Let There Be Light

Maybe We Can String Something Together Here

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

I was in a hurry on a hot, humid morning in Calcutta, India, in October 2006 when I noticed something interesting. This unusual stack, part of what must have been hundreds of light bulbs, had just been taken down from the facade of a residential apartment block.

The lights had been used to illuminate the building during the festive Puja season, in an age-old tradition where lights and assorted decorations adorn homes of all descriptions. The Pujas are a prolonged holiday period during which Indian cities are transformed into havens of shimmering night-time light.

I composed this shot to emphasise the careful manner in which the bulbs had been arranged, but also to draw the eye towards the colour-coded wiring. Obviously the lights were removed in a certain sequence, and were about to be stored in a way in which they could easily be retrieved and replaced the next year.


Visit TNChick's Photo Hunt. Today's theme: "Electric''.

Think Pink

Spring Symphony Comes In Many Colours

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

As a child, I always wondered about the expression "as fresh as a daisy". Surely, I thought, there were other flowers that were bigger, taller, brighter, more infused with wonderful perfume …..

You see, I grew up in Calcutta, India, where we had a sprawling garden that was big enough for a badminton court near the driveway, a full-length cricket pitch near the back door, as well as an enclosed sanctuary where such missiles as soccer balls and cricket balls could not do any damage – and several long, broad garden beds.

So in my childish mind, there were many varieties that looked fresher than daisies, which I thought were probably a bit mundane.

Then I grew up (ostensibly) and married Mrs Authorblog and I became the designated gardener, teaching each of the Authorbloglets in turn everything I knew about horticulture. So when we built our own home and I had the great pleasure of designing and planning the garden, I planted some daisies that act as a beacon of the seasons.

There are huge mounds of golden-yellow daisies in winter, white daisies in late winter and now the scarlet daisies as spring loosens winter’s grip. And yes, I have finally realised that "fresh as a daisy" is entirely accurate and legitimate.


Visit Luiz Santilli Jr for the home of Today's Flowers.

Access All Areas

In India, All Kinds Of Doors Open For You

Central Calcutta, October 2006.
Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Brains Trust

Bright Idea On The Information Superhighway

Highway sign, northern India. Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Nice Buffalo, Bill

The Horns Of A Dilemma

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

When I was in India for five days in December, I practically had my Pentax welded to my eye for the entire trip, except when I was asleep. The colours and vibrant scenes of the country really do produce a photo-op at every corner - and I mean that literally.

This was taken en route from Dehra Dun to New Delhi, a few hours before I flew home to Melbourne. I took this through the open window of a moving four-wheel-drive (SUV, to most of you).

There is something quintessentially symmetrical about this early-morning scene. The light was mellow, the colours were intriguing, the buffalo is at rest and completely relaxed in the courtyard, and even those two wonderful symbols of rural India - the tractor and the cycle - are neatly parked beside each other.

Check out the rules at Camera Critters or go to Misty Dawn.

Good Clean Fun

That's One Big Declaration Of Love

Dehra Dun, India. December 2007. Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Goosey Goosey Candour

Okay, Who Just Flipped Me The Bird?

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

You know how you drive past a scene, catch a glimpse of something and you just know that you have to stop and go straight back and photograph the scene? That’s what happened to me when I shot this sequence.

I was in north India for five days in December and this was taken early on the morning of 20 December, as I began the long highway journey from Dehra Dun to Delhi, to catch my Singapore Airline flight home for Christmas. Because the scenery was all new to me, my head was swivelling everywhere – and I spotted this tranquil lake, with the sun just starting to come up on a freezing cold day.


We pulled over and I hurried back to the lake. It was a beautiful scene, with tendrils of mist rising off the water and the sun shining weakly through the towering trees. The surface of the water was so still that the reflections were perfectly symmetrical and almost mirror-like.

Because there was a little fog, there was very little colour definition and there was almost a gritty black-and-white quality to the scene. I hit the trigger on this shot (above) and then put the camera down to take a closer look.

