Village Home

As civilization progressed our lives and surroundings have changed a lot.  We have moved away from nature and living lives in a mechanical way.  To get out of this mechanical life we often plan weekends out off the city in nearby villages or woods.  

Some cities have come up with constructions that resemble old caves or village environment where people can have luxurious life style feeling artificially being in natural environment.  Anything man made can be near to nature but cannot be natural.

I am fond of taking a photo of village street appearance.  Once I had this opportunity.  I could also take a picture where a village setting is made up in hotel.  The difference is obvious.  You can make out which is natural and which is artificially made.  So I did not label the pics.

Beautiful Hands

This picture is taken at Medaram of Warangal district in Telangana, India.  Though the tribal fair Sammakka jatara was to be held in February, people had started visiting the place since early January itself.  I visited it in the last week of January.
At this jatara the deity Sammakka is offered gold (jaggery), vermilion, rice colored with turmeric (odi biyyam).  The offerings are left at the pedestal with the staff.  Then people request and take jaggery offered by others.  Eating this is said to bring good luck and fulfillment of wishes.

The picture was also taken in the last week of January after the Jatara I visited Medaram.  This was at a gala dinnerin Hyderabad.  It was in the open place with great arrangements.  Here a stage was set where a lovely young lady dressed in gorgeous clothes and jewellery was sitting to offer paan to the guests after dinner.  As the young lady and the setting was fabulous, men and some women even before having dinner had taken paan from her hand.

Medaram - 2016

Palm Tree in the Banyan

There are plants that are parasitic, some are total - entirely dependent on the host plants, while some are partial, synthesising chlorophyll but dependent on host for water and other nutrients.  Palm trees are not parasitic.  They are seen widely in India and some Asian countries.  In Telangana we see these plants very commonly.
Here is the palm tree which is seen grown within the banyan tree.  This type of palm tree in the banyan tree are seen occasionally in the forest areas.  I saw a few along the dry lands seen between Warangal and Hyderabad.  This picture is taken at Kotagullu, Warangal.  The tree has its roots in the banyan tree.  as it has leaves it can synthesise chlorophyll but dependent on the host tree for water and other nutrients.  There are few more trees seen behind this, probably they too are partially parasitic.  This is imposed parasitism.
It is surprising how the seed falls into the host tree and germinates.  The banyan tree looks magnanimous with tuft of palm shoots as its corona.

Flight

In this year 2016

Let your dreams take a flight high

Actions on the ground 

Realise gains of Wealth and Wisdom

My First Photo Walk

 Since I was bitten by shutter bug it has become my favourite pass time to log on to sites that share photos.  I follow dPS regularly.   On one of the photo sharing sites I read about photo walk.  It was a new word for me, but it appeared self explanatory.  Photographers will take their camera and walk along taking pictures.  If this is done in groups, I thought it will be more interesting and learning experience. 

Photography had developed tremendously impacting everyday life from the principle of camera obscure to digital and drone cameras,  from dark to light rooms, black and white to instant colorful prints and instant sharing worldwide on social media.   Cell phone cameras have made every person a photographer, but the art and technique of photography is ever developing subject.  Like science and art it is ever evolving.

This is one spot on the street where our mentor asked us to take photos.  All of  us gathered here and take pictures in different angles.  People around started staring at us.  Somebody asked what will do taking the picture?  The leaking pipe is making the area dirty and muddy.  They wanted to know if we will inform the municipality about it and get it corrected.  

August 19 is chosen as world photography day as on that day in 1939 Daguerreotype of photographic process was announced   to the public by the French Government.  Actually this process was developed by Joseph Nicephore Niepce and Louis Daguerre in 1937.  In 2009, Korske Ara, Australian photographer launched the World Photo Day Project with dream to unite local and global communities in a worldwide celebration of photograph.  The firs world Photo Day on 19/8/2010 hosted first global online gallery with 270 photographs from more than 100 countries.  World Photography organisation  incorporated as World Photograhy Awards Limited  hosts Sony World Photography Awards and World Photography festival.  Awards are presented to amateurs and professionals in different categories.

