A Trip to Varkala – Part 2

In the beginning there was the sea,
Then there was a coconut tree,
And then a glass was placed in front of it,
And I thought it was good.

So, in the Part 1 of my travelogue, I told you how I made the trip from the east coast of India to the west to visit a charming little sea-side town called Varkala. Relatively unknown by the general populace, it makes for a fantastic getaway nevertheless. Be it for just a weekend, or months together. Varkala is one place where you can find time slipping by without notice as you lazily amble through the day. And like I said, it is one place I wouldn’t mind moving to for good if I could.

It is also obvious why the average see-all-the-things tourist might give this place a miss, because “technically” speaking, Varkala just has a beach (with a cliff, though), a temple and a handful of restaurants that serve good food. Just as well, because Varkala is not a place you come to to see things. It’s where you come to relax and rejuvenate yourself. Basking in the glorious sunsets everyday on an ever changing beach, letting the whiff of fresh air from the sea sweep over you, and taking in the splendid beauty of the coconut trees lined up pretty much everywhere – it’s an assault to the senses in the most pristine form.

And that is what you do best in Varkala. Nothing.

Triumph – It’s a wrap for Photo 101

When I think of triumph, my mind immediately lands on this one photo. This is a full moon, captured at mid-night over a beach. It was the very first time that I tried Long Exposure photography on my Lumia. And what a place and subject to try it on too. I was ecstatic with the results as the actual night was no so bright at all. You know how full moon nights really are. It made me wonder how this camera is able to capture light that is not actually present. It’s only later I understood the technical details behind it.

I’ll also remember those nights. Just me and my friends, on an almost deserted beach. Settling down on a fishing boat and talking about all kinds of random stuff while watching the moon rise over the sea. It’s a strangely satisfying experience.

The moon is not round, I know! My hand shook! -_-

Boats, and more boats!

Yes, yes, I know that today’s theme for Photo 101 is water and not boats! But you see – unbeknownst to me, I was harboring (pun intended) a fascination for boats ever since I’ve moved to the sea-side city.

So I have lots of photos indeed of boats on a beach. I like how it adds an other dimension to the seascape. Chennai has a thriving fishermen population and you see fishing boats almost everywhere on the seashore. I get quite curious to see them preparing their nets early morning. Venturing out into the sea in their humble little motorized boats, praying they’ll get a good catch. A lot of effort goes indeed to get the fish onto your plate.

It’s staring back at you.

And here’s one vertical shot as well!

Oh, and do screenshots from video games count? 😛 This one’s from Skyrim, one of the most beautiful games ever made! So I do a fair bit of ‘photography’ inside the game world too.

Enveloped

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Enveloped.”

This one’s from atop the lighthouse. The setting sun and the protective mesh provided a great opportunity to play with the framing a bit! 🙂 Taken with my Lumia as usual and slightly adjusted in Adobe Photoshop Expess this time.