Nature Photography

It May Look Friendly…

/ Milo Inman / Leave a comment

Kerala’s bus stations are scheduled Pandora’s Boxes. Locals have learned to live with the emergent demons. An unprepared visitor might have trouble coping with the dense mass of humanity that is the spirit of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation. It is in fact questionable to me whether locals are actually bothered by the absurd multitude of other passengers, or by the laughable impossibility of gaining access to an undersized and uncomfortable seat. Who knows whether they enjoy the sensation of being in a dog-fighting spacecraft during their daily transit or not? It’s a distinct possibility that the acceptance (or insensitivity) of these people for ridiculous roads was grandfathered in during what I can only presume was the Wild West for aspiring colonial drag racers… “Exciting East”?

Continue reading →

Peel, Warp, Rust

/ Milo Inman / 1 Comment

Urban decay. From a bird’s eye view, an old city overgrown may look as clean and composed as a modern metropolis. But for an insect on a wall, every surface is a landscape; cracked and scarred, bruised and faded. Paint peels, creepers climb, and dust invades, creating an eerily beautiful  visage of element and age. Historic Fort Kochi has no shortage of crumbling buildings and waterfronts, most of which are still in use. Mattancherry’s spice wholesalers operate out of buildings with as much character as themselves, and ferries come and go from half-sunken jetties of old stone. Any of a thousand walls can be seen as a canvas, small pieces of which may paint a tale of time.  Continue reading →

Pied Paddy Skimmer, Revisited

/ Milo Inman / 3 Comments

A few days ago while walking around Kumily, I saw one of Kerala’s more common species of dragonfly, Neurothemis tullia. Having written about the species before, I didn’t photograph it as usual, until I realized I had a new accessory on my person. The reverse lens adapter is a brilliant money saver, and while not quite as powerful or versatile as a macro lens, costs close to 50 times less than a new lens. Using the final technique described here, the adapter basically replaces the duct tape and allows for much steadier hands. Focusing is still very difficult, and the focal plane is usually limited to under a centimeter, but this often allows for very unusual and abstract images. Such as this young female Pied Paddy Skimmer:

Continue reading →