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Sunset is probably one of the best time to get engaged in landscape photography. The light is even, less harsh and helps capture rich colors in general. The play of light is phenomenal between full round sun heading to horizon and sunset as the tone move from the warm yellow to cool blue. And this transition happens pretty fast. Also, there would be enough ambient light just after sunset for a while when color blue intensifies.

Above is a picture taken at that moment from the Tiger Hill in Lonavala.

This is another picture that came out well during my Lonavala visit, shot well before sunset from the Tiger Point.

The golden light from the sun filtered through the fog created a warm glow making this a rich scene, turning the mountain in the foreground into a silhouette. A small river winding through the mountain ranges, reflecting off the sun light, adds a golden 'twist' to the scene.

Lonavala is popular weekend get-away from the Mumbai madness. This is a view from the Tiger hill, a popular tourist spot, on a foggy winter evening. The weather was beautiful during my trip there.

The fog added a special mood to the picturesque green mountain ranges especially with the blue mountains on the horizon. This was captured a while before the sun hid behind the mountains.

I had been to Mumbai last week to meet my friends and had a really good time there.

The Marine Drive is my favorite spot in the city. A stroll down this boulevard is definitely relaxing. The constant breeze from the sea and the panoramic view of Mumbai ensures that I revisit the 'C' shaped 3 kilometre long pathway every time I am in the city.

This nightscape was shot from Nariman Point at midnight after savouring possibly the finest kebabs you can get in the city from 'Bademiya'.

My friends who returned from their Thailand trip, brought home those cute wood crafted key chains.

I love December. For the foggy mornings, shorter days, joy of Christmas, smell of cakes, decorated houses, year end discount sales, annual vacations and hope of making a new beginning the next year. But also do I hate it because, I fall sick often in winter.

I was spending a day at home, recovering from fever, reading about 'discovering your passion' and 'following your heart' stuff on the Internet when, by chance, my eyes fell on my friend's guitar lying in the corner of the room and that reminded me of the older times when I was interested in learning to play the guitar.

I have lost that interest now. Now, I prefer taking pictures of them to learning how to play.

Canvas shoes remind me of my primary school days. I used to hate Wednesdays as we were expected to wear an all white uniform, complete with white canvas shoes. Those were the most boring pair of shoes I owned.

Years later when I walked in to this shop in Brigade Road, I loved the way pairs of bright canvas shoes added color to the shoe rack.

The Chinese fishing nets in Kochi are more than a popular tourist attraction, they have become the identity of the city. Their size, structure and working have always generated interest among the tourist flocking to the city and a picture of these fishing nets at sunset will make an entry into every travel photographer's album.

A scene from Munambam beach near Kochi on a cloudy evening.

A bed of water hyacinth spread all over the surface of a lake, in full bloom, gives the periphery, a purple carpet like look.

This was shot on a cloudy day afternoon at Mulavukad near Kochi.

A beautiful time of a day in Kochi, when traditional fishing boats rest on the tranquil beach of Puthuvype creating a silhouette. Beyond the sleeping boats, the sky puts on a show of color and clouds making the view nothing less than stunning.

A boy walking through the Puthuvype beach, searching for shells, as the gentle waves of the Arabian sea break upon the the shore, in the background of colorful twilight.

This beach has 46 meter tall light house which was built in 1979, the only one in Kochi. The light house beach has become a popular spot among tourists now.

The golden sun setting over the Arabian sea, as seen from the lesser-know mangrove forest on the edge of Vypeen Island, near Kochi.

At the horizon is the work-in-progress LNG Port Project in the Puthuvypeen SEZ at Cochin Port.

The glittering lights of the city side and the moonlight seem to mix well revealing the irresistible charm of Kochi (Cochin), popular as one of the world’s best natural harbor. The moonlit sky was magical, giving rise to a mysterious aura that made it a night to remember.

This captivating sight was shot with a long exposure while on a leisure walk around the lakeside yesterday night. As someone said elsewhere, if it’s a moonlit night, it is poetic.

This is another picture that came out well during my weekend trip to Nandi hills. The clear weather and the dramatic sky at the hills made the sunset a pleasant experience.

The black, silhouetted branches back lit by the evening sun, on its way to horizon, created a perfect photo opportunity. The bold background colour of the almost clear sky work well to enhance the silhouette.

