Uploads from ImranAnwar, tagged nikon, with geodata

The Light(House) At "The End" (Montauk) Of No Tunnel - IMRAN™ -- 350+ Views! -- Explored!

nobody@flickr.com (ImranAnwar) — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 03:45:03 -0800

ImranAnwar posted a photo:

My 62nd Photo to make it in Flickr Explore on January 28, 2013!

As 2012 was drawing to an end, and I was making fresh new starts in my life, I had the company of an absolutely gorgeous companion from Christmas Eve, into the New Year….. several of our many firsts together.

We drove to Montauk, which stands for "The End" in the native American language of the tribe that once ruled this part of the land, at the end of the Eastern-most point on Long Island and I believe New York state.

Even as the sun was setting behind us, the lighthouse in front of us, closed for seasonal repairs, but glowing even redder in the sunset's glow, was a reminder, it was The Light(house) At "The End" (of no tunnel but a long journey).

May God give us all the blessings to have fresh new starts, and bright days ahead.

© 2012-2013 IMRAN
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The End (Of Day At) The End (Of 2012 At Montauk) The End - IMRAN™ -- (SOOC) -- 350+ Views!

nobody@flickr.com (ImranAnwar) — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 02:24:10 -0800

ImranAnwar posted a photo:

SOOC Image Straight Out Of Camera!! NO editing, tweaking, or color processing of ANY kind. Only framed & titled in Photoshop..

There were few who were not impacted by the (few) ups and (many) downs of the last few years.

As 2012 drew to a close, by the grace of God, it appeared that the number of ups was up, the number of downs counting down, like the hours, and minutes, to the end of the year.

Though the global economy, the nation, and my own personal challenges had not fully come back from the edge of the (fiscal) cliffs, there was a sense of optimism I felt like a soft but unsure sigh of relief the world wanted to let out.

Even though 2012 had proven to be a year of uncertainty initially, for the most part it seemed to be the year that also brought a turnaround, in the economy, in hope, in life, and in love. But, all in all, poor 2012 was lumped more with the terrible years of 2009-2011 that brought so much devastation and sorrow to so many.

It was then so poetically ironic to take this picture, with a very special someone coming into my life, as many new goals, destinations, and dreams also started coming back into view, as we stood, in the freezing cold wind at Montauk (meaning "The End" in native American languages, at the Eastern tip of Long Island and New York), as the cold day, and a warming but still cold year started to disappear from view….

It was the beginning (of beautiful new times) and the beginning of The End (Of Day At) The End (Of 2012 At Montauk) The End !

Happy New Year, my friends, and may 2013 bring good fortune, love, life, health, prosperity and peace to all. Amen.

© 2012-2013 IMRAN
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BaltiMore Sun(Set!) - IMRAN™ -- 650+ Views! Explored!

nobody@flickr.com (ImranAnwar) — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 04:50:28 -0800

ImranAnwar posted a photo:

My 60th Photo to make it in Flickr Explore on December 13, 2012!

I had to be in the Washington, DC area for meetings, and flying Southwest Airlines to BWI airport is the most convenient way. Except this trip.

I had pulled an all-nighter for all day and all week meetings in DC, on top of a difficult personal challenges filled week! Prayers appreciated my friends.

So I got to the airport early 0500 for the 0630 flight of 55 minutes. Due to fog at BWI, we could not take take off and a one hour trip became 11 hours in an airplane seat.

I could've walked faster, as I joked. Then some passengers who were allowed to walk around the terminal just left for home without telling anyone, so we had a person by person identification against a paper list. If it was an Extra passenger I'd say it was my evil twin brother. LOL. Instead we were a few passengers short.

By the time the check was done, BWI had closed landings again so we missed our take off slot! What a joke that process was. I did get to the hotel that night, ironically one I had last stayed at when it was brand new, 7 years ago. It took 12 hours door to door! I wondered if the local newspapers, the Baltimore Sun, had given news coverage to the delays.

