Pixellicious Photos

A day at Karjat and Neral

noreply@blogger.com (Kcalpesh) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 19:03:00 +0000

Recently we'd been to the place of one of our family friends in Karjat. Located on Bhor Ghat, as well as at the end of coastal plains of Konkan, Karjat is a place where you can get close to the nature with all the greenery. It is really awesome during and a little after the monsoon. Recently there have been many resorts opened at Karjat which are good options for a weekend getaway near Mumbai. It is perfect for picnics, river rafting, trekking, hiking and mountain climbing. Our family friend's place is where I got an opportunity to click the below snaps of the lotus. The photos of the sunset and the hibiscus were taken at another beautiful destination which is close to Karjat. This place is called Neral. The drive from Karjat to Neral was cool with the view on both sides being really awesome. The roads however are full of potholes and you won't be able to drive above the speed of 20 kmph :-(

Festival of lights

noreply@blogger.com (Kcalpesh) — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 05:19:00 +0000

Diwali, also popularly known as the festival of lights has arrived and gone. Last two day have seen lights of fireworks in the skies, lights on the clay lamps arranged outside the houses all of these signify the triumph of good over evil. For us the last two days have been very busy with guests coming over to wish a Happy Diwali and New Year (According to Hindu Calendar). The coming week will carry the same mood of celebrations. More Information on Diwali.

Dragonfly

noreply@blogger.com (Kcalpesh) — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 21:21:00 +0000

The dargonfly also known as damselfly was very close to our window on a television cable. Wonder if it was trying to repair something on it :-D. It stayed still and unmoved even while I took the camera very close to take some shots. A tiny little bug but has such an amazing shape that it looks almost like an airplane :-)

All this time, Sheru, our cat, was out there sitting near the window and trying to grab my attention. Well couldn't help and had to take a few captures of Sheru also. You've met Sheru before. Check this post.

And even after all the noise made by Sheru and all the pictures clicked by me, the dragonfly still remained unmoved. You can also see the video of the dragonfly that I had shot after clicking the above photos. Well Pixellicious Photos, now also has a YouTube Channel here.

Early Morning in Mumbai

noreply@blogger.com (Kcalpesh) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 11:11:00 +0000

This was just a few days back while I'd been to one of the Mumbai suburb called Kandivili. We'd been to visit an orthopaedician. While we waited for our turn, I stood out near the road and saw the leafless tree near the Indian Oil petrol / gas station. It amazed me as it was dead and still standing tall. I decided to click a few pictures and you can see the results already.

These are shots taken using my Samsung Corby Pro, 3 megapixel camera. These lack clarity but what I liked was the empty streets early in the morning. I know now every mumbaikar whishes that the streets remain this empty for the whole day.

It was a rainy day and the dark clouds as if, followed us from Chembur to Kandivili as when I asked one of hospital guys whether it had rained all night or not, he said, well it has just started raining.

Mumbai on a rainy day

noreply@blogger.com (Kcalpesh) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 15:08:00 +0000

Mobile Phone Camera, one invention which I have really loved since the time it was first launched. Although I can't remember the exact date but I do recall having read an article about a Japanese company having launched a mobile phone with a Camera back in 1995. Well I'd say don't rely on the information here. I'm feeling too lazy to Google and fetch the information :-(

Its truly amazing that you have a camera more compact than the compact cameras ;) and you have it handy at any and every moment. As I mentioned in my previous post, mobile phones have become and integral part of our lives today. Here in this post I am sharing a few photos captured using my Samsung Corby Pro mobile phone camera.

Looks like I was driving when I shot these? Well I never touch the mobile phone while driving. These were however captured when we had to stop for a long time on a rainy day, at a traffic signal. The place you see in the 2nd 3rd and 4th photo is Kala Nagar in Bandra a suburb of Mumbai.

Bitten by the shutterbug

noreply@blogger.com (Kcalpesh) — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 04:40:00 +0000

I remember, the first time I got gadgeted. It was my first mobile phone ever in the year 2005. A Nokia 3200, considered to be a hip and happening phone model during those days. The most exciting feature it had was a transparent body with changeable design panels. It was Something designed to attract the youth. A VGA Camera... yep a VGA Camera was one of the most attracting features during then. It was phone that was capable of playing mp3 music and even record voice. Well, with all these features, at least it, was popular in my friend circle.

