Behind the Lens

a blog every Friday on a specific species of animal or bird and stories of photos

Search for a specific species, genre or even a location or use the directory for a complete list of species I have photographed and written about till date.

Listen to my TEDx talk.

Lights of the Night Sky

I am sure all of us have been in situations where we have gone out at night to a reasonably remote location and saw an incredibly beautiful night sky with millions of stars shining back at us, or even the beautiful arc of the Milky Way. It is possible to capture the Milky Way through light pollution by using a technique call Exposure To The Right, or ETTR. Read more…

#wildartworks, #Canon, #PromediagearTR424L, #MilkyWay, #MilkyWayPhotography, #Longexposure, #ETTR, #LightPollution, #MilkyWayTimelapse, #LongExposureTimelapse, #Timelapse, #timelapseplus,

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Architecture, Light Painting, Astrophotography Siddhartha Mukherjee Architecture, Light Painting, Astrophotography Siddhartha Mukherjee

Light painting the Bodhisattva

Also known as the 500 Lohan Temple, Vihara Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is one of Bintan’s best hidden treasures. Located in Kijang (South Bintan), the premise is just a short drive away from the main bustling scene of Tanjung Pinang. Step into the temple grounds and be transported into surreal settings of towering structures and the highlight—more than 500 life-sized (Lohan/arhat) stone statues with intricate physique and facial expressions, each one unique and different from the next.

#WildArt.Works, #Photography, #Nightscapes, #Landscapes, #LightPainting, #Astrophotography, #Bintan, #500Lohan

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Astrophotography Siddhartha Mukherjee Astrophotography Siddhartha Mukherjee

Man, on the Moon

The Moon with every man landing mapped!

Some time back I had photographed the full #Moon and realised all the landing spots were visible. So I decided to plot all the 6 human moon landings and map them out on the image and put it together as a video. Incidentally all of these were, I think, on the near side of the Moon. I wonder where the 7th will be?

#wildartworks, #moonlanding, #apolloprogram, #manonthemoon

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Astrophotography Siddhartha Mukherjee Astrophotography Siddhartha Mukherjee

Jupiter and its Moons

#Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest in the Solar System. It is one of the brightest objects visible to the naked eye in the night sky, and has been known to ancient civilizations since before recorded history. It is named after the Roman god Jupiter. 

There are many interesting #moons orbiting the planet, but the ones of most scientific interest are the first four moons discovered beyond Earth — the #GalileanSatellites. They can be glimpsed with binoculars, a telescope, a dslr and lens

#wildartworks, #Jupiter, #GalileanMoons, #Satellites, #Astrophotography

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Astrophotography Siddhartha Mukherjee Astrophotography Siddhartha Mukherjee

C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE)

Comet NEOWISE has been entertaining space enthusiasts across the Northern Hemisphere. Although its official name is C/2020 F3, the comet has been dubbed NEOWISE after the Near-Earth Object Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) space telescope that first noticed it earlier this year. This “icy snowball” with a gassy tail made its closest approach to the sun on July 3 and is now heading back from whence it came: the far reaches of the outer solar system. Its long, looping orbit around our star ensures that after passing closest to Earth on July 22, Comet NEOWISE will not return for some 6,800 years. #wildartworks, #cometneowise

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Astrophotography Siddhartha Mukherjee Astrophotography Siddhartha Mukherjee

A Partial Solar Eclipse

The first solar eclipse of 2020 took place today, Sunday, June 21, 2020. Observers in India got the chance to see a dramatic celestial spectacle – a spectacular ‘ring of fire’ in the sky produced by the Moon and the Sun. Here’s all you need to know about this amazing and rare astronomical event. Were the Moon just a wee bit closer - 379,100 rather than 381,500 kilometres away - Earthlings would have been treated to a total blackout, visible at a given spot on our planet about every 400 years.

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Architecture, Light Painting, Astrophotography Siddhartha Mukherjee Architecture, Light Painting, Astrophotography Siddhartha Mukherjee

Vihara Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva

Also known as the 500 Lohan Temple, Vihara Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is one of Bintan’s best hidden treasures. Located in Kijang (South Bintan), the premise is just a short drive away from the main bustling scene of Tanjung Pinang. Step into the temple grounds and be transported into surreal settings of towering structures and the highlight—more than 500 life-sized (Lohan/arhat) stone statues with intricate physique and facial expressions, each one unique and different from the next.

#WildArt.Works, #Photography, #Nature, #Landscapes, #LightPainting, #Astrophotography, #Bintan, #500Lohan

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