But, by the next day, the weather had cleared, and that evening I was able to catch this spectacular sunset from my pocket Nikon 6200, through the unopenable and not perfectly clean 9th floor hotel window. Zooming it to the max ensured the window's impact on the photo was minimized, as I caught more of the BaltiMore Sun(Set). :-)

© 2012 IMRAN
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The Bridge To The Sun - IMRAN™ -- 500+ Views!

nobody@flickr.com (ImranAnwar) — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 07:52:43 -0800

ImranAnwar posted a photo:

We can go through decades of life and the realize how quickly the days of our lives flew by. I wonder if the sun, hurtling on its own one-way ticket to burning out in the heavens one day, wonders how quickly its own billions of years of existence have flown by.

The last few weeks, months, even the year, have been a blur… of downs and ups, of sorrows and joys, despair and hope, but above all, a certain knowledge of how blessed this amazing life has been, and seeing dreams start turning to reality in front of my eyes.

An irony of these few weeks has been the destruction of the boardwalk to my beach here on Long Island, due to hurricane Sandy. The debris on the alternate path kept me from visiting the beach as much as before, so, I did not catch as many sunsets at the beach as before. Last night, well, just 5 PM EST really, I braved the really cold wind, and walking over debris fields, fallen tree trunks and treacherous piles of wood, to step back onto my home beach that I have been blessed to live at for nearly 20 years.

And, I saw the ironic imagery of how the setting sun's burning orb colors were exactly touching the tip of the bridge 17 miles away that the Nikon D300 and Nikkor 300mm (450mm eq) lens caught even with my trembling cold hands.

The Bridge To The Sun, which is the bridge to what makes our lives possible on earth, which are the bridge from when we are born to when our sun sets, and we, once born from stars, burn out in the cosmic winds leaving behind, we hope, shining images in the memories of those who love us, even better replicas of us in those whom we give birth to, and our deeds, and how we made people feel, and how we lived, laughed and loved to our last breaths…..

© 2012 IMRAN
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Stained Grass Wing Do? Bad Puns Seen On Good Fun Scene - IMRAN™ -- 400+ Views!

nobody@flickr.com (ImranAnwar) — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 05:00:24 -0700

ImranAnwar posted a photo:

I was about throw some burgers on the grill to savor the passing days of end Summer on Long Island, New York, as a strong onshore wind started picking up, carrying with it news of thunderstorms arriving tomorrow.

The butterfly bushes on my back deck were swinging wildly, but I saw several tenacious butterflies still at work. I only had the Nikon D300 with a 300mm (450mm eq.) zoom lens on the kitchen counter, so I grabbed it, and zoomed in full power. My attempt was to catch the butterfly and flowers lit by the sun but with the pale blue sky as the background.

It was impossible to get perfect focus, with the wind, the swinging bush branches, the fluttering wings and that it was a handheld maximum telephoto picture being taken of a butterfly barely a few feet away from me.

I still felt I should post the picture because of the shocking colors and textures I caught on the butterfly. They reminded me of stained glass windows and rich fabrics in famous cathedrals…. with straining Stained like Wings the grassy green leaves visible, as the butterfly did what it had to Do…. Stained Grass Wing Do was what I muttered to myself as a bad punny sounding title for this photo…

© 2012 IMRAN
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Butterfly / Bush / (Whacked) - IMRAN™ -- 700+ Views! Explored!

nobody@flickr.com (ImranAnwar) — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 00:02:52 -0700

ImranAnwar posted a photo:

My 58th Photo to make it in Flickr Explore on August 26, 2012!

I'll have to learn Spanish just to make the landscapers stop chopping off my Butterfly Bushes during hedge trimming. They did it twice this year but I managed to save the bushes the most recent time.

There was still enough time for them to bloom again, rising to about 9 feet, though much less than the 12-15' high they had gotten mid-summer. An amazing growth considering I planted these a dozen years ago, and each was less than one foot tall.

Like all past years, this weekend the butterflies again came out in force, even three at a time on each flowering branch. All peacefully savoring nature's bounty, while their wings showed scars of surviving encounters with predators.

My downstairs deck is filled with the sweet aroma of the bushes, and the dazzling colors of these lovely winged creatures, including a stunning midnight blue one that got away before the Nikon could capture it in a net of photons and electrons. Maybe next time!

