Dreaming In Pixels

Shutter Happy Images Has Moved!!
to http://www.dreaminginpixels.com/

It has been around 18 months since i posted here. My priorities had changed, responsibilities increased and absolutely no time to work on the one thing i love the most... Photography. I haven't responded to emails and comments on this blog in a while, my bad. I will respond as and when i find time. I apologize in advance if i miss writing back to you.

In the last 18 months, i have been working on my own website www.dreaminginpixels.com/ (whenever i got a teeny tiny bit of time) and finally managed to finish what looked like a task was taking forever. I migrated my posts and comments from here to my new website (although i did loose a lot of comments during the migration process) and re-organized my posts to break them in smaller chunks. You might find some posts that look different from the ones posted here, yes, thats intentional. The images are completely re-processed, so they will look different as well.

I usually write about my photos in the form of a connected story, but i guess going forward i will not have the time or luxury to do that all the time. I will post photos whenever i find time. Thank you for being patient during my absence and i will be absolutely delighted if you stop by my new website, even if it is just to say Hi!

I will not be updating this blog anymore, but i will still keep it. You can follow my updates on Dreaming In Pixels using the section above that will always display the five most recent posts from over there.

Take care
-ari

How to be an Environment Friendly Photographer

These articles are worth reading for everyone, not just photographers. Please keep the environment and surroundings in mind when you are out.

How to Be an Environmentally Friendly Photographer
12 Ways to be an Environmentally Friendly Photographer

Lunar Eclipse - Aug 2007

Here are some pictures i took of the Lunar Eclipse that occurred on August 28 2007. The west coast of US was the best spot for viewing the total transition as the eclipse started at 2:52 AM and lasted for approx 2 hours.

I was up the whole night to watch the moon enter totality, turn bright red and then emerge out of totality after 90 minutes. For those of you who missed it, the next lunar eclipse is on Feb 21, 2008. More details here....
http://www.hermit.org/Eclipse/2008-02-21/

What makes the next lunar eclipse exciting is that it is accompanied by a Solar Eclipse on Feb 07, 2008. Double treat for y'all ! If you aren't already excited, then hear this. Year 2008 will have two solar and two lunar eclipses in Feb and Aug!. Check this link out...
http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/OH/OH2008.html

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More information on the August 2007 eclipse here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/28_August_2007_lunar_eclipse

Shooting Fireworks

Independence day is around the corner and i'm sure most of us are eagerly waiting for the spectacular fireworks. Here are some pictures i took last year and few tips on how to shoot fireworks.

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A Day @ Monterey Bay

Two weeks ago, we decided to drive down to Monterey Bay which is ~80 miles away from where we live and see the whales that everyone was talking about. Monterey Bay is the vacation spot for Humpback whales, Gray whales, Blue whales, Orcas, Dolphins, Sea Lions, Otters and a huge population of various bird species. Trust me, i ain't talking about the Aquarium or the Zoo; Monterey bay is one of the stops in the migration paths of these big fishes. The weather channel promised us bright sunny skies but the weather was cold, windy, cloudy and bleahhhh. Here are a few pictures from our adventure trip.

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Brandt's Cormorants

Brandt's Cormorants are strictly marine birds that inhabit the Pacific coast of North America. They build nests on cliffs and rocks and guard them all the time as the Sea gulls have a reputation of robbing their nests. The blue patch around the throat and the blue eyes appear only during mating season. They fly very fast and are known to dive great depths into the water to catch fish.

California Sea Lions

Sea Lions are very similar to Seals with the only difference that Sea Lions have tiny ears sticking out whereas the Seals don't. They are most noisy, like to take group naps and eat just about anything they find. They love to hang around the shore, perched up on rocks. Sometimes, they invade the beach in hundreds and take- over boats, parks, parking lots and the waterfronts. Don't believe me? Read this.

Few Lazy Whales
Humpback whales spend most of their summer and fall season in Monterey Bay feeding on Anchovies, Sardines and Krill and head back to Mexico in the winter. To see these whales close up in action, one needs to take a boat and sail ~2-3 miles into the bay. Morning boat trips are fun as the big fishes are on a feeding frenzy and are very active and playful. You could spot atleast 50 Humpback whales, a couple of Blue Whales, a few hundred Dolphins and some Orcas. We could not get the morning trip as it was sold out and took the afternoon trip instead. Here are a few Humpback and Blue whales that were lazing around.

Life of a City Bird

The bird population is growing leaps and bounds... unchecked and uncontrolled. I used to find a lot of these wild birds in the marsh lands and lagoons. Now i have noticed that they have started moving to the city as i see a lot of them around where i live. Nothing wrong with that, they too have a right to live a better life, to live the American dream :-)

Here are their 2 cents on the city life.

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Read what the birds had to say after the jump...

Farewell to the Monarch

The Monarch Butterfly, known for its bright flashy colors, is a very common species found in North America. You might think this creature is fragile and delicate, but read on to see why this tiny little flapper is so special and spectacular.

