Photo Drive to Tamhini Ghat in Monsoon 2016

This year (2016), during the monsoons I made a short half day drive to Tamhini Ghat. This was more of a photo drive than just winding up.

This was probably my fourth or fifth trip towards Tamhini but the place never ceases to amuse me with its breathtaking beauty. This year Tamhini received the most rainfall in Maharashtra (yes, surpassing even Mahabaleshwar), so the astounding greenery and the spectacular white streams were in abundance and perfectly complemented each other. 

We had to stop at several places and take photos to the heart's content.

Not a place to be missed during the monsoon, if you are in/around Pune.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED IN MONSOONS.

The photos are clicked without any ND or CPL filters. I used a simple gorillapod to place my 5DMK3 on top of it.

The first spot where we reached by 8 am in the morning was the gigantic waterfall just besides the Mulshi Lake.

There were some tiny waterfalls around it as well.

And I certainly did not let go of any opportunity to try various angles and focusing techniques.

All these sources of water combined into one and a gushing stream was output through the bushes.

Everywhere as far as one could see, it was green all around...covered with white sheets of cloud...

...and small streams gently flowing to its destiny...

..and some tiny beauties...

..and some marvels of nature....

..and some fauna too...

Practicing with high shutter speed....

Monsoon brings out the explorers in us....

Sometimes only sitting in the car also can bring your attention to beauties around you....

And some more greenery on our way back...

We had a stopover nearby Mulshi Dam, and the beauty simply was breathtaking with the farmlands posing with a genuine grin (read 'green') in contrast to the last year's seriously dry spell..

Finally, before our ways part until the next blog, no monsoon photoblog can be completed without such pictures as below:

Time to say good bye. 

Thank you very much for taking your time to go through the post. If you like it, please leave your encouragement as a form of a comment.

See you!!

Photo Walk at Pashan Lake by Pixavince

Date: 28-Aug-2016
Place: Pashan Lake
Organizer: Pixavince Photography Group

On a cloudy (and hence lazy) Sunday morning I managed to gather myself at Pashan Lake for a Macro Photography workshop arranged by Pixavince. And there were many other enthusiasts as well.

I did not carry any specific equipment for Macro and I still rue this fact. For an outdoor macro photography (and that too on a day with such clouds hovering around), you definitely need a few gears specific to Macro.

There are equipments like Macro lens, Extension Tubes, Reversal Ring, Diopters, Macro filters which would certain boost the magnification (read my post on Macro Photography). And one would also need a source of light such as inbuilt flash, external flash or some other lights (mobile flash etc).

The group at Pashan Lake. Photo courtesy: Pixavince.

Macro opportunities were abundant at the location but I was not able to create some good shots, because of the low light (and I was not carrying any flash) and the absence of macro specific equipment (I was just carrying the 24-105 mm kit lens). Hence the number of images is also limited to a very few.

All photos are in low resolution.

The Mushrooms:

The Gathering:

The Feast:

The Descendant of the DRAGON:

Nature's Symmetry:

The Climb:

Leaf Texture:

DCP Weekend Photowalk at Khadakwasla

Last Sunday (14th August 2016), there was an early morning photo walk arranged by the DCP Expeditions team at the Khadakwasla Lake.

The theme was Nature and Macro photography. A pretty serious group gathered at the 'Chowpatty' by the Khadakwasla Lake, braving the weather and the morning weekend nap. There were tips and tricks shared about how to click Macro photographs. Led by the skipper, Mr Arvind Patole, the group visited a couple of gardens by the lake and the dam backwaters and did some amazing photography.

A couple of hours just passed in the twinkling of an eye as each of the group ventured into the seriousness of photography. They were duly supported by the weather God, with no rain and no harsh lighting.

Once again, a lovely morning with a group of like minded people! Keep them coming DCP Team.

Here are some of the images captured by yours truly. I have only used my Camera (Canon 5D Mark III and the Kit Lens (24-105 mm f/4L) and no other equipment.

All pictures are in low resolution mode.

The Flower:

The Fight:

The Butterflies:

The Spiders:

The Flowers....

Trapped:

The Ignored One:

The Unknowns...

And Finally, the Group (Thanks to DCP):