Photograph for the Day

Brooklyn Pier and Bridge

My first attempt at night-time photography in NY.

- Ashwath

Photograph for the Day

Bali

The beautiful Wonderland beach in Bali.

- Ashwath

Photograph for the Day

Brooklyn Bridge

The beautiful Brooklyn Bridge and amazing weather in NY permitted me to shoot this photo.

- Ashwath

Photograph for the Day

Fat Bob.

I met Bob in the park today. I must say he is quite the poser.

- Ashwath

Photograph for the Day

Buckminsterfullerene

The buckyball in Madison Square Garden. 

- Ashwath

Photograph for the Day

Fall Colors

The beautiful shades of fall seen in Cornell. This college town offers some spectacular views and is absolutely  beautiful around the year.

- Ashwath

Photograph for the Day

Dusk

The sky is a beautiful canvas.

- Ashwath

Photograph for the Day

Berlin & Sachsenhausen

A mother holds on to her dead son.

The cruelty in the beauty. A place so picturesque used for a job so grotesque.

Words of a survivor.

- Ashwath

Photograph for the Day

The Emirates Palace.

There is something magical about Abu Dhabi. Perhaps I am biased because I spent my childhood growing up in this beautiful city. The Palace is the perfect tribute to this jewel city.

The two photos have the same base but have been processed differently. One gives a more realistic feel while the other is more magical or so I feel. May be it's my bias.

The Emirates Palace.

- Ashwath 

Photograph for the Day

The beautiful purple orchid flower.

As seen in the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

- Ashwath

Photograph for the Day

The Holocaust Memorial in Berlin.

This image should serve to remind us all the importance of peace and humanity.

- Ashwath

Photograph for the Day

Pura Ulun Danu Bratan, or Pura Bratan, is a major Shivaite and water temple on Bali, Indonesia — the other major water temple being Pura Ulun Danu Batur.

- Ashwath 

Photograph for the Day

A view through the Trees.

A beautiful view through the trees in Central Park.

- Ashwath

Photograph for the Day

The Upper West Side

A superb view of the UWS from Central Park. The photo attempts to capture an old and rustic feel associated with the buildings in that area. The twin towers stand out and seem to enhance the visual appeal of the surroundings.

- Ashwath 

Photograph for the Day

McGraw Tower - Cornell

The 53 m tower is Cornell's most prominent landmark. This picture attempts to capture the beauty of Autumn.

- Ashwath

Sumatera, Indonesia

Sumatra (Indonesian: Sumatera) is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. 

Sumatra forms an elongated landmass spanned diagonal northwest — southeast axis. The Indian Ocean borders the west, northwest and southwest sides of Sumatra with the island chain of Simeulue, Nias and Mentawai bordering along the southwestern coast. On the northeast side the narrow Strait of Malacca separates the island from Malay Peninsula, an extension of Eurasian continent. On the southeast the narrow Sunda Strait separates Sumatra from Java. The northern tip of Sumatra borders the Andaman islands, while on the lower eastern side are the islands of Bangka and Belitung, Karimata Strait and the Java Sea. The Bukit Barisan mountains, which contain several active volcanoes, forms the backbone of the island, while the northeast sides are outlying lowlands with swamps, mangrove and complex river systems. The equator crosses the island at its center on West Sumatra and Riau provinces. The climate of the island is tropical, hot and humid with lush tropical rain forest originally dominating the landscape.

Sumatra was known in ancient times by the Sanskrit names of Swarnadwīpa ("Island of Gold") and Swarnabhūmi ("Land of Gold"), because of the gold deposits of the island's highland. The first word mentioning the name of Sumatra was the name of Srivijayan Haji (king) Sumatrabhumi ("King of the land of Sumatra"), who sent an envoy to China in 1017. 