That's when I first noticed the gaggle of geese marching imperiously across it. They were at one end and the groundsman was at the other, using a long-handled broom to sweep leaves off a pathway.

The geese began honking and a few seconds later the groundsman completed his task and began walking towards the geese. Like actors in a tableau, the man and the birds all began heading off together, towards the right of the frame. I guess they were chiding him because he was late in feeding them.

Lucky the feathers didn't fly!

Check out the rules at Camera Critters or go to Misty Dawn.

Cash-22 Situation

Money Makes The World Go Round

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

This was the money shot, in more ways than one. It’s one of the photographs I took during my highway journey from New Delhi to Dehra Dun in December. However, hindsight is a wonderful factor. Let me explain. When I took the shot, the four-wheel-drive was travelling fairly quickly through a little town and I thought these were garlands hanging outside a little shanty shop.

It was only the next day, when I backed up the shots onto my laptop, that I realised the significance of the image. Yes, they are garlands, with sparkly golden tinsel by which to hang them, but take a closer look. Examine the image below - which is simply a cropped version of the original photograph - and you might be able to discern that the garlands are made from crisp, new currency notes.

When I posted the first images during my India trip, some readers asked how I managed to keep the camera steady and shoot from the open window of a moving vehicle. I simply improvised. I held the camera in my right hand and supported it in my left hand, trying to use the left hand as a sort of fluid tripod, rather than a metal, rigid tripod. Worked fine, most of the time!

(The Odd Shots concept came from Katney. Say "G'day" to her.)

Open And Shut Case

Window To The World (Seeking Closure Today)

Wooden shutters, Calcutta, India. Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Lens Miserables

Here’s Lookin’ At You, Kim

Ever seen an Identikit image of a monkey? There's always a first time! A South Korean tourist has filed a complaint against a monkey he says stole his reading glasses during his visit to the Hindu holy city of Varanasi in northern India. Kim Dang Hoon says he opened his hotel room window for fresh air when the monkey made his move. Part of the frame was recovered, but Kim will make a claim on his travel insurance.

FOOTNOTE: The monkey made a spectacle of himself.

No Tangles, Just Bangles

Nice Angles, For Mister Bojangles

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

I love the vibrant colours of India. This shot shows an array of glass bangles (called ``churis'') at a roadside stall in Calcutta. As someone who grew up in India, I can still ``hear'' the distinctive sound of bangles on women's arms. These ones caught my eye because they were so neatly arrayed, in regimented colours along cardboard dividers. I've never seen bangles sell so fast, nor have I seen stocks replenished so rapidly. My favourite picture of bangles, however, can be seen at Star-Bangled Spanner.

Wheels Fall Off The Chuck Wagon

Reality Check For Indian Cricket

A short while after posting the item below, India were beaten by Sri Lanka in the cricket World Cup. If the 1983 world champions are to survive, they need Bermuda to beat Bangladesh. I'm tipping there'll be a TV audience of a billion people watching Bermuda in action. But if they (as expected) lose to Bangladesh, can I please be the first person to write the headline `Bermuda Short'?

Prince Charles And Indian Cricket

World Cup Link To A Chucker, Er, Chuck

I do enjoy historical links, so this email from two friends, Anil Madan and C. K. Sharma, caught my attention immediately. In essence, it refers to major events in 1981, when a) Prince Charles was married; b) Liverpool FC won the European Championship; c) Australia lost the Ashes and d) the Pope died. Two years later, India, the rank underdogs, defeated the reigning World Cup champions, the West Indies, in a group match - and then defended a paltry 183 in the final to beat them again (by 43 runs) and take the title, against all odds.
The email goes on to refer to 2005, when a) Prince Charles got married; Liverpool FC won the European Championship; c) Australia lost the Ashes and d) the Pope died.
But if India is going to win the World Cup, it needs to find a huge form reversal after losing to Bangladesh. Still, this is cricket, and stranger things have happened ...