Generative AI – A Panoramic discourse

Read my essay on Generative AI on Kaggle at the following link. In 2023, Kaggle, hosted an essay writing competition, a departure from its norm on hosting datathons. It was an experiment to gauge audience interest in such “subjective” competitions.

Needless to say, while it turned out to be a PR disaster for the host, by virtue of a few enraged participants, who questioned the integrity of the final results, I saw it as a win-win opportunity to dip my toes into such a prevalent subject and write an essay which offered an overview on Generative AI. Go Kaggle!

NPD Bioblitz Winner -2022

2022 turned out to be another wonderful year to participate in the bioblitz event organized by NANPA. This time around, I began my bioblitz journey in Maine, where I took pictures of species, primarily with my iPhone, in Acadia National Park, Quody State Park and on the disputed island of Machias. Check out the details in the blog post published by NANPA.

From Maine, I traveled briefly to New Hampshire, where I was in time to capture and be captivated by the beauty of lupines that only bloom for a brief period in June every year. This journey eventually culminated in Pennsylvania, the state where I reside, and where it felt good to say hello to familiar faces from 2021 – the Virginia creeper, the tall goldenrod, colt’s foot, violets and the common jewelweed to name a few.

Lupines in New Hampshire
Purple pitcher plant in Maine

While the lion’s share of my submissions were of plants native to Maine and Pennsylvania, it is always thrilling to capture shots of species that move as was the case of the bald eagle, the arctic tern, the razorbill and of course my very first experience of seeing the Atlantic Puffin in flesh, blood and colors!

NANPA recognized me for logging the maximum number of research grade species. Last year, I was runner up in this same category. You can read about my experience from last year here.

Haiku contest winner

I was both thrilled and honored, to learn that I placed second in a Haiku contest, run annually, by the folks at Dreamers Creative Writing. Check out the announcement here. You can also read the winning entries, published in prior years. Here is the runner-up entry written by me.

haiku
Varnished wood

Dreamers Creative Writing is a Canadian publication. It publishes top notch content for aspiring and established writers alike. The above haiku is featured in their July-Oct 2022 publication, a print copy of which can be purchased by clicking here.

What is a haiku?

“Haiku” is a form of poetry, that comprises of three lines. Each line comprises of a fixed number of syllables. The first line contains five, the second line, seven and the last line, five syllables. This structure of 5-7-5, yields poems that are pithy, witty and pretty. The other (lesser followed) rule is that the lines should not rhyme. The theme of haikus are typically centered around the natural world, but this again is not a strict requirement. So there it is, three things to bear in mind when writing a three line poem that is a haiku. Haiku originated in Japan in the 19th century and today has a fan following worldwide.

NANPA Bioblitz Winner

For I, had, the time of my life….I can’t get this tune out of my hand as I type this post, because that is exactly how I felt, on the 11-day journey that was the bioblitz organized by NANPA (North America Nature Photography Association).

Click here to read in greater detail about how I got into nature photography and what motivated me to participate in the bioblitz. I just want to add that, regardless of whether you are a professional photographer or a hobbyist (like me) if you have never participated in a bioblitz, you should take the plunge at the first opportunity that comes your way. It goes a long way in increasing our understanding of what other species call planet Earth home.

On my first day, I was merely dipping my toes in warm water just to get a sense of what exactly it was that I had signed up for. I logged 10 species that day during a stroll at a local trail, called the Bloomsburg Rail Trail. That day I was scouting for anything that blooms and is not green.

  • Ratsnake
  • Bioblitz entries
    Beetle
  • Wood Thrush
  • Chipmunk
  • Goldfinch
  • Maple Leaves

It was during a hike at Ricketts Glen State Park, that I picked up on plants as a species, thanks to a couple who were walking encyclopedias when it came to the identification of plants. They could look at a sapling and immediately recall the Latin name. Nothing short of pure genius! I took the cue from them and started to include plants as entries to the bioblitz. By the end of Day 11, I had recorded well over 500 unique species alive within a radius of 100 miles from where I live.

NANPA was kind to recognize me as one of the winners of the bioblitz. I won a Visa gift card and a Wimberley plamp stake. I am very much looking forward to putting the plamp stake to use. It is a device that can help you facilitate still photography in nature. Thank you NANPA for making me fall, irrevocably, in love with Nature.

Announcement made by NANPA

5 tips for photographing a waterfall

Take the guesswork out of what works when photographing a waterfall. Waterfalls make for pretty pictures but are challenging for two reasons. One, you have to take into account the cascading motion of the water. Two, waterfalls reflect a large amount of light. Read more if you want your waterfall pictures to rock instead of blob.

Choose the time of the day to photograph waterfalls

Waterfalls are white and bright subjects. Take pictures when the natural lighting is low. This could be either during dawn or dusk when the amount of sunlight is low. Photographing a waterfall on a cloudy day is another option. Choose the time of the day to avoid the harsh light reflection that waterfalls bounce back to the camera on a sunny day. Below is a picture of a waterfall taken in broad daylight. Notice how overtly bright it is.

Photographing a waterfall on a bright day
Waterfall captured under the harsh glare of sunlight

Portrait mode or landscape mode

Take a moment to decide on the composition of your photograph. Do you want to render a vertical picture (the portrait mode) or do you want to render a horizontal view (the landscape mode)? If the first thing you notice about a waterfall is its awe-inspiring height, then choose the portrait mode to emphasize the length of the waterfall. But if the waterfall length is short, then choose the landscape mode. Use the landscape mode to capture the natural settings within which the waterfall is embedded. Landscape mode also works well if your waterfall is sparse.

