Images and Photography by Mohit Khodidas

Khijadiya - Nov 2024

Khijadiya - Nov 2024

Hemant Ritu (pre-winter) has arrived, and I begin my seasonal wanderings in wetlands, grasslands, and forests. Migratory birds have started arriving in Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary (Jamnagar, Gujarat). 1st November was an in-between day; neither the last day of the outgoing year nor the first day of the new year. The

Anatolia - Bir

I have travelled far on the trail Have I looked enough? Have I watched enough? Have I waited enough? I went to The Blue Camii Mirrored by that hallowed And time-worn citadel of stories Of wails and praises Of ignorance and of Sophia I have walked through the bazaars of

Black-rumped flameback

Black-rumped flameback

I spotted this couple of Black-rumped flameback or Lesser goldenback woodpeckers in the Satpura National Park (May 2024).

Solar Blaze

Forty summers I have seen Some like a touch of velveteen Others like the sting of guillotine Watching, catching Creatures of the dark like Constantine While an angel watched Like a mother from Magdalene I went searching of a tambourine Empty streets await, they said It was all foreseen How

Common Birds of Jungles of Rajasthan

Common Birds of Jungles of Rajasthan

Colours of the Desert

Colours of the Desert

While the tigers of Ranthambore are camouflaging with the dry grass landscape, the humans of Rajasthan are a tempest of colours in the blaze of the burning sky. But I see only monochrome, like in all the derelict cities and towns of the world. Squalor, utter squalor. Redeemed only by

Birds of Prey

Tigers in the Bushes

Tigers in the Bushes

Photographing tigers in the jungles of central India is a meditative experience for me. Almost all factors in a getting an image that I want are out of my control. The jungle, the tigers, and ecology dictate the terms here. While the final images are pixel perfect as possible, a

Bookshops of Istanbul

Bookshops of Istanbul

Some on the high street, some in quiet bylanes. Some resembling fashion stores, some hiding in plain sight. The bookshops of Istanbul are beautiful. I am still in disbelief at having seen Adorno, Strauss, Gasset and more on the shelves in a store.

A Town

A derelict, forgotten town; no different from any other town. People forget a town; governments and rulers forget a town; Gods despise them. This town has forgotten itself. Like a plague infesting the mind, making it dream of mould and rust.

Karakas Camii - Antalya

Karakas Camii - Antalya

A lazy winter day in the old town area of Antalya. Beige cladding, clay tiles and the orange tree overhanging the doorway.

Forest Lake

A lake in the Satpuda forest. The hues of the grass: from dried brown to fresh green to burnt green to foggy blue.

Tigers of Central India

Tigers of Central India

Some of my favourite places are in the jungles of central India. I visit these jingles often. On my most recent trip, I was fortunate to have incredible Tiger sightings. O{N numerous previous visits, I have not been able to sport tigers. However, I simply enjoy being in the

Blackbuck National Park, Velavadar

Blackbuck National Park, Velavadar

Preface

The structure of the photograph is not an isolated structure; it is in communication with at least one other structure, namely the text. The totality of the information is thus carried by two different structures. These two structures are co-operative -Roland Barthes What is the content of the photographic message?

Great White Pelican

Great White Pelican

These are at Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary. Pelicans are mostly migratory, arriving here, in Gujarat, in winter. But some of them have become residents, it seems. I wonder how they are adapting to the furnace-like temperatures of the summer.

Jupiter in Chromatic Aberration

Jupiter in Chromatic Aberration

I went up last night to see a bright waxing gibbous moon in the clear winter night; positioned at near-zenith with Jupiter in the north-west. A serendipitous combination of a bright moon, close apparent proximity of Jupiter and moon, azimuth at zenith, and perhaps most importantly, chromatic aberrations of the

Winter Moon

Today is one those sleepless nights when my unbearable migraine takes me to the terrace. The black and blue sky before sunrise in winter is comforting and chilling at the same time. There was a halo around the waning gibbous moon today. I went to down to get my gear

Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary

Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary

I have been frequently visiting Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary in Jamnagar, about 90 km from Rajkot. The park closes in monsoon and opens on 15th October each year. I went for a visit as soon as it opened. Flamingoes have not arrived in great numbers yet, neither have pelicans. A few

M15 - Globular Cluster in Pegasus

M15 - Globular Cluster in Pegasus

The central star cluster in this photo is the Globular Cluster in constellation Pegasus. This is my second cluster photo after Hercules Globular Cluster. I have been able to do a better job at the capturing the incredible star density. I do not wish to make technical observations. These photographs

M13 - Hercules Globular Cluster

M13 - Hercules Globular Cluster

So I had stopped photographing the skies for some months. I was not getting to a point of clicking any photos, let alone getting good ones. I simply couldn't set up the gear properly. Astrophotography is highly technical requiring complex and sensitive equipment and some very quaint softwares which seem