Wednesday, May 21, 2008

The Road Not Taken


Uch Sharif
Originally uploaded by maxloxton (A new start .... ).
Today's Thought:

We all take such directions in our lives which are meaningless and of course directionless. But only few are successful. Our lives are like that, meaningless, directionless and we have to choose the right direction in one way or the other.

That is why Robert Frost rightly said,

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference

Friday, February 22, 2008

The Hovering Pigeons of Wazir Khan


birds
Originally uploaded by maxloxton (Back to Life).
February 10, 2006

Finally I wanted to have a DSLR. A friend and a fellow photographer wanted to sell his Canon 10D, he gave his for a day to test. I grabbed the oppurtunity to shoot some action shoots of flying pigeons and went to my fav place Masjid Wazir Khan.

It was early saturady morning and my boss was happy enough to give me a couple of hours relaxation for the office timings. I again sat on this beautiful sunny morning in the Wazir Khan Masjid to capture the action of pigeons.

It gave me satisfaction and the power in my hand to go ahead and gave vent to my desire to grab a DSLR as soon as possible

Experiencing the Street Photography


girl
Originally uploaded by maxloxton (Back to Life).
Two Year Back...Year 2006, January 15th.

I never had the idea that what this cybershoot and my digital experience would bring me. This 2.1 Mp camera that I bought sometime back has been clinging with me for sometime. I planned out to venture the Masjid Wazir Khan on sunday noon and reached the Masjid Wazir Khan, sitting there silenty observing the pigeons hovering over the age old beautiful architectural wonder by the Mughals.

The pigeons have always been my centre of attraction as you see them closely silenty doing thier day job in carefree manner. The sky was overcasted and hence was enjoying the winter breeze as well the cold wind blowing through the Masjid. Like me very few other people could be seen in the Masjid, some children playing nearby caught my attention.

I have never been fond of taking photos of children as this is not my ultimate subject or to be very honest have never shot them. The two beautiful girls caught my attention, watching me from a distance wat I have been doing. I asked her timidly to sit nearby one of the gates of the Wazir Khan Masjid and there she sat and I clicked.

Keeping in view the very fact that they were my first ever interactions with the street photography and people, I liked the results and the candid expressions. This opened a whole new door for me to venture into the photography more seriously in the time to come.

Friday, January 04, 2008

Plain Prinia


Plain Prina
Originally uploaded by maxloxton (Back to Life).
Description:

The Plain Prinia,or the Plain, or White-browed, Wren-Warbler Prinia inornata, is a small warbler in the prinia family.

These are 13-14 cm long warblers, have short rounded wings, a longish tail, strong legs and a short black bill. In breeding plumage, adults are grey-brown above, with a short white supercilium and rufous fringes on the closed wings. Underparts are whitish-buff. The sexes are identical.

In winter, the upperparts are a warmer brown, and the underparts more buff. The tail is longer than in summer. There are a number of races differing in plumage shade. The endemic race in Sri Lanka retains summer plumage, including the shorter tail, all year round.

Like most warblers, the Plain Prinia is insectivorous. The song is a repetitive tlee-tlee-tlee.

Habitat:

This skulking passerine bird is typically found in wet lowland grassland, open woodland, scrub and sometimes gardens. The Plain Prinia builds its nest in a shrub or tall grass and lays 3-6 eggs. The Tawny-flanked Prinia nests in herbage and lays 2-4 eggs.

Distribution:

It is a resident breeder from Pakistan and India to south China and southeast Asia. A related form P. p. subflava, resident in Africa south of the Sahara is sometimes considered the same species, but is usually designated Tawny-flanked Prinia, Prinia subflava (Gmelin, 1789).

