We tried this delicious cake on my wife’s birthday, they were extremely worth having. Got that from our local Sams Club in Windsor Height.

A couple of Alien Monkeys

This one is a normal monkey

Tried to make a monkey whose color would fit to play a role in Avatar Movie

• This artistic figure was created by Jaume Plensa
• It is located in Des Moines downtown Papajohn Sculpture Park in Iowa, USA
• It’s Weight is about 4 tons
• Nomade was unveiled in 2006 at the Musée Picasso on the French Riviera.
• The Pappajohns first saw it at a show in Miami and quickly decided to buy it for the park

Photo Of A Floating Brown Fake Ceramic Tortoise Seen At Farmers Market In Des Moines

I do not know the name of this flower, but if you do, please comment on this page, will be very helpful. I shot them in front of my apartment in West Des Moines, Iowa sometimes in 2011. I used my canon 5d Mark II DSRL to shoot these pictures. More photos below.

Looking for Mexican grocery around Des Moines? La Tapatia Tienda Mexicana is my favorite one. They are located at :1524 East Grand Avenue, Des Moines, IA. You can also find goat meat there. Goat meat is popular among South Indian countries.

Dabur’s Honitus Cough Syrup provides effective relief from cough, without side-effects. Dabur Honitus Cough Syrup is a Honey-based herbal syrup that is fortified with Tulsi, Mulethi & Banapsha. This herbal syrup attacks cough at its roots, and provides fast relief.

This pink doronicum has lost most of the petals. Reminds the life and death cycle.

Other know species of doronicum flower:

• Doronicum altaicum
• Doronicum atlanticum
• Doronicum austriacum Jacq
• Doronicum briquetii
• Doronicum cacaliifolium
• Doronicum carpaticum
• Doronicum carpetanum
• Doronicum cataractarum
• Doronicum cavillieri
• Doronicum clusii
• Doronicum cordatum
• Doronicum columnae Ten.
• Doronicum corsicum
• Doronicum dolichotrichum
• Doronicum falconeri
• Doronicum glaciale
• Doronicum grandiflorum Lam.
• Doronicum haussknechtii
• Doronicum hungaricum
• Doronicum kamaonense
• Doronicum macrophyllum
• Doronicum maximum
• Doronicum oblongifolium
• Doronicum orientale
• Doronicum pardalianches
• Doronicum plantagineum
• Doronicum reticulatum
• Doronicum stenoglossum

Did I free fall from the Sky? Well I did not, but it is a great example of low angle shot in photography. I jumped from that wood behind me and was like four or five feet high up in the sky. But the photo was taken with camera lying from the ground and aiming upwards giving an effect of me falling down from the sky.

Did the man fall from the Sky? Well he did not, but it is a great example of low angle shot in photography. The friend of mine jumped from that wood and was like four or five feet high. But I took this photo lying from the ground giving an effect of him falling down from the sky.

A Nice Photo Shot of White Sunflower on Sale at Farmers Market in Des Moines (2011)

Des Moines Downtown Farmer’s Market event occurs from 7:00 AM to Noon at Historic Court District in Dowtown Des Moines, rain or shine, every Saturday, May 7 through October 29.

Here is a little history of the Des Moines Farmer’s market from their official website desmoinesfarmersmaket.com

The Downtown Farmers’ Market began in 1976 with just 15 vendors and an average of 200 shoppers and operated July – September. Today, the Market has grown to more than 200 vendors and an average of 18,000 visitors each Saturday during May – October. Recent development of the Market has prompted an extension of the season by opening on the first Saturday of May and extending to the last Saturday in October, as well as expanding the indoor Downtown Farmers’ Market Winter Season held in November and December. Last year’s opening day on Court Avenue attracted a record crowd of more then 30,000 people.

About Downtown Des Moines Farmers Market:
Des Moines Downtown Farmer’s Market event occurs from 7:00 AM to Noon at Historic Court District in Dowtown Des Moines, rain or shine, every Saturday, May 7 through October 29.

Here is a little history of the Des Moines Farmer’s market from their official website desmoinesfarmersmaket.com

The Downtown Farmers’ Market began in 1976 with just 15 vendors and an average of 200 shoppers and operated July – September. Today, the Market has grown to more than 200 vendors and an average of 18,000 visitors each Saturday during May – October. Recent development of the Market has prompted an extension of the season by opening on the first Saturday of May and extending to the last Saturday in October, as well as expanding the indoor Downtown Farmers’ Market Winter Season held in November and December. Last year’s opening day on Court Avenue attracted a record crowd of more then 30,000 people.

About Anaheim Pepper (From Wikipedia):
An Anaheim pepper is a mild variety of chili pepper. The name “Anaheim” derives from a farmer named Emilio Ortega who brought the seeds to the Anaheim, California, area in the early 1900s. They are also called California chili or Magdalena, and dried as chile seco del norte. Since Anaheim peppers originated from New Mexico, they are also sometimes known as New Mexico peppers. Additionally, in New Mexico they are often referred to simply as “chiles” because they are so ubiquitous.[citation needed] Varieties of the pepper grown in New Mexico tend to be hotter than those grown in California.