© 2012 IMRAN
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Palm ~ Beach. Far From Palm Beach! - IMRAN™ -- 1200+ Views!

nobody@flickr.com (ImranAnwar) — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 23:44:36 -0700

ImranAnwar posted a photo:

Palm Beach, Florida, one of the most affluent, and classy, places in the world, is also one of my favorite places to have lived in. Singer Island, the location of my old Tiara condo, and the mega rich Palm Beach Island, have some of the most stunning Atlantic Ocean waters and beautiful beaches with palm trees lining the roads, and the area.

I finally got to visit the Gulf of Mexico side of Florida several times this year, including a beautiful memories-making trip to the Naples, Fort Myers Beach, and Captiva/Sanibel areas culminating in another visit to Apollo Beach and Tampa Bay.

It was on my first evening in Fort Myers Beach (the island side) that I captured this sunset view from my resort balcony showing a stunning silhouette of trees against the melting pink vanilla gold sky.

A vision of Palm ~ Beach, far from Palm Beach! I am sure you will love this photograph.

© 2012 IMRAN
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I, Solitary Soul, Eye Sole, A Tree, See By Sea - IMRAN™ -- 500+ Views! Explored!

nobody@flickr.com (ImranAnwar) — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 02:41:08 -0700

ImranAnwar posted a photo:

My 56th Photo to make it in Flickr Explore on June 24, 2012!

Despite living in America for nearly 25 years, and despite having had a second home in Florida for nearly half of that time, I had never been to the Gulf Coast, ever, until earlier this year.

My nearly 2 weeks driving along the Gulf coast of Florida was a fascinating part of a nearly 3 weeks long drive I did along the entire Florida coastline.

This is definitely not a straight out of camera photo. It was during a detour to a remote, nearly desolate peninsula, near Bald Point State Park, that I, a solitary soul, eyed this sole tree stump, standing open in seeming solitary confinement under the punishing sky raining fiery heat on it day in, day out.

The hazy weather, and ironically, a completely accidentally screwed up camera setting led to a photo that was interesting in subject, but boring visually. As I was trying to undo the damage of the wrong settings in Photoshop at home in New York, a few wildly (and randomly) applied settings led to this almost 3D effect, which I thought made it visually, and conceptually, interesting enough to share.

I hope you will enjoy this random output.

© 2012 IMRAN
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Clouds On Fire - IMRAN™ -- 850+ Views!

nobody@flickr.com (ImranAnwar) — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 02:51:39 -0700

ImranAnwar posted a photo:

I have been traveling most of the last several months of this year. So I have not had much time to post photos, even though I have taken many more than usual.

I hope you enjoy this fiery red sky, clouds on fire, above the Great South Bay, at Smith Point Beach, near my home on Long Island, New York.

© 2012 IMRAN
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I Am Amaryllis - IMRAN™ -- 2000+ Views! Explored! Front Page!

nobody@flickr.com (ImranAnwar) — Mon, 07 May 2012 00:01:37 -0700

ImranAnwar posted a photo:

My 55th Photo to make it in Flickr Explore on May 7, 2012!

Click to see larger!

Two years ago I was at a local home fixtures store when I saw a packaged bulb-in-a-pot offer for what looked like a lovely flower photo on the cardboard carton.

Even for someone who does not actively garden, I am blessed with having a green thumb (except when it comes to enough Dollars… that color green always slips through my fingers too fast LOL).

I purchased it, and planted the included bulb and dirt in the silver-painted plastic container.

I was thrilled when the bulb shot up stem a few months later and a beautiful set of flowers erupted.

I do not think I got a chance to photograph that set. Later, I ignored the instructions on how to take out the bulb and store it and how to revive it next season.

First two, and then just a single long green blade stayed alive for another year.

I just lightly watered the pot every few months. And, just when I got home from a long trip abroad, I was thrilled to see this explosion of sweet, stunning, shining, shimmering pink flowers all bloom within a two day period, shouting….

I Am Amarlyliis!.

Even without any special place to photograph them, I took pictures with the iPhone 4S and the Nikon D300, and they came out looking like an art gallery exhibit of white on white against my simple jacuzzi bathroom wall.