Conservation Status:

Least Concerned

Scientific Classification:

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Aves
Order:Passeriformes
Family:Cisticolidae
Genus:Prinia
Species:P. inornata
Binomial name: Prinia inornata

Macro



Originally uploaded by maxloxton (Back to Life).
This is my first macro attempt ever in my life. I am not that fond of MACROS and hence my 50 mm has been lying idle for last few months in my Camera Bag. Finally I took this lens on the annual Flowers Exhibition at Lawrence Garden, Lahore and tried my hands in Macros. This is one of the few shots, I loved the colors that It produced and it gave me a new direction to work over,

I know that I am not that good at macros and have not tried in my entire life but I liked the beautiful colors that Allah has given to these tiny creatures which remain hidden from our eyes.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

The lost paradise

People say a lot about Kashmir beauty that it is Paradise and heaven and the most beautiful place one can see on earth and it is my friends no doubt the most beautiful place that I have seen in my life time.

But ALAS!!! I can't cherish the beautiful memories of my tour to this beautiful place as I lost all what I shot over there. Let's have a look at what I have lost, most of the data from my Kahsmir got lost because I never had a backup with me. Only five pic are with me from that beautiful place..where I won't be able to go again at least in my lifetime.

Friday, November 09, 2007

Omar Hayat Palace

Omar Hayat Mahal (Urdu: عمر حیات محل) is a 19th century wooden architectural wonder of Chiniot, a tehsil of the district of Jhang in Pakistan. It is also known as Gulzar Manzil.

Omar Hayat Palace is a five story building which stands in the heart of the city. Two upper stories were removed in 1993 due to heavy rainfall and storms which may have affected the adjoining buildings. It is a great tourist attraction for both local and foreign visitors.

History
Members of shaikh family migrated from Calcutta to Chiniot in the 18th or 19th century A.D. Sheikh Omar Hayat who was a successful trader born in a middle class family. He decided to construct a magnificent palace for his newborn son in 1923.

Syed Hassan Shah was assigned the task of palace's construction. He gathered many famous artisans from different places who continued working day and night for 10 ten years. Rahim Bakhsh Pirjha and Elahi Bakhsh Pirjha who were masters in manabat kari did wood carving. Gazeteer Vol XXXII, Jhang district 1929 states, "The house built by Sheikh Omar Hayat is a sort of local wonder, as it cost more than Rs 200,000 to make and rises high above all other buildings of area". The construction of the palace completed in 1935 and Mr Hayat expired in same year just a couple of months before its completion.

History claims that Mr Hayat's only son Gulzar Muhammad's marriage in 1938 brought an ironic twist of fate in the shape of death . He (Gulzar) was found dead in the palace the very next day of his marriage. The news of son’s death lofted loads of grief on mother who died remembering him. Both the mother and the son were buried in the courtyard of the ground floor of the palace.

Mr Hayat's relatives left the palace thinking it as a subject to bad luck, while servants continued living for a couple of years and then parted from it. An orphanage was established by some religious leaders and then it was evacued when its top story collapsed. Next came the Qabza groups who got shops and houses constructed on the piece of land lying next to it.

Architecture of the palace

Beautiful carvings on Roof and walls.The palace's building is perhaps the last of Mughal’s architectural style, or a Mughal Revival building ("revival" buildings are interpretations of an old architectural style by people of a later era). Unique carving cuts on the doors, windows and jhirokas reflect a colour of their own. The roofs, balconies, stairways, terrace and the stucco designs make a perfect interior. The facade of the building is decorated with a fine inlay of bricks, the dazzling shine of marble and picturesque shades help it rank among the great palaces of Mughal era landlords.

Recent status
Later on this placed was occupied by Qabza mafia who destroyed most of the building However seeing death of its glory in 1989, Athar Tahir, the then deputy commissioner of Jhang , took the palace into his custody. He removed the encroachments and started its renovation with an expenditure of Rs1,700,000.

Cultural centre
It was handed over to local municipal committee and a library, cultural centre and a museum were new additions which regained some vigour. A rare collection of thousands of books and subscription for seven dailies was introduced to learners and It was publicly opened the then Punjab Governor, Mian Azhar.

