Best of May 2012

Hello Fellow Gallopers,

Thought I’d share with you all a snapshot of my work that has been released during the month of May.

Field of Gold – Captured this image in a Rapeseed Field, Scotland.

Oriental Garden Lizard – Spotted this guy basking in the warm tropical sun during my recent visit to the Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary, Karnataka, India.

Red Damselfly, Scotland.

Gathering Food… The White-throated Dipper also known as the European Dipper, Scotland.

Caught… The Master of Stealth and Precision – Grey Heron, Scotland.

Daisy, Scotland.

Meerkat – Edinburgh Zoo, Scotland.

Mother and Child – Female Mallard with one of her ducklings, Scotland.

A baby White-faced Saki monkey peeking out at the world outside as it rides on its mother’s back. Captured this image at the Edinburgh Zoo, Scotland.

Supermoon 2012 – Scotland.

To receive images such as these, posted daily to your Facebook wall, ‘Like‘ us on Facebook.

Till next time, take care and gallop free.

Dispersion

Hello Fellow Gallopers,

I have always found the Dandelion pod to be a very interesting photography subject. Though the fluffy nature of a full pod does make for an attractive image, I personally find the partially blown pods to make for more artistic and visually appealing images. As is the case in nature, the beauty is in the detail and hence one gets to see the intricate beauty, pattern and symmetry only when one gets up close and personal with the pod. By its very nature, the pod allows in a lot of light and using natural light effectively and creatively can reward the photographer with some unique images.

Here are a few images I managed to capture the other day when I came across a few pods:

Hope these images have inspired you enough to make you want to go out with your camera and create your very own amazing dandelion pod images

Till next time, take care and gallop free.

The Great Daffodil Appeal 2012

Hello Fellow Gallopers,

Today, the 1st of March, 2012, marks the start of Marie Curie Cancer Care’s month-long Great Daffodil Appeal in the UK.

Started in 1948, the same year the National Health Service (NHS) was launched, Marie Curie Cancer Care is best known for its network of 2000 nurses, who work in the homes of terminally ill patients across the UK, providing practical care and support.

To show our support of the great work done by the Marie Curie nurses and the charity as a whole and to coincide with the start of the Great Daffodil Appeal we, at Black Stallion Country, thought it only fit that we showcase Daffodils on our March Desktop Calendar.

Feel free to download the calendar by clicking on the image above and we really hope you’ll use it as your desktop calendar this month serving as a constant reminder of the invaluable service offered by the Marie Curie nurses.

Please do share this with family and friends and am sure that if you are willing to offer the charity any practical or monetary support, it would be gratefully received.

Till next time, take care and gallop free.

RAF Leuchars Airshow 2011 – A Photo Feature Series (Part 2)

Hello Fellow Gallopers,

In our previous post on the RAF Leuchars Airshow 2011 we showcased the aerobatics team of the French Air Force, the Patrouille de France.

Following on from there we thought it only apt that, in this the second part of the series, we showcase the aerobatics team of the Royal Air Force.

Hope these images help bring to life the spectacle that is The Red Arrows.

There was a palpable sense of poignancy as they performed on the day and these images are our tribute to the pilots, past and present, of the Red Arrows. Gallop over to our story, The Reds, as featured on the DSLRBLOG to read more…

Till next time, take care and gallop free.

Hello 2012

Hello Fellow Gallopers,

Wow!!! February’s already here… Barely have we had time to awaken from the slumber of the holiday season, rub our eyes and start focusing on the year ahead when we find ourselves at the start of the month of Love.

At the outset, we would like to wish you all, albeit a bit late, a very Happy 2012 from Black Stallion Country. Here’s hoping that the Year of the Dragon proves to be one that’s filled with wisdom, prosperity and happiness.

January has been a pretty eventful month and hence we thought we should bring you all up to speed with all that’s happening in Black Stallion Country:

1. Three of our images (A New Day, Lunar Phase and Eurofighter Typhoon – Saltire) were featured as the ‘Photo of the Day’ in the Light and Composition Magazine.

2. Three of our images (as seen below) were published in The Herald* as the ‘Picture of the Day’.

* – The Herald Scotland is a broadsheet newspaper published in Glasgow and available throughout Scotland.

3. We published three projects (Autumn Series 1 and 2 and The Reds) on our online Portfolio.

In addition to this, we officially launched our Corporate Event and Wedding Photography services in Scotland this month. So feel free to drop us a line if you’d like us to photograph an upcoming Corporate Event or Wedding. We must, at this point, add that we are open to taking on other photography assignments and would gladly undertake specially commissioned work as well.

