Hi Arati,
seeing rivulets in a seed is indeed great. Darkness adds to the mystery. I wish the details were more vivid and sharp. In this avatar rivers are flowing upwards which looks against their natural flow. Another 180 flip maybe? But no more reposts you said.
Thanks for sharing

Thanks Nirlep... yes, i wish it were sharper too. i was using a very shallow DoF on a borrowed Macro (i dont own one and had rarely used it - so was bumbling!!)

As for it flowing "north" let's just imagine it to be the only North-Flowing river in the world... the Nile!!

Warm regards, thanks for your thoughts!
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Arati, this one definitely works better than the previous one. I like the secretive feel in the image. Probably I have not seen this seed, could it be more explicit ? On the topic of discussion of up/north I thought Nirlep mentioned that in relation to space while you related that to a map

Ganesh! you found such a gentle, different way of asking me to open up the dark areas!!! hahahaha.

i will do that, incorporate Nirlep's suggestion and repost in the Illustration Forum.

Warm regards, thanks!
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ps: in the meanwhile, here is the seed without any mystery - even its own inbuilt cover is blown!

Arati, no way ! I used 'open' in a different context. I think giving some more hint on what it is and how it looks like might help us connect better.
Regarding the 'opening up' the shadows, I have already given up on that

Hahaha - point taken Ganesh - i tried to give an idea of the rounded shape in the new version...

Not sure if this is what you both had in mind... do let me know.

thanks a lot both of you!
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This is so mysterious. I just spent the whole morning yesterday doing exactly what you did here without a macro. I have a very lasting bonding with the "Honne"mara and everytime the Honnemarada gate walkie in BRT crackles to life I am all ears. Ofcourse I liked the Kalyans' version of P.dalbergoides as well.

An outline on the top left might have created more impact, but I do not know what the shooting conditions were.....just my thoughts.

Oh, is that "Honne kayi" ? now I know what it is and how it looks like. As kids we used to make a small hole in the shell, powder the seed inside and drain it out for playing. Can we go back to those days... ? Hmm, we can't...

Hi there,
VMR... would love to see what you came up with. I made this image after our chat, in BR Hills. Yes, that Honne Mara is a beauty ~ with its lovely yellow flowers. In fact, VMR - this season - early March - is one of my favorites for BR Hills. Dried undergrowth, bare trees, erythrina, butea, and bombax in bloom, terminalia bellarica flush (there is a beauty near muradi road, no?) ... ohhh i must come back for a few days at least!

Nilanjan-da - i tried exposing the curve on the left corner in the version on the illustration forum, but didnt quite like it much. i like the mystery of this version

Ganesh - i thought you were kidding (or speaking of the larger forum) when you said you didnt recognize the seed... yes, it is Honne Kayi! And why not, next time let's have the CNP meet near some honne maras and you can teach us all to play with the kayis Nothing more fun than still being a kid.

Nirlep: maybe because of the way i shot it, i found it slightly better facing upward ... i need to be able to leave the "actuals" behind...

Thanks again guys, glad the image resonated.
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Back then in my village people use to collect the seeds and extract oil out of it. The oil of it I understand has nice antiseptic properties too and was used to treat wounds.

Ganesh - have sent you and VMR a PM on this... please check.

I always love the abstracts and intimate images. This is well seen image Arati. Not sure if it is my monitor or if it is your preference, personally the image is slightly on the darker side.

Hahahaha pramod... it is me, not you or your monitor! i have been told many times by various people that my images tend to be darker...
i do make a conscious attempt to keep it brighter, but always end up sliding the scale towards darker

Thanks!
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PS: Actually, it might be that I am seeing a brighter image on my Mac (Mac screens tend to be brighter, right?)

Been following your "Pterocarpus marsupium" series for few days now and just have to admit i have got bowled over. Some unique perspectives of things we see but seldom shoot subjects. Keep them coming.