The buying process, initially involved a lot of research by means of finding out reviews online. Spending almost seven thousand rupees was going to be a big dent in my pocket in days when my salary itself was only a little above five thousand. I wanted to be sure that I got my money's worth. Finally one day, I got the phone along with three of those changeable panels which I would ensure to match the color with my shirt. Sounds tacky? But hey, who cared back then.

For me, it used to be like carrying a new phone every day. I really loved the idea of changeable panels and enjoyed showing off a gadget which no one else in my peer group had. I could sense the jealousy and it sure made me happy. It was only later, that I found out that the phone model had some very well known bugs and wasn't all that popular. Did it hurt me? Well nopes. Throughout the period that I used the phone I really admired it. I had never touched a camera till then and there I was, clicking pictures and saving memories of everyday life on my computer and sharing it with my friends. I remember using the camera almost everywhere after I got the phone. Capturing unusual and abstract photos with weird angles, photos with no people, all nature and objects and still my friends and family used to praise them a lot. Every new photo got me praises and each time I was praised I got more encouragement. Soon I realized I was bitten by the shutterbug. The camera feature really bit me hard injecting all the interest it could, about capturing the world around me. Somewhere down the line I started building a distant dream of becoming a photographer. There it was. A lot of things about me had changed. From a person who had never touched a camera to a person who really loved photography and, from a person who would be careless about what’s going around nearby, to a person who looked for even smallest moments that could be captured and saved. My first gadget had changed me so much and so easily.

Some Photos Shot using Nokia 3200, my first mobile phone with camera.

I didn't ever know what real photography was and I'd never thought I’d be so addicted to it. But, some things just happen. It was not only photography but, also music which I got closer to. I could litsen to my favorite music on the move. Back then I used to travel for almost 4-5 hours for work and a phone full of songs was like a blessing. Wow, there was so much a palm size gadget could provide me with every day. This small gadget had a good grip on me as I had it with me anywhere I went or anything I did until one day when it was stolen away from me on a rainy day in a crowded train. I lost the phone and I felt I had lost an integral part of my life. I missed it so much especially because no more photography and 5 boring hours of travel. It sure was so difficult after being addicted to the phone for nearly one and a half years.

Then what? Hey it was time to buy a new phone. Salary had increased from 5 to 15 in all that time. I had to choose a good phone. All my friends had advanced phones with them and those were phones which could store a lot more media. Not only songs and photos, some of them even stored complete Music Videos and Movies.

With a good research online followed by some word of mouth publicity about a new arrival, Nokia’s 6280 was all over my mind. I saved some money for about two months and then bought it. This time the gadget cost me about 12k. My focus basically remained on the camera. A 2 megapixel camera which could not only click high resolution photos but also take videos of resolution 640 X 480 pixels, easily the best available at that time. The time after that was like history repeating itself. Only the photos appeared better and my interest in photography was much higher than before.

Some photos shot using Nokia 6280 my second mobile phone with camera.

Well now, my wife owns a Nokia N95 with 5 megapixel camera and I own a Samsung Corby Pro with 3 Megapixel camera and mobile photography is something that I have been and will always be a fan of.

However now, I do not need a mobile phone to pursue my hobby I always will consider it as a bug that bit me for good! It’s better to mend ways with time. A change is amazing when it comes easily. Now, I mostly use my Canon A710 IS which is all in all a point and shoot camera with limited manual capabilities. However this camera was really helpful to me in learning Photography at National Institute of Photography in Mumbai.

Each better photography gadget that I own tells me how I progressed as a non-photographer to someone who loves and takes photography seriously. And still, a photography gadget continues to hold its importance in my life.

The Photography Now!!

Soon, I may be buying my first ever DSLR. The research is on.

Note: The intention to write this article originated from the idea of participating in the "Change is easy" contest on Indiblogger. A contest conducted by Dell.

Dell Inspiron M5030 2800B3D 15.6-Inch Laptop (3D Black)

Chameleon and the Bulbul

noreply@blogger.com (Kcalpesh) — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 06:00:00 +0000

Hi All, it's been a long time once again since I posted anything on my blog. A few days were lost due to the damaged camera and for past few days life's been very busy. However for a change I caught up with photography again with my Canon A710 IS Digital Camera. Saw this chameleon right out side in our garden. A new visitor. Since it was hanging around there on the brownish stem of the tree, the muddy color which it had taken made it look really very ugly and creepy. I had no choice but to make it a little colorful in post production process.