So as you can see, Black Stallion Country has been awash with activity be it at a slow, sleepy pace.

All that’s left for us to say is Thank You – and we truly mean that. To each and every one of you who reads our blog, visits our website,  follows us on Twitter, is a fan of ours on Facebook and regularly visits us online, to you all we bow down in gratitude. If it were not for you, we would not have had and will not continue to have the energy and motivation that keeps us going. We hope to enthrall you with even better images in 2012…

Till next time, take care and gallop free.

Christmas Wallpaper

Hello Fellow Gallopers,

The Festive Season’s finally here!!!

As it is the season of giving and gifts, we at Black Stallion Country thought it would be a great idea to give you a special gift. So why not head over to our Facebook Page to download your very own Desktop Wallpaper Calendar for December 2011.

It’s our way of spreading the Festive cheer…

…Happy Holidays!!!

Till next time, take care and gallop free.

Field of Remembrance

Hello Fellow Gallopers,

Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day) is a memorial day observed to remember the members of the armed forces who died in the line of duty since World War I. Remembrance Day is observed on 11 November to recall the official end of World War I on that date in 1918; hostilities formally ended “at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month” of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice (“at the 11th hour” refers to the passing of the 11th hour, or 11:00 a.m.).

The red poppy has become a familiar symbol of Remembrance Day - poppies bloomed across some of the worst battlefields of Flanders in World War I, their brilliant red colour an appropriate symbol for the blood spilled in war.

This week, Scotland’s very first Field of Remembrance was opened on Princes Street, Edinburgh.

A Poppy Scotland initiative, the Field of Remembrance is made up of approximately 11,000 small wooden crosses which members of the public in Scotland have dedicated in honour of past and present members of the Armed Forces.

Below are few of the images I captured at the Field of Remembrance interspersed with verses from the poem,In Flanders Fields:

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

To view more images from the Field of Remembrance, kindly click the link below:

http://koshy.smugmug.com/Events/Field-of-Remembrance-Scotland/20009856_mfnzxP#1577030588_LPBCXRq

Till next time, take care and gallop free.

Wildlife – A Snapshot (An Update)

Hello Fellow Gallopers,

Back in January, we released the Soft Cover Edition of our Coffee Table Photobook: Wildlife – A Snapshot.

Just wanted to bring you a very exciting update pertaining to the same.

Our 40 page Coffee Table Photobook can now be yours for a mere £2.99 (£3.58 after tax). To secure your very own copy of the book at this incredibly low price, just click the link below and after having previewed the book, click ‘Buy’ and select the ‘ebook download for Apple iBooks’ option. Download it onto your iPhone / iPad and it’s yours to enjoy for as long as you want.

 Wildlife – A Snapshot

And you don’t have to live in the UK to purchase this book. No matter where you are in the world, just click the link and download. So get clicking and please do spread the word…

Wildlife – A Snapshot

Till next time, take care and gallop free.

Sarang – AERO India 2011

Hello Fellow Gallopers,

I happened to be in Bangalore (India) around the time when AERO India, a biennial air show and aviation exhibition, was held at the Yelahanka Air Force Station. The air show offered a great opportunity to see the might of the fighter jets on the one hand and the grace of the aerobatics teams on the other. One such aerobatics team that performed at AERO India 2011 was the Sarang.

Sarang, which means Peacock (hence the peacock design on the sides of the chopper), is the helicopter formation display team of the Indian Air Force. Formed in 2003, the team flies four Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Dhruv helicopters. The Dhruv is a utility helicopter that meets both military and civil operator requirements. The military variant performs the roles of transport, utility, reconnaissance and MedEvac. The name Sarang is symbolic in itself as the peacock is the national bird of India.

This was the first time I had witnessed a helicopter formation display team in action and I must admit I was pretty amazed at some of the maneuvers. As you view the images below, I hope you will be amazed too

 

Till next time, take care and gallop free.

Digital SLR Magazine

Hello Fellow Gallopers,

Just wanted to share a bit of news that is literally ‘Hot off the Press’!!!

One of our images (below) has just been showcased in the October 2011 issue of the Digital SLR Magazine in the UK.

The magazine hit the stands on the 21st of this month. So if you’d like to own a copy of the same, why not head down to your local newsagent and pick one up

Till next time, take care and gallop free.

PS: Coming soon to our blog: Part Two of the Photo Feature Series – RAF Leuchars Airshow 2011