The chile “heat” of Anaheims typically ranges from 500 to 2,500 on the Scoville scale however, many varieties grown in New Mexico can reach 4,500 to 5,000 Scoville units.

New Mexican cultivars were developed in the state by Dr. Fabian Garcia about 100 years ago.[3] These cultivars are “hotter” than others in order to suit the tastes of New Mexicans in their traditional foods.

This chile is used in many Mexican and New Mexican dishes.

About Des Moines Downtown Farmer’s Market:
Des Moines Downtown Farmer’s Market event occurs from 7:00 AM to Noon at Historic Court District in Dowtown Des Moines, rain or shine, every Saturday, May 7 through October 29.

Here is a little history of the Des Moines Farmer’s market from their official website desmoinesfarmersmaket.com

The Downtown Farmers’ Market began in 1976 with just 15 vendors and an average of 200 shoppers and operated July – September. Today, the Market has grown to more than 200 vendors and an average of 18,000 visitors each Saturday during May – October. Recent development of the Market has prompted an extension of the season by opening on the first Saturday of May and extending to the last Saturday in October, as well as expanding the indoor Downtown Farmers’ Market Winter Season held in November and December. Last year’s opening day on Court Avenue attracted a record crowd of more then 30,000 people.

Des Moines Dontown Farmer’s Market event occurs from 7:00 AM to Noon at Historic Court District in Dowtown Des Moines, rain or shine, every Saturday, May 7 through October 29.

Here is a little history of the Des Moines Farmer’s market from their official website desmoinesfarmersmaket.com

The Downtown Farmers’ Market began in 1976 with just 15 vendors and an average of 200 shoppers and operated July – September. Today, the Market has grown to more than 200 vendors and an average of 18,000 visitors each Saturday during May – October. Recent development of the Market has prompted an extension of the season by opening on the first Saturday of May and extending to the last Saturday in October, as well as expanding the indoor Downtown Farmers’ Market Winter Season held in November and December. Last year’s opening day on Court Avenue attracted a record crowd of more then 30,000 people.

Des Moines Dontown Farmer’s Market event occurs from 7:00 AM to Noon at Historic Court District in Dowtown Des Moines, rain or shine, every Saturday, May 7 through October 29.

Here is a little history of the Des Moines Farmer’s market from their official website desmoinesfarmersmaket.com

The Downtown Farmers’ Market began in 1976 with just 15 vendors and an average of 200 shoppers and operated July – September. Today, the Market has grown to more than 200 vendors and an average of 18,000 visitors each Saturday during May – October. Recent development of the Market has prompted an extension of the season by opening on the first Saturday of May and extending to the last Saturday in October, as well as expanding the indoor Downtown Farmers’ Market Winter Season held in November and December. Last year’s opening day on Court Avenue attracted a record crowd of more then 30,000 people.

Des Moines Dontown Farmer’s Market event occurs from 7:00 AM to Noon at Historic Court District in Dowtown Des Moines, rain or shine, every Saturday, May 7 through October 29.

Here is a little history of the Des Moines Farmer’s market from their official website desmoinesfarmersmaket.com

The Downtown Farmers’ Market began in 1976 with just 15 vendors and an average of 200 shoppers and operated July – September. Today, the Market has grown to more than 200 vendors and an average of 18,000 visitors each Saturday during May – October. Recent development of the Market has prompted an extension of the season by opening on the first Saturday of May and extending to the last Saturday in October, as well as expanding the indoor Downtown Farmers’ Market Winter Season held in November and December. Last year’s opening day on Court Avenue attracted a record crowd of more then 30,000 people.

I was walking along the beach at Grays lake in Des Moines Iowa one day and I saw this Beach Regulation board. The normal rules.

1. No alcohol
2. No lifeguard On Duty
3. No glass containers
4. No pets allowed on beach
5. No smoking on beach
6. No swimming after sunset

Learn them by heart

Grays lake area contains many opportunities for walking, biking, swimming etc and is one of the busiest area of Iowa and is located in Des Moines Metro area. There is a two-mile trail encircling the lake. The trail is well lit in the evening and has emergency phones.

This is a first try. Please note that I use layers overlay as post production image processing technique in almost all of my photos.

This is a second try with little darker tone. I have used layer overlay in this image as well

[The following information is taken from wikipedia under creative commons license]

The Iowa Cubs are a Triple-A minor league baseball team, affiliated with the Chicago Cubs, that plays in the Pacific Coast League. Their home games are played in Des Moines, Iowa, at Principal Park. Principal Park, formerly Sec Taylor Stadium, is a minor league baseball stadium located in Des Moines, Iowa. It is the home field of the Pacific Coast League’s Iowa Cubs. Principal Park is located at the confluence of the Des Moines River and the Raccoon River in downtown Des Moines. The stadium seats 11,500 fans and has 45 luxury suites, 12 of which are in a building in left field that also houses the Cub Club restaurant. The Iowa State Capitol building is visible from beyond the center field fence, while some seats also provide views of the Des Moines skyline.

