Girish Nayyar's Blog

POTD: Reader's Day Round 8 - Additional Contribution Added

2012-02-10T08:18:00.000Z

You can cast multiple votes - max 1 for a single photo.

1. Cute Puppies (Contributor: Pranav Bolangadi)

From a very far distance it looked like a piece of cloth lying on the road.
But when I came close to it, I saw these cute puppy siblings feeling secured
when their Mom was not around.

Description: cid:cc03a0c6-06f9-4ab1-a2ad-f61011259058

2) HK Sunset (Contributor: Mark Salmen)

3) Snowy Landscape (Contributor: Carolyne Salmen)

4) A Bird on Hand... (Contributor: Chris McCullagh)

This picture was taken next to the Eifel Tower in November last year. The
birds see millions of tourists every year so are incredibly tame.

(EOS 60D on Sport Setting)

5) Undying spirit of CTW (Contributor: Ian Woodberry)

Following the 2008 accident, Charitable Services vowed never again to run a
CTW event in the Winter.

6) Snowman in the city (Contributor: Keira Chea)

7) Intense Eyes (Contributor: Ridhima)

Taken in Serengeti

Yesterday's Polling Results

POTD: Reader's Day Round 8

2012-02-10T08:03:00.000Z

You can cast multiple votes - max 1 for a single photo.

1. Cute Puppies (Contributor: Pranav Bolangadi)

From a very far distance it looked like a piece of cloth lying on the road.
But when I came close to it, I saw these cute puppy siblings feeling secured
when their Mom was not around.

Description: cid:cc03a0c6-06f9-4ab1-a2ad-f61011259058

2) HK Sunset (Contributor: Mark Salmen)

3) Snowy Landscape (Contributor: Carolyne Salmen)

4) A Bird on Hand... (Contributor: Chris McCullagh)

This picture was taken next to the Eifel Tower in November last year. The
birds see millions of tourists every year so are incredibly tame.

(EOS 60D on Sport Setting)

5) Undying spirit of CTW (Contributor: Ian Woodberry)

Following the 2008 accident, Charitable Services vowed never again to run a
CTW event in the Winter.

6) Snowman in the city (Contributor: Keira Chea)

Yesterday's Polling Results

POTD: Tarangire Landscapes

2012-02-09T08:11:00.000Z

1) Picture #1

2) Picture #2

3) Picture #3

4) Picture #4

Yesterday's Polling Results

Description: cid:650045208@08022012-1CC8

POTD: Birds in Snow - Last Part (Mega edition)

2012-02-08T08:08:00.000Z

Phew! You can heave a sigh of relief now... It's the last part.

1) Picture #1

2) Picture #2

3) Picture #3

4) Picture #4

5) Picture #5

6) Picture #6

7) Picture #7

8) Picture #8

9) Picture #9

10) Picture #10

11) Picture #11

Yesterday's Polling Results

Description: cid:image001.jpg@01CCE575.D304C020

POTD: Birds in Snow - Part2

2012-02-07T07:15:00.001Z

Part 2 of our current series of Birds in Snow. By the way, does anyone know
the name of this bird in Picture 1?

1) Picture #1

2) Picture #2

3) Picture #3

4) Picture #4

4) Picture #5

5) Picture #6

Yesterday's Polling Results

Description: cid:image004.jpg@01CCE4D6.352A2330

POTD: Birds in Snow - Part1

2012-02-06T08:13:00.001Z

When it snowed in London over the weekend, my immediate temptation was to go
out in a park and then take pictures of landscape with snow-capped trees. I
went out to Brookfield Park, but instead of trees, I took lots of bird
pictures because I liked the idea of shooting white birds on white snow. The
whole scene was quite beautiful and I spent more than an hour shooting these
pictures. I will share these with you in probably 3 parts over the next
couple of days. So, here is the first batch today.

1) Picture #1

2) Picture #2

3) Picture #3

4) Picture #4

5) Picture #5

Friday's Polling Results

Description: cid:image003.jpg@01CCE249.A6CE2700

POTD: Crowned Plover

2012-02-03T07:59:00.000Z

This bird is uniquely found only from Red Sea coast of Somalia to southern and southwestern Africa. It is easily recongised by its combination of brown and white colours and most importantly, its black crown circled by a white halo. It lives for up to 20 years.