Just as I pictured the chameleon standing in our balcony, the SHOW OFF bird Bulbul appeared. If you remember I had mentioned about this one in my post Egrets and the Bulbul. This bird is really a major showoff and always wants to be pictured if you're out there witha camera. Luckily once again it came very close to our balcony and sat on the thin branches, posing desperately to get pictured....

Moon Perigee: The best my camera could do

noreply@blogger.com (Kcalpesh) — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 01:28:00 +0000

I had been waiting for this day, March 19th 2010 right from the day I got to know about Moon Perigee about a 2 months ago. I had plans to buy a tripod, may be borrow a better camera from a friend :-D and hit to a place where I could get a very good view of the moon early in the evening. But ultimately I didn't get much time and had to go ahead with My Canon A710 IS, with a 6x optical zoom and no tripod.

Although I couldn't capture exactly what I saw, I can tell you the view was absolutely stunning & mesmerizing. I was amazed and considered myself lucky to have been out there to witness the early hours of Moon Perigee. When you see the moon at the horizon, it gives you an illusion of being extraordinarily large giving you the most beautiful view you'd ever see.

Below is a capture taken hand held by a friend of mine, Rahmat Ali, using his Nikon camera which has a 16x optical zoom, a few days after the moon perigee. Well, now, may be after 16 years. I'll try again :-))

Quick Update

noreply@blogger.com (Kcalpesh) — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 05:40:00 +0000

Finally!! Got the camera fixed and the photos will be pouring in soon.... :-)

School at Assolna: Goa

noreply@blogger.com (Kcalpesh) — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 11:03:00 +0000

We saw this awesome monument at a place called Assolna in Goa. Built in the premises of a school named Regina Martyrum High School, it made us stop by and click some photos of and around the monument. When we captured the photos of this place we were not aware about the location and didn't notice the name of the school. Also, there weren't many people whom we could have asked. We were traveling from Palolem Beach to Colva on a bike and didn't want to sound like strangers who were lost :-D. But, I remembered we bought a few biscuits and a bottle of water from a shop near by and, luckily when we zoomed into one of the other photos of this place shot from a different angle, we noticed the name of this shop. It was called Pastry Palace.

Well that did make it easier for us to find out the name of the school located near pastry palace on Google Maps. Wow, technology has made so many things so easy. Otherwise, since a long time we had been trying to find out on google map what exactly was the name of this school....

Here is the top view of the monument on google map.

Photos from Manori

noreply@blogger.com (Kcalpesh) — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 18:26:00 +0000

Two weeks since my last post. Wow, that really tells me how busy I have been. But, the time just fled and we didn't even realize. That's what work can do to you. There has been a lot of work a real lot. So many things I had to do which I couldn't. One of them was getting my camera repaired. Phew!!!

Here, once again two photos from Manori. You must have seen these photos of Manori that I had posted earlier:

The Rustic Wheel that you can see above is one of the wheel from the cart of Aamir Khan: The Gola Maker!! Hope you like the Photos!!

Once upon a time in Pandora

noreply@blogger.com (Kcalpesh) — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 05:47:00 +0000

I have tried to make this one look like one of those Jungles in Pandora!! Remember the planet shown in the James Cameron movie Avatar? Originally, a shot from Ross Island Andaman, colored and painted using Photoshop. As I had mentioned in my earlier post about Ross Island, it now lies completely in ruins. However, in Andaman, everything just seems so beautiful. Being surrounded by sea all the time itself is the most amazing feeling. It sure was a fun time visiting these small island with each one unique in it's own way. You need to take a ferry from the Port Blair Jetty to Ross island. Its a mere 10 minutes sail but you will really enjoy it.

Links

noreply@blogger.com (Kcalpesh) — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 18:30:00 +0000

Once again I have pulled out a photo from old archives of Andaman Tour. This photo was shot using our camera Canon A710 IS which unfortunately is now out of order due to fungus on the lens. The photos have blurry edges and hence I have been unable to use the same. Well I will soon have to carry it to the technician and get it repaired. Till then, please do enjoy the photos from old archives of tours to Andaman, Goa, Manori and Matheran.

