cmouli

January 26, 2015

No - not at all... I like the symmetry. Also, the pebbles. It is really great.

January 26, 2015

Great shot... of a cool winter scene.

January 7, 2015

Table Rock is an iconic hill in the city of Boise, Idaho. This shot was taken few

days before full moon (super moon) this fall. As landscape photographers know

well, it is good to take moon shots few days before full moon if we want proper

exposure of the landscape. However, I wanted to have the appearance of a "full

moon" even though it was gibbous. I composed this shot in a location half way up

the hill before the moon rose high above. Taking the shot when the gibbous moon's

edge was just "touching" the top of the hill, allowed me to create an impression of a

full moon. It is all about perspective! It was also race against time since I had to

run up the hill with my heavy gear to catch up to the moon that was running much

faster than me! :-)

January 5, 2015

Close up shot of the Yellow-headed Blackbird in Camas Prairie, Idaho. Comments

welcome.

January 5, 2015

Fall colors in forest undergrowth often go unnoticed even if we hike deep in the woods. However, nature can at times reveal the hidden beauty.

I took this shot near Copper Mountain along the Ponderosa Scenic Route towards Stanley, Idaho. We had a wildfire that destroyed most of the pine trees in this area last summer. It was a good opportunity to bring out the colors in the undergrowth during fall and to reveal the hidden glory.

January 3, 2015

The hard work and dedication it takes to take gorgeous shots like this are best appreciated by people who have deep passion for photography - thanks for sharing. The very first time I saw a composition like this was years ago when I opened a book on landscape photography by our "guru", John Shaw. Beautiful shot!

January 3, 2015

Thanks, Lalit - for useful inputs. This was taken past sunset - but the light hitting the Soldier mountain peaks (great, you remember names of these wonderful places!) was still bright due to snow cover in the peaks. I have several more shots - before and after - the "peak" light show started! I will have to look at them again and will remember your inputs, when I do. This past year was one the best Camas show ever! Missed you.

January 2, 2015

American Black Vulture: Taking this shot required enormous patience. However, I have to say that the "vultures" patience helped me - as they waited using their keen eye sight and smell in search of any available carrion in the vicinity. As they moved around, I waited patiently with my camera focused in a composition that I wanted to get - with the boken of blue (water from the lake) in the background and green/yellow grass in the foreground. As they came to rest in the ground with legs hidden in the grass, it was time to press the shutter.

Vultures, as a birds of prey and scavenger, are commonly misunderstood as dirty since they practice urohidrosis to cool themselves (using their urine to cool their legs). However, they serve and important role in the ecosystem by clearing off carrion and preventing spread of disease due to decay of dead animals. This value was widely recognized in ancient civilizations and these birds were treated with the respect they deserve.

Comments welcome.

January 1, 2015

I saw this squirrel near our home, few days ago, playing in the fresh snow that had

fallen overnight. It was running around really fast – but when it approached me, he

hesitated at first and ran away. I stayed, still – for a long time!

It seemed like eternity - but he returned with a dry maple leaf and approached close

to me. Carefully placed it in the snow and started covering it. Chubby little guy got

used to me and was not afraid anymore of my presence! I took this shot when he

was admiring his work. I didn’t realize it then – but when I zoomed in, I noticed that

I had taken a self portrait – through reflection in his eyes! That’s the way I like a

“selfie”.

December 31, 2014

Michael, I am glad you realized that there was no cloning or post-processing here! I am always intrigued by bird behavior and it took me a several hours of patience to get this shot.

Snow geese in very large numbers arrive near my home town towards end of March. When they see a bird of prey in the skies above, they all rise up simultaneously and take to the skies to confuse the hawk or eagle above. When the predator leaves, they circle back and get to the marshland. Few geese take their time to walk patiently along the rim before jumping into the marsh. It is generally chaos - but when you see "order" like this, it is time to press the shutter! :-) Thanks for your comments.