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A Face In The Crowd

I was bored. Took a few pictures walking around San Francisco Downtown. Though not as busy and crowded as Manhattan is, this place gets very lively and bustling during the weekends.

As a photographer, my experience tells me that human subjects appear most beautiful in their natural state; when they are totally unaware of the fact that a camera is zooming in on them. None of these people knew i was taking their pictures.

Nothing much to write here. Hopefully these beautiful people will speak for themselves.

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The original content and images from this post are now available on the new website. Click here or on image to be re-directed to the new site

Once in a Blue Moon...

The Moon has fascinated mankind throughout the ages. It is the only natural satellite of Earth: Called Luna by the Romans, Selene and Artemis by the Greeks, and many other names in other mythologies. Due to its size and composition, the Moon is sometimes classified as a terrestrial "planet" along with Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. The Moon is spherical in shape, is not self-luminous, but rather reflects the light of the distant Sun and circles the Earth once per month. It has no atmosphere, the sky always appears dark, even on the bright side.

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The Moon always shows us the same face everyday and this is why the features on the moon never change. Since both the Earth and Moon are rotating and orbiting, how can this be possible? Long ago, the Earth's gravitational effects slowed the Moon's rotation about its axis. Once the Moon's rotation slowed enough to match its orbital period (the time it takes the Moon to go around Earth) the effect stabilized. People often refer to "the dark side of the moon", but there is no such thing. The sun shines on all sides of it in turn. However, there is a "far side of the moon" which is never seen from the earth.


So, does a blue moon really exist? Visit my new website and read more...

Behind the Lens...

I usually write about my pictures in my posts, but this time i decided to write a bit about photography as an art. A friend of mine who is interested in photography asked me how i manage to find interesting subjects for my pictures. In the same breath, he also wanted me to tell him how to take "good pictures" and help him buy a good camera for taking "good pictures". I tried to explain this to him but i'm not sure if i made sense. Hope this post explains it more clearly.

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The original content and images from this post are now available on the new website. Click here or on image to be re-directed to the new site

Photography is an art and a photographer is like an artist. An artist starts with a blank canvas and adds what he thinks should be shown in his painting. This can be from a view in front of him, or something from the depths of his creative imagination. If the painting is of something real (e.g. a landscape), objects are added or removed based on the artist's choice. No one ever walks up to the artist and says: "Hey, how come you didn't include that tree in your painting"?

The photographer, on the other hand, starts with what is available in front of him. His job as an artist is to remove all that which is not a part of his imagination by trying different methods of composing the picture. Thus the photographer creates by removing whereas the artist creates by adding. The photographer has to wait for certain conditions to be met and needs to make a few decisions before the picture is taken. The conditions seeked are usually the available light quality, atmospheric conditions and the subject. The decisions to be made involve f-stops, ISO, shutter speed, depth of field, focal length and choice of lenses.

Producing excellent pictures has to do more with the photographer and less with the equipment. Beginners often wonder why they don't automatically get excellent photographs despite having just obtained excellent equipment. This is equivalent to assuming that if you own a Ferrari, you can drive like Michael Schumacher. A good equipment makes it easier to get good pictures by expanding your possibilities but it is the photographer who ultimately decides when and how to take the picture. Timing is really important, so is skill and experience of the photographer.

WeeWeeChu

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One beautiful December evening Pedro and his girlfriend Rosita were sitting by the side of the ocean. It was a romantic full moon, when Pedro said,
"Hey babes, let's do Weeweechu."
"Not now sweety, we just did it. Lets look at the moon" said Rosita.
"Oh, c'mon baby, let's you and I play Weeweechu. I love you and it's the perfect time," Pedro begged.
"But I wanna just hold your hand and watch the moon."
"Please, honey, just once, play Weeweechu with me."
Rosita looked at Pedro and said, "OK, one last time, lets play Weeweechu."

Pedro grabbed his guitar and they both sang.....
"Weeweechu a Merry Christmas,
Weeweechu a Happy Hanukkah,
Weeweechu a Happy Eid-ul-Adha,
and a Happy New Year."

Also extending my wishes to my brothers and sisters across the world...
Happy Hari Raya Haji, Kwanzaa, Shogatsu, Las Posadas, Hogmanay, Winter Solstice and everything else that brings you peace, joy and happiness at this festive occasion.

Happy Holidays!!!!!

The Pelican Brief

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"Oh, a wondrous bird is the pelican!
His bill holds more than his belican.
He can take in his beak
Enough food for a week.
But I'm darned if I know how the helican."

Dixon Lanier Merritt
(1879-1972)


There are eight species of pelicans in the world, all of which are similar in shape and are primarily white in colour (with the exception of the Brown Pelican). The pelicans featured in this post are the only white pelicans in North America and are called the American White Pelicans.

Pelicans are among the larger and heavier birds in the world, so they are very impressive in flight. Their bodies are mostly white, with black primaries and outer secondaries, which are hidden until the bird outstretches it's enormous wings.

