As George W Bush once said, “I know that human beings and fish can co-exist peacefully”, i’m waiting for that day when we humans realize that this isnt exclusively our planet and there are others who we must share it with. Just remember, we did not inherit this planet from our fore-fathers, we are borrowing it from our grand children. Let’s not screw it up for them.

The lighting was weird for this shot. The UV light above Nemo’s reef was messing with my camera metering. Had to take two shots and blend them in to get the effect i wanted. Yes, “quite” some amount of photoshop was involved too

They have a very strong defense mechanism against predators. Octopuses are known to hide, flee quickly, discharge inky fluid or camouflage by changing its color when they sense danger or think they have been seen by a predator. Most octopuses have no internal or external skeleton, thus allowing them to squeeze through tight places. They are hardy predators because they can regenerate a lost tentacles or eyes.

Octopuses have an acute eye-sight and can detect colors. They also have an excellent sense of touch. Attached to each tentacle are numerous suction cups that are equipped with receptors that help the octopus taste what it touches. These sensors also allow the octopus to distinguish between different textures, sizes and tastes.

Did you know that octopuses have three hearts?. Yes three!. Two pump blood through each of the two gills while the third pumps blood through their body. Octopuses have a very short life expectancy and can live from anywhere between six months upto five years. Reproduction is one cause of death; males only live for a few months after mating, and females die shortly after their eggs hatch. The newborns do not have any association with their parents and are on their own since their birth.

This photo below was taken during a snorkel trip in Hawaii. I did not take this photo; our snorkel guide did and then later sold us the CD with this photo and other photos of us.

This photo was taken from across the huge one-million-gallon tank in Monterey bay aquarium’s Outer bay. Those who have been there would know how dark that section is.

The hammerhead was just playing with the little fish, chasing them all around the tank. They did a few laps and then decided to go their own ways

Our winter vacation started when we landed in Calgary, Alberta and rented this dinky little Toyota Yaris. It did not have snow tires which is very weird because for some reason i assumed rental companies upgrade their car tires during winter. Hertz did not have a 4×4 or an SUV either, so we were stuck with this car.

This is Lake Hector. It is fed by the run-off water from Hector Glacier which is on the mountain behind the lake. This lake is totally frozen as you can see the people below trying to snow-shoe their way across the frozen lake. It was perfect timing, the sun peeked out of a little hole in the thick blanket of snow clouds fanning its golden rays out to light up the mountain. But this lasted for only 1 min then the sun and its rays were gone.

We continued driving on Icefields Parkway. The road started to get a bit icy and slippery.

After a few miles of driving, we see this sign.

That sign wasn’t kidding! As we drove, blobs of snow kept falling through trees lined along the highway coming from the mountain slopes behind them. In the photo below, you can see an avalanche we just missed. Although it wasn’t big enough to cover the road, it got us on the edge of our seats.

The weather was turning nasty. The road was getting more icy and slippery, so much so that our car started to fishtail everytime we braked. Our little Yaris couldn’t handle it anymore. We saw one more avalanche right in front of our eyes, braked hard, turned around and sped away. We could see more snow being dumped on the trees in the rearview mirror.

This was our short trip trying to drive to Jasper National Park. We plan to do it again, but this time during spring or summer and be a bit more prepared

Almost everything here freezes in winter. This is a small creek that breaks off of Lake Louise. It will be frozen soon.

In the winter, this beautiful frozen lake is converted into an ice skating rink. Victoria glacier can be seen in the background.

This is a kayak rental center in summer, but in the winter it is no more than a tool shed. Look closely, does it look like a transformer peeking out from the shed? Now you know where they hide

This is the Chateau Lake Louise, a Fairmont hotel on the eastern shore of Lake Louise. It was build at the end of 19th century by the Canadian Pacific Railway. This hotel is a famous landmark associated with Banff usually seen on postcards, brochures, advertisements and anything related with Banff. It is very pricey with rooms at $400+ per night, but the views each room offers are alone worth the price.

He flew right through my front door waving the card I had given to Tony. This was Wally’s first photo shoot and he was very nervous. I had to calm him down with a few drops of honey and then started the shoot which lasted atleast 30 mins. It was a fun photo session and i enjoyed it. Upon advice from a friend, I had Wally sign a model release form. He hesitated and wanted his lawyer to take a look at it first, but ended up signing anyway.

Many poses and fifty photos later, his portfolio was finally ready! I loved his eyes, so much detail in those large hypnotic compound eyes!!. Check out his photos!

The leafy sea dragon uses tiny pectoral fins found on its back for propulsion. These fins are almost transparent and difficult to see when used for movement. When the Leafy Sea Dragon moves, it appears as a floating sea weed thereby confusing its predators. The Leafy Sea Dragon feeds using a long, pipe-like snout. Its diet consists of plankton, shrimp and small fish.

The Leafy Sea Dragon uses its head to steer but its outer skin is solid thereby limiting mobility. Leafy Sea Dragons have been observed remaining in one location for extended periods of time (up to 68 hours) but will sometimes move for lengthy periods at a speed of up to 150 meters (490 feet) per hour.

I took these photos at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Information Courtesy: Wikipedia

During an art class when i was in 6th grade, my art teacher decided to have an open session where we could draw just about anything we wanted to. It did not take me much time to decide what i wanted to draw. I picked MJ as my subject and this is what i came up with.

