Flights of Fantasy

I have been enamored by birds in flight for quite some time now. From a photographer’s point of view, it is somewhat of a challenge to get a good shot, since flying birds change their wing positions within the fraction of a second. This summer has seen me sitting by the beaches of Virginia, North Carolina, and Maine, trying to take some shots of flying birds. From my limited experience with shooting, I have realized that the best pictures are the ones where the birds either have their feathers held at the highest position or at the lowest position. Feathers parallel to the ground do not look that great, or perhaps it is just me. I do not have great zooming abilities (I take these pictures with my 55-300mm lens) and do not own a tripod yet. Correct me if I am wrong, but I do not see much value in using a tripod when you shoot something that is fast in motion. So all I do is shoot in multiple frames, and shoot plenty.

Here are some of my favorite bird pictures from the summer of 2012. 

A bored afternoon by the York Beach in Maine, when my friends were taking a dip in the ocean and I was looking around for the perfect model to shoot.

A bored afternoon by the York Beach in Maine, when my friends were taking a dip in the ocean and I was looking around for the perfect model to shoot.

A bored afternoon by the York Beach in Maine, when my friends were taking a dip in the ocean and I was looking around for the perfect model to shoot.

A foodie birdie in Virginia Beach, flipping the food. Note that it is suspended mid-air when I got this shot during sunset.

I took this picture during sunrise, in Outer Banks, North Carolina.

I took this shot near the Japanese Garden in Richmond (Virginia)

Finally, angry birds :)


Devasmita

Day 10: Sunset at the Colosseum

Summers remind me of the great times I have had exploring Europe in the past, visiting so many countries and learning so much more, constantly pushing my boundaries and discovering new things. I have traveled in Europe mostly alone, and by choice. Traveling alone gives you a lot of freedom, and you can pace your time your way. I find it useful that I can have a plan, and not have a plan at the same time. For example, I can wake up really early to be able to watch something. And then I can deviate from the plan and spend as much time at a place as I would like to.

I am not traveling anywhere outside the US this summer. I am neck deep in research work, trying to finish my comprehensive exams, and come up with a plan for my dissertation. The travels I have done this summer are mostly local. Money is a constraint as well, which is ironic. The first time I visited Europe, I was unemployed. Literally unemployed. My job had recently left me, and I decided to travel Europe before I came back to start my PhD. I have always visited Europe in penury. And that is perhaps why I have fully explored Europe during my short visits. Living in youth hostels, eating at cheap restaurants, walking for hours every day, and taking the public transit has shown me a slice of Europe that affluent travelers might have missed.

This picture was taken inside the Colosseum in Rome (Italy), during sunset.

DC

July 4th Road Trip

Thus ends a 2,000 mile, 5 day road trip to Princeton (New Jersey) à Yale (Connecticut) à Boston (Massachusetts) à Mount Washington (New Hampshire) à Acadia National Park (Maine) à York (Maine) à Boston (Massachusetts) à Yale (Connecticut) à Princeton (New Jersey) à Virginia. I am glad I got some amazing shots of sunrise by the Cadillac Mountains, lighthouses, birds and flowers, and the Atlantic Ocean. The seafood was amazing, and so was the weather. I even visited the building that houses the world’s largest globe, a giant 60 feet structure as high as a three storey building. Stay tuned for a travelogue. In the meantime, here is a sneak peak into some of the pictures from the collection.  

Sunrise from the Cadillac Mountain.

The Bass Harbor lighthouse that obstructed the sunset.

Birds flying by the York beach.

DC