Oct 15

How to take photographs of lightning

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Warning: Before you go out and start taking photographs of lightning, remember that a lightning hit on a human can be fatal. So, pl note these points before attempting so.

  • Don’t take refuge under a tree while there is lightning around.
  • Don’t be the tallest object in the area around you. There is a good probability of you getting hit as a lightning strike chooses the shortest distance it has to travel before hitting something.
  • The best place to photograph lightning is not from the roof-top but from a balcony or a room which has an opening looking out. Stay inside such that there is always a roof over you and then point your camera towards the part of the sky where there is lightning.

So, this is what you have to do (one of the ways, not the only way) to get a good picture of a lightning strike.
  • You need a tripod. You have to be really lucky if you are to get a good lightning photo without a tripod or the lightning strike has to be real long and bad!
  • it is very difficult to see a strike and then press the shutter to photograph it. It happens too fast for us to react. So, go to Shutter Priority mode.
  • Choose an appropriate shutter speed. If there is lot of lightning, then it is enough for the shutter to be open for a few second. In the cases above, the lightning was sporadic and hence i kept the shutter open for 30 seconds.
  • Manually focus to infinity and leave the focusing mode at Manual.
  • The press of the button to take the photograph may introduce a shake in the photograph. So, choose the self-timer option and leave it at 2-5 seconds. This will give the camera enough time to stabilize after the shutter release is pressed.
  • That’s it. Press the button, sit back, enjoy the lightning and your camera will capture it for you!

written by Rajaram S

Jul 18

Living on the edge

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Well, i don’t want to spend an entire life living on the edge, but from time to time, such an experience is entertaining. If you are thrilled of heights or cliff edges, you have to go on this trek. in Cyprus. This one starts from Pissouri village and goes to an isolated beach. You can see more information and “on-the-edge” photos at the Cyprus Blog.

written by Rajaram S

Apr 03

Water water everywhere, but not a drop to drink!

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This is the situation in Cyprus. Even though Cyprus is a small island and you are less than a 100 kms from the sea in any direction, Cyprus is facing a water problem now. The Cyprus government has gone into crisis mode and is rationing water supplies much to the dislike of the citizens.
Now, people have started talking that Cyprus should have planned for desalination plants and should have foreseen such a crisis. I don’t think there are even any plans for desalination plants. This water crisis will indirectly have an adverse effect on the tourism in Cyprus, though the government has promised not to ration the water in the tourist areas. But, most of the tourists don’t just stay within the tourist areas. They rent apartments throughout the city limits and would definitely not be pleased to know that the hotel they are staying in would be rationing water! Why would i want to “store” water and do such regular-day chores on a vacation ?
There are also many other side effects to this problem. Read about them at the Cyprus Blog.

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written by Rajaram S

Mar 28

The Cyprus Carnival Parade

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The Annual carnival a big affair in Cyprus. It happens over a fortnight in Spring and ends with a long parade on the main road in Limassol, Makarios Avenue. The parade is a visual spectacle and is a good opportunity for photographers looking for colorful subjects!

For more photos from the carnival, check out the post on the Cyprus Blog.

written by Rajaram S

Feb 26

Fun in the snow on Troodos

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First trip to troodos this winter and it was great fun! It was too crowded, but we persisted and managed to find a parking place. Then, it was the usual dose of fooling around on the snow. This time, it was not just restricted to the sliding, but also a bit of target practice, reaching for the snowball with a kick!
See more pictures of even more crazy antics (and even a video) on the Cyprus Blog.

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written by Rajaram S

Jan 23

A visit to Avakas Gorge in Cyprus

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Avakas Gorge is a much smaller cousin of the grand canyon though there is nothing that it not grand about this place. We have been there many times in the past. A few weeks back, we rented a jeep to travel to Akamas peninsula and our first stop was at Avakas Gorge. See more photos of avakas gorge on the cyprus blog.

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written by Rajaram S

Dec 18

A traditional cypriot house

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We had been to Omodos village sometime back and we were given a tour of a traditional cypriot house with all the old tools and machines still intact. The condition of the photos, the items which were used by the current occupant’s grandparents/great-grandparents were amazingly good. They even offered home-made wine for tasting. You can see more pictures of this house and also pictures of Omodhos village at the Cyprus Blog.

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written by Rajaram S

Oct 16

How not to feed fishes

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If you had seen the photos and videos of the undersea walk we had done last week, you would have noticed that we were give pieces of bread to feed the fishes. In fact, this was the most fun part, as you get very close to the fishes as they eat out of your hand. But, there are always people who start to get unheard-of phobias just when they shouldn’t happen. So, one of my friends (who went for the dive in another grp) in the video had mini-Ichthyophobia or for the layman, fishbitophobia! So, look at the video to learn how not to feed fishes.

written by Rajaram S

Oct 08

A walk on the wild side

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The weekend before last we decided to take it easy by going camping. This weekend, we decided to do something brave (at least for me). We went for an undersea walk, a walk on the sea floor feeding fishes, supposedly the only one of its kind in Europe! For more photos, videos and details, Visit the Cyprus Blog.

written by Rajaram S

Oct 04

A weekend in the tents

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Had been camping over the last long weekend to Governor’s beach, a short drive drive from Limassol. The beach is clean and the waters clear enough for snorkeling. Over the past few weeks, i have perfected the art of floating, though a close-up would clearly show that i am extremely nervous while I am attempting to float!
Go to the Cyprus Blog for more pictures from the camping trip.

written by Rajaram S

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