All these pictures were taken in Tarangire with Nikon D5100, 55-300mm lens.

1) Picture #1

2) Picture #2

3) Picture #3

4) Picture #4 - Catwalk

Yesterday's Polling Results

Special Announcement

I have started receiving contributions for the Reader's Day. If I receive all 5-6 submissions, we will have a Reader's Day on 10^th February. So, please start sending your entries soon.

POTD: Back to London Bridge

2012-02-02T07:29:00.001Z

I took these pictures with my iPhone 4 last Saturday while walking down
London Bridge in the afternoon around 3ish. The sun was already setting and
provided some good colour casts for these photos.

1) Original - no edits (taken with Pro Camera app)

2) Original - no edits (taken with Pro Camera app)

3) Digitally Enhanced1 - Apped and Photoshopped

4) Digitally Enhanced2 - Only Apped in Pro Camera

5) Digitally Enhanced3 - Only Apped in Pro Camera

6) Digitally Enhanced - Only Apped in Pro Camera

7) Digitally Enhanced - Magic Hour

8) Digitally Enhanced - Magic Hour2

Yesterday's Polling Results

Description: cid:214180709@01022012-2440

POTD: Tree climbing Lions at Lake manyara

2012-01-31T22:22:00.001Z

In my childhood I had read stories that suggested climbing a tree to escape a chasing lion. However, it seems this trick might not work if you were chased by a lion in Uganda or Tanzania – these guys can actually climb a tree! Lake Manyara is quite famous for its breed of tree climbing lions, but it is still rare to spot one. We were a bit lucky to see 6 of them on a single tree!

I am sorry but today’s photos are from a bit of distance. Even with my 300mm lens I could not get any clear view of the lions. I regretted so much not carrying a bigger telephoto zoom lens and that is the reason why I bought the new Sigma 150-500mm lens recently. Anyways, we will get a real good view of these tree climbing lions when I start sending the pictures from Serengeti – it is extremely rare to spot them in Serengeti!

1) Picture #1 – Just a glimpse (2 in view)

2) Picture #2 – Moved the vehicle around to get a bit closer look (3 in view)

3) Picture #3 – Got as close as we could (6 in view)

Look closely and you can count all 6 in this picture.

Yesterday’s Polling Results

POTD: Monitor Lizard

2012-01-30T22:19:00.000Z

I know not many of you are going to like today's edition, but nevertheless,
I am risking it because I want to give you a complete flavour of what all
things you can expect to see on a Tanzanian safari.

Monitor lizards have forked tongues, which they use (as a snake does) to
detect scents in the air. Many of them are good swimmers and this family
includes the largest lizard on Earth, the Komodo dragon.

1) Picture #1

2) Picture #2

I particularly liked this one because of the jovial look on it's face while
it was opening its mouth. J

3) Picture #3

4) Picture #4

5) Picture #5

Reader's Contribution

6) Picture #6 (Contributor: Ridhima)

Yesterday's Polling Results

Ridhima's photo got the maximum likes.

Description: cid:image010.jpg@01CCDF39.B5A3E9D0

Special Announcement

Please start sending your contributions for the Reader's Day - we would like
to re-instate that asap.

POTD: Zebras in Lake Manyara + Reader's Contribution

2012-01-29T23:51:00.000Z

All photos taken with Nikon D5100 SLR, 55-300mm lens. Location: Lake
Manyara, Tanzania.

1) Picture #1

2) Picture #2

3) Picture #3

4) Picture #4

5) Picture #5

6) Picture #6

Reader's Contribution

7) Picture #7 (Contributor: Ridhima)