I had to change my usual framing colors to honor this simply stunning pink flowering plant. I hope you enjoy this beautiful flower as much as I am even as I write these lines.

© 2012 IMRAN
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Clock Tower, Sea Time - IMRAN™ -- 1200+ Views! 50 Comments

nobody@flickr.com (ImranAnwar) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 01:58:14 -0700

ImranAnwar posted a photo:

Delighted I am now a Getty Images Artist!

Singer Island, Florida, is a place I fell in love with when I made it my second home in America in 2003.

One of the nearby places I loved going with special people in life has been Palm Beach, the ritzy but understated, island home-ground and playground of the rich and (many choosing NOT to be) famous. In particular, Worth Avenue is a great place to hang out, where old money meets new glitz. Fancy stores of the world's most posh brands stand next to understated elegant dining. Expensive cars that seem to flash irritatingly in Miami appear to be quietly parked along the street as their owners quietly and without pretense walk the sidewalks.

On the East end of Worth Avenue, a maor renovation was done recently, which included the building of this clock tower. Its architecture has elicited diverse comments, but the view from inside and around it is wonderful.

My last trip here recently was on a stormy night, and the rain was falling on me as I stood by the roadside, taking advantage of low traffic at that dusk hour, when the sky was still bright but the lights were turning on, when the clouds were menacing, but the sea was welcoming.

As I stood there, I realized, as the seconds of our lives go by, standing under a Clock Tower, Sea Time and distance merging at the horizon, you see time through a portal, the image merging time gone by and the endless promise of a beautiful life still ahead, despite the storms on the horizon.

Handheld photo captured with my spare Nikon (pocket sized 16MP Coolpix 6200 ISO1600, f/3.2 at half-second 4.5mm), as I did not want to risk damaging the D300 in the rain.

© 2012 IMRAN
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Pigeon, Homing - IMRAN™ -- 1200+ Views! 60+ Comments

nobody@flickr.com (ImranAnwar) — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 00:05:57 -0700

ImranAnwar posted a photo:

I stood on the shore of Pompano Beach, Florida, more than a thousand miles from the shore of my NY home, and not too far from where I had my second home in Florida.

I was soaking in the late winter sun, the stunning turquoise blue waters, and foaming white surf.

I stopped to take a photo of this wild pigeon, thinking how a breed of this bird can be used as a carrier/homing pigeon that can travel a thousand miles on its own.

It can fly at 50 mph for long distances and even up to 110 mph over short races.

As I contemplated this and looked at the bird, it in turn observed me. It sat there for a while, and then suddenly took off.

I only had an instant to change focus, while the bird focused on the mission at hand.

It was hard to do on a manual focus 300mm-450mm eq zoom which barely had space to focus on the pier wood a few feet from me.

But, in that instant, the shallow depth of field was perfect to catch the pigeon, the moment after it launched, it's wings stretched almost like an eagle's, as it homed in on the Nikon Moment.... Pigeon, Homing!

The Nikon D300 caught the spectacular blue and white rolling surf and sea, the dark grained wood, and the sharp, intensely focused glare of the piegeon's menacing orange ringed eye…. while the sun behind my shoulder reflected its shoulders brightly, making it an intense, interesting and incredible moment.

I hope your imagination also takes off on seeing this photo as you, I, we all, home in our goals in life, in this time we share on this planet.

© 2012 IMRAN
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Sun. At Half Mast. Literally. - IMRAN™ -- [SOOC] -- 1700+ Views & Front page, #36 In Explore!

nobody@flickr.com (ImranAnwar) — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 01:35:44 -0700

ImranAnwar posted a photo:

My 53rd Photo to make it in Flickr Explore on April 6, 2012!

SOOC. Image Straight Out Of Camera, absolutely unedited and untouched. (Only frame and titles added in Photoshop.)

I am blessed to live on the water, looking at glorious silky satin smooth silver blue waters in the morning and luscious, brilliant sunsets and dusks, from all the windows of my blessed home on Long Island, New York.

The beach my home is on also gives me magical moments to savor, to make memories in, and to photograph sunsets.

But, sometimes the stunning imagery lies to the side of the house, if I walk out the ftont door and head to my boat slip or beach, the setting sun behind the marina to the side makes for interesting combinations, of sun, clouds, and sailboat masts.

