I am no pro in photography, far from it, actually. Some friends who visited my site, have said some kind and encouraging words about the pictures. Many thanks to you all. I appreciate.

At times, I have been asked by people who are considering ditching their "Point & Shoot" cameras and going DSLR way, on what which camera should they buy?

It depends. On what you want to do in photography.
Need something for casual, family snaps? 
Want to explore your creative talents, through photography as media?
What kind of photography do you want to do? Landscapes, Macro, Portraits ...
How much money are you ready to invest?

Just to make things simple;
If you are planning to buy your first DSLR, consider Canon 450D or Nikon D90. Both are very good cameras with excellent picture quality, though Nikon D90 has an edge that you can make HD Video (720p) movies with it.

Most important thing is not to buy a kit lens (the lens which comes bundled with the camera). They are not of good quality. It's always better to spend a few bucks more on a good lens, which will gives you excellent results. 

Here are a few recommendations:
Canon 450D or
Nikon D90
Zoom Lens: 18-200 mm. This will cover almost all your photographic situations.  

This is what I use:
Nikon D700
Tokina : 12 - 24 mm f/4 ATX Nikon AF Pro DX
Nikon: AF-S DX VR Zoom-NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED
Nikon: Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 AF
Polarizing filters for different lenses

Tags: Gear, Photography, Camera, Lens

I took this shot while I was vacationing with my daughter in Canton Tessin, Switzerland, in the summer of 2008. We were hiking and suddenly we noticed clouds started surrounding the mountains. Clouds were moving so fast that I had only a split second to capture the mountain top in between clouds coming together from both sides.

This memory is still vivid in my mind. Whenever I look at it, it brings me back to that wonderful moment.

Technical Info:
Camera: Nikon D80
Aperture: f/11.0
Exposure: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 24mm
ISO: 100

Tags: Clouds, Photography

I find this picture very meditative. I can look at the clouds and get lost for some moments.

This was taken while I was hiking on Mount Saentis in Switzerland. It was a beautiful day with sun shining and clear blue skies. Later in the day clouds started gathering. I saw this guy standing on the edge and looking into the sky for a few minutes. I could not resist capturing this moment.

I am happy it came out nice.

Technical Info:
Camera: Nikon D80
Aperture: f/11.0
Shutter: 1/160
Exposure: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 12mm
ISO: 100

Some post processing was done using Adobe Lightroom to punch the colors and contrast.

Tags: Clouds, Photography, Sky

I took this picture yesterday while walking in Manhattan’s 5th Avenue in New York City. I love this city, particularly during the Christmas season.
Small lighted trees on the “Trump Tower” shaped in triangle look beautiful.


Technical Info:
Camera: Canon IX S80
Aperture: f/2.8
Shutter: 1/8
Exposure: Night Snapshot
Focal Length: 6.2mm
ISO: 250

Tags: Trees, Lights, Photography