The first ballpark at this site was built as Pioneer Memorial Stadium in 1947. It was renamed Sec Taylor Stadium in honor of the longtime Des Moines Register sports editor on September 2, 1959.[1] The park served as home of the Des Moines Bruins of the Class A Western League (1947-1958)[2] and the Des Moines Demons of the Class B Three-I League (1959-1961). It became the home of the Iowa Cubs (originally the Iowa Oaks of the American Association) in 1969. By the late 1980s the original stadium was becoming run down, and was starting to develop a seedy reputation as the wooden seats and bleachers were splintering and unpainted. After Des Moines voters approved a bond issue to rebuild Sec Taylor Stadium in August 1990, most of the original stadium was demolished after the 1991 season.[1] The present facility, complete with sky boxes, plastic seats, metal bleachers and a family picnic area, was dedicated on April 16, 1992.[4] During part of the 1993 season the stadium was submerged by the Great Flood of 1993, but the team still went on to win the American Association championship. The Triple-A All-Star Game was held here in 1997. In 2004, Chicago Cubs pitchers Mark Prior and Kerry Wood — both former I-Cubs players — pitched rehabilitation starts in Des Moines and attracted sellout crowds in the process. Wood made two additional rehab starts at Principal Park in June 2005 and one start on May 12, 2006. Sec Taylor Field at Principal Park, during a May 28, 2006, game against the Nashville Sounds. The Iowa Capitol is visible beyond the center-field wall.

On August 5, 2004, Sec Taylor Stadium was renamed Principal Park after the Principal Financial Group purchased the naming rights to the facility. The playing field is still known as Sec Taylor Field. The $2.5 million deal covered part of a $6.8 million renovation project that took place during the 2005-2006 off-season. The project included the addition of over 1,000 new seats in the right field grandstand, replacement of all other seats, construction of new right field bleachers, installation of a new scoreboard and video board, replacement of the stadium field lighting system, and other structural changes.Principal Park hosted its first Iowa High School Athletic Association state baseball tournament in 2005 and is scheduled to host the tournament through 2008. Principal Park with downtown Des Moines in the background, during a June 28, 2007, game against the Oklahoma Redhawks.

Principal Park’s single-game attendance record was set on June 8, 2007, when 15,188 fans watched an I-Cubs game against the New Orleans Zephyrs. However, the highest attendance for any event at the stadium was set on September 25, 2009, when a Dave Matthews Band concert brought in a sellout crowd of 17,646.On June 14, 2008, the Iowa Cubs beat the Nashville Sounds 5-4. The paid attendance was 0 due to flooding concerns in the Downtown Des Moines area.

Call it co-existence of a beautiful nature…looks like the tomato leaf on the right is whispering life to the flash radish leaf on the left !! These plants were from my deck garden. I raised them both from seeds, so they are like babies to me.

A samosa is a stuffed pastry and a popular snack in South Asia, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, the Mediterranean, Southwest Asia, the Horn of Africa, North Africa and South Africa. It generally consists of a fried or baked triangular, semi-lunar or tetrahedral pastry shell with a savory filling, which may include spiced potatoes, onions, peas, coriander, and lentils, or ground beef or chicken. The size and shape of a samosa as well as the consistency of the pastry used can vary considerably, although it is mostly triangular. Samosas are often served with chutney

Tandoori Chicken is a highly popular Indian and South Asian dish consisting of roasted chicken, yogurt, and spices. The chicken is marinated in curd and seasoned with tandoori masala. It is moderately hot, but the heat is reduced in most Western nations. Cayenne pepper, red chili powder or kashmiri red chilli powder is used to give it a fiery red hue. A higher amount of Turmeric produces an orange color. In some modern versions, both red and yellow food coloring are used. It is traditionally cooked at high temperatures in a tandoor (clay oven), but can also be prepared on a traditional barbecue grill.

The story of its origins lies with Kundan Lal Gujral, a Hindu Punjabi, who ran a restaurant called Moti Mahal in Peshawar in the 1920s. Following the partition in 1947, Gujral found himself one of many Hindu refugees fleeing to India to to escape the rioting and upheaval. He moved his restaurant to Delhi in a place called Daryaganj. Using new recipes to keep his patrons interested, Gujral tried cooking chicken in tandoors (clay ovens) which were until then only used to cook naan bread. Tandoors are bell-shaped ovens that are set into the earth and fired with wood or charcoal; they can reach temperatures of about 480 °C (900 °F).
Tandoori Chicken in Punjab, Pakistan

The Tandoori chicken at Moti Mahal so impressed the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, that he made it a regular at official banquets. Visiting dignitaries that enjoyed Tandoori Chicken included American Presidents Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy, Soviet leaders Nikolai Bulganin and Nikita Khrushchev, the King of Nepal, and the Shah of Iran.

