miami smart

I’ve always found the SMART car to be quite impractical. Its extremely small, has almost no boot space and very claustrophobic if you get stuck in it on a Michigan freeway. But, while in Miami, I spotted this really cool custom at Coco Walk. I have to say, I like it very much. The open-top approach absolutely works for it. But only in Miami, where the weather is awesome year round – would this be practical.

munky likes practical customs!

inversion control

Aerobatic teams need only two words to describe them: insanely awesome. The US Navy ‘Blue Angels’, shown here are one of the few national teams that I’ve witnessed during my lifetime. The British ‘Red Arrows’, Italian ‘Frecce Tricolori’, French ‘Patrouille de France’ and the Indian helicopter squadron ‘Sarang’ have all awed me but never have I had the chance of capturing them through my lens. In the summer of 2008, I was in Traverse City, Michigan where the Blue Angels not only grasped our attention with a full formation low flyby over the city as well as their C-130 transporter doing nosedives. All in all, this blog hadn’t been up back then and this photo somehow managed to get lost in the abyss of my hard drive.

Note: See how the five on the lower aircraft is painted inverted especially for this manoeuvre!

munky salutes insanely cool aviators!

setting sun

I was extremely bored so I set up my tripod in my balcony and waited for the sun to set. An unwelcome phone call disturbed me and I missed the sun behind the buildings. I guess typography will have to do the trick for now.

munky loves sunsets!

diving men

An elaborate fountain at Dubai Mall features a curtain of jets spraying down a side while figurines make the dive. Its beautifully created. I only wish, I had convinced myself to head downstairs and shoot it from the base up.

munky is inspired by trey ratcliff's 'stuckincustoms'!

michigan showtime

The awesome Michigan Theater on East Liberty Street. I watched 2001: A Space Odyssey for the first time here and will never forget that experience. The morning sun rises casting a half glow across Liberty and the Michigan Theater marquee.

munky is missing the movies!

retro philips

‘Now go tell the world, You’ve got a Philips!’ proclaims this ad mural. It reminds of yester years and boomboxes. While I was growing up, these were mostly fading. I missed the eighties mostly as I was too young to understand the gadgets of that time. However, a trip home this summer revealed my dad’s old National Panasonic boombox gathering dust. Some things must ultimately end but for now go tell the world, you’ve got a Philips.

munky is missing the retro stuff!

branch conversations

Shot this one early morning in Shimla. The sun had not completely risen over the mountain and the morning haze was casting a soft focus on the background. It was the perfect time to whip out my zoom lens and train it on single objects against the naturally soft background. I regretted not trekking out further to shoot some more today. The little I have is no good but its a great reminder of why I love Shimla, as much as I do.

munky is wishing he had shot more on that day!

speeding through

The Dubai Metro gathers speed as it leaves the Deira City Centre Station heading for Union. Holding my camera still even for the short exposure of 2seconds was pretty hard considering I had no monopod and the jerk it gives you when accelerating can send you tumbling. Nevertheless, with the little shaking, I somehow managed to get straight lines in the foreground. I think I’m going to get a print of this just to see how it would do as a cover for a kinetic motion series, I’m working on.

munky wishes the metro was faster!

parallel lines

Parallel lines meet at infinity is a basic theory, I learned back in High School. I captured this from within the train. After a while the passing multitude of skyscrapers seems boring and you look to amuse yourself in other manners. Since no fun can be had inside the train (there are cameras that fine you on the spot), finding cool things outside is the only reprieve. The reflection of this parallel train running along the in the buildings lining the tracks was a cool sight. They will meet one day, but only at infinity.

munky is lost for words on this one!

burj crane

A homage to a similar crane that probably first began work on the Burj Dubai itself. The building, now the tallest in the world, stands behind it like a shadow bowing to the might of the crane itself. The Burj has been captured from almost every angle, but this one I hope serves a fresh reminder that before the building itself, there was the crane. These are the true source of Dubai’s real estate growth (now in the slumps).

munky is a little underwhelmed by Dubai's opulence but lack of foresight!