This latest photo I captured at the side of the home was of the Sun sliding down behind the sailboat while the clouds seem like wave passing in front of the… Sun. At Half Mast. Literally!

I hope you enjoy this totally unedited SOOC photo. Click to see larger and on black.

© 2012 IMRAN
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Seas, Family, Droppin' Sun; An Ode To Swiss Family Robinson - IMRAN™ -- 1200+ Views! 75+ Comments. Explored!

nobody@flickr.com (ImranAnwar) — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 03:43:58 -0700

ImranAnwar posted a photo:

My 52nd Photo to make it in Flickr Explore on March 27, 2012!

Many of you will recall the story of Swiss Family Robinson, shipwrecked on an island and having to face some tough challenges.

Because of a very complicated phase of my life in the last three years (in which I basically lost almost everything I had built and acquired,, I did not get a chance to return to Florida until recently. I had missed being in the Tiara, I believe the tallest building on sand, that housed the delightful second (third really if you count Lahore and New York) home I was blessed with having. But, for too many years I had not returned to the building, or even to the area.

Finally, I did, on March 13, 2012 . Taking this photo with the Nikon D300, from the balcony I took some gorgeous shots with my then delightful Nikon 5700 reminded me again why I love Palm Beach and Singer Island so much.

The stunning colors of the water, changing shdes of blue in front of your eyes, changing hues as passing clouds and time of day change light conditions.

As I focused my camera to about 500 feet below and away from my balcony, I noticed how the sun, setting behind my shoulder was casting a reddish glow on the already rich toned skins of this family… hopefully not facing the challenges of Swiss Family Robinson and instead making this moment one of Seas, Family, Droppin' Sun!

I am certain you will love the moment as much as I did.

© 2012 IMRAN
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Haze Engulfs Gulf Sun, Bird Dives To Devour Prey At Sunset - IMRAN™ [SOOC] Click To See Full Impact -- 1450+ Views! 80+ Comments

nobody@flickr.com (ImranAnwar) — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 03:06:48 -0700

ImranAnwar posted a photo:

SOOC. Image colors absolutely unedited and untouched. (Only frame and titles added in Photoshop with 1.8 degree straightening). Just a 4MB JPG from the Nikon D300 at ISO200 0EV f/13 1/640 seconds 170 mm zoom handheld shot.

I have been coming to Florida since I moved to USA in 1989. But I had never been to the Gulf coast. In 2012 I decided to embark on a nearly 3 weeks long trip driving along the entire Florida coastline.

I flew from Long Island into Orlando and started there. I first drove to Cape Canaveral as a salute to those who have traveled much further than I can imagine traveling. From a trip to the NASA turf, I moved on, going on from Merritt Island, and Titusville, I drove North to Jacksonville, then West all the way across the state's width to the edge near Alabama.

Then, I headed East again... I drove along the coastal highway, everywhere from Pensacola, Navarre Beach, Destin, Panama City Beach, Carrabelle, Crawfordville, Deadman's Bay and Steinhatchee, the Cedar Key area, on to New Port Richey, Tampa Bay, and Apollo Beach.

I went by Naples on to the Keys (where I have flown to before and posted pictures of) and then on to attend a great party in Miami for the weekend. Miami was my third home for about 3 years until my Father's death in Pakistan.

I then went to Fort Lauderdale and Pompano Beach (see the YouTube video at youtube.com/imrananwar ) & then on to Palm Beach (dinner and shopping are unmatched on Worth Avenue) and on to my favorite second-home place - Singer Island. (Some of my earliest photos on Flickr are from my 37th floor condo balcony there). I then drove back up to Merritt Island, past Stuart and Hutchinson Island (where I had started my second-US-home search 10 years ago, before buying on Singer Island), finally completing my more than 2 weeks and more than 2000 miles full coastal trip of Florida.

This was my first sunset capture on the Gulf of Mexico. I was driving along the coastal highway (98) after seeing some Blue Angels fly by, as I watched USAF fighter jets practice high speed chases while other jets flew around behind me at Tyndall Air Force Base. My FaceBook status update says it best....