The fame of Tandoori Chicken led to many derivatives like Chicken Tikka (and eventually the Indian dish popularized in Britain Chicken Tikka Masala), commonly found in menus in Indian restaurants all over the world.It is popular outside of India, in other parts of South Asia where it is eaten as a starter before a meal.

(Source of Text: Wikipedia / Creative Commons. Photo By Kushal Paudyal)

A tortilla chip is a snack food made from corn tortillas, which are cut into wedges and then fried (alternatively they may be discs pressed out of corn masa then fried or baked). Corn tortillas are made of corn, vegetable oil, salt and water. Although first mass-produced in Los Angeles in the late 1940s, tortilla chips are considered to be a Mexican food, known as tostados. Though usually made of yellow corn (as pictured), they can also be made of white, blue, or red corn. Some manufacturers include many other ingredients including wheat and sugar and MSG.

The triangle shaped tortilla chip was popularized by Rebecca Webb Carranza as a way to make use of misshapen tortillas rejected from the automated tortilla manufacturing machine that she and her husband used at their Mexican delicatessen and tortilla factory in southwest Los Angeles. Carranza found that the discarded tortillas, cut into triangles and fried, were a popular snack, and she sold them for a dime a bag at the El Zarape Tortilla Factory. In 1994, Carranza received the Golden Tortilla award for her contribution to the Mexican food industry.

Tortilla chips are the quintessential and often complimentary appetizer in Tex-Mex and Mexican restaurants in the U.S. and elsewhere. Their popularity outside of California saw a steady rise in the late 1970s when they began to compete with corn chips, the dipping chip of choice during the first three quarters of the 20th century. They are typically served with a dip, such as salsa, chili con queso, or guacamole. When not served with a dip, the chips are often seasoned with herbs and spices. Although they are now available worldwide, the United States is one of the main markets for tortilla chips. Commercial brand names for tortilla chips include Phileas Fogg snacks, Tostitos, Doritos, Pajeda’s, Fiesta Crunch, and Don Tacos (in Japan).

A more elaborate dish utilizing tortilla chips is nachos, which consists tortilla chips served with melted or shredded cheese, although often other toppings are added or substituted, such as meat, salsa (such as pico de gallo), refried beans, guacamole, sour cream, diced onions, olives, and pickled jalapeños. More elaborate nachos are often baked for a short period of time to warm the tortillas and melt shredded cheese. First created circa 1943 by Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya, nachos may represent the earliest known creation from tortilla chips.

A similar fried corn snack is the corn chip, which is not made from a tortilla, but from corn meal which has been processed into a particular shape, typically a small scoop. Fritos are an example of this. The principal difference between the corn in tortilla and corn chips is that the corn in a tortilla chip has undergone a process known as nixtamalization, which involves processing the raw corn with quicklime. Note that both tortilla and corn chips are referred to as “corn chips” in Australia and Oceania.[citation needed] The tortilla chips main market would fall within that of the potato chip or ‘crisps’.

(Source of Text: Wikipedia / Creative Commons. Photo by Kushal Paudyal)

This is a photo of my own birthday cake!! I turned 29 today. Life is great but cake is greater even without birthday candles. This cake was brought at a small local cake factory/bakery in West Des Moines called “Let them eat cake”. If you wanna try their cake, they are located at 405 Maple Street, West Des Moines. It was an awesome cake for a person like me who is not fond of too much of sugar and was called “Pink Champagne”. Sorry folks, they were asked specially not to add pink color !!!

Click on the following images in this set to view them in larger formats.

Most of the religions have bells. It’s famous in Hinduism. Buddhists also have their own bells. Bells are not less common in western cultures too. Some of the religions believe that sounding the bell makes God hear their prayers while a few others believe that the bell sounds chase away the evil forces. According to Hindu-Blog, Symbolically, the body of the bell represents time – Ananta (infinite). The tongue of the bell symbolically represents Goddess Saraswathi. The handle of the Ghanta is considered to be the vital principle (Prana Shakti) and symbolically represents Hanuman, Garuda, Nandi or Chakra.

About Tulip Flower:
The tulip is a perennial, bulbous plant with showy flowers in the genus Tulipa, which comprises 109 species and belongs to the family Liliaceae. The genus’s native range extends from as far west as Southern Europe, North Africa, Anatolia, and Iran to the Northwest of China. The tulip’s centre of diversity is in the Pamir, Hindu Kush, and Tien Shan mountains. A number of species and many hybrid cultivars are grown in gardens, as potted plants, or to display as fresh-cut flowers. Most cultivars of tulip are derived from Tulipa gesneriana. [Wikipedia / CC]

About Tulip Festival:
The Tulip Festivals are held in several North American cities, most often ones with Dutch heritage, including Albany, New York; Ottawa, Ontario; Gatineau, Quebec ; Montreal, Quebec; Holland, Michigan; Lehi, Utah; Orange City, Iowa; Pella, Iowa; Mount Vernon, Washington; and Woodburn, Oregon. The tulips are considered a welcome harbinger of spring, and a tulip festival permits residents to see them at their best advantage. The festivals are also popular tourist attractions. The tulips are displayed throughout the cities. In certain years the peak of tulips does not coincide with the actual festival due to climatic conditions. [Wikipedia /CC]