Recent condition
In Year 1997 the municipal committee refused to bear the expenses of the latest achievements and terminated the subscription of newspapers and other reading material.

It was later handed over to auqaf dpartment in year 1998 which also failed to improve its condition . The situation is getting worse by day. The library has been closed while the reading room is standing without its assets. It was only in 1989 when the building was last looked worth renovation.

At present the palace is very much out of sorts. Its walls have developed cracks rainy water pours in. The woodwork has lost colour. If the situation does not soon be handled in good manner, days are not far when the city will lose one of its historical monuments.

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Kashmir


Kashmir
Originally uploaded by maxloxton (Sad, Silent and .... ).
My Kashmir tour in summer this month was a learning experience from every angle. I enjoyed every bit of it, I missed every bit of home, family, friend and the lack of communication with everybody. I had the honors of visiting the places which are still PURE, unpolluted, natural, raw and virgin from the eyes of many. The fresh air, the natural enviornment, the greenery, the scenary, the people, the meals, the tea, the stay, the rest houses and Truck hotels all are still vivid in my mind.
This was my first longest photography and trekking tour of my life in which I learned a lot from the seniors, made friends, learned the new ways of experimenation, tried to improve the landscape photography, shot less than any of my tour but tried to be more mature in composition, subjects and photography approach.

I would surely miss this tour All my life

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Inzimam ul Haq: Dazzling, delicate; a reassuring presence

This is my Inzamam moment. At Mohali in 2005 , Pakistan's top order had imploded tragic-comically against an imposing deficit. 10 for 3 in the fifth and heavy defeat read the scoreboard when Inzamam walked out. If his mood has ever been dark at the crease, it was here.


Laxmipathy Balaji bowled the innings' sixth over; Inzamam struck three boundaries off the first three balls, none of them deserving their fate. The last I will remember till I remember nothing else: from the back, the contours of his love handles visible, he gently hunched forward. As the left heel landed, bat met ball, a forward push, no more, but mid-off never had a chance. His 86 was unusually hurried, and though men below him saved the Test, without Inzamam they had nothing.


Others will remember other shots, other days: a World Cup semi-final six; the last-ball poke past point in Ahmedabad; the triple; a Karachi hundred against India; the Multan escape. But they all speak only one truth, that when Pakistan absolutely needed him, he pulled through. Not always, because he was needed most days and he wasn't one for the nine-to-five life. But much more often than not, he did and that is precious.


The environment, the personality, didn't exist for him to become a glam lone ranger like Lara. Javed Miandad, Salim Malik, Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan all helped ease the burden, not always equally. Neither was he as driven, as ruthless as Tendulkar, Kallis or Ponting. A louder media might have helped, but that hunger would've done so more. Against pace, on his day, he was the equal of any and the same reflexes made him probably the best slip Pakistan has had.


A touch distasteful maybe to recall what he wasn't - because what he was, was special enough - but in a time of such batting excess, it is important to situate him. The first time his average reached 50 was in his 92nd Test. Only from his 100th, marked with a century and win , did he sustain it. Tragedy is, it fell below the milestone in his final Test.


Aamer Sohail, never one to call a spade by any other name, got to the core of the batsman Inzamam: a great player, a rare blend of force and delicacy yes, but could he have done even more? Ten hundreds in 378 ODIs says maybe, as do ordinary records against South Africa and Australia, the best bowling attacks of his time.


Two of his finest came against the best: an unbeaten fifty against Australia to chase Pakistan's highest Test target and a 92 the equal of any century at Port Elizabeth . Seventeen match-winning hundreds out of 25, among the best rates ever, also settles many debates. Batting so far down the ODI order hurt his conversion rate, but in a stiff chase, the heat on, Inzamam was the sharpest tack, capable of innings chiseled from ice.


