Perils of Photographer!!! :)

A beautiful weather early in the morning is a wonderful ask for a hopeful photography..

Today morning I woke up to find pleasant sky, with the sun playing hide and seek. There was a touch of chillness in the air, all to inspire me to pick up my camera bag and head down in the apartment compound. As I walked out, I found this beautiful red flower in a small puddle water that got created because of the rains last night.

Standing tall, I stopped to examine my subject with my camera still packed in the bag slung behind. I was like the doctor to a patient...

     Hmmm, red flower.. lovely and that too in the water, 
     The reflection on the water.. Amazing...I saw some lovely rain drops on the petals 
     Sun behind me and the clouds... so not too harsh light...
     Angle to shoot could be lower... hmmm

I was in deep contemplation when someone from behind said, "Sid, just shoot it or else it may feel shy and run away"... I looked around to see one of my neighbours peeping from his balcony..

I just smiled ... "Bugger, this is not a military drill and she ain't my girl friend... It is a creative delight... Grrr".. well I wanted to say all that but I just smiled and waved...

My focus went back to my subject and the analysis. Now it was time to move on with the action... Kept the camera bag on the pathway carefully away from the water puddle and pulled out my camera.. Did the settings and got onto my angles...

Top view.. nah.... Will miss the reflection.. bend 45 degree, without a tripod I can't trust my body to be stable.. From right, from left, from front, from back... It felt like being in a temple and going around the lord for a complete view... After all the pradakshina done.. decided to prostrate and shoot.. The lord Red Flower could be happy with me that way and give me what I was seeking for... :)

Finally after all the adjustments, I got into shooting...

At the end, while downloading out the pics realised what all one needs to do trying to get the image closer to the imagination one had built up..

Phew!!!

The video shot while doing the act..

Kindle of Love

I kindle the love for self,
Far away from the current state.
Deep far away into the wilderness,
off from this crowded madness.

Shedding of the shackles,
that have tied me down to these nothingness.
Ever flowing in a pristine state
tendering the valley with Compassion

Spreading the sheer joy with selfless succour,
Competing with nothing but winning everything.
With a sole destiny,
to meet with the big ocean down the valley.

Love thy Child

As the plane halted for disembarkation, heard the sweet voice of the hostesses saying it being safe to switch on your cell phone and get back to the chaotic lives of the city.. blah.. blah... A few mins later my attention was grabbed by an over excited mother (I think speaking to her kid, after having spoken to her family member of her arrival and plane being landed) on the cell phone a few seats away from mine. I was captivated by the communication that went on:

Mother (M) -  Tell me my sweetheart, what do you want.... Don't be shy, tell your mama..
Child (C) - Ice cream

M - "NO", it is raining and cold out there (I peeped out of the window, to find a clear sky and wondered the city being cold!!!).. you will catch fever, no no..

M - Tell me what do want, don't be shy my sweet heart, tell your mama.. she will get it.. tell me...
C - Chocolate
M - You know, you should not eat chocolates, it is bad for health and teeth. You should reduce it.. No No.. not good for you.

After a few seconds of silence..

M - Tell me sweety, what do you want.. your mama will get it (Mothers can be persistent.. I must say!!!)

I think the child was confused by now as I heard only silence... more so, thank God the crowd started to move...

M (now on a hasty note) - Don't be shy, tell me... Ok, will buy some toys and come.. ok... now bye, see you at home.

The mother got up from the seat and started to move, that is when I saw the lovable mother had a toy box in her hand for her sweet heard kid...

This got me wondering..

At Office - The management asks us through various surveys what the employee wants but ends up giving what is decided. Is the Mother also replicating her stand at home.

As Parents - are we raising the expectation and then spoiling the dreams that our kids could have had because of our raising expectations. When they get used to breaking of their dreams and getting what we have for them, at a ripe age we then ask them... "Why don't you dream and achieve it??".. Are we being fair to it..

It was a momentous truth that seemed to have hit me.. also, on second thoughts, are we playing our parents, or we being ourselves...