About Pella Iowa:
Pella is a city in Marion County, Iowa, United States. The population was 9,832 at the 2000 census. Pella is the home of Central College as well as several manufacturing companies, including Pella Corporation and Vermeer Manufacturing Company. Franklin Street in Pella and some of the businesses located there. Notable in the background are the Tulip Toren (tall white statue) and Information Windmill located in Pella’s Central Park. Pella was founded in 1847 when eight hundred Dutch immigrants led by Dominee (Minister) Hendrik (Henry) P. Scholte settled the area. The name “Pella” is a reference to Pella in the Perea, where the Christians of Jerusalem had found refuge during the Roman-Jewish war of 70; the name was selected because Dominee and the rest were also seeking religious freedom. It was the childhood home of Wyatt Earp whose father Nicholas Porter Earp had settled on a farm near Pella. His brothers Warren and Morgan were born in Pella. [Wikipedia / CC]

Folks if you guys are looking for momo making pots in USA try some local Chinese or Vietnamese groceries, they normally have one. We got these set of two for about 40 dollar, that’s a huge money but it’s worth for having crazy momo party fun at your own home !!

A cactus (plural: cacti, cactuses or cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae. Their distinctive appearance is a result of adaptations to conserve water in dry and/or hot environments. In most species, the stem has evolved to become photosynthetic and succulent, while the leaves have evolved into spines. Many species are used for ornamental plants, and some are also grown for fodder, forage, fruits, cochineal, and other uses. [Text from: Wikipedia]

These vehicles were seen during the Tulip Time Parade in small Dutch town of Iowa on 7th May 2011. Some of the vehicles were a replica of vehicles that existed in 1902 !!

Cheyenne (pronounced /ʃaɪˈæn/ or /ʃaɪˈɛn/ or Shy-anne) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Wyoming and the county seat of Laramie County. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne, Wyoming, Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Laramie County. The population is 59,466 at the 2010 census. Cheyenne is the northern terminus of the extensive and fast-growing Front Range Urban Corridor.

Barbecue time at Saylorville Lake in Des Moines, Iowa – Celebrating Nepali New Year 2068 BS. Photo taken on 2011-04-23

Barbecue time at Saylorville Lake in Des Moines, Iowa – Celebrating Nepali New Year 2068 BS. Photo taken on 2011-04-23

The bent tiny little perfume bottle containing great fragrance, don’t remember the brand but my wife got that for herself. She experiments different stuffs and has a keen interest in fashion, style and trends. Here fashion blog is a link away.

That’s a green ripe juice sliced lemon – it is supposed to have loads of vitamin C and great health benefits!

This is one of my own favorite shots taken from my room’s window. As you can see the, it’s an overlap of winter and fall sentiments. The tree leaves are still yellow, and it has not started to snow, but the coldness has increased thereby freezing the water at the pond. And I love those poor little ducks walking over the ice. The grass on the ground has all gone dry and if you did not notice, the duck on the other end looks like a raven on the tree !

This is not a real flower but those are the real hands. I didn’t have to do a selective desaturation to get this picture. It was taken at winter time and due to snow, everything in the background was black and white automatically. Not more than half a minute edit was required for this picture.

Cutting the soft veggies with a sharp knife – desaturated photo

Mortar and pestles have been used wide across multiple cultures and multiple professions. Although it is widely used in the kitchen, it is also used by pharmacists !!

It just a fork or may be two forks or might not be a fork, well it has something to do with the fork. I was inspired to take this picture from one of the photography blogs. The photographer had two forks stacked the same way as I have done, but his picture looked more like the bottom fork as a shadow of the top one.

A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person. For this reason, in photography a portrait is generally not a snapshot, but a composed image of a person in a still position. A portrait often shows a person looking directly at the painter or photographer, in order to most successfully engage the subject with the viewer.

Momo is a type of dumpling that originated in Tibet. It has become native to the Sherpas, Limbus, Gurungs and Magars of Nepal and other ethnic minorities of Nepal. It is similar to Mongolian buuz and Chinese jiaozi. The Tibetan word Momo is a loanword from the Chinese mómo. We made momos at a birthday gathering of a friend of mine – where I shot this picture. If you are interesting in knowing how this food is made, I have a separate Nepali food recipe blog

This picture was taken in January 2010 but I have edited it to give a vintage look. I was driving from Moline to Davenport side just to give you the sense of direction. I have now completely moved to Des Moines but I still miss Quad Cities where I lived for around 4 years working for a software development company in East Moline

(The real plot behind this picture: A friend of mind called me at his home for lunch, but when we reached at his place he was still busy cooking. So I had to pass my time clicking my camera around the objects that I found at his room. )

A duck walks over its own shadow on a frozen pond at an apartment complex in West Des Moines, Iowa

This photo of the winter sunset and the leafless tree was taken in the winter of January 2011 at Gray’s Lake in Des Moines, Iowa.