Our mentor showed this fish sculpture and compose a good photograph

 I read about the photo walks and wanted to participate in one. I thought that this will help me to get over my inhibitions in taking street photos.   I asked a photographer in our place about photo walk he appeared quite unaware of any such thing.  I know that it is not possible for a photo walk in our place as it is not a metro.  The nearest place I can expect a photo walk is at Hyderabad.   Hyderabad had its first certified photo walk on August 16 and 17 in 2015 the theme being ‘Virasat’ (heritage) capturing architectural and cultural design and beauty of the city. 

Lotus pond was also another point of interest in Zoo

“Photo Walk is defined as the act of walking with a camera for the main purpose of taking pictures of things that photographer may find interesting.”   But if a theme is given based on the theme interesting pictures can be captured by the photographers.  When there are group of people same object of interest can be captured with different perspective by different photographers.

I am fortunate to participate in a photo walk recently.  The Nikon School has held a basic workshop followed by photo walk for the benefit of its customers, and also others  who bought D-SLR, to know their gear and practice photography.  It was an interesting group activity of more than twenty amateur photography enthusiasts of different ages and all walks of life with Nikon Mentor and technical team.  The collecting point for photo walk was at Zoo in Hyderabad.  It was Sunday.  Early hours (7 AM) of winter morning.  We all walked for about a kilometer along with mentor who guided us in composition and candid photos.  In the Zoo we had wild life photography.

In fact, after I came home when I checked the pictures taken I thought I had different category of photos.   Here are some of my pictures taken on photo walk.

Portrait (my niece)

Can I call this a candid photo?  There were many teams playing cricket here.  This boy is too young to play cricker.  He engaged himself in drawing something on the ground.  Another boy told him that he is being photographed.  So he turned to look at me.

Will this be candid or street photo? Here is the old man preparing breakfast for his customers

This is street photograph.  To see such hoardings is very common every where in India.  Once a hoarding is put it should have wear and tear or another new occasion to put a new hoarding should come.  The hoarding was in front of hotel and two workers on the lorry made it interesting for me.

Wild life

Landscape/ Wild life

Nature

Flowers/Nature

Architecture

Indian Green Vine Snake

The snake is so well camouflaged it will be difficult to identify it at first look.
Its body can be seen extending on to gauva tree, its underbelly lighter in shade looks like veins of the leaves

If we observe closely everything in nature appears beautiful.  Even snakes though venomous are beautiful creatures.  There may be hundreds of species of snakes.  Some are highly venomous some are non-poisonous; the poison of some may cause problems which may resolve in short period.  But whenever a snake is seen there will be fear in mind with the thought of its poison.  I believe any creature will attack only when its life is threatened. 

As usual I was looking keenly at the plants beside our compound wall to find anything interesting.  I spotted this green snake camouflaged amidst the plants and vines in the area.  I knew that it is called ‘pasirika’ in Telugu and is non-poisonous.  I brought my hand camera and clicked few pics.  It noticed me and looked at me constantly for some time and then made a slow move into the shrubs around.  I think it will have ample food as I have seen lizards in there.  There are also frogs that are often seen in our premises and I was bit worried that it may enter our premises to feed on the frogs and lizards that are seen around.  But except on that day I never saw it again.

When disturbed it expands its body exibiting a black and white scale markings.
I did not disturb it, just watched its activity

This snake (Ahaetulla nasuta) known as green vine snake is different from that seen in America.  Ahaetulla nasuta, the Indian green vine snake is also seen in Srilanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam.  As I thought it is not non-poisonous, but mildly poisonous, bite causing swelling which will subside in three days.  It turned its pouted head towards me as it perceived my activity a threat and on observing me for a while decided I am not a threat to it and moved away.  It is believed by some people that it uses its pouted head to blind its human victims.  This is supposed to be a myth.  Anyway I was fortunate that even after staring at me for more than five minutes it passed off coolly without attacking me.  

I waited looking at it to see if it opens its mouth and shows its tongue or fangs, which it does to display threat.
It never opened its mouth.