POTD: Sunny Winter

2012-01-27T08:09:00.000Z

1) Original - Taken with Nikon D5100 SLR

2) Edited in Camera+ app on iPhone4

3) Simply HDR version

4) Camera+ Version 2

5) Camera+ version 3

6) Camera+ version4

7) Magic Hour version1

8) Magic Hour version 2

9) Magic Hour version 3

Yesterday's Polling Results

Description: cid:image014.jpg@01CCDC01.8E83C4A0

POTD: Squirrel(s) at Greenwich Park

2012-01-26T08:07:00.001Z

1) Searching for food Squirrel #1

2) Squirrel #2

3) Camouflaged Squirrel #3

4) Eyeing for food Squirrel #4

5) Expectantly staring eat Squirrel #5

6) Hopeful Squirrel #6

7) Scared and shy Squirrel #7

8) Finally getting to eat Squirrel #8

POTD: Angry Ducks

2012-01-25T07:12:00.001Z

I used my new Sigma 120-400mm lens for all these photos. I am so impressed
with this lens that I have decided to upgrade to the bigger 150-500mm lens
now. What's your verdict after seeing the below pictures?

1) Angry Duck #1

2) Angry Duck #2

3) Not so angry Duck #3

4) One more angry duck #4

5) Angry Duck #5

6) Calm Duck #6

7) Really Angry Duck #7

Yesterday's polling results

Description: cid:image001.jpg@01CCDA74.30FB9F80

POTD: Flying Ducks

2012-01-23T21:38:00.001Z

Most of you liked the Flying Ducks picture yesterday. I had clicked a similar picture with my iPhone 4 and thought I will “app” it up and share with you today. So, below are the Top 11 of the effects I could create in different apps.

1) Original – snapped using ProCamera

2) Enhanced in Snapseed

3) Picture #3

4) Mobile Monet version

5) Camera+ version

6) Camera+ 2 version

7) Camera+ 3 version

8) Photo FX version

9) Photo Toaster version

10) Picture Show version

11) ToonPaint version

Yesterday’s Polling Result

POTD: Flying Ducks and Swimming Duck

2012-01-22T21:52:00.001Z

I took these pictures today at Greenwich Park. The first two are taken with
my 55-300 lens on Nikon D5100 and the last is with my new Sigma 120-400mm
lens.

1) Picture #1

2) Picture #2

3) Picture #3

Thursday's Polling Result

Description: cid:201595408@20012012-0A09

Best in-ear headphones for iPhone/iPod

2011-12-17T19:23:00.001Z

I already have quite a few in-ear headphones for my iPhone, but still I keep getting more to keep up with the latest technology.

Philips SHN6000
I was reading a lot about active noise cancelling headphones and so thought I will take a dip. I looked for in-ear iPhone/iPod specific headphones and from a plethora of available options, got the Philips SHN6000, which were reasonably priced on ebay for £24. Normally, active noise cancelling headphones require an extra battery - that adds to the weight of the headphones and are a constant drag on the chord, which makes the whole experience slightly frustrating. The Philips ones work around this problem by drawing in power from your iPhone/iPod, but on the flip side, these headphones connect only to the dock side of your iPhone/iPod. This poses several disadvantages:

headphones cannot be used on other instruments that accept the standard 3.5mm small pin interface
you won't be able to listen to your phone calls
headphones don't have a mic either

Apart from these apparent nags, my harshest criticism is on the active noise cancelling bit. There is absolutely no effect of turning the active noise cancelling on or off - it just doesn't work. The voice on the headphones is very harsh to the ears and I actually don't like listening to anything on these headphones. To add to the woes, there is an intermittent electrical noise that you hear in the background - even when the active noise cancelling is off. As far as I am concerned these headphones are useless and I would not recommend you buying them.

Klipsch Image S5i
Now these are some serious headphones. These are not active noise cancelling ones, but they do the noise isolation job in an amazing way. I am very happy on purchasing these wonderful headphones - the music sounds awesome - crystal clear, soothing sound. The S4i and S5i range come with iPhone specific remote and mic, which allows navigating through the songs and also attend to phone calls comfortably. For iPhone 4S users, you can even talk to Siri! I absolutely love these headphones and will definitely recommend getting them for 100% satisfaction.

