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© Santosh Subramanian

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Jack-O-Lantern



The Jack-O-Lantern that I carved for Amiya this Halloween. We lit a candle inside the pumpkin, closed the room with the lights off - result was this scary figure!!!
Taken using my Nikon D50
Aperture: f/4.2
Shutter: 1 sec
Focal Length: 120 mm

Monday, November 3, 2008

Solitude!



The High Point Statepark is one of the State Parks bordering the three states of New Jersey, New York & Pennsylvania. We had been there last weekend with some family friends & was pleasantly surprised to have a very pleasant weather and less crowd. This place is well known for its fall colors and on top of the peak, there was a light snow cover.
This lonely bench & the tree next to it caught my attention and it looked as if the bench very much liked the solitude surrounding the place... ;)
Taken using a Quantaray telephoto lens mounted on a Nikon D50 body.
Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter: 1/500 of a sec
Focal length : 120mm

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

More colors!



Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter: 1/50 sec
Focal length: 300 mm
Taken using a Quantaray telephoto lens mounted on a Nikon D50 body
Taken on 11th October 2008, morning 8AM

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Swimming away!



Photo taken during the last summer, from a park near East Meadow (Long Island), NY. While the weather changes through Fall to Winter, we could see a lot of geese migrating from the colder regions to the warmer regions down south and vice versa through Spring to Summer...

Taken using my Nikon D50 on 24 June 07
Exposure: Manual
Shutter:1/160 of a sec
Aperture: f/7.1

Saturday, September 20, 2008

The green patch - പച്ചത്തുരുത്ത്



Photo taken at the Delaware river in Poconos Mountain at Pennysylvania. A small rapids before a waterfalls had this natural green patch bulit over time & the sunlight was decorating it with a spot light.
Exposure: 1/3 of a second
Aperture: f/25
Exposure: Manual
Taken using my Nikon D50 with a Nikkor 18-55 AF lens

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

The Metal Pipe


Taken at the Frelinghuesen Arboretum, Morristown on 31st August 2008 using my Nikon D50 & a Quantaray Telephoto lens mounted on a tripod.
Exposure: Manual
Aperture: f/7.1
Shutter: 1/60 th of a second

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Lake Hopatcong


Lake Hopatcong is the largest freshwater body in the state of New Jersey, USA, approximately 4 square miles (10 km²) in area. The lake is located in the mountains of northern New Jersey, north of Netcong and along the border between Sussex and Morris counties.
We made an unplanned trip to this place today (24 Aug 08) and was wondering how we missed this place which is just 22 miles from our place for a whole 1 year! And as I mentioned, there was a lot of activities & since we were not prepared, we just fooled around for some time & returned.
It was a bright sunny day & I got this good shot of the white clouds on a bright sunny day with the backdrop of the lake.
Exposure: 1/320 sec
Aperture: F/9
No Flash
Information Credits: Wikipedia

Sunday, August 17, 2008

The Bushkill falls


Tucked away 60 miles from Morristown NJ (where we currently stay) in the Delaware watergap is the Bushkill falls. A privately owned land with a sequence of waterfalls and trekking trails, it is a perfect chill out place for half a day. Though we had visited this place earlier last year, our friends Jeffrey & Nisha came over the last weekend from South Jersey to visit this place & we joined them. This time, I made sure that I had time to click away some photos.
This is the photo of the main falls taken from the wooden walk way across the falls. Shot using my Nikon D50 on a cloudy afternoon using the wooden rails as a stand (I did not carry the tripod fearing to carry it all along - if we decide to trek)
Aperture: f/22
Shutter: 1.6 sec
No Flash

Sunday, August 10, 2008

The Bridge


A drive through the old cities of Pennsylvania - and you will amazed by the remniscants of the age old technology & architecture. The First Continental Congress drew up and signed the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia (The capital city of Pennsylvania), but when that city was captured by the British, the Continental Congress escaped westward, meeting at the Lancaster courthouse and then to York. There they drew up the Articles of Confederation that formed 13 independent colonies into a new nation. Later, the Constitution was written, and Philadelphia was once again chosen to be cradle to the newly found American Nation.

This photo was taken during one of those drives through Pennsylvania near the Poconos Mountains in the Delaware Water Gap. Cropped & touched up using Adobe Photoshop to remove the noise in the surroundings.

Aperture: f/7.1
Shutter: 1/200 sec
On a cloudy morning without flash

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Light up the sky!


It had been some time now since I took out & dusted my camera and clicked a few pictures. This one is an old one from my collection that I clicked at the Madison fair in October 2007.
Sometimes I get into a lazy bubble where I dont feel interested in anything - mostly caused by heavy work load at office or some thing like that. It would be really difficult for me to break that shell and get active again... many a time, even after the work load goes down, I continue to be in the lazy mood...
This one was clicked using my Nikon D50, exposure 1/30th of a sec, Aperture f/4.5
I liked the pitch black background with the fireworks fore ground lighting up the sky!