2 Blue Angels pass me tree level port side, 2 USAF fighters heading straight at me Tyndall Air Force Base & I just saw F15 bank hard starboard behind me!.... I have visual. iPhone is active. Switching to Nikon. Nikon active. Flipping to auto. In range. Beep! Beep! [whirring]... I have Focus. I have tone. I have lock. I shoot! Got him! Shoot again... Got both.... Awesome! This Maverick is heading home!
:-)

(Sorry, I'm a kid when it comes to planes especially Air Force!)

After that aerial excitement, it was time to continue my land based journey along the waters of the United States' Gulf coast.

As I approached Mexico Beach, I realized that the sun would set soon. It did not look like a particularly exciting day for a sunset, seemingly too clear, with no clouds. But I remembered how the best sunset photo I ever took in my life was taken on a very boring day in Miami.

So, I pulled over, went to a local food place, grabbed a sandwich, with a soda, and settled in on the beach. A light haze was visible in the distance. I took my iPhone 4S, the Nikon 6200 and the wonderful Nikon D300 expecting an average sunset, and almost tempted to leave when it appeared to only show typical light yellowish overexposed skies about 30 minutes prior to the full sunset. But, I chose to stay on, sacrificing some coastal scenery in the drive ahead of me, for an instinctive feeling that something special could still happen.

Little did I know that the almost invisible layer of haze would lead to one of the most spectacular sunsets I have ever captured, as it almost turned into a black frame around the sun. This is the moment I was able to capture.... the Haze enGulfing the sun as a bird prepared to plunge into the Gulf waters to catch and devour its prey, as the day fell victim to the swooping night. Sun/Bird… enGulf & Devour.

© 2012 IMRAN
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Full Fall Fills Floor Of Forest Under Falling Sun - IMRAN™ -- 450+ Views! Explored!

nobody@flickr.com (ImranAnwar) — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 00:35:00 -0800

ImranAnwar posted a photo:

My 51st Photo to make it in Flickr Explore on February 28, 2012!

I was fascinated by the shape of the twisted tree, and the endless carpet of fallen leaves walking through a relatively unknown but surprisingly lovely water surrounded park opposite the Moriches Inlet, in New York.

The falling (winter actually) sun (seen by its shaft of saturated golden light on the right and leaves on the bottom right) was in starl contrast to the almost turquoise colored growth on the dark dead wood with some evergreens providing a dash of color.

The range of color depth in this otherwise seemingly one-colored photo made this a 13.1MB JPG!

© 2012 IMRAN
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Glowing Swan / Lake Re(ar)view - IMRAN™ -- 400+ Views!

nobody@flickr.com (ImranAnwar) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 04:54:05 -0800

ImranAnwar posted a photo:

I am just mixing up the style and subjects of photos I post here, as 2012 will shape up to be a year of major changes in my life.

I will have less time to post also, especially as I am traveling in Asia this quarter.

This is just an 'ordinary' shot compared to some of the wonderful landscapes and sunsets I have savored looking at and photographing. But this winter NY shot, on a murky brackish lake walking distance from my home, took longer to execute as the swan moved about.

I had to wait until it was perfectly framed within the hanging dead branches that would spring to life in Spring. If you look closely you cn still see the reflection of the swan on the greenish gray water, and even see the tuft of grass hanging from it's beak. This is not an SOOC shot, as I played with it in Photoshop. The swan's beak was in sharp focus but I tried a bit of a diffused glow effect to see what it would look like. It makes the swan glow softly but can make it appear out of focus because of that effect. I did not have time to play with it more as I wanted to post something while traveling non-stop for 3 days, in 3 countries.

I am posting this in the same Album (Gorgeous Greens) where I posted a photo of a swan on the same lake in lush green colors. I am not sure if it is the same swan wondering why I keep following it for so many years. :-)

I would love to have your feedback because I was not sure if I should post this shot. It had over 100+ Views on TwitPic where I test-posted it, so decided to try it here.

Let me know your thoughts, my friends. Best wishes from Pakistan...