Find Big Mail - easiest and best tool to find large size emails in your Gmail account

2011-12-04T14:44:00.001Z

I had used up 80% of my Gmail account space and wanted to find out which were the big size culprits. Unfortunately, Gmail does not have any options to sort your emails by size, name, etc. So, I had to look around for 3rd party options. One way is to connect Microsoft Outlook to your Gmail, but that's pretty time consuming and you need to unnecessarily configure all your details in Outlook. The other best option which does not involve any software download or configuration is Find Big Mail. You just enter your Gmail id and then authorize Find Big Mail to connect to your account. Don't worry, this does not expose your password or other profile details to Find Big Mail - you get a message to this effect from Google Accounts. In fact, that was my biggest reservation for using this 3rd party tool, but after seeing Google's pacifying notification, I felt relieved and went ahead with finding those voracious big eater on my mail account. It took around 5 minutes for the tool to scan through my mailbox and then I received a very elaborate email from them detailing out my Top 20 mail eaters along with a hyperlinked report on mails greater than 10 MB in size, greater than 5 MB in size, and so on. Based on this mail, I could free up around 30% of my Gmail account space. Thank you, Find Big Mail team.

Google Account Notification

Ftp Sprite - fantastic FTP client app for iPhone is FREE just for today

2011-12-04T08:21:00.001Z

This app is available for free today. It's super fast in accessing your FTP server and upload/download files from it. I have used the app and found it to be really good for my needs.

Next on my photo gear shopping list - a telephoto lens

2011-12-02T07:07:00.001Z

Sigma 150-500mm

Having just concluded a safari in Tanzania with my 55-300 Nikon lens, I have come to realise how important it is to have a bigger zoom. Many photography books and online review sites suggest that getting closer to your subject is more important than having bigger zoom on your lens, but it is sheer impossible to get down from the car when you are in a national park with wild animals on the loose! For practical reasons, you need to have a bigger zoom if you intend to photograph animals from distance.

Both Nikon and Canon don't have any affordable lenses in the above 300mm range. So the choices are limited to the likes of Sigma and Tamron. After doing some research, I have zeroed in on two lenses for my Nikon D5100

Sigma 120-400mm

1) Sigma 120-400mm and
2) Sigma 150-500mm.

There is a Nikon 80-400mm as well in my price range of below £700, but then it does not have in-built focus motor and so I won't be able to autofocus with it with my DX camera.

Of the two choices I have, I need to decide how important is that extra 100mm on the 500mm lens, because 120-400 has a wider aperture at 4.5 to 5.6 and so better chances at giving me a good handheld image. On a safari, it is nigh impossible to use a tripod and at most you will be able to rest your lens on the roof top for stability. Most of the shots will come handheld in the meagre time that you will get to shoot those fleeting moments when the animals are on move. So, vibration reduction or image stabilisation are absolutely critical factors. Although both the lenses have optical stabiliser, the aperture on the 150-500 is narrower at 5-6.3 which means lesser light and greater chance of a shake in a hand held scene. In my experience of safari, I needed just a little bit extra on my 300mm lens to cover the scenes I wanted to. So guess on the overall balance, I will go in for the 120-400mm lens.

Link for comparing these two lenses on dpreview: http://www.dpreview.com/products/compare/side-by-side?products=sigma_120-400_4p5-5p6_dg_os&products=sigma_150-500_5-6p3_os

There is an in-depth review of Sigma 150-500mm on Kenrockwell - http://www.kenrockwell.com/sigma/150-500mm.htm

Buying options
The best price that I could find for Sigma 120-400mm was on Panamoz for £578, followed by £598 on Procamerashop.
For Sigma 150-500mm, the best price was £616 on Panamoz, followed by £645 on Procamerashop.

Age of Empires and Carmen Sandiego are now online!

2011-12-02T06:44:00.001Z

Two of my all time favourite games can now be played online for free! I was so elated to discover this. I don't usually play games on my computer but these two are an exception and something I can spend hours on.

I have spent many sleepless nights playing Age Of Empires (AOE) with my friends back in 2003-04. But then I gradually pulled myself off the addiction and didn't come near it in the last 6-7 years. And yesterday, while searching for some games for my nephew for his Christmas gift, I accidentally bumped across the online version of AOE and I was happily surprised. I am resisting the urge to play it because I know I will end up consuming the entire weekend just playing this wonderful strategy game. Guess my temptation is being lured even while I write about it. I might have to give in.

