Spirit Of The Rain

Before anyone gets the title wrong, no, the word 'spirit' there do not refer to a living entity or deity. Rather, the ambiance. And somehow, I would like to think that many would share my sentiment about rainy days - I find the sound of raindrops as well as the cool air, comforting, especially towards the end part of a heavy rain. But mind you, heavy here does not include storms or anything where the gale touches 20mph or more!

Anyway, I did not get much chance to 'play' with Manan's camera today as it rained for the good part of the afternoon. Stuck in the house, it suddenly dawned on me to try and capture the mood of the day in pictures. And, it began with the picture of the tree below.

Nothing extraordinary about the picture above. But with the rain falling to wash off the dust and what not, the leaves look greener and more beautiful. Still, whether rain or shine, there is beauty everywhere; its just a matter of how one look at it. So, kindly excuse the music in the background ( a cliche as it may be to some).

Surprisingly, for someone who had to restrict this day's 'photography adventure', I found myself taking something like 149 shots on a space that measured something like 24 by 40ft! Off course, many were repetitive shots in either wanting a better angle, or to get as near as the perfect shot as I could. On this blog here, I will be uploading something like 8 of the shots I like best here, while putting several more in Pictures-Only; do have a peek there as well.


When I followed Manan into the camera shop in Subang Jaya, the first question the owner asked me was what kind of shots I like best. I replied nature, naturally, but not necessarily landscape. He then asked, birds or trees. I was stumped momentarily as I thought that the question was getting too scientific for my liking. Still, I replied I like birds.

The reply I gave for the second question was not well thought off, and triggered by what I perceive to be barraging. Now, while I would like to shoot birds on camera, I neither have the experience nor the necessary equipment, bearing in mind that the camera Manan loaned to me was the very basic and nothing more. As for now, my shots will be of trees and plants that strike me, with a landscape shot or two thrown in.

Undeniably, the picture above is not a landscape shot. I mean, stuck on the porch of the house in the middle of a city (fringe, actually) what landscape can I shoot? Fluke shot, actually, what the above is. The larger picture of this shot is at Pictures-Only.

Then, somehow during the course of my shooting session, I changed the camera mode to black and white for a particular shot. Having done that, I totally forgot all about it and just clicked away, resulting in several black and white shots such as the below.


By the time I was done, I felt like a junkie who was high. I might have kept on shooting had Emak not told me the time. Do give your critic without fear or favour. Only then, would I be able to learn and hone whatever skills I have in photography.

What Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong