JagatJoraJaal.com Photographs

www.JagatJoraJaal.com

Nature, Travel, Hiking, Archaeology Photos

This website contains photographs of various places I have visited, including my own front and back yards, with my camera.

What does "JAGAT JORA JAAL" mean?

This is one of the most frequent questions I am asked. My father suggested me the name of this website. In Bengali language, "Jagat Jora Jaal" literally means "World Wide Web".
This is how "Jagat Jora Jaal" is written in Bengali:
In a happy coincidence, both "WWW" and "JJJ", in anticipation of a future Bengali WorldWideWeb, are the repetition of three letters.

Latest Website Update:

I have started uploading the page on Elephanta Caves, India.

Latest News:

I have recently climbed to the top of Yosemite Half Dome (8,836 ft (2,693 m)) and Mt. Whitney (14,505 feet (4,421 m)).

Here are the GPS tracks superimposed on topo map and on Google earth 3D topo, and also the altitude profile of the climb to Half Dome (click for larger view):

Here are the GPS tracks superimposed on topo map and on Google earth 3D topo, and also the altitude profile of the climb to Mt. Whitney (click for larger view):


My Photographic Equipment

Currently I take photos almost exclusively using Digital SLRs. I have a Nikon D300 digital SLR and a Nikon D70 digital SLR. I have been using the following lenses: I have a Nikon SpeedLight SB800 flash (see reviews) which I should use more, a Manfrotto (Bogen) 3021BRPro Tripod (heavy!) and a Manfrotto 3030 3-dof pan/tilt tripod head. I try to use photo processing software as little as possible, and spend the time outdoors instead. However, I cannot ignore the power of the modern software, and appreciate how they help to elevate an average photo to a much better work. I use Adobe Lightroom 1.1 and Photoshop (very little).

Before starting with the the digital SLRs I used an Olympus 740 Ultra Zoom digital camera (around 2003) and before that an Olympus 2100UZ (around 2000). The main reason for using the Olympus cameras is that they both have 10x optical zoom which was rare in those days. I also have a Nikon F100 film camera which I rarely use these days. What a beautiful camera and what a pity that it is not used. Such is the effect of disruptive technology. Before the year 2000 I was using a Minolta X-700 and before that Pentax K1000. I started with my father's twin lens reflex camera: Firstflex.

Books on composition:

A list of books on composition of photography and painting.

I also regularly subscribe to:

External publication and display of my photo

April 2010: The April-June 2010 issue of the Bay Nature magazine carried a photo of mine. It's a macro photo of a single lilly pollen. See this photo at Bay Nature. Scroll down the magazine page to see the photo.
March 2010: The brand new Visitors' Center at the Don Edwards Fish and Wildlife Refuge in Fremont, California, has new exhibits. There is a touchscreen slideshow that displays information about the flora and fauna of Don Edwards. The slideshow displays 15 of my photographs. Here is my Don Edwards page.
March 2010: The cover of Spring 2010 issue of the Terrain Magazine (Northern California's Environmental Magazine) is a photo that I took on the Stanford trail to Mission Peak, Fremont, California. This issue also has a full-page color photo (page 12), and B\&W photos (p. 3 top, 15, and backgrounds p. 13-17) taken at Coyote Hills in Fremont, California. To see this photo you have to download the pdf of the entire magazine.
October 2008: The October-December 2008 issue of the Bay Nature magazine carried a photo of mine taken on the trails to Mission Peak Regional Park in Fremont, California. See the photo "Cow Conference" at Bay Nature. Scroll down the magazine page to see the photo.



Photo Library:

Grand Canyon images

Images from Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA. Photos from the Bright Angel, South and North Kaibab, Grandview and Tonto trails. Photos o Phantom Ranch and Colorado River.

Grand Canyon images (B&W)

Black and White images from deep inside Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA. Photos from the South Kaibab Trail, Phantom Ranch area and the Bright Angel Trail.

Yosemite images

Images from Yosemite National Park, California, USA. Famous Half Dome, Yosemite fall, El Capitan, giant redwood tree.

Hawaii images

Beautiful images of volcano craters, frozen lava flow, oceans, surfers, trees and flowers from Hawaii, USA

Mount Fuji images

Images from ascent to Mount Fuji, Japan. Photo of the crater at the top. The hike started from Station # 5.

Barcelona images

Images of Barcelona and vicinity, Spain. Fascinating "modernisme" architecture of Gaudi, Cadafalch and Montaner. The stunning La Sagrada Familia. Photos from Salvador Dali museum in Figueres. Greek and Roman ruins of Empuries, and much more ...

Italy

Images of Venice, Florence, Pisa, Rome: Grand Canal, St. Mark's Basilica, Leaning Tower, Colosseum, Roman Forum, Vatican, St. Peter's Square, creations of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, and much more...

Flowers, Plants and Foliage

Beautiful images of flowers, leaves and plants.

San Francisco Bay Area Regional Parks

Images of nature and wildlife preserves of Fremont, East Bay, California: Coyote Hills, Mission Peak, Don Edwards.

Many new photos added recently!

Time Lapse Movies

Enjoy these beautiful images of opening and closing of flowers, green leaves returning to life after re-watering, tendril seeking and wrapping around the support, and phototropic movement of sunflower and chick-pea saplings.

Monuments and Ruins of Delhi and Agra, India

Includes photos of Taj Mahal, Fatehpur Sikri, Qutab Minar, Tughlaqabad, tombs of Alauddin Khilji, Humayoon, and Akbar, ruined city of Tughlaqabad, ancient mosques of Delhi, and much more.

Elephanta Caves, Maharashtra, India

Includes photos of the Elephanta Caves, a set of rock cut caves situated in the Elephanta island, which is a short steamer-ride from Mumbai. The caves are dedicated to the Hindu deity Shiva and contains some of the most dynamic sculptures I have ever seen. Elephanta is the home of the gigantic head of Shiva Trimurti (Sadashiva) depiciting the three forms of Shiva: Vamadeva, Tatpurusha Aghora.




To come ( please check back from time to time:)

Beautiful Frescoes and Sculptures of Ajanta and Ellora, Maharashtra, India

Includes photos of the world famous cave temples of Ajanta and Ellora, which were manually carved from solid rock during 2nd to 6th centuries AD. Ajanta has a rich collection of Buddhist frescoes the paint pigments of which are still alive. Ellora is a fascinating collection of caves exhibiting Hindu, Buddhist and Jain themes. It is also the home of the mesmerzing Kailash Temple, an entire temple hewn out of a hill.

Paris, France

Includes photos of Eiffel Tower, Pont Alexander, Basilica Sacre-Coeur, Notre-Dame, famous cemetaries, and the streets.


Southern France

Includes photos of Arles with memories of Vincent Van Gogh, St. Remy, Orange and its nicely preserved Roman amphitheater, Puis-En-Vellay and its sleeping volcanoes, Provence (house of Paul Cezanne) and much more.

Grenoble, France

Photos of Grenoble and its vicinity including castles, mountains, snow, river and much more.


Lyon and other cities, France

Includes photos of Lyon, Poitiers, Marseilles.

Pompeii, Naples and Visuvius, Italy

Includes photos of Pompeii and the Visuvius crater, and the beautiful island of Capri.


A great source of free digital backdrops, , launched by my friend Suvro Datta.


Contact: jagatjorajaal
Last Revised September 18, 2010

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