This is all to nitpick, of course, especially as Pakistan has less batting heroes than it should. Much more convenient to say that alongside Javed Miandad he is the greatest Pakistani batsman and undoubtedly, one of the best, most compelling of modern batsmen.


Captaincy brought out the human in Inzamam, despite his reluctance for the post. He was a caricature before: aloo, overweight, loves a nap, (and his food even more), comedy runner, loses runs when he loses pounds, hits fans. He probably didn't mind it, because nobody minds goodwill, sympathy and endearment the world over.


His dry, sharp wit, already known to teammates, emerged when he had to address press conferences. He was also honest: asked to assess an under-utilised bowler's performance once, he replied, "If he had performed I could've told you."


The Bangalore win, on the last afternoon to level the series, was the making of Inzamam as leader. The allsorts attack he used then would today be good, honest Twenty20 material. Yet somehow he tricked Mohammad Sami, Arshad Khan, Shahid Afridi and Danish Kaneria into believing they could dismiss the most frightening batsmen in the world. And they did. On the field, Inzamam was never more alert, more harassed, more proactive and under greater strain.

That sparked a 15-month period in which Pakistan prospered under Inzamam and Bob Woolmer. Suddenly Pakistan calmed down, came together. With the bat, Inzamam touched his peak; five hundreds in 11 Tests at over 80, as Pakistan beat England, India and Sri Lanka.


But subsequently decay set in. Inzamam's calm became inertia, he drifted from Woolmer and religion, glue one year, became distraction the next. That most human of all maxims, that power corrupts, afflicted him. As Pakistan stumbled out of the World Cup in an ugly daze, Inzamam was famously accused of being a dictator, haughty and a maulvi (preacher).


In truth, he did things this last year which he shouldn't be remembered by, notably a cranky, emotional, accusatory press conference. His last dismissal was strange, but in a career that long a blemish or two (an uneasy, indirect entanglement in matchfixing was another) is human.

With Inzamam departs the last of 1992, when Pakistan cricket was a different world. Not that it was stable before, but that world has since come undone. Inzamam didn't keep it all together; he couldn't for no one person could, but he was there through all of it, the highs, the lows, the thick, the thin: a reassurance. In that alone, there is greatness.

Thursday, September 20, 2007

This is the end...

Like this I will end one day............
These candles continue to give in life...
But they have a life and they finally end...
This is the start and the end....

Continued from where I Left...

Only If I had time to say What I wanted to say
Only If I had the right time to do what I wanted to Do...
I wish I would not have been like that today...
yes, I know and still confess..
I Love you
But I know that It is End...
End for me...
To Live like that without that bright candle in my life
To live without the light
Only To realize
My Biggest mistake in Life

Finally my life has took a huge turn that I have never anticipated in my whole life time. The results of taking a bad decision on my part of one of the most important things in my life has finally showed off. I just regret of what I have done and hope so that the better time will come.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Rose For...


Rose For...
Originally uploaded by maxloxton (Busy in Exams).
Untitled....I can't reveal the name, but some one who gave my life a new meaning, a new direction. It was shot for her depicting the true feelings of my life.
Before her my life has been like the blurred rose which is in the background, her enterance has been like a fresh rose in the pciture which has given a new life, some new breath to it.

Thanks a lot for giving my life a new meaning and a new direction.

Thursday, September 06, 2007

New lessons Learnt

My life has been changed, after touring the northern areas of Pakistan thrice this summer, I have explored what I wanted to in order to give a change my life from the monotony I have been passing through.
I learned a lot of lesson in the previous days, and the best among them is that

  • Never underestimate any body and learn from everybody. Even from those who are inferior in work from you, learn from them, learn from the mistakes they do and try to avoid them as much as possible, and secondly look at the work who are superior to you. Learn from what they do and how they have been able to achieve a much better position than you. What makes them different and what is their working style. All these things will help in becoming a better professional.
  • Always try to keep a standard of your work, set some high goals for yourself and try to achieve in the best possible ways. There is nothing worst than not been able to meet your own set standards.
  • If you want to succeed, be Humble. Never let the ME thing enter in yourself.