Christmas 2010 has come and gone, but this read santa cap is staying with me at least for some more time.

With this fresh green leaves of an indoor plant that I have at my room, I have tried to create a sense of freshness in the photography.

A stack of books on animation and digital video editing that I checked out from a local library.

When you are taking pictures, you can choose to create various sensations to the audience. In this photo, I have tried to create some sort of narrowness by taking the picture in a vertical mode, and by holding the camera too close to the wall.

Location: West Des Moines Iowa
Date: 9th October 2010
Photographer: Kushal Paudyal

The Art Institute of Chicago

The Art Institute of Chicago

Jay Pritzker Pavilion

The Bean

Navy Pier

These pictures were shot on September 18th 2010 at Jay Prtizker Pavilion in Milliennium Park Chicago during 2010 Chicago Latin Music Festival. We were not there for the event, but the event was going on when we were there. So I took out my SLR and grabbed a few pictures.

I took these pictures on my trip to Niagara Falls in September this year (2010). You can walk over this bridge and reach Canada.

Info from Wikipedia about the Rainbow Bridge:
The Rainbow Bridge at Niagara Falls is an international steel arch bridge across the Niagara River gorge, and is a world-famous tourist site. It connects the cities of Niagara Falls, New York, United States (to the east), and Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada (west).

The Rainbow Bridge was built near the site of the earlier Honeymoon Bridge, which had collapsed on January 27, 1938, due to an ice jam in the river. A joint Canadian and American commission had already been considering a new bridge to replace it, and the collapse added urgency to the project.
The engraved text giving the biblical origin of the Rainbow term, beneath a carved rendition of the Royal Arms of Canada.

A design by architect Richard (Su Min) Lee was chosen (and later used again for the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge, approximately 10 kilometres (6 mi) downriver). King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, during their visit to Niagara Falls as part of the 1939 Royal Tour of Canada, dedicated the site of the Rainbow Bridge; a monument was erected to commemorate the occasion. Construction began in May 1940. The bridge was officially opened on November 1, 1941.

The New York State Department of Transportation designates the bridge as NY 955A, an unsigned reference route, while the Ontario Ministry of Transportation designates the bridge as part of Highway 420, even though it is separated from the rest of the route by a regional road. On the American side, a number of state and national routes end at a set of intersections in front of the bridge. New York routes 104 and 384, as well as the northern section of the Robert Moses State Parkway, all terminate at the final intersection before the bridge, and none of the designations passes onto the bridge itself. U.S. Route 62 terminates two blocks north at route 104, which then continues to the bridge.
Bridge and Falls as night

The complex on the Canadian side of the Rainbow Bridge features the Rainbow Tower, which houses a large carillon that sounds several times daily.

The bridge permits no commercial trucks; the nearest border crossing for these is the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge.

The toll to cross the bridge for each pedestrian and bicycle is 50¢ USD or CAD, and $3.25 USD or CAD for automobiles. Tolls are collected entering Canada. No tolls are collected entering the United States. [Wikipedia/Creative Commons]

Teej is a festival in Nepal (and some parts of India) especially for females – married and unmarried. Although it is a festival of fasting, it is associated with red colors due to the fact that most of the women use red Sarees and other red clothes during this festival. This year in 2010, Teej was on September 11. I photographed a few red bangles to show the Teej Sentiments.

About Teej and Teej Festival in Nepal from Wikipedia:
Teej also known as Haritalika Teej in Nepal is a fasting festival for Hindu women. It takes place in 3rd day of Shukla Paksha in Bhadrapada or Bhado month of nepali calendar and Hindu calendar, normally falls in the month of August or early September. Dedicated to the Goddess Parvati, commemorating her union with Lord Shiva, the festival is celebrated for marital bliss, well-being of spouse and children and purification of own body and soul. The festival is a three-day-long celebration that combines sumptuous feasts as well as rigid fasting.

Falling on the Hindu month of Bhadrapada or Bhado (August/September), it also celebrates the arrival of monsoon after a season of oppressive heat. “Teej” is a small red insect that comes out of the soil during rains.

The first day of Teej is called Dar Khane Din. On this day the women, both married and unmarried, mainly of Khas ethnicity, assemble at one place, in their finest attire and start dancing and singing devotional songs. Amidst all this, the grand feast takes place. The jollity often goes on till midnight, after which the 24-hour fast starts.

The second day is the fasting day. Some women live without a morsel of food and drops of water while others take liquid and fruit. On this day, they gaily dress and visit a nearby Shiva temple singing and dancing on the way. The Pashupatinath Temple gets the highest number of devotees. At the Shiva temple, women circumambulate the Shiva Linga, the symbol of the lord, offering flowers, sweets and coins. The main puja (religious ceremony) takes place with offerings of flowers, fruits, etc., made to Shiva and Parbati, beseeching them to grant their blessing upon the husband and family. The important part of the puja is the oil lamp which should be alight throughout the night.