Monday, July 28, 2008

Chinese Fishing Net (ചീനവല)


The only place where the Chinese fishing nets are used outside china might be in the coastal state of Kerala in India. They make a good subject for evening photography due to the backwaters where they are normally installed & the interesting structure.

Some additional details from Wiki on Chinese Fishing Nets:-
The Chinese fishing nets (Cheena vala) of Fort Kochi (Fort Cochin) in the City of Kochi (Cochin), in the Indian State of Kerala, are fixed land installations for an unusual form of fishing — shore operated lift nets. Huge mechanical contrivances hold out horizontal nets of 20 m or more across. Each structure is at least 10 m high and comprises a cantilever with an outstretched net suspended over the sea and large stones suspended from ropes as counterweights at the other end. Each installation is operated by a team of up to six fishermen.

The system of counterweights is the most ingenious. Rocks, each 30 cm or so in diameter are suspended from ropes of different lengths. As the net is raised, some of the rocks one-by-one come to rest on a platform thereby keeping everything in balance.

This photo was taken using a Nikon Coolpix point and shoot camera during our vacation to Kerala (which happens to be my home land)

Friday, July 18, 2008

Gen. Pulaski Skyway



The General Pulaski Skyway is a series of cantilever truss bridges in the northeast part of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is known as a "skyway" because it travels high above the meadows to avoid drawbridges across the Passaic and Hackensack Rivers, bridging each at a height of 135 feet (41.1 m). It also crosses over the New Jersey Turnpike, many local roads, and several rail lines. The skyway is named for General Kazimierz Pułaski, the Polish military leader who assisted in training and commanding Continental Army troops in the American Revolutionary War.

Interestingly, The speed limit on the skyway is 45 miles per hour (72 km/h),but is not generally followed because there is nowhere for police to pull over speeders.

This photo was taken by Leena using my Nikon D50 while we were returning back to Morristown from Long Island, NY after visiting Jobin's & the Jones Beach during the last weekend. I especially liked the symmetry of the iron truss where the cantilevers meet - in this photo.

Camera Mode: Auto

Data Source: Wikipedia

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Chill-out Zone!

This photo was taken in June 2008 at the Kumbalangi Model Village in Kochi, Kerala, India. We were on a 2 week long vacation in Kerala meeting our family & did not forget to spend some time for ourselves. Kumbalangi is one of the Islands that make the Corporation of Kochi & the status of 'Model Village' has been conferred upon this village for its efforts & focus on tourism in the way of Home Stay suites. The houses there double up to welcome tourists to stay with them in extensions of their own house - homely food, good environment & the chill-out - all in one package.

This photo is the relaxation area that the Home Stay where we visited had built - And that extends into the back waters... A place to chill out with a drink & snacks, make your own catch for the dinner in terms of fish or even crabs... Overall, a wonderful experience.

Taken using a Nikon Coolpix S51 digital camera using the manual mode.
Aperture: f/6.6
Shutter: 1/400 th of a second
No flash

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Spin Wheel - A Nostalgia!


I made this traditional spin wheel which turns with a ticking sound using a machchinga (A coconut that is not mature) & sticks taken out of the coconut-palm leaves. These used to be the typical toys that we had, as children, during my childhood days.

And it was my turn to make one for my kiddo when we went home for a vacation during June 2008. She was amazed by the spin wheel & played with it until it gave away by itself. Photo taken on 15th June 8PM, using Sandeep's Nikon D40x, a whopping 30 sec exposure and an f-stop of f/5.3

* - Text in italics is malayalam

Friday, June 6, 2008

Sharks!

This photo was taken in the Baltimore Aquarium. There were a lot of mid-sized sharks in the Shark tank and they kept on moving. I was trying to get a hold of a good shot of one of them with the contraint of low (read as no) light & the constantly moving sharks. I was patient enough to wait for almost 15-20 mins with my camera focussed on this area where the lighting was appropriate while this one came right under the light, stood still for a couple of seconds staring at me & then moved on!

I did not think twice of the opportunity, clicked a couple of snaps & this is the best among them.
Clicked on 24th May 2008 using my Nikon D50
Aperture: f/5.3
Shutter: 1/13 sec

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Luray Caverns

Luray Caverns, originally called Luray Cave, is a large, celebrated commercial cave discovered in 1878. The underground cavern system is generously adorned with speleothems (columns, mud flows, stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone, mirrored pools, etc). The caverns are noted for the Great Stalacpipe Organ, a lithophone made from solenoid fired strikers that tap stalactites of various sizes to produce tones similar to those of xylophones, tuning forks, or bells.

The Caverns are situated in the Shenandoah Valley just to the east of the Allegheny Range of the Appalachian Mountains in Luray, Virginia. The temperature inside the caverns is uniformly 54 °F (12 °C) through out the year!

We along with Jeffrey's family drove down to Virginia during the last long weekend on account of the Veterans Day. I was all geared up with my tripod because I knew that I would be clicking away inside the cave & really hated to click such beauties with flash. Apart from the natural beauty, they had been well mantained & strategically lighted to enhance the viewers experience & to make the trip a memorable one.