Lake Toba is a lake and supervolcano. The lake is 100 kilometres long and 30 kilometres wide, and 505 metres at its deepest point. It is located in the middle of the northern part of Sumatra. It is the largest lake in Indonesia and the largest volcanic lake in the world. Lake Toba is the site of a supervolcanic eruption that occurred an estimated 69,000 to 77,000 years ago, a massive, climate-changing event. It is the largest known explosive eruption anywhere on Earth in the last 25 million years.

Samosir Island, is a large volcanic island in Lake Toba, located in the north of the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. At 630 km², Samosir is the largest island within an island, and the fifth largest lake island in the world

Another island in Lake Toba as seen from Samosir Island.

Extremely dense clouds over the island. 

 Rice cultivation on the island.

 The ferry ride from Parapat to Samosir Island.

Mount Sibayak is a small stratovolcano overlooking the town of Berastagi in northern Sumatra, Indonesia.

Text References:

www.wikipedia.org

- Ashwath

Experiment 1

A collection of random photographs clicked by me.

The innocence in the eyes of a child.

The silver lining.

A plea for mercy.

This is not an original. The original photo is kept in the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City.

The Glass Towers.

The sexy red Lamborghini Gallardo.












- Ashwath

The Temples of Ayuthayya

Ayuthayya (pronounced as Ayudhya) was a Siamese kingdom that existed from 1350 to 1767. Phra Nakhon Si Ayuthayya or Ayuthayya city is the capital of the Ayuthayya province. It derives its name from Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Ram. It is recognized internationally as an UNESCO world heritage site. It is located 75kms to the north of Bangkok and takes an hour by road to reach.

The sleeping Buddha at Wat Lokayasutharam. Wat is derived from the Pali word vatthu-arama and it refers to a monastery temple in Cambodia, Thailand and Laos.

Wat Yai Chai Mongkhol is a large well-preserved temple complex. The many statues of Buddha in a state of meditation is seen in this image.

This image was also shot Wat Yai Chai Mongkhol. The large structure in the backdrop is a remnant of a Chedi or Stupa. The temples of Ayuthayya were nearly destroyed by the Burmese invasion in 1767.

The extensive ruins of Wat Mahathat or The Temple of the Great Relic. Much of the site dates from the 14th century.

A Chedi at Wat Sri Sanphet. Wat Sri Sanphet is the largest temple in Ayuthayya and used to house a 16m tall Buddha covered in 340 kilos of Gold.

A statue of Buddha in Wat Mahathat.

A restored Chedi at Wat Thammikarat.


















- Ashwath

The Deserts of Arabia

This post is the second in a series of posts about the Gelf ( read United Arab Emirates). The next few photos were shot on the way to and at Al Khateem, about 54 Kms to the east of Abu Dhabi. The desert landscape is an absolute delight to look at and photograph.

The orange sun, the purple flecked sky and the white sand, a fantastic sight.

Stare into the sun for a few seconds, it begins to provide color for the rest of the image.

The distinctive halo around the sun and the rugged/sand covered terrain lend this place a Martian look/feel.

When I first saw the previous and the current image, the first thought that crossed my mind, ellipse and parabola. The sun unarguably is the most dominant feature of the desert landscape, burning it, day after day.

As the sun kept inching closer to the horizon, it's halo went on to become hyperbolic, then a straight line and finally a point before ceasing to exist.

This extremely photogenic camel gives me a big smile and then decides to reward me by trying to lick my camera lens.

The Arabian Night.

















- Ashwath

Jest Goa

This beautiful beach town never ceases to amaze me. The images in this post were shot at Palolem Beach, South Goa.

This was the immediate view from our shack at Palolem. The blues, yellows and greens pretty much dominated our trip to this rustic beach.










Our accommodation was essentially a thatched bamboo hut. Very inexpensive and very comfortable. Blended in effortlessly with the surroundings.
















A panoramic view of the beach.












Lone hill in the sea.


















Straight out of heaven, maybe?


















Same heaven, different perspective and color palette.


















An orange at the horizon.












So many layers of color. It was quite an exemplary sight, the sunset sky.












-Ashwath