A Year Inflection

Its almost over. It started of full of hope. The New Year, my first real winter, with a crazy storm. Spring was spent in anticipation of summer. Summer brought memories of home - and felt really long. I moved to a new apartment, at a time when I felt the change was much needed. The second half of summer and fall was the best I have had in a long time. It still feels like fall with the temperatures as warm as ever for a December in NYC. It could just be my body's reaction to the cold is much better this time around but why take all the credit , a round of applause for mother nature.

I got to see my first college football game in a stadia. And what a game to catch !! The Nittany Lions playing at home in their last game of the season, in the same week the Jo Paterno controversy broke out.

It was a very lean year for Ultimate Frisbee for me. I played no tournaments, the only one I had intentions to sign up for got snowed out, but not after I had already blown it away in my head. Again I would stick with attributing credits to mother nature.

I am looking forward to be back to Kodai, in 2012 and play what has been rumored to be Bryan Plymale's last Fly Baba before he leaves India. Mr.Plymale is by far the chief indicator of all things good about the Indian Ultimate spirit and Kodai Fly baba would always be yardstick for any Indian ultimate tournament.

The intention , originally, of this post was to share some photographs I have take over this year. I will come down to that by the end of this post. But the mind meanders as I type and I like where it is taking me.

Work has been a source of constant challenge this year. More than I ever could have dreamt off, but taking it on has been a lot more easier. There is a resonant frequency that my team has swung into. The best I have had over the past four years. I sense belonging, an eagerness to challenge each other and willingness to shoulder responsibility.

Thanksgiving this year unlike last was planned in advance. A cottage in the woods up in Michigan with couple of High school buds over three days couldn't have asked for more. (well got more than I asked for. Ask me about how a wild hunt for a garbage can in the wee hours ended up in a mini road trip around Manistee. )

Winter Storm 2010 at Queens, New York - The day after Dec 27

The day after Christmas I was lucky to be back home, before the snow storm set in. What followed was 17 hours of continuous snowfall, that include lightening and thunder. This was the sixth largest snow storm in the city and the second largest since '96. The city saw over a foot and a half of snow. [18" - 20"]

Some of that 10 FPS speed came in handy for these two shots.

Queens with and without tilt shift Magic :

Peace,

Ajay

A NY Giant's Miniature world: Tilt shift effect

Adding blur to  the fore ground and background of a picture can cause the optical illusion of a miniature lego blocks city. The tilt shift lens in your SLR kit is an enabler to these effects.

A far cheaper option is the digital post processing of a regular image. Here is a free tool to add tilt shift to a photo taken on a regular zoom lens.

http://tiltshiftmaker.com/.

Here are two shots, the first one taken I had taken at Central Park. The second one really works for me its a shot I took today from my room. The view from top further enhances this optical illusion.

   

Peace

Ajay

Photography Challenge 2 - Leisure Priority Mode

Still at Central park, having been the high speed guy whole afternoon, and with an hour to go for sunset, I go into Leisure mode.

Set the camera on Aperture Priority. Switch lenses take a seat and relax.

Peace,

Ajay

 



Day 1: Photography Challenge - NYnja arts

Central Park ,NYC. Its 12 .30 PM, Dec 04 2010. 3 hours and 58 mins to sunset. Temperature 4 Celsius, factor in wind chill, feels lik -2 Celsius.

The theme capture active New Yorkers at the 10 fps offered by my sony alpha 55. Challenge accepted.

  



See more pictures on the alpha dog public web album on picasa. Find the Picasa widget on the right of this story to get there.

Peace,

Ajay