Age of Empires can be played played online on their website - http://ageofempiresonline.com/

Carmen Sandiego is one of the first games I played in my childhood. In fact that's the game that introduced me to computers and I owe all my career in IT to just that game. Had it not been for Carmen, I would have probably never insisted my dad on making me join a course in computers. Back in 1980s while I was in 7th standard (around 12 yrs. in age), my father took me to a computer institute. I thought it will be pure waste of time and didn't like the look of the horrible boxes (computers). I grudgingly agreed to spend an hour there. The attendant there assigned a vacant machine to me and loaded Carmen Sandiego from a 1.2" floppy drive. He have me some basic training on it and then left me on my own. As soon as I started playing it, I got totally immersed into it and had absolutely no idea when the hour was up! Unfortunately I could not extend my playing time because firstly someone was already waiting for the machine and secondly it was exorbitantly expensive to get computer time in those days. Anyways, I somehow built a connection in my mind that computers mean Carmen game and I resolved that I will study computers when I grow up. The resolve came to fruition when I turned 15, and I was deeply upset when I discovered the truth but then it was too late - I had already paid for the course and had to complete it. At the end of the course however, I not only learnt programming but also got introduced to many other games like Paratrooper, Risk, Mario, etc. Carmen was and is still my favourite and it makes me feel absolutely nostalgic. You can imagine my sense of excitement and happiness when I bumped into its online incarnation via Facebook!

Link to play Carmen online - http://apps.facebook.com/csandiego/

Best Free Antivirus Tool for Windows - Microsoft Security Essentials

2011-12-01T08:04:00.001Z

Microsoft's own in-house antivirus tool - Microsoft Security Essentials is probably the best free antivirus tool for Windows. They have just announced a new Public Beta release and you can download it here.

TreeSize is a good software for Disk Space Analysis

2011-12-01T07:32:00.001Z

TreeSize Free is a good software for analyzing your disk space. Recently, I checked on the disk space usage on my Windows 7 laptop and was horrified to see only 30% of my disk space was free even when I store all my files on another network drive. It was bewildering and frustratingly, windows does not tell me where is the space being used - as in which folders or files are consuming the maximum space. One way is to check individual folders by right clicking and seeing the size in properties window. It is a super time consuming process and it will take ages to determine the culprits. To make this task easier, I searched for a list of disk space analysis tools on the net and after doing a bit of research, zeroed in on TreeSize. Having installed and used it, I can definitely recommend it if you too are facing the same problem as me. The software helped me easily locate the monolithic folders and I have now moved them to my network drive to free up local disk.

Tanzania Safari

2011-11-30T09:41:00.001Z

We recently had been to Tanzania for our maiden safari and boy, it was an amazing adventure! This trip has seriously cast doubts in my mind on whether there is truly a heaven beyond this beautiful place we stay in. Being so close in the company of nature and its wonders was truly an overwhelming experience and I will like to have it again and again.

Although there is a lot to be shared about this safari trip, I will try to give you a short summary of the main things to be considered for going on a safari in Tanzania.

1. Timing
November to May is wet season and June to October is the dry season in Tanzania. Although you will get longer days and better viewing in the dry season, the wet season will provide the exclusivity and quality. There will be lesser cars on the drive and you will be able to enjoy your safari at leisure. Also, the rainy shots will add a bit of drama to your photographs.

2. Booking
Booking through a tour company is cheaper than making your own bookings. You can still choose your itinerary, decide which camps/lodges you want to stay in and ascertain how many days you want to spend in each place. There are many tour companies out there that will help with your customized tour booking. We booked our tour through Fortes and the staff there was exceptionally helpful in attending to all our special requests.

3. Travel
If you are doing the popular Northern circuit, there are two international airports to fly into - Kilimanjaro and Arusha. For the Southern circuit, you will be better off choosing Dar es Salaam as your port of entry. Thereafter, most of the journey is usually done by road, but you can choose to fly to Serengeti from Arusha. For the road journey, it is best to hire a local driver cum guide. However good a driver you might be, the roads on the Safari track are arduous and it is best left to the local experts who are not only exceptionally good in navigating but double up as excellent guides. Their wildlife spotting skills are just ingenious and irreplaceable. Many a times, our guide just stopped in the middle of nowhere and asked us to look at some or the other wild animal like a lion, cheetah, or leopard and we would be lost in searching for it. We would look left and right and still not be able to see anything till we used our binoculars and asked for direction on where to look. And amazingly, the guide was always right. They just have this uncanny skill of spotting the wild animals/birds with just their naked eyes and they have immense knowledge of the local flora and fauna which they are ever willing to share with you.