Silence of the sea

noreply@blogger.com (Kcalpesh) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 04:12:00 +0000

You must have seen the photos from Andaman posted long time back on Pixellicious Photos. Here are some of them: Photos from Andaman. As I had mentioned, Elephant Beach was one of the places we visited as it was highly recommended for Snorkelling. And it did turn out to be true. Despite the fact that most of the corals got destroyed during the Tsunami (2004), it still looked awesome above and under the water. Swimming at the shore looked safe however, when I went in for snorkelling with a guide, we did go a little too far as I could see the spot where the sea level dropped dramatically. A spot where one side showed the corals lit up by the sunlight and the otherside fading into darkness. It looked dangerous as I am not a very good swimmer.

In the picture you can see the tree which we believed was uprooted during the tsunami.

Under the blue sky

noreply@blogger.com (Kcalpesh) — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 15:18:00 +0000

We captured this photograph at Ross Island in Portrblair - Andaman using our Canon A710 IS digital camera. British administrative Headquarters once, Ross island now looks completely destroyed with only the remains of a beautifully set up colony left there. Read more about Ross Island Here. Full of palm trees, the lush green island is surely a must visit place. The movement of palm leaves due to a heavy breeze on a sunny day with clear skies, looked really awesome and pleasing.

Baga Beach Goa: Red Flag

noreply@blogger.com (Kcalpesh) — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 18:30:00 +0000

A photo from baga beach Goa. A whole lot of red flags were seen which we assumed were markings for the area divided between the life-gaurds present there for the safety of tourists. The photograph was shot using our Canon A710 IS digital camera. Click here for more pictures of GOA.

Nataraja: The lord of dance

noreply@blogger.com (Kcalpesh) — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 18:39:00 +0000

Few months back, I saw this nice little set up with a collection of idols of all the Gods worshipped in India! Well I have exaggerated the statement as the number goes to over 300 million according to a research. Here, I could see many of them. In the middle of everything was the idol of Nataraja, the Lord of dance. You can read more about Nataraja here on Wikipedia.

The photograph was shot using a Nokia N95 mobile phone camera. I know the colors are artificial but I just wanted to randomly color the whole photograph! You can also call it my Rangoli way in advance for the festival of diwali!!

The Road Roller

noreply@blogger.com (Kcalpesh) — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 18:51:00 +0000

Rains, Myst, Clouds and the Greenery. It was all so amazing at Matheran during our last visit. While walking from Matheran entrance to our hotel, we saw this road roller put to rest. It was very surprising as one; no vehicles are allowed inside and two; The roads are such that it would impossible to get this heavy duty vehicle inside. But hey, we are all so busy enjoying the walk in the rains so it really didn't matter. The photograph was shot using our Canon A710 IS Digital Camera.

Reflections: What do you see?

noreply@blogger.com (Kcalpesh) — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 18:30:00 +0000

My friend and I were walking down the street when he got a phone call and got busy talking to someone from his workplace. We had both stopped walking while he talked and suddenly this truck came and stopped right besides us. The driver honked twice so that we moved from where we were standing. He wanted to park the truck there. When I tried to see the face of the person who was driving I noticed that it was difficult to see through the glass as all I saw was the building reflecting on to it. Well here its, I'm gonna submit this one to the Weekend Reflections Meme on Newtown Area Daily Photo as well as on Skywatch Friday. So, whats reflecting in your area? This photo was shot using my Samsung Corby Pro, mobile phone camera. Also see That's My World!

The Cat Portrait

noreply@blogger.com (Kcalpesh) — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 10:20:00 +0000

This guy looks cute? At least the way he's looking at the camera does make him look cute. A few days back I had posted the picture of Sheru. The cat in the picture above is Baalu, Sheru's son. While Sheru is a big show-off in front of people, Baalu is very shy or may be scared of humans. About 2 years back Baalu got badly injured in a fight with the biggest villain of his life. A gray colored cat who shows up at least once a day to fight with our cats. Baalu's injury was very bad and we had to take him to a Vet. The injections that he used to get from the Vet seem to have developed a fear in him. Something that always keeps him distant from us.

The only thing that makes him come to us is food. Sheru and Baalu both really love the chicken & fish nuggets. While Sheru would stay calm even when hungry, Baalu really gets on our nerves every morning with constant meowing. He can go on and on and on until he gets his food. The above photo was shot with the camera placed on our window. I used the timer on our Canon A710 IS Digital camera to ensure there is no blurriness. Also See - Camera Critters!