The third day of the festival is Rishi Panchami. After the completion of the previous day’s puja, women pay homage to various deities and bathe with red mud found on the roots of the sacred datiwan bush, along with its leaves. This act of purification is the final ritual of Teej, after which women are considered absolved from all their sins. The recent years have witnessed an alteration in the rituals, especially concerning the severity, but its essence remains the same.

Teej is celebrated just before the first day of Ganesh Chaturthi. Married women do 24-hour nirjala fasting (without water or fruit) for the wellness of their spouse and their married life. [Wikipedia]

These gulls were captured on 4th September 2010 at Niagara Falls in New York. I used ‘Layer Overlay’ in all of the above pictures while editing. The software I use for editing is Paint.NET

If you are interested to know more about these birds, read the following paragraph based on text from Wikipedia.

Gulls are typically medium to large birds, usually grey or white, often with black markings on the head or wings. They typically have harsh wailing or squawking calls, stout, longish bills, and webbed feet.Most gulls, particularly Larus species, are ground nesting carnivores, which will take live food or scavenge opportunistically. Live food often includes crabs and small fish.Gulls nest in large, densely packed noisy colonies. They lay two to three speckled eggs in nests composed of vegetation. The young are precocial, being born with dark mottled down, and mobile upon hatching.

Long exposure photography entails using a long-duration shutter speed to sharply capture the stationary elements of images while blurring, smearing, or obscuring its moving elements.

When a scene includes both stationary and moving subjects (for example, a fixed street and moving cars or a camera within a car showing a fixed dash-board and moving scenery), a slow shutter speed can cause interesting effects, such as light trails.

Long exposures are easiest to accomplish in low-light conditions, but can be done in brighter light using neutral density filters or specially designed cameras.

By exposing an image for an extended period of time (eight seconds in this case), not only can detail be seen in the dark areas of the scene, but the headlights and taillights of vehicles on the highway become streaks.

Long exposure photography is often used in a nighttime setting in order to produce a near daytime effect in the photo. By leaving the camera’s shutter open for an extended period of time, more light is absorbed, creating a brighter product. If the camera is stationary for the entire period of time that the shutter is open, a very vibrant and clear photograph can be produced. [Wikipedia/Creative Commons]

Fruits are a great subject of photography. They are common everywhere and they come in beautiful shapes and color. I used bounced flash to shoot the grapes and banana – the orange and the apples were shot without flash.

About Zoom Burst (Wikipedia)
Zoom burst is a photographic technique, attainable with zoom lenses with a manual zoom ring.

Using the technique involves zooming while the shutter is open with a relatively slow shutter speed, generally below 1/60th of a second. For this reason low light or small apertures are required. It is also possible to achieve a similar effect with either computer software like Adobe Photoshop (after the photo has been shot) or a photographic filter. In these cases the shutter speed can be as fast as necessary.

Photographs taken with this technique are characterized by blurred streaks emanating from the center of the photograph. The effect is nearly identical to a motion blur image in which the camera is traveling towards the subject. For this reason the zoom burst is typically used to create an impression of motion towards the subject.

The term is sometimes attributed to Peter Bargh in his article Creative zoom bursts technique, though the technique is much older, appearing for instance in (Peterson 1990). [Wikipedia/Creative Commons]

I turned 28th and my wife turned 25th recently. Our birthdays are 12 days apart. These pictures are the mix up of those two birthday celebrations at home.

A portion of the oil cup – color flipped.

Wierd Angle Of Shoot. Note that the white portion is the shadow of the cup.

The lens flare and the reflections are natural, while the texture has been added digitally.

I used manual focus on a cup of oil to shoot the reflection of window blinds. the lens flare was added digitally in post processing.

I am posting this picture in response to Peter West Carey‘s tips on Travel Photography on how to shoot Poor. Peter seems to have traveled to Nepal, that’s where I am from, and have taken some shots of the porters. They were nice shots.

Here I go – I found this poor outside the Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) in Chicago, IL USA. (This picture was taken last winter)

I really appreciated that guys hard work. When we visited the tower, he was playing that saxophone (he must have started hours earlier). He was still playing it when we visited back two hours later. It was wild cold. I can’t tolerate the cold breeze of Chicago in winter – but it didn’t seem to have affected him in anyways. People were watching him from the distance, and only a few were making any monetary appreciations. I bet he hardly makes a day’s living playing it.

Event: Mandip and Laxmi’s Wedding Reception (Congratulations)
Venue: The Phoenix , Davenport (111 W 2nd St Davenport, IA 52801)
Date: 24th July 2010
Photographed By: Kushal Paudyal

(Thank you Mani Dai for the invitation. We really had a good time at the reception)

These pictures were taken on March 20th 2010 at a wedding reception party of a friend of mine in Des Moines Iowa. He had got married in Nepal and co-incidentally I was on a short trip to Nepal at that time and had attended his marriage ceremony in Kathmandu. But these pictures are from a reception Party in West Des Moines, Iowa when the couple got back to US early this year. I was invited to take the pictures. Although I am not a pro, I was still experimenting on my photography and this event helped me further my skills. These are a few selected pictures from the function. Some of them are digitally edited with Paint.NET software.