Lord of the Lorikeets

Lorikeets are small, brightly coloured, highly arboreal parrots, a native of Australia. This most striking colored and noisy bird is one of 328 species of parrots found and 1 of 21 subspecies of Lorikeets called the Rainbow Lorikeet. Their distribution is mainly throughout New Zealand and coastal lowlands of northern and eastern Australia. Elsewhere, it is widespread from Indonesia to Vanuatu and New Caledonia.

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Rainbow Lorikeets exhibit a dazzling color combination, ranging from emerald green, orange, midnight blue, dull blue, ruby red, lemon yellow, purple, violet greenish grey. Surprisingly enough this colourful bird can be hard sometimes to pick out in its natural habitat. They are a small bird generally 11 to 12 inches long, weighing 120 to 140 grams on average; females are generally a bit smaller and adolescents have duller markings

East African Crowned Crane

The East African Crowned Crane is a very striking bird and gets its name from the distinctive golden "crown" of feathers on its head. They are found in the marshes, cultivated lands and grassy flatlands near rivers and lakes in eastern Congo, Uganda, and Kenya to central Tanzania.

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The Real Macaw

Macaws are the most colorful and strikingly beautiful members of the parrot family and have the typical parrot features. They have large, strong, curved beaks designed to crush nuts and seeds. Strong, agile toes are used like hands to grasp things. Loud, screeching and squawking voices help make their presence known in dense rain forests and that is how they communicate with their group. Their native habitats are the forests, especially rain forests, of Mexico, Central and South America and sometimes the Caribbean Islands.

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The Hummingbird

Hummingbirds are small birds in the family Trochilidae. They are known for their ability to hover in mid-air by rapidly flapping their wings, 15 to 80 times per second. Capable of sustained hovering, the hummingbird has the ability to fly deliberately backwards or vertically, and to maintain position while drinking from flower blossoms. They are named for the characteristic hum made by their wings.

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Hummingbirds are attracted to many flowering plants—shrimp plants, Heliconia, bromeliads, verbenas, fuchsias, many penstemons—especially those with red flowers. They feed on the nectar of these plants and are important pollinators, especially of deep-throated flowers. Most species of hummingbird also eat insects, especially when feeding young.

A Time To Reflect

“There are three methods to gaining wisdom. The first is reflection, which is the highest. The second is Imitation, which is the easiest. The third is experience, which is the bitterest.”

-Confucius

“Study without reflection is a waste of time; reflection without study is dangerous” -Confucius

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“It is usually a surprise to discover that most ugliness we see in others is but a reflection of our own nature”
-Anonymous

“The state of your life is nothing more than a reflection of your state of mind.”
-Wayne Dyer

“A soul without reflection, like a pile Without inhabitant, to ruin runs.”
-Edward Young

“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
-Mark Twain

“Reflect upon your present blessings of which every man has many - not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some”
-Charles Dickens

“The outer conditions of a person's life will always be found to reflect their inner beliefs”
-James Allen

Samoan Fire Knife Dancers

The Samoan fire knife dance (or Siva Afi as it is called in Samoa) is more than a popular spectacle that adds sizzle to a Hawaiian luau*. It’s a tradition that has been passed from generation to generation, with each adding a new layer of style, boldness and skill.


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In 1946, Letuli Olo Misilagi was the first man to add fire to the traditional Samoan ailao, or knife dance after he was inspired by a fire eater and a baton twirler in San Francisco. The ailao, a fierce traditional dance that involves the twirling of the nifo oti (war knife), was a pre-war ritual in Samoa used to psyche up warriors.

Today, of course, the Samoan fire knife dance is a power packed performance in Polynesian revues or luaus. There are fire knife dance competitions held throughout the Pacific, including the annual World Fire Knife Dance Competition at the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC) in Oahu. Each May, competitors from around the world gather on the island’s North Shore to display their fire knife skills. There’s even a Junior World Fire Knife Competition, which spotlights youngsters ranging in ages from 12 to 17.

A Bug's Life

It's a bug-eat-bug world out there, princess. This is the way things are supposed to work: The sun grows the food, the ants pick the food, the grasshoppers eat the food...
- Hopper ~~ "A Bug's Life"


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God in His wisdom made the fly
And then forgot to tell us why.
- Ogden Nash ~~~"The Fly"

Some days you're the bug,
Some days you're the windshield.
- Price Cobb

I just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance by switching to Geico. Hahahaha... what did you expect, a quote on the Gecko?. To those who still did not get the joke, GEICO is an auto insurance company here in the US and that statement is the butt of all their funny commercials. The green gecko is their official mascot.

What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly.
- Richard Bach

A Tahitian Wedding

[...] [EDIT]: This is not a real wedding as some of you might think. This was a show at the Polynesian Cultural Center that depicts a Tahitian Wedding. More information on this show here
Horizons: Where the Sea Meets the Sky
[...]


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The sound of drums could be heard from a distance. The lights gradually dimmed out and the tempo and volume of the drums picks up to a deafening blast. In a few moment, the music and everything stopped, it was pitch dark and dead quiet. The only sounds that could be heard were the whispers... "Tahiti".