I had been to Nandi Hills last weekend. This is my second visit to the picturesque location. The charm of these hills makes it a must visit for day trippers from Bangalore.

These hills are famous as summer retreats of Tipu Sultan. This is my friend Siva, at the remains of Tipu's fort, enjoying the last rays of sun for the day.

A beautiful scene of the serene backwater stretch. This picturesque view is from the banks of Vembanad lake in Aroor town which is about 20 kms far from Kochi.

This is an early morning shot of my bedroom window. The light streaming through the windows is a mix of direct sunlight with the green reflected from the surroundings creating a soul soothing beautiful glow.

I had been waiting all the while to click a bee or a butterfly on a flower. And I got a bit lucky yesterday. It was tricky to get the focus right with the bee moving all around the place. And add to it the pain of getting the timing right. I lost the count of shots where I mistimed or mis focused but ended up with a much better snap. That’s the one above, shot mid-day and handheld.

Nandi hills is a pleasant get-away destination near Bangalore city. I was on my way to top from the foothill when I used a slow shutter to capture motion along the winding roads. I wanted a crisp image but to hold the camera still in the moving car was really tricky. I took a couple of shots but couldn't make a clear capture.

I liked the way this picture conveys depth with a sense of motion.

There is a beauty that exists at macro level and we rarely get to see it. For some people, ants are one of life's most successful societies and I too feel the same way. They plan ahead, work diligently and keep things simple. There's nothing to do but watch, learn and enjoy!

A state run boat cruising over the calm Vembanadu lake even as dark monsoon clouds loom over the lake promising torrents of rain, ready to hit the land hard. A scene shot late in the morning, from a boat jetty near Fortkochi.

I like the idea of doing macro photography. You can create some cool photographs of common things you have at home. Add to that, the comfort of being indoor.

Above is the close-up top view of a lemon immersed in aerated water.

A couple sharing a happy moment near the Madiwala lake on a cloudy monsoon afternoon.

I did not go out with my camera this weekend but was practicing it at home. As it has been raining in Bangalore for the past couple of days, the earth around looked a lot green and fresh. This time I decided to go behind ants in their tiny environment.

Here is a dramatic close up an ant and its space. I liked way in which the color and the texture of the leaf got highlighted in the early rays of the morning sun.

Its a common sight at sunset to see the birds come together to spend their time resting on the branches of trees. This shot was composed on one of my evening strolls at the Lal Bagh.

The very low sun as the background for the birds and the bright orange sky before the nightfall makes the scene worth a capture.

I dream a lot. And have a lot of wishes too. The things i really want to do. Some of them have remained with me for as long as i can remember. Being a good photographer is one among them, traveling around the world may be another item which may be as old as my wish list. There are easier ones too. I really want to read through a classic every month and try a new recipe every Sunday evening.

But I find it very hard to break my comfortable zone and to do things that will help me strike off items from the wish list. Since life wont wait forever, I better summon the courage to realize my dreams.

Having a wish is one thing, giving it wings is another. And between the wish and the thing, life lies waiting.

Its power, speed and a bit of cruelty that comes to my mind when I think of a tiger . But on my Tiger Safari through the Bannarghatta National Park near Bangalore this month, I was happily surprised to see this Bengal White Tiger in an amusing relaxing posture under the cool shadows of the trees, which I found very cute.

As the day draws to a close, a beautiful sunset reflects over the Yarra river from the Docklands harbour in Melboune with the Bolte Bridge at the horizon. The sky is ablaze in fiery red color and it decorates the sky making it surreal across the surface of the calm waters.

This picture of seagulls watching over the river, waiting for the sun to warm down was shot at the Yarra riverbank in Melbourne one summer afternoon.

This picture was taken at a bull race held in a village somewhere near Palakkad in Kerala in a water filled paddy field. A runner along with a pair of bulls constitute a team and they run to clock maximum speed.

It takes a lot of attitude to tame and lead the beasts for this kind of a run. The shot tries to capture expression of a hero in the making who is enjoying every bit of the challenge.

Docklands in Melbourne is a great place to enjoy the evening sun overlooking the waterfront especially during the summer. The reflection of wooden pillars/pylons in the blue water looks more like an oil canvas painting. This nature's canvas was captured at the break of dawn.

The Shrine of Remembrance, located in Melbourne, was built as a memorial to the people of Victoria who served in First World War.

