Colours of Spring...

In New Zealand, traditionally Spring sets in on 1st September 2016. The trees, however, start bearing flowers a week before that.

I was having this relentless urge to take the following photograph since last few days. This street is just next to where I live.

Round the corner

The Sunburnt

The Lillies

Mesmerised...

The Couple

The Butterfly

Kissed by Rays

Rebellions...

The Caterpiller...

Beloved

The Sanct ones..

And Finally, surviving against all odds.. 

The Winner

Inside Out

This weekend I tried my hand at creating some effects using Adobe Photoshop. The first in the series of blog post is about creating an impact by going Black & White.

 The first one is that of a flower in the middle of a lake. Beauty is absolute, serene and delightful.

The second is that of a path that takes us places... As they say, journey is more important than the destination. 

Last but not the least, it is the pic of my daughter. The smile says it all.

Let me know what do you think about these pictures.

Kaho na Pyar hai...

This weekend we went to Cathedral Cove... Yes, the same beach where Kaho na Pyar Hai... was shot.


It is a two hour journey in a car from Auckland city. We left around 7 AM in the morning to avoid rush due to long weekend. The weather was quite good though there was some fog as we left the city. As the drive went, the fog slowly cleared and it was sunny. By the time we reached Cathedral Cove, it was bright and sunny.
 A majestic view of the distant small islands from the top of Cathedral Cove point. 

The place is such that, you have to get down at a high point and there is a 35 min walking trail  (at least 45 min if you are with kids or elderly) to reach the beach. We did face some issues on the way due to overnight rain and there was a patch in the walk where we had to take our shoes off and walk through ankle-deep mud. It was tiring yet fun. I admit I did get grumpy on the way but that all vanished once we saw the beach.

The first thing that struck me about it was the magnanimity of the rocks and the ability to withstand continuous on-slaught of pacific waves. It was one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen.  

 Tried capturing riding waves hitting those massive rocks. Some of them came really good, some didn't.

We did take a dip into roaring sea and enjoyed it for around 2 hours. It was burning by the time we got out. But people were still coming in.

Then tried focus photography around the beach. I loved this particular one because of the small piles people formed.

For the following  pic, I used the Art Bold effect, one of the creative filters in EOS 100d. Really loved the effect.

 This is another creative filter, Grainy B/W

It is definitely a worthy trip. At the end of the day, we were really tired, but enjoyed the experience.

First Moments of 2016 in the World!

New Zealand is considered to be one of the first countries in the world to see the beginning of the new year. There are other islands in the Oceania which celebrate the new year earlier to New Zealand but nothing matches the celebration that happens in Auckland.

In Auckland, the top of Sky Tower, a monument that symbolizes the city and easily the tallest structure in the entire southern hemisphere, marks the beginning of new year with some wonderful fireworks. The beauty of the this spectacle is that the fireworks are propelled from the top of the Sky tower.

There are people who position themselves appropriately so that they can witness this event from the best possible seat in the box. Some people prefer a view from beneath the tower giving them a 360 degree view and some opt for a high altitude venue from where the phenomena can be captured.

I was also keen on shooting the fireworks in the best possible manner. However, a small daughter and pinch of laziness didn't allow me to opt for a preferred venue.

Hence, I innovated... I went to the roof of my 3 floored apartment and set up my apparatus there. It was a great learning experience for me.

Though the photographs (part of this post) did not turn out as well as I expected, I can safely say that beginning of 2016 will remain in my memories for a long time to come.

Wishing everyone a Happy 2016!

Visit to a Strawberry farm

Today we visited a strawberry farm near Auckland. It was a fascinating experience especially for my 3 year old daughter who practically thrives on fruits, especially Strawberries.

We had heard that people who work in strawberry farms and make a living out of it are paid around 50 NZD per hour. It seemed to me that it was a very high paid job compared to other professions. However, after almost half an hour inside the farm picking strawberries, I could really appreciate the payment people received for this job. As opposed to a sedentary job at an IT office where the only physical activity I do is play Table Tennis, this was tiresome activity and takes a toll especially on your waist.

Overall, it was a great experience for us as we had never experienced it before.

Some Trivia:

• Get a bucket to fill while picking
• Pay $9 for 1kg 
• Eat as many strawberries as you want for free when inside the farm
• 25 minutes drive (almost same kms) from Auckland city
• The time to visit is between December to February

For those who are interested, this is the link to the place: http://www.sweetred.co.nz/.