The Self Critic Shutterbug

Sunset At Yegchi Dam

Av:F/7.1;Tv:1/400s;f:58mm

This photo was shot at Yegchi Dam in Belur in Hassan district of Karnataka. Belur is more famous for its temples, which, along with near-by Halebeedu are declared as World Heritage sites.

After touring the temple, we stopped by at the almost deserted dam and decided to wait by here till sunset before proceeding to Chikmaglur. The sight that greeted us was serene (as all sunsets are!).  Just then I spotted this strategically positioned tree behind which the sun hid while going down.

My favorite part of this photo is how the color gradually changes from yellow at the center to orange near the edges. I don’t think I would have been able to get this effect if it wasn’t for that tree there. This photo also obeys the rule of thirds. Finally, I love the sparkling effect of the sunlight shining through the gaps in the tree.

Improvements: Probably the photo is too .. wide? Meaning I might have done a better job of cropping it. I refrained from cropping it any further since I wanted to have the edges to show the complete change of colour.

Tags: landscape, sunset

AeroIndia 2011

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Equipment: Nikon D3000 with Nikon 55-200mm VR lens

This year’s visit to AreoIndia show in Bangalore was exciting for me in more ways than one. The point relevant to this post is that it gave me the opportunity to test out my new Nikon 55-200 VR zoom lens. I was disappointed that in spite of clicking more than 300 photos, I did not get one single impressive snap! I decided to put up a few of the photos in any case, just to ponder over what could have been.

One: I felt that at full zoom, this lens is far steadier compared to the one I have been used to (Canon Powershot S3IS). Now I know why people are ready to pay through their noses for DSLR lenses!

Two: Although Auto Focus results in far crisper photos in DSLRs, as expected this mode is not in the least suitable for an aero show situation. But then, manual focus isn’t much easier either. The primary reason for me not getting great snaps is not choosing the right focus mode according to the situation.

Having said that, I did like the Tri-color smoke in this snap. I also liked the composition and the formation.

So, any tips on how you used your DSLR to get good shots of distant, fast-moving objects?

Tags: aero show, fast moving