Event: July 4th Veterans Parade
Event Organizer: AMVETS
Location: East Moline Downtown (15th Avenue)
Date: July 4th 2010

That’s what I saw on the July 4th Parade in East Moline Dowtown this year (2010) – there was a drunk cowboy riding the horse, and the horse was dancing to the music as it moved through the aile, followed by a princess in a white gown and there was another cowboy doing the rope action, the final cowboy was just walking the horse. It really looked interesting. Looking at the cap and complexion, they were the cowboys from Mexico, I assumed.

July 4th horse show hasn’t been good everywhere – there was a news from neighborhood state (Iowa) on the same day where the horses carrying a buggy lost control and rode over a crowd killing one female and injuring 20 plus people. You can read this sad news here. The dead has been identified as Janet Steines.

These vehicles were part of July 4th Parade (2010) in East Moline Downtown. You can view other pictures of this events by going to Sanjaal’s event gallery.

The Illinois Quad City Chamber of Commerce and the City of East Moline proudly presented the 52nd Annual AMVETS 4th of July Parade on Sunday, July 4th 2010 at 1:00 pm in downtown East Moline. This year’s theme was “Hats Off to the Red, White & Blue.”

The 52nd Annual AMVETS 4th of July Parade carried on a tradition for the Quad Cities community of saluting all of the veterans that have served United States. With the theme, “Hats Off to the Red, White & Blue,” the parade was a spectacular tribute and celebration to those who served.

Over 15,000 people were lined up on 15th Avenue in East Moline to watch this salute to United States and the East Moline community. The parade will began at 3rd Street and 15th Avenue, went down 15th Avenue, and ended at 13th Street. [Based on info from EastMoline.com website]

The well known definition of opportunist is that he is someone who starts taking bath, when he accidentally falls into a river. But tonight he is the one who starts taking the pictures of July 4th independence day fireworks when he is cycling by the side of the Mississippi river.

Happy Independence Day America !

Update:
I saw an overwhelming number of users to this post. I would like to make it clear that these fireworks pictures were taken on July 3rd night – not on the July 4th night.

Event: Asian Heritage Festival 2010
Photoshoot Location: Des Moines, Iowa
Date: 14th May 2010

INFO ABOUT TAI DUM PEOPLE [FROM WIKIPEDIA]

The Tai Dam or Tai Dum are an ethnic group of Laos, Vietnam, China, and Thailand.

Tai Dam speakers in China are classified as part of the Dai nationality along with almost all the other Tai peoples. But in Vietnam they are given their own nationality (with the White Tai) where they are classified (confusingly for English speakers) as the Thái nationality (meaning Tai people).

The Tai Dam originate from the vicinity of Dien Bien Phu, in Vietnam, the original area of occupation of the Tai people in the early history of the Tai settlement of Southeast Asia according to the legend of Khun Borom, the legendary progenitor of the Tai-speaking peoples. They called this area Muang Then, the land of God, a name that still applies to the valley around Dien Bien Phu.

In the 1950s during the Vietnam-French War, many of the Tai Dam moved from Vietnam to Laos. In Laos, they worked as farmers, soldiers, and service workers. The Tai Dam language became infused with Lao. In the 1970s, Laos was undergoing a civil war and many of the Tai Dam became refugees and escaped into Thailand. Nearly 90 percent of Tai Dam refugees immigrated to the U.S. state of Iowa. The other 10 percent went to other places like Australia and France. After thousands of years of political oppression, the Tai Dam vowed they would stay together as a group. The Tai Dam are known as “the people without a country.” Iowa Governor Robert Ray and U.S. Cambodian Ambassador Dr. Kennith Quinn decided the state of Iowa would open its doors to the Tai Dam. Organizations and church groups sponsored families. A task force was developed to provide jobs for the refugees.

The ethnic group’s name originates from the traditional black skirts and headdresses worn by Tai Dam women. The black silk is embroidered with flowers and beautiful patterns. The belt is typically bright green. Tai Dam women still wear the traditional clothing, especially at ceremonies.

The Tai Dam do not have a defined religion, but practice ancestor worship as carried on by their Chinese heritage. Like the Chinese, they wear white at funerals as a symbol of grief. After the funeral but before the cremation, coins are thrown into the crowd. The dead are cremated with gold and silver jewelry. This practice originates from the belief the person’s dead spirit may need to produce payment into the spirit realm.

When the family finds a burial place, they sift through the ashes with water and pick out the melted jewelry for keepsakes before burying the ashes. Often food that includes a pig and fruit are set before the headstone as respect for the dead.

Pregnant women are not allowed at funerals for fear of spirits surrounding the situation, which Tai Dam believe can infiltrate the woman’s womb and be born through the fetus.

Family members are expected to cry and women are asked to scream loudly. To symbolize their grief, they cannot take a full shower or bath until after the funeral. They also cannot attend or throw parties, such as weddings and graduations, for up to one year. [Wikipedia/Creative Commons]