I am sure that I will try to act upon these lessons that I have learned in my days that I have spend in mountains with some fellows.

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Pros at Work


Pros at Work
Originally uploaded by maxloxton.
I was with these pros Dr. Adnan Qureshi and Wildlife Kosmos to visit head Balooki for shooting birds. These pros are excellent to say the least, wonderful in their work and committed to excellence. May some day I can work like them.

Tourism Scenario Mag Cover


Tourism Scenario Mag Cover
Originally uploaded by maxloxton.
Happy and proud moments for me.
My shot of Hiran MInar chosen to be on the cover of Toursim Scenario Int' Magazine.

Banjosa Lake, AJK


Banjosa Lake, AJK
Originally uploaded by maxloxton.
The early morning view of Banjosa Lake, AJK with my signatures.

Comments/Critics welcome

Lahore Fort, Lahore, Pakistan


Lahore Fort, Lahore, Pakistan
Originally uploaded by maxloxton.
Another option For the cover of what is known to be my yet unnamed, untitled, un-arranged book on Pakistan.

Saturday, May 26, 2007

Tolipir


Tolipir
Originally uploaded by maxloxton.
Tolipir is a very beautiful place in AJK ahead of Rawalakot. It is around 30 kms from Rawalakot and takes around one and half hour to reach there. The views on both sides of the road are breathtaking during the whole journey and one enjoys looking at the beautiful scenery. There are some rough tracks on the way as well which you can only pass if you have the courage and your car has the mettle to undergo from.
This particular view was shot from the top of a neighboring peak which was on our way before the Tolipir.

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Channan Peer Mela

EVERY year, in the month of Feb and March Channan Peer Festival or Mela Channan Peer is held in Cholistan desert for six consecutive weeks. The fifth week is considered to be the most popular and most honored one. It attracts people from far and wide, who pray for welath and sons at the dune, just as they have done for thousands of years. Today thousands of Pilgrims come to Channan Peer to worship at the dune either by using Camels, horses or modern mode of transportation like tractors, trollies, jeeps and cars. It is a carnival season for all the pilgrims, who stay there for at least a night and camp, cook and eat together and sleep in the open sky as part of the traditions and ritual of the Channan Peer. The sacrifice of different animals is done in order to win the favors of Channan Peer in order to get the son and wealth.

It is one of the most celebrated occassion and people wait for it all the year, the whole desert takes a festive mood and happenings happen all over the desert. Other than pilgrims, visitors also come to visit the mela and enjoy the celebrations. This year the event was further supported by the district government of Behawalpur who gave a local holiday on the 5th Thursday of the festival so as to let people participate in it in a complete manner.

Do you scare me?


Do you scare me?
Originally uploaded by maxloxton.
HE was working in his field when i spot him from my car during my visit at Chakwal, Salt Range area. I picked up my camera and started taking his shots from my 400 mm f5.6 telelens. He was scared, he never knew what is gonna happen, He thought that I am gonna kill him with my telelens hidden in my car and pointing towards him.

Innocence


Innocence
Originally uploaded by maxloxton.
Taking potraits of children and people on street is most difficult as you don't know what waits ahead. It is difficult because you have less time to think and act, no time to change the lenses but all what you have to do is to catch the moment. This portarit of a young Kashmiri girl was shot on my recent tour to Banjosa Lake, AJK. We were on our car waiting for finding some good spot to do the sunset when we found a few children playing besides the road. We immediately stopped, asked the children to look at us and captured a few images from the car. I asked this beautiful girl to come at my side and stand, she was holding his brother in his hands and she gave me some good gestures. Thanks to my 28-105 f2.8 lens that was mounted at that time on my camera that I got a good DOF.