Taken using a Nikon D50 mounted on a tripod
Aperture: f/4.2
Shutter: 1/8th of a sec

Information Source: Wikipedia

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Bright & Colorful Outlook

This scene was so beautiful & I am in loss of words to describe this photo - Does it resemble anybody's beautiful, colorful & bright outlook towards life?

Taken on 4th of May 2008 at the Longwood gardens in Pennysylvania.
Aperture: f/6.3
Shutter: 1/160th of a Sec
Focus: Manual, no flash, 55mm

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Tulips

Tulipa commonly called Tulip is a genus of about 100 species of bulbous flowering plants. The native range of the species includes southern Europe, north Africa, and Asia from Anatolia and Iran in the east to northeast of China. A number of species and many hybrid cultivars are grown in gardens, used as pot plants or as fresh cut flowers.

Tulip Festivals are held in the Netherlands, Spalding (England) and in North America every May. Tulips are now also popular in Australia, and several festivals are held during September and October in the Southern hemisphere's spring. The world's largest permanent display of tulips, although open to the public only seasonally, is in Keukenhof, in the Netherlands.

The welcome of the Spring after the harsh winter weather in the United States are welcomes by the Tulip festivals & the Cherry Blossoms. They add a lot of color to the environment and that is a real welcome after the dull grey & white of the winter. These photos were taken from the Longwood gardens (arboretum) in Pennysylvania on 4th May 2008. It was a nice day out with sunshine & cool breeze.



Clicked using my Nikon D50 in the bright sunlight & image balancing done using MS Picture Manager
Content courtesy: Wikipedia

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Spring Colors!


Aperture: f/7.1
Shutter: 1/200th of a sec
Manual exposure, mounted on tripod, no flash

Spring is one of those wonderful seasons with colorful flowers all around the place. It is more welcome because it comes after a long 3-5 months of hard winter days. The seasons are also very distinct at this part of the world - as we move up in the northern hemisphere.

Some of the wonderful spring colors captured on an early morning after a bout of rain; shot using my Nikon D50 mounted on a tripod.





Aperture:f/5.6
Shutter: 1/125th of a sec
Manual exposure, mounted on tripod, no flash

An early Spring evening



This is the photo of an evening during early spring in New Jersey. Early mornings & late evenings are the best time to take good photographs. The lighting can do wonders at this time.

This photo was taken during one of those evenings.
Aperture: f/22
Shutter: 1/125th of a sec
Manual exposure, no flash.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Anticipation

I recently subscribed to the Digital Photography school blog & was fascinated by the different techniques that they have shared there. They have this assignments for the week where they expose us to the different settings & methods to create wonders using your camera.

This one was taken as a black & white with an ISO setting of 1600 in the twilight to introduce a certain level of grain in the photo.

Anticipation - For a better tomorrow!

Shutter Speed: 1/10 Sec
Aperture: f/22

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Artwork - Painting or Photography

I was talking to a friend of mine whom I reconnected after a very long time (thanks to Orkut & Linked In), who himself is an artist & he was commenting about my photos in this blog. While I got more than a couple of constructive feedback on how can I improvise the composition and the lighting, he asked me this question out of nowhere...

Have somebody told you that a beautiful piece of work in photography has to be on precision focus on a certain object? Why not try to explore the canvas like a painter? Why not make use of the longer exposure and lightng to your advantage to make a beautiful piece of work?

I tried this on a rainy February evening, in the twilght, with a longer exposure & a smaller F-stop, & purposely made a brush motion during the exposure. I think it came out beautiful, though it does not fit into the 4 walls of photography rules...

Exposure: 1/2 Sec
Aperture: f/25


Saturday, February 16, 2008

Evening with Snow & Sleet


A lazy evening with a lot of snow turning to sleet. Taken at 8 PM on 12 Feb 2008 in Morristown using a Nkon D50 mounted on a tripod.
Exposure : 1.6 Sec
Aperture: f/5

Sunday, February 10, 2008

A snow storm on its way

This photo was taken on the 10th of Feb 2008, Sunday using my Nikon D50 at 5:30 PM. A snow storm was predicted and the skies started darkening out - And I did not miss the opportunity to click a few and this came out as a good shot.

Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter speed: 1/5 of a sec

Thursday, January 31, 2008

Knowledge, Love & the Eternal Bonding


This is not my original idea of a still life; but a very powerful representation of the fraternity of knowledge, love and eternal bonding. I happened to see a very similar photo somewhere else, and more than the perfection of the photograph, what caught my attention was the powerful message that this depiction sends out.

I recreated the still-life at home on the thurday evening (31st January 2008), shot it with my Nikon D50; The tablelamp provided the lighting.
Exposure: 1/100th of a second
Aperture: f/5.6

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Down behind the trees...

A wonderful sunset captured from my balcony during a clear day of the winter of 2007. Taken at 4:45 PM on 12th January 2008 using my Nikon D50 mounted on my new tripod!!

Exposure: 1/800 sec
Aperture : f/25

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