Photographing a low depth waterfall in landscape
Landscape mode will naturally frame a short waterfall

Use low ISO

Waterfalls reflect a lot of light, which is why you should use a low ISO. For photographing a waterfall subject, the general rule of thumb is the lower the ISO, the better. An ISO setting that is 400 or below is a good place to start.  If the waterfall is buried under dense forest foliage, then start with an initial ISO setting of 400. If the waterfall is under the direct gaze of the sun, then use an even lower ISO setting of 100.

Use longer shutter speeds

Use a long shutter speed, to blur the motion of the water. This will also smoothen the appearance of the flowing water. Instead of a bunch of pellets, the water will look like a gossamer gown. Slide the slider below to see the difference. The image to the left was taken at a relatively faster shutter speed than the image to the right which was shot with a shutter speed of 1/5 seconds. Albeit these pictures were taken without a tripod, a tripod will allow you to prolong the shutter speeds and yield pictures that are softer.

Short Shutter SpeedSlow shutter speed for photographing waterfalls
Left: Fast shutter speed; Right: Slow shutter speed

Use a neutral density filter to reduce light

A neutral density filter is a device you fit on top of your lens to lower the amount of light that enters the lens. If you are out on a sunny day, you can use the ND filter, to reduce the intensity of exposure and still take sharp photographs, instead of splotchy ones.

The tips provided above are placed in order of the amount of photography equipment you prefer to carry around.  So, if you only want to use your smartphone, use the first two tips. If you have a DSLR or if you have a smartphone app, then use the first four tips. Invest in the tripod and the neutral density filter, if you want to have more flexibility and control for your next waterfall photography excursion.

Digital Prairie Blossom

My poem, titled, “Digital Prairie Blossom”, has been selected for publication in the anthology titled “Love & the Pandemic”, which is now available for purchase at the following site:

https://moonstone-arts-center.square.site/product/love-the-pandemic/262?cs=true&cst=custom

A reading of this poem and other poems that are part of this anthology is scheduled for March 14th, 2021, the details of which are provided in the flyer below.

5 ways in which I improved during the lockdown

Warning bells had started to ring long before the first week of March. On Feb 10th, at the LAX airport, a significant number wore face masks while meandering their way through the busy airport. Were these snobby germaphobes or was it something in the air that I, as usual, was blissfully unaware of? Little did I know, that my world was about to change.

As the cloud of Coronavirus descended upon us and forced us to revisit and rethink our ethos, here are 5 ways in which I improved during the quarantine:

Healthier

In a matter of days, I went from being the person who eats 100% of the time, outside, be it coffee, sandwiches, soups, salads or a greasy mish-mash of potatoes and meat to being the person who only eats home-cooked meals, which includes eggs, turmeric milk, whole wheat cracked, oatmeal, tea, stir-fry vegetables, and pumpernickel bread. Now, every morning I get up, I feel more energized.

Spunkier

I became more social, er, I mean on social media. Suddenly, I went from having just a Facebook presence for keeping in touch with family and friends to serenading my own blog, and an active presence on Instagram and Twitter . Ironically, the more time I spent on social media, in a time of social distancing, the more I discovered some amazing people out there, whose only mission appeared to be to get up every morning and make a difference in other people’s lives, COVID-19 or not. For me, it was during lockdown that I discovered that I was no longer afraid to be seen for who I was. It is true what they say, happiness comes from within.

Cleaner

I developed a system of personal hygiene. My cleanliness levels, traditionally speaking, have always been average. But, with the specter of mortality looming over us, I was forced to develop a ritualistic approach towards staying clean – washing my hands every time I touched a questionable surface, having hand sanitizer in every nook and corner of the house, swiping my phone with antiseptic wipes, washing my towels and bed sheets every week, instead of every month. Macabre as it may sound, this was one of those do or die improvements.

Sincere

I used to pooh-pooh at the whole work from home gig. I realized that sometimes, all I really did was put in an appearance for the sake of appearances. Now, I was forced to think out-of-the-box. 9 to 5, became 7 to 6, with healthy detours in between. In-your-face office politics took a nosedive, for the better, and I was able to focus on the tasks at hand and say goodbye to unnecessary distractions. Not only did I begin to understand the true meaning of work-life balance, but I also began to live it. Earlier, I would come from the office, crash on my sofa, and binge watch TV. Now, I sign out and get to focus on things that bring joy and pleasure like writing, reading, sketching.

Wiser

If today was your last day on this planet, what is the one thing that you would say to someone you care about? My parents and I connect on the phone like bears sharing hugs. I tell friends and strangers alike to keep calm and stay positive. The other day, I spit out two paragraphs on a Whatsapp group of my school friends – they probably thought I was sick or something. I was already that person who knows how to move forward but now I am the person who prays and hopes of a better and brighter future for all humanity, kind of like a Mahayana thing.

Having been through steep troughs in my life, I am a firm believer that every storm that comes our way has a purpose. That purpose is to transform us into a better version of ourselves. I think Coronavirus and all that it entails, which albeit quite harsh, is proving to be “the” sanitizer that will clean our bodies, minds, and souls so that we can be better human beings.

Till we tide this storm over, stay home, stay safe, stay positive.