The picture shows a view of the 40 metre long gallery of Medals wall displaying around 4000 medals. Each of the medal represents 100 Victorians who have served in war and peacekeeping operations.

Going to the zoo is not an activity I look forward to. I find that boring. There is a lot of difference between seeing animals in the wild and seeing them in zoos. The poor souls don't 'live', they simple exist in the man-made habitats. Any day, I would prefer seeing them on Animal Planet rather than in the unappealing confinements.

I wanted to see a live Kangaroo in Melbourne, and heading to the nearby Melbourne zoo seemed to be the convenient option considering that I couldn't find enough time to do a wildlife trip. The kangaroos in the zoo disappointed me that day, showing no signs of enthusiasm and few of them even looked sick. They might have been resting after a heavy meal, but I was disappointed of not being able to get any lively pictures of the national symbol of Australia. I decided to move on to other sections of the zoo and let them 'live'.The Zoo has a good number of animal species from around the world making it a favourite among the places of interests for the tourists.

Now you know what I went for and you can see what I have got. This picture was shot at the reptile section of the zoo. In this photo, it is all about the position of the light source.

One of the best things I did, when I was in Australia, was to go for the Great Ocean Drive tour. It is considered as one of the most scenic drives in the world and after doing it, I totally agree to that. The drive is about 250 km long and extends all the way from Geelong (about 75km from Melbourne city) to South Australia.

What I did was a day trip with the tour operator 'Bunyip' in Melbourne. A day is too short to spend on a trip like this. We ended up rushing from one place to another in an attempt to avoid missing any of the places of interest along the drive. Two/three day trip is what a place like this deserves because the last thing you would want to do is to arrive at a beautiful place like this with no time to enjoy what the beautiful nature has to offer.

If you are riding a porche through this stunning coastline, there isnt any reason for you to not feel like a journey through heaven. Rolling green hills on one side of the road, bluish green water on the other. And if you feel like stopping on any of the clifftops for a view of this awe inspiring coastline, you might end up with a scenery like the one I captured above.

This was shot at the Eagle Rock Marine Sanctuary along the Great Ocean Road.

Australian pelicans are huge water birds with very large wingspan and long beaks. They are mostly white in colour with black wingtips. They are found in abundance almost all over Australia.

This picture of a pelican sitting on a lamp post enjoying the sun, was shot at the St Kilda beach, Melbourne.

The Loch Ard Gorge is in Port Campbell National Park, Victoria and is one of those breathtaking spots where you can relax, have a swim or take a stroll down on the beach. The constant erosion of the coastline, over thousands of years, has created these magnificent limestone structure formations, that stands out from the cliffs.

The colors of the sea and the rocks are enjoyed best during the summer season.

St Kilda is a bay side suburb of Melbourne. It is a vacation spot with picturesque views of the bay, good beaches and attractive shopping and dining areas. St Kilda Pier provides panoramic views of the Melbourne skyline and is a popular destination for strolling, cycling and fishing.

This is a view of the bay from the St Kilda Pier with Melbourne skyline as the background.

This was shot at the Fitzroy Gardens on a summer evening in Melbourne. The empty wooden bench creates a sense of silence and loneliness and the black and white composition adds to that feeling.

Melbourne has a good collections of gardens and the Fitzroy Gardens is one of the best. They are wonderfully laid out across 26 hectares, with huge formal garden beds, walking paths and a superb collection of trees.

Cape Chestnut tree is noted for its flowering display in early summer. It bears masses of showy, light pink to dark mauve flowers. In bloom, the pink-draped Cape Chestnut is a magnificent sight.

A clear sky and a bright sunny afternoon helped me to capture the above frame of Cape Chestnut flowers at the Fitzroy Garden.

This frame was captured at the Victoria Harbour, Docklands. The Docklands is an inner city suburb in Melbourne and is a primarily waterfront area centred around the banks of the Yarra River and therefore a waterfront tourism destination. The Victoria Harbour Precinct is the centrepiece of Docklands with 3.7 kilometres of waterfront.

The parked vintage car in the scene does add some mysteriousness to the shot.

This shot was taken in Melbourne Victoria from the Docklands area looking over the Bolte Bridge. From December till February its summer here. Australia enjoys longer days during summer and this beautiful sunset was framed at about 9 in the evening.