Dood’s Photo of the Day

Originally clicked and uploaded by – Pratosh Dwivedi – 14th Oct’08

I was walking through a crowded side-walk in downtown Mexico City when it struck me that maybe a photo here would look good. So I took out my camera, leaned against a lamp post and started clicking arbitrarily. Of all the shots I got I somehow liked this one the most.

Only after transferring the photos and seeing them in full size, I realized that this man on the left of the image was giving me such a what-the-hell-are-you-doing stare

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Originally clicked and uploaded by – Pratosh Dwivedi – 11th Oct’08

Xochimilco is a small tourist attraction near Mexico City. It has a stretch of water in the form of small river-like stagnant lake. You can hire a boat with seating capacity varying from 10-25 people. People usually go there with proper “partying” arrangements like music, food and beer. It takes around 2 hours to take a full round of the lake and you can see numerous boats floating around with each one hosting a small party.

Apart from the boats carrying people, there are other smaller ones which offer a variety of other services like food, flowers and even music. carefully looking, its a small business model in its own.

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Originally clicked and uploaded by – Pratosh Dwivedi – 14th Aug’08

I remember my time as a kid when I used to be really fascinated by these soap bubbles floating in the air. I precisely remember one instance when I had to cry for more than an hour to convince my mom for buying one for me. Later me and my friends started experimenting to make the thing at our home itself. We dissolved some soap powder in water & took the body of a sketch pen as the thing to blow in. It was such a joyous moment when we did it ourselves for the first time, because now we didnt have to run after anyone to buy the “bubble toy” for us

I relived those moments through a child who was running through these bubbles, trying to burst any many as she could. Now I think that a photo of her running through the bubbles would have been better than the one I am posting today

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Originally clicked and uploaded by – Pratosh Dwivedi – 13th Aug’08

I love taking closeup shots of flowers, specially the ones which do not have much complexity in their texture and design. The one you can see in the picture falls under my favorite category of “clickable” flowers. I really like going right up & close to them and shooting them in entirety, with the flower occupying the whole frame. I have posted a couple more of such shots previously on this blog. I hope the regular visitors remember that

If you see the full image, you can actually see the fine grains on the those black things at the center, which I suppose is the pollen of the flower. I enjoy observing such minute details in pictures.

BTW, anyone knows which flower it is? Lilly?

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Originally clicked and uploaded by – Pratosh Dwivedi – 12th Aug’08

Mexico has a rich ancient cultural heritage in the form of the Aztecs. Aztecs were the indigenous people & the original inhabitants of the country before it was influenced and transformed by Spanish colonization.

Almost everywhere in the country you can see this cultural heritage on display. It can be seen in the form of pyramids, gastronomy or even minute expressions like tribal dances. You go out for a trip on a weekend and you can see groups of people dressed in huge tribal attires, dancing to loud thumping music of drums. A typical dance troupe has them all; men, women and children. The atmosphere has a sort of enchanting effect and you just can’t help yourself from standing there and enjoying the dance for hours.

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Originally clicked and uploaded by – Pratosh Dwivedi – 11th Aug’08

Everyone expects their share of a peaceful rest after a long tiring journey. But for some the struggle of the journey never ends. They have to toil hard even when the end is near. They just don’t have the option to relax even when they know that this may be the last phase of their struggle with life. Because even if its some handful of moments left, they have to fight to survive through them. They cant stop, they just have to move on – for the sake of living.

I saw this old man on one of the pavements in downtown Mexico City. When I first saw him, his fingers were striking against the chords of his guitar just to make some sound. As I got nearer to him, his movements became slower. By the time I clicked the photo & went near to him to put a coin in his bowl, we was already sleeping. He looked so tired and stressed. Even the sound of the coin striking against the bowl didn’t wake him.

Just observe closely the things kept around him & you will realize how hard he has to struggle just to survive yet another day. I thank him to provide such a meaningful image to my blog and to teach me a lesson or two about life.

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Originally clicked and uploaded by – Pratosh Dwivedi – 10th Aug’08

Have you ever realized (only the religious & faithful among you) that your head bends down by itself as soon as you come in front of God or to say literally, in front of any of his material existences like in a temple, mosque or a church ? Some may explain this as a mere habit we have developed, but I really think otherwise. For a not-such-a-firm-believer like me – who is still struggling to find out whether he really believes in God or somewhere deep inside he is an atheist – its really surprising to find myself standing “head down” in front of the almighty before I even realize that I am actually doing that.

I’ve been to many churches lately & observed the above mentioned phenomenon closely. Whether God exists or not, people who are really devoted to his existence surely find tremendous peace and solace in his so called abodes.

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Originally clicked and uploaded by – Pratosh Dwivedi – 27th June’08

Love is one pure feeling in this world which binds one and all; humans and animals alike. There is no better view of nature than to see two souls entangled in the magical strings of love. Love someone & you find yourself living in a completely different world, where all it matters is how you can love more.

I captured these love birds in my camera from my apartment in Mexico City while they were busy singing the love song

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Originally clicked and uploaded by – Pratosh Dwivedi – 26th June’08

I was walking through a local flower exhibition near Zona Rosa, Mexico City when I came across this colorful display of tiny chillies. A combination of Red, Yellow & Green spread across the floor was a fabulous scene to look at. One small pot of these colorful chillies was sold at 50 Mexican Pesos, which is around 200 Indian rupees.

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Originally clicked and uploaded by – Pratosh Dwivedi – 25th June’08

Its really amazing how a photographer looks while taking a picture. He becomes completely oblivious of his surroundings and all he has in his mind is the scene he is concentrating on. We usually find them in awkward positions; sometimes half bent, sometimes leaning backwards, sometimes almost lying flat on the ground Thats the magic photography does on serious pursuers.

I knew what the lady is aiming at, but I am still not sure what the guy sitting below is up to

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