Balloon Burst

Balloon Burst

Subject : Balloon Burst

Story behind the shot:  I happened to see a few photographs of exploding water balloons. It was as if a moment rarely seen was captured perfectly. Wanting to try it out myself , I bought a few balloons, filled them with water and tied them on a rope . I fixed my camera on the tripod and made all the required settings in M mode [manual mode]. Using a timer set for 5 seconds, I pricked the balloon using a needle. Since I did not have any trigger , it was tough to sync the timings. After 7-8 tries I got this shot.

• f -stop : f/5

• Exposure time: 1/2000 sec

• ISO : 100

* Using a fast shutter speed ensures that the moment is captured before it goes by

* Using a Low ISO ensures that the photo is not noisy.

* Note: I have used flash in this shot to freeze motion which has caused a mild glare. These kind of photos come out better without flash. 

What made me capture the image: The fact that a balloon burst is an event that happens way too fast for the human eyes to register made it an interesting subject to photograph.

If you like this photo .. You might find this one interesting :)

Freeze the smoke!

Freeze the smoke !

Candle Smoke

Subject : Smoke 

Story behind the shot: My first attempt at capturing smoke in a photograph.

Power cut at 10.30 PM . Result : 3 - 4 Candles were lit in every room of my house

• f- stop : f/4

• Exposure time : 1/2000 sec 

• ISO - 100

Why did I use low ISO ? When there is only a little amount of light available the photo would turn out grainy and a higher ISO will only make it worse. Hence I used a low ISO for this shot.
What made me capture the image: I never knew that smoke could be photographed . The desire to try something new was the main reason for capturing this image. 

I was playing some kind of a " happy birthday to you " game with the kids in my house. As each candle was blown off I observed thick smoke from the wick rising above and mixing in the air. I felt an immense urge to make smoke as the subject of my photograph . I set my camera mode to TV [ shutter priority mode] and used my in built camera flash to freeze the smoke. 

Why did I use a fast shutter speed? Since smoke is constantly moving, a fast shutter speed is necessary to avoid any blur from being recorded. Any shutter speed from 1/200 sec and above will work well . Since it was my first try I used 1/2000 sec as my shutter speed. 

Smoke photographs when taken with creativity can be mystical and alluring. 

Rusted Iron Fence - Usual object Unusual shot

Rusted Iron Fence

Subject : Rusted Iron Fence

Story behind the shot: One fine evening ,  I was sitting in the terrace and observing how the sky was and how the birds flew here and there. As my eyes moved towards the terrace fencing I just wanted to grab a shot of it in some unusual angle. Switching on my camera , I moved closer to the fencing and clicked a snap

What made me capture the image: The main objective behind capturing this photo was a mere attempt in presenting an ordinary daily life object in an interesting manner. Peeled off paint and half rusted bars of the fencing is the nature of the subject and the shot was aimed to highlight that attribute of the fence.

Merry go round - At the beach

Merry Go Round

Subject : Merry Go Round In Motion

Story behind the shot: This photo was taken for a photo competition. Theme - "Slow shutter speed"

This picture was taken at the beach at 8.20 PM . I planned to visit my aunt's house (which is near the beach). My aunt and I were walking towards the seashore . We spotted a merry go round few metres away from where we were standing. Suddenly the idea of taking a photograph of the merry go round ( for the competition ) struck me . I waited till the evening light was gone and set up my tripod . Click! The picture was shot.

• f- stop : f/5.6 

• Exposure time: 6 sec

• ISO - 100

Why did I use a slow shutter speed? Using a slow shutter speed results in a photograph in which anything that moved in the scene is blurred in the photograph. Slow shutter speed was used to imply that the merry go round was in motion . Here the merry go round is blurred [ implying that it is in motion] whereas the stationary objects are in full focus. 

Why did I use low ISO ? This shot was taken in the night . So the amount of available light was very less . Using a low ISO will ensure that the photos are less noisy whereas a higher ISO will only make the photos more grainy. Hence I used a low ISO for this shot.

What made me capture the image: The Merry Go Round looked wonderful in the night lights. Moreover the way it moved round and round was graceful . The yellow colored lights against the black - brown background of the night looked ideal for a bright photograph.

Dying Matchstick

Matchstick

Subject : Dying Matchstick

Story behind the shot: This photo was taken for a photo competition. The theme was fire and objects related to fire .
I lit the room with 10 candles; placed a match stick on an agarbathi stand and kept three or four paper plates far behind it [ To give an interesting yet not a distracting background for the photo].I burnt a matchstick and placed it horizontally behind the first matchstick. I lit the first matchstick and took a shot right at the moment when the fire was about to go off.

What made me capture the image: I wanted to capture that moment between the burning and the death of the matchstick . I placed a burnt yet glowing matchstick behind the subject to give the effect of fire as it was the theme and I had to have the orange - yellow color of the fire in my photograph.

A bright yellow lizard sitting on a wooden pole

Lizard Sitting on a wooden pole

Subject : Lizard

Story behind the shot : I was on my regular evening walks . My evening walks are both for fitness as well as for admiring the beauty of nature .As I was walking past a house , I suddenly noticed this brightly colored lizard sitting on a wooden pole in the porch . It remained very still as if it was in a deep thought. The still posture of the lizard helped me to click a sharp snap. 

What made me capture the image : The lizard was calm and composed. The texture and color of the lizard contrasted with the plain background and the wood . 

Fluffy seeds ready for dispersal by wind

Seeds ready for dispersal

Subject : Flowers and plants - Fluffy seeds of a plant

Story behind the shot : I had to go to a nearby village in order to verify some statistical data . As I was walking through the streets , I saw this plant on a vast empty land that was filled with grass and plants similar to this one. This particular plant grabbed my attention and I wanted to take a photo of it . It was sharp noon and I knew I wouldn't be able to cross that place again that day. I didn't want to miss a good shot and regret later. So, in spite of harsh sunlight [ harsh sunlight desaturates and spoils the color of a photo ] I took a photo of this plant. This picture was taken at 12.14 PM .

What made me capture the image : The way the plant enclosed the seeds looked as if it formed a natural frame for the subject . The arrangement of the seeds and the fluffy white, tufted haired seeds on the top compelled me to capture this image. 

A beautiful butterfly on a roadside plant

Butterfly on a roadside fern

Subject : Butterfly

Story behind the shot : I got a chance to capture this lovely butterfly when I was walking back home from the grocery store. This little thing was hopping from one plant to another and I stopped walking to observe it. I switched on my camera and waited for the right moment to capture it . At one point of time [may be after 3-5 minutes] it stood still on this dry roadside plant and SNAP! I got the photo.

What made me capture the image : The colorful wings of the butterfly gracefully contrasted with the gray background . The way the plant had its edges curled looked pretty and the butterfly itself looked bright and happy.