© 2012 IMRAN
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Dark Of The Moon - IMRAN™ -- 600+ Views! Congrats on Stopping SOPA!

nobody@flickr.com (ImranAnwar) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 01:02:51 -0800

ImranAnwar posted a photo:

SOOC Image Straight Out Of Camera!! NO editing, tweaking, cropping, of ANY, ANY kind. Only framed in Photoshop & saved image as merely a 0.5MB JPG.

On the occassion of the STOP SOPA campaigns, I wanted to support the campaign by making the image black, but found a more creative way to do it. With that, and after the massive popularity of the recent Transformers 3, Dark Of The Moon, movie, this was a perfect photo to complete the transition of my last several photos to something completely different.

The previous several photos had color themes transitioning from red to gold to orange to multi-colored bright smiling face of a pretty blonde with a golden sunlight halo.

So, a dark night, with no Dark Knight to Transform the darkness, or crusade against global governments slow and inexorable movement to colonize the Internet, was the perfect time to go from the bright colored previous photo to this totally natural, but almost black and white, full moon rising over my home in NY.

The Black and Dark Gray color theme was to complete the contrast from my previous photo, and to support the STOP SOPA efforts by leading web sites blacking out their pages to protest those government attempts to curb freedoms.

I am all for intellectual property rights, but not for them being used by governments to start controlling the avenues of free expression… of ideas, of dissent, of opinion, of protest, even of creativity.

Maybe we are howling at the moon, but the wolf, my dear friends, is often dressed in threads of government suits, regardless of what country or political system we live under.

© 2011-2012 IMRAN
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Less Weight More Smile Wait Less Waitress California - IMRAN™ -- 1000+ Views!

nobody@flickr.com (ImranAnwar) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 00:37:36 -0800

ImranAnwar posted a photo:

SOOC Image Straight Out Of Camera!! NO editing, tweaking, cropping, of ANY, ANY kind. Only framed in Photoshop & saved image as 5.5MB JPG.

My first trip to San Francisco had been after I moved to the USA in 1989. I flew there to meet my brother who had flown in from Pakistan via Tokyo. Our plan was to meet there, and then make a trip to Los Angeles with my old Lahore neighbor, friend, partner in my Internet business and co-founder of the .PK Internet email system, Ashar Nisar who had moved to the Silicon Valley area the same year.

During that trip we drove to LA but took the fastest highway routes. Over the years I also flew the SFO-LAX route a few times. But, going down the famed California Pacific Coast Highway was something it took me 22 years to getting around to doing.

Making it a 2-day trip, I had a beautiful trip. {See the Big Sur photo previously posted here. }

One stop was at Stearns Wharf, in Santa Barbara, to get a late lunch.

This naturally lovely, very sweet, fun, and very service driven young waitress at a place called Longboards Grill was a delight. And in that late afternoon falling sunlight casting a glow around her light hair and face, perfectly lighting up the deck umbrellas in an explosion of colors framing the picture, it became a lovely memory of a gorgeous moment, a beautiful girl, a great trip, and a collection of gorgeous colors.

I will have to dig up the contact info she gave me to tell her this timeless photo of hers is among the very few of non-landscape/nature shots I post here. {See Cat's Eye, for example.}

Slim, slender, fit, happy, smiling, serving food quickly, she was all about being a Less Weight, More Smile, Wait Less, Waitress!

© 2011-2012 IMRAN
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Nikon D300 ISO200 95mm 0EV f/7.1 1/200 sec.

DazzLILYing! Dazzling Lily - IMRAN™ -- 800+ Views!

nobody@flickr.com (ImranAnwar) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:15:00 -0800

ImranAnwar posted a photo:

SOOC Image Straight Out Of Camera!! NO editing, tweaking, of ANY kind. I did not even remove the tiny speck that was on my camera sensor until I had it cleaned by Nikon. Only framed in Photoshop .

Even though I am partial to Stargazer Lilies, especially when I plant them at my home in NY, my next door neighbor often picks out spectacular colored varities to plant.

This Lily's spectacular colors, best seen as a Wallpaper on a 27" screen, had breathtaking colors of nature, that just took my breath away. The depth and richness of tones, the shine, the texture, made this a Dazzling Lily just Dazzlilying to photograph.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

© 2011 IMRAN
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