On the Northern circuit, the places you should include in your itinerary are Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro.

4. Period - Length of Safari
Ideal number of days would be 7-8. Anything less and you won't do justice to it; anything more and you might start sinking into diminishing marginal utility. If you don't have the luxury of 7-8 days and want to do your safari in just a couple of days, I would suggest going to Tarangire alone. Tarangire is an absolute gorgeous national park and you will get to see most of the animals there. Also, if it comes to compressing the itinerary, Lake Manyara can e possibly taken out first.

5. Food
In most of the lodges, camps, or hotels, you will get a wide variety of food. It is well made and quite appetizing. There are quite a few vegetarian only options as well and should be no deterrent for people following strictly vegetarian diet. For lunch, the norm is to take the picnic lunch from your lodge/hotel and then eat it in one of the designated areas of the national park you will be visiting for the day. If you have extra food in your lunch box, don't throw it - give it to the needy people around. Also, do not feed birds or animals - they can become a bit of nuisance for your fellow travelers.

6. Essential Gadgets
6.1 Camera
There will be countless moments for capturing the unforgettable moments on the safari through your lens. So, preferably take a good SLR with a telephoto lens or failing that, at least a fixed lens super zoom camera like Sony HX 100V or Nikon Coolpix P500.

6.2 Binoculars
A good set of binoculars is a must. You can try using the zoom on your camera as an alternate, but that will drain out camera's battery very soon. If you want to patiently watch scenery and animals at distance, its better to watch using binoculars. You need a zoom of around 8x to 10x - anything more will cause a lot of shake. Exit pupil should be preferably 5mm.

6.3 Torch
Carry a good range LED torch - it will be especially useful if you are staying in tented camps.

6.4 Local Sim card
You can get a local sim card very easily in Tanzania and it is really useful to stay in touch with your family back home.

7. Currency
Most of the hotels/lodges/camps/shops will take any of the major currencies - GBP/USD/EUR apart from their local currency Tanzanian Shilling. USD is the most widely accepted currency. Carry lower denominated notes for easier tipping to porters and waiters. Tipping is kind of essential - so make provision for that in your budget. Rough guideline is to tip between $5-$10 per day at lodges and $20-$100 per day to your driver/guide.

8. Caution
More than animals, you need to exercise caution from fellow human beings. Theft is rampant in Tanzania and you need to be extremely careful of your belongings. As a precautionary measure, do not carry any flashy expensive stuff on a safari. Always keep your precious belongings with you. I always carried my camera bag with me everywhere - even in the restroom. In spite of being careful, I still lost $150 from my coat pocket that I had carelessly left in my room while going to restaurant for dinner.

These are just some of the high level pointers to plan your safari. I will keep adding to this list and detailing each of the sections in recent future. So, do bookmark this page and come back again to check on updates.

9. Tipping
It is a well entrenched culture to give tips to porters, waiters, cooks, and the guide. The norm is to tip around $5 to $10 per day to porters+waiters+cooks and around $20 to $100 per day per person to the guide. The guides are so incredibly helpful that you will feel obliged to reward them with good tip as a bonus, but for all others I feel hard pressed to convince myself on paying anything. Why should I pay $2 to someone holding an umbrella for me? For guides, the reasoning is different. They will understand your needs - if you like photographing, they will take you to places where you will get some good shots, they will wait patiently and even move vehicle around to make that perfect shot possible. If you are interested in a particular species of animals, they will take you to places where you will get to see your favorite animals. In short, they make genuine effort to make safari a worthwhile experience for you.

Re-arrangement of my blogs

2011-11-30T07:44:00.001Z

I have now re-arranged my blogs such that each will have its own specific content with minimal duplication.

iPhoneography related news and photos - http://iphoneographytips.blogspot.com
Photographs of the day - http://photographsoftheday.blogspot.com
General write-ups - http://girishnayyar.blogspot.com
Excel Tips - http://exceltipsandtechniques.blogspot.com