Sunset and the Still Life

noreply@blogger.com (Kcalpesh) — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 19:10:00 +0000

This is one of my favorite photos. Captured at a restaurant near Chennai Airport while we were returning from Andaman and Nicobar Islands. We really had a lot of time to kill. To be precise, at least 5 hours before boarding our next flight to Mumbai. Well, a little before the sunset the view outside the hotel was amazing. A lady at the table near us was served her drink but she seemed a little too busy writing something down in a diary. And there you can see the glass filled with the drink lying idle and trying to match with the color of the sunset. If you're wondering that you've seen this picture before, then yes, I have posted this one again. Earlier I feel I had raised the contrast bar a little too much. This was shot with our Canon A710 IS digital camera. I really like this picture a lot. Hope you'll like it too. The most amazing thing about Photography is that you can capture and save the moments you really love.

Egrets and the Bulbul

noreply@blogger.com (Kcalpesh) — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 13:21:00 +0000

It was almost like a competition between the egrets and the red whiskered bulbul (medium-sized passerine songbirds). My wife noticed the egrets on our neighbor’s roof. There have been quite a few egret sightings after the last one that I caught on camera. On this day, there were three of them busy picking up something to eat on our neighbor’s roof. It seemed like they were really enjoying their evening snacks. Not sure but we think these guys are Little Egrets (Egretta garzetta).

After around 5-10 shots I saw a Red-whiskered Bulbul on a television cable, whistling away to glory as if to draw my attention. Since it was too far, I couldn't get a good picture even after using the complete 6X zoom of our Canon A710 IS digital camera. So, I ignored the little bird and started capturing a few more photographs of the egrets. All of a sudden the Bulbul came very close to our window and sat on the television cable long enough to allow me to click two close-up shots. In one of the photos it was looking right at the camera.

All in all it was a very good day for Bird Photography. | Camera Critters

The Dog Story

noreply@blogger.com (Kcalpesh) — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 06:05:00 +0000

This is a story about a dog, who made a home for himself. While we were walking along the shores of Benaulim Beach in Goa, we witnessed this cute incident about two dogs. One of them was sleeping inside a circular sand territory as if it were his home and the other dog who was right outside, the circle was wondering why he didn't have such a home.

All of a sudden he started digging the sand as if to say, "Dude, I'll make my own home too, you just wait and watch". The dog with the home was least concerned about this and went back to sleep.

Soon the digging was complete and the dog decided to take some rest in his home sweet home.

These photographs were shot using our Canon A710 IS digital camera. Goa, really is one of the best destinations for Travel & Photography in India.

Cattle Egret

noreply@blogger.com (Kcalpesh) — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 06:02:00 +0000

This Cattle Egret, landed near our place, may be in search of food on the way to somewhere. Well, we were just taken by surprise because we'd seen all kinds of tiny birds around but egret so far has been the largest to have visited. Also, for the first time. We think that the poor bird may have landed just to take some rest or because it found some food around here.

All the time that it stayed here it just walked around the edge of the well picking up food as it found and also staying away from the humans!! If it saw somebody coming it would walk away to the other side of the wall, and stand as tall as it could and see if the person has gone or still there. Once it felt the area was secured, it would again start moving around the well.

Once it even caught me taking pictures from our window and gave me a long stare as if to say, "Dude, what u lookin at huh?" That really was a long stare in my direction. I feel it didn't like being spied upon :-D

Submitting this post to the Camera Critters

Meet Sheru

noreply@blogger.com (Kcalpesh) — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 04:47:00 +0000

You may have seen Sheru, our cute little pet here in one of my older posts. He's there in the last pic on that link, trying to roar like a lion. I was out there in our terrace, trying to do some bird photography, capturing a tinly little green bird. It was tough luck as the bird was moving too quick across the branches, the day was gloomy with dark clouds making the lights very low. Also, it may be that our cats were out there enjoying there time on the trees, that the birds chose not to become their meal :-|

Later at the gate of our house, I saw the Bulbul, perhaps the same one which I had shot earlier in my post Spiked Hair Cut. It has a nest in the veranda of one of the nearby houses. Even this bird seemed to be in a hurry and I could capture a slightly blurred photograph. Sharing the same here with you :-) They say, it does take a lot of patience, a good camera and a great telephoto lens to capture the birds beautifully!!

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