Travel Diary Page #76 Little Things In Life And Some Priceless Smiles

It’s not always possible to write and keep a routine while moving from one place to another. Or rather say I am still making a proper routine for myself whilst doing so. But then, I get to sit down and relax a bit before going to other places and it is in moments like these I normally get to reflect the things I’ve been doing, evaluate a little more and acknowledge a few achievements. More than that, cherish some moments that make the whole journey worth. These are such a few things that added a little more happiness in life.

I am a pretty big zero at photography and holds a huge fear for light. Yes, I literally mean it. When it comes to understanding light, anything related to it, I leave the entire session. That comes from the fear of the stupidest physics classes I attended. Let me leave the stories about it but all I can say is be it about the focal length or understanding the properties of waves, I stay away from it, as far as I can.

But, I loved taking photographs, making the memories from places and moments freeze in time. The only problem was I didn’t know how to use a camera properly. And I had decided if I can’t make use of my phone’s camera properly, there is no point in buying another camera at all.

Recently, I started exploring the manual settings and try to understand a bit more and it made a great difference. You see my photos of moving things were pretty blurred and shaky. I knew a lot about exposure time, aperture and ISO. Yes, I have learned about it multiple times in multiple contexts. But, have you ever experiences fear of failure leading to not even trying something? Yeah, I have an extreme thing about whatever that condition of the brain is.

Anyway, the results are some of these pics and I am super proud of it. Because the baskets in the giant wheels never stayed still in my photographs and the dragon, well the dragon in my photographs were always high-speed aliens. And the light. The lights could never stay like this in any of the photographs I took in auto mode or the water flowing.

So, all these little things were a huge tiny achievement. The best part is it adds a little more confidence, a tiny bit.




The places I go to are mostly remembered by the people I meet. Especially in India, most people love their photographs taken but taking it without permission can result in a big disappointment. But, most of the priceless smiles I have seen in my life are when I ask to take a pic of them or with them.

I mean, there is always a three-part process to that. The shy-smile on their face when asked for a picture, the signature pose they do while taking a picture and the biggest smiles while showing their pictures to them. I think that’s what I love the most about taking photographs of someone.

Sharing a few that I didn’t add to the blogs since they always get lengthy.



So, there was this huge bargaining scene going on the Coimbatore street. The customer was trying to get the best price for the jasmine flower roll and then there was this lady, who was trying so hard to get the attention to her yellow flowers. The flowers were pretty and yellow roses are not that common sight in the flower markets.

Normally I hesitate to take the pics from places I don’t buy something from. Somehow it makes me feel a little bad doing so. But, she was more than happy to hold her yellow roses for me to take pictures and expected nothing in return. Such sweet gestures and smiles always leave me with a smile for the rest of the day.



He was very friendly and busy with packing these laddu balls. The movement was so mechanical and fast. But, I love how he responded to after he saw his pics.

And this other guy, who sells this small stuffed dosa gave this very serious pose. He is one of the friendliest people I came across on my Coimbatore street food stroll.

There are such many photos which doesn't make much sense to what I normally write but I always want to hare. Here are a few of them. A few that I am happy I could capture the movement. A few I love for it shows the simple everyday life. And some which are all about the conversations.






Some like the idea of taking photographs but are too shy to be in front of the camera. Instead, they allow me to take pictures of their flower shops. And then there is my favourite person, my nephew. I love saving all of his expressions and actions. So, please bear with me through some random pics.


Then there are people. Random people whom I accidentally meet. Some I found interesting. Some very close to heart. Some for their personality and the reasons are endless. But I personally love the portraits, maybe I'll get better at it one day.






And then there are always a lot of effort to catch that sunlight or the raindrop in a selfie, which turns out pretty bad with the stretched arm but hey, the sunshine is locked with it! :P

I know these little things don’t make much difference or the pics I’ve shared are not the greatest you see on the internet. But, to that someone who stood near a microscope confused about “where the heck is the bacteria you’re showing me” or focusing on the water droplet instead of a colorful fungus, these little things make a world of difference and a huge new step in life.

There’s a long way to go but as someone somewhere said, its good to celebrate the little achievements in life. Maybe the perfection we seek is on all along the way of learning.