Vinayaka Chathurthi festival

Driving Lord Ganesha in my Tata Tiago for the festive moments at home...

Karthigai Deepam Festive Moments

With today being the third day of the Karthigai festival, bought the karthi and brought it home.

This is the first time I am firing it myself and making it revolve around above myself with my little kid with me.

Long shutter photographs were taken by my elder kid

FinePix F750EXR

Shutter : 8 Seconds

With tripod

14 Dec 2016

Kaarthigai Deepam

As my younger kid was enjoying Kaarthigai Deepam by firing sparklers and playing with them. I made a long shutter photography.

FinePix F750EXR Digital Camera
Shutter: 8 seconds
ISO - 100
12 Dec 2016

Pongal Festival at home

Pongal celebrations had been a grand one all these years in my life time here at my home. But this year, parents and grand parents went to Chennai for brother's home. As grandma and dad are both not well, the whole family was not able to travel back to Cuddalore to enjoy the festive celebrations.

So, we were at loss of the grandeur and me, wife and two kids were the only people this time here in Cuddalore to celebrate the Pongal festival.

All these years, there would be grandma who would have been keeping an eye on the traditional earthen stove. This stove is fired with twigs and fire wood. Often we encounter mistakes in maintaining a uniform flame and she intervenes to correct our mistakes.

The mistakes would be

1. We would have pushed too much twigs into the stove and snuff out the flame, resulting in too much smoke engulfing out of the stove.

2. People around would be suffering from soaring eyes due to the smoke. Folks (me or brother) behind the stove usually go away from the spot to escape the burning sensation.
 
3. Grandma would intervene and correct the system of the firewood inside the stove and shortly the fire engulfs, snuffing out our worries.

4. Sometimes  we push in too much twigs and the fire would be blowing in too fiercely and grandma intervenes to maintain uniformity.

So much of these years, we were in for a surprise and challenges in maintaining fire in this stove. At the end we enjoy at the sight of the boiling Paal (Milk) Pongal gushing out of the utensil.

This year was the first time ever in my life in which there is no one to guide us through. I was cooking alone in this challenging earthen stove. Wife was tied up with other chores to keep the festive going through. After setting up the placement of the system, she left. My kids helped in getting the fire wood and twigs nearer to the stove.

So, with a little dose of fear I sat in front of this stove. It was sheer luck that the whole process went on well. I kept to my idea of pushing twigs of small size at uniform intervals into the stove. So, the flame did not get off as well as not to grow much fiercly.

After some 15 minutes the Pongal boiled out and pushed the steel plate off and gave us some ecstatic  interesting moments.

A Pongal enjoyed well !
This too is a first time responsible experience which has come out well.

Happy Pongal!!

Photographer was my elder kid Suriya
Camera : FujiFilm F770EXR

Diwali has arrived

Its the festival of Diwali arriving this week. So is the appetite growing for doing some long shutter photography.

Yesterday managed to click a couple of interesting photographs of the flying sparklers.

Exif: 

Shutter : 4 Sec

ISO: 100

Aperture: F/6.5

Camera: FujiFilm JZ300 Point & Shoot

Clicking of Diwali moments

This Diwali it was a special one for two reasons.

1. Its my brother's Thalai Diwali

2. Its first diwali for my new digital camera (FujiFilm JZ300) too

 

The Deepavali Nonbu ritual marks the start of the festive spirit at home and here mum is performing the haarthi to the kalasam.

Amman in the form of kalasam adorns our home twice every year. Once during the Varalakshmi Nonbu which comes during the tamil month of Aadi and the next is during the Deepavali. 

The bursting of crackers happened for two days since there was a increase in inflow of the crackers. One bundle which was bought by me and another bundle found its way here once the new ponnu and mappillai (my brother) came back from their home with a big pack of crackers on the afternoon of Deepavali.

On the day of Deepavali we could manage bursting only one fourth of the cracker inventory since everybody were busy with the chores.

On the second day, we decided to finish off the rest. So, we went to the terrace to finish off all the crackers and also do the long shutter photography. My wife got influenced in photography, thanks to the cute little camera from FujiFilm. Gayathri tried some of the clicks, as well, do play with the firecrackers as I was clicking the long shutter pictures.

The ground chakkars did give some appetite followed by playing with some sparklers.

The design 8 being done by the new ponnu Saranya.

The new mappillai(my brother) tried the butterfly as I did this click.

Gayathri doing the circles.

Gayathri doing the star design, alas she has delayed completing it. So, the next try we did with some precision.

The person behind the camera gives the shout while clicking it, the person in front of the camera starts the action of drawing the art on the air. Ahhh, we achieved it. wow. The camera has the maximum of 4 seconds for the long shutter, it required some time for us to get the coordination.

Then Gayathri got to click the camera as I tried to make the sparkler revolve in some random paths. Ahhh, some sparks landed on me too. Should have tried with the kambi mathapu rather than the jaati sparkler. Alas by this time, all the inventory of kambi mathappu have gone dry.

Finally did get one good circle of the fire.

At last, we got tuned with the camera timing and finally got to record the shots with ease.

P.S.

Before starting this fireworks photography we kept a bucket of water nearby with a mug in it. We ensured that, our little kids are farther away from us and somebody should watch them. There is no flammable articles in the path of the slinging sparklers.

If you wanna try it, please ensure you abide to safety precautions. Playing with fire may prove otherwise. But, the pics will give you a festive moment whenever you recall them. That is photography.

Camera: FujiFilm JZ300 (Point & Shoot)

Long shutter delay used: 4 Seconds

Its Diwali time

We have started our Diwali festive spirit from yesterday.

Direly missing my childhood moments of pestering my Dad and Grandpa to fire those diwali sparklers and crackers and getting the goodies after some interesting moments.

Yesterday tried some photo tricks with the sparklers being lit by my kids. Succeeded in the second pic.

If you have a thought that burning of these fire crackers & sparklers are causing pollution, request you to click here

Happy Diwali to you all.

Its Vinayaka Chathurthi at home

Its Lord Vinayaka at my home
Chathurthi celebs were just over
Finished a sumptuous lunch with some kolukattais

Pongal celebrations at home

Its the festive season with the Thai month of the Tamil calendar bringing in new hopes for luck to happen. The Pongal festival marks the start of the month of Thai. At home, had a gala time while boiling of milk marks the festivity of the occassion. The boiling milk in the hot pot gave me anxious moments with myself having the camera to it at the right time while the boiling milk gushes off the pot.


Got it clicked. Yay !!


Do you notice the white vapors, those are of the milk added with it the sunlight giving an added effect.


The earthen stove makes its presence known only during this festivity.



The pot, the flame, the stove
Yay !!
Pongaloo pongal

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to you all.
Christmas kolam by Lavanya & Sowmya - My neighbourhood school going girls...

Ganesh Chaturthi Celebrations at Home

Its Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations at home. Happened to click this wonderfully coloured clay idol of Lord Ganesh while the boy was bringing it from the shop to neighbour's house.
Had gulped Kozhukattais, Delicious Vada & Sweety Payasam for the lunch.
More about Ganesh Chaturthi here

Pongal celebrations

Its festival time.


Pongal celebrations started with little ones in my neighboring house doing a kolam depicting the Mattu (Cow) Pongal. This kolam was drawn by Miss.Prianka my neighbour who is studying VI standard



The firing up of the traditional stove to start the festive event.


With fire going up we were waiting for the milk to boil out and push off to the brim of the utensil.


Yep, the festive treat captured on my mobile camera.

Happy Pongal wishes.

Merry Christmas

The Christmas Kolam drawn at my house today morning.
Merry Christmas !