Flirtatious Finlandia

I was first introduced to Finlandia around two years back, when a cousin who works as an Officer on a carrier ship returned from his voyage. Never in my life had i tasted such smooth vodka. For the first time, i did not feel the need to drink vodka with any accompaniment. For once, i drank vodka, the way it should be drunk – Neat. This was two years back.
Couple of months back, i purchased a Finlandia Lime Fusion vodka to re-acquaint myself and my cousins with its taste. It’s colourless and has absolutely no odour. As you take the first sip, the vodka will most likely bite you on the tongue and the roof of your mouth, but you will be surprised at how smoothly it will slide down your throat. It does not leave any wierd taste or burning sensation after being gulped down. You do get a mild aftertaste of lemon rind. You might get the impression, that it is too smooth to actually hit you. Well take a couple of pegs and let the magic start unfolding:)
Seen in the photograph above are two cousins who are out. I was knocked out as well, but shot some photographs before retiring to bed. Between the three of us we couldn’t finish the bottle as we had decided to, when we started some hours back:P
Which reminds me, there’s still some vodka left. Need to get back to it soon.
Take Care
Ciao
PS: The bottle is completely transparent. The yellow/orange colour is the ambient light.

A Mouthful of Sky

“Earth, Wind and Rain and Fire,

Wealth, Power, Blood…Desire,
One Goal to Live for, Before We Die,
One Taste of Glory…
One Mouthful of Sky….”
(India’s only English language soap that was aired on DD in ’95)

These were the only lyrics that floated through my mind when i saw this wonderful mood in the sky that day in February. Generally in Mumbai, clouds make an appearance only during the monsoons. At other times, one is left with a bland sky.

This also happens to be my maiden attempt at High Dynamic Range photography (HDR). More than an ‘Experiment with the Lens’, this is an ‘Experiment with Photoshop’:)) And with this project, i have overcome my dilemma of shooting extremes of exposures. Have to say, the process is quite addictive.
Take Care,
Ciao

Songspiration

This post has been on my mind since a long time, but i just never got to composing it – the lazy ass that i am. The seed of the idea was sown by this song, that i was and still am impressed by. The photographs you will see below were made at locations sprinkled across India. But via this song i somehow could put them all in one space, in context. This is my interpretation of the song. This post is completely inspired by a song, hence the post name. Plan to tackle this idea in future posts as well. And i know, this idea will either be completely liked, or completely disliked.
Either ways, do let me know:)
Now lets get to the post.

The grass was greener…

The Light was brighter

The taste was sweeter

The nights of wonder

With friends surrounded

The dawn mist glowing

The water flowing…


The endless river

Forever… and ever…..

High Hopes
Pink Floyd

Do check out the song by clicking on its name, particularly the instrumental section following the lines i have quoted above.

Take Care

Ciao


Walking Tall


Millions enter the city after departing from the long distance train at CST station. Many thousands of them are those who have come here to try their luck in this city of gold. This boy crossing the road, reminded me of another boy with whom i had interacted last year. This other boy had run away from his home (in interior Uttar Pradesh) with a one way ticket to Mumbai to fulfill his dream of getting on a talent show on TV!
This is one of those rare instances, when i have patiently waited for the right moment to compose a photograph. Tried juxtaposing the grandeur of the railway building with this humble young man crossing the road.
Take Care
Ciao

You are not alone…


Another one of those random photographs i made on the spur of the moment. Was sitting on a bike, tired after a mammoth photo session at the Dadar Flower market. Noticed the scene in front of my in the mirror of the bike, even though the reflective surface was facing me. Couldnt get the exact details in the other mirror, but got a chance to play around with the Depth of Field.

Take care

Ciao

PS: Finally changed the layout of the blog after procrastinating for toooo long:P

Introspection


Was hanging out around the Banganga premises in Girgaum area. Its a peaceful area, with the silence punctuated by the quack of the ducks and bells from the temples. The showstopper here is the network of stone steps which ultimately lead into the water body. The water body, according to Hindu Mythology came into existence after Lord Ram struck an arrow into the earth resulting in sprouting of water. The name Banganga separates into Ban = Arrow and Ganga – the name of India’s holiest river.

Here time seems to stop for reasons unknown. Surrounding the Banganga premise is a large number of temples dedicated to the numerous Hindu and Jain gods and godessess. A very religious feel this whole place has.

The guy in the photograph was the only human being i saw other than me in the entire complex. He was just walking from one end to the other, seemed to me that he was introspecting.

Take Care

Ciao

Muted Conversations!


Mumbai is blessed with these old world structures like the lamp post in the photograph above. Was walking along the Gateway of India, when i noticed two crows, perched onto the wires connected to the lamp post. They seemed to be lost in a kind of conversation that we humans generally have when we are facing each other after an argument, or a difference of opinions. The crow on the left seems to be making some point, which the crow on the right seems to agree with now, but did not agree upon initially. The clear sky provided a perfect backdrop for this photograph. Have tried to make use of a concept called negative space in the photograph.

Take Care

Ciao

Perspective

I was at Flury’s for a heavy breakfast. A thing that Flury’s, Kolkata is renowned for. Located in Park Street, Kolkata, with a very European feel, this is one cafe that just cannot be missed in the food capital of Kolkata.

Anyways, we were waiting for the order to arrive. I was searching for photo ops in that duration. After having clicked the interiors from my seat (they really dont like photography inside), i noticed the insignia of Flurys being reflected on the water surface. I drank a few sips and placed the glass on the Flurys paper base, so that the complete reflection could be noticeable. The result is as seen above.

Take Care

Ciao