I got 9/10 for this drawing and it was displayed on the school bulletin board for everyone to see. I forgot i had this drawing somewhere in my closet till last week. It took me a while to find it and scan it. This drawing is atleast 20 years old and has lost most of its color and the paper quality is degrading as well.

I was at Madame Tussads wax gallery in 2003 and i took this photo of a wax statue of MJ.

His death leaves a glaring big void in the music industry and no one can take his place. He transformed pop music to such an extent that the whole world danced to his beats and copied all his moves. Just like rock-and-roll had no king after Elvis died, it looks like there wont be a king of pop after MJ’s death.

Rest in Peace, Michael Jackson. Pop will never be the same without you. We will miss you!

Lagoon Jelly a.k.a the spotted jelly lives in harbors, bays and lagoons in the South Pacific. They have rounded bellies and strange clumps of oral arms (which transfer food from tentacles to mouth) with club-like appendages that hang from its body. This cute little drifter, instead of a single mouth, has multiple small mouth openings on their oral arms which capture tiny animal plankton.

Some of the larger drifters actually have fish living with them. The fishes use the insides of a jelly’s bell for protection against larger predators until they reach maturity… and the jellies apparently seem to have absolutely no problem with this kind of arrangement.

Each jelly grows a crop of algae, which gives them a greenish-bluish-brown color. They harvest some of their food directly from the algae they grow. Think of it as their personal food bank.

Lagoon Jellies float in huge swarms to stay in direct rays of the sun; the sun’s rays fuel the growth of algae the jellies thrive on. At night, the jellies descend to deeper, oxygen-deficient waters that is high in concentrations of hydrogen sulfide. At these depths, the jellies absorb ammonium which acts as a fertilizer for the algae. The dinosaurs in the next exhibit are wondering why they couldn’t come up with this idea for survival…

I took these photos last year at Monterey Bay Aquarium. It was the Jellies’ last day at the aquarium before they were packed and shipped to various destinations across the globe.

Check out my Jellies - Living Art Gallery

Here are some more photos of Yosemite featuring the waterfall which is known as the Bridal Veil Falls.

Bridal Veil Falls is one of the most prominent waterfalls in the Yosemite Valley. In this photo, you can see the Half dome and El Capitan peaks.

The local tribes believed that the waterfall was home to a vengeful spirit which guarded the entrance to the valley, and looking directly at the waterfall would incur the wrath of the spirit. It was also believed that inhaling mist from the waterfall can increase one’s chances of getting married.

The wind blowing inside the valley has a way of playing with these waterfalls. Everytime it gets windy, the waterfalls sway back and forth as if they are dancing in the wind. This is a photo close to the base of the waterfall. In late spring and summer, it gets really wet after this point because of mist and splash caused by the waterfall, so use your discretion when taking your camera.

Yosemite valley happens to be one of my favorite destinations. I have been here many times during different seasons. What impressed me was this valley can look completely different every season. During winter, the whole valley is covered in white and green (more white actually), most sections of the valley are inaccessible due to severe weather and steep icy roads. Around spring, it starts to get warm, snow starts melting and more green shows up, flowers start blooming and wildlife begins to get active. More sections of the valley are now accessible which were closed during winter. During summer (which i think is the best time for hikers and explorers), it gets warmer, the snow has completely melted, all waterfalls in the valley are at full flow, Merced river is swelling and gushing furiously and all sections of the valley are accessible to public. With the arrival of fall, a colorful blend of reds, oranges, yellows, greens and browns can be seen everywhere, the Merced river turns into a slow moving stream, the waterfalls slow down to a trickle and the valley gets quieter. It then begins to get colder, starts snowing around late fall and the whole cycle starts all over again. Bottomline is, you can never say “been there, done that” when it comes to Yosemite. There is always something different to see and do every season.

I took this photo last week, the temperatures had started rising earlier than expected, the snow had melted and the waterfalls were very aggressive. If you look closer, you can see the Bridal Veil falls towards the center of the photo.

These images have been used and abused for everything that represents Pebble Beach, so much that the the owners of Pebble Beach decided to copyright images of the Lone Cypress and prevent commercial usage by others. I am in no way connected to Pebble Beach or the Lone Cypress and I am not offering these images for sale on this website.

The dirt path i was driving on before i pulled over, had water pockets on both sides of the path. The scene i was staring at was on the right side. I was absorbed in the beauty of the surreal scene in front of me and later when i looked towards the left side of the dirt path, i was confronted by yet another beautiful scene that was completely different from the scene on the right side.

Only one word escaped my mouth… “wow” as i kept clicking away. I didnt feel the cold, didnt feel the wind, didnt mind the bugs buzzing past my face, just wanted to soak in this sight in my memory banks.

I took these photos during a submarine dive in Hawaii. We were around 300 meters down below at the bottom of the ocean.

As you reach significant depths, there is extreme loss of color and contrast. The longer wavelengths such as reds and oranges are absorbed by the water and makes everything around look bluish green. If you are a photographer, this is bad news for you as your photos would have a strong bluish tint and the white balance would be completely off. Two known ways of overcoming this problem is to use a red filter in front of your lens to add the missing red spectrum or use a flash to re-create white light.

Some places underwater get sufficient sunlight because the water is clear and there is no obstruction to sunlight entering the water. You will see better colors in this case.

Trapped air bubbles are released due to pressure as the submarine starts its descent.

This title of this book refers to the distance traveled under the sea and not the depth. 20,000 leagues is approximately over 12 times the radius of earth and the greatest depth mentioned in the book is four leagues. This book gave us captain Nemo and his famous submarine, Nautilus.