Light is a primal component in photography and when there is light, there has to be a shadow. Sometimes the shadow an object casts tells a story of its own and other times they say much more than the actual subject does. Posted here are a collection of a few interesting shots which prove that 'light, shadow and photography' form a mind-blowing combination.


The shadow of a hot-air balloon appears on a rape field near Jasdorf, northern Germany, as temperatures reach eight degrees Celsius on May 21. (Heribert Proepper, AP)

On May 3, the 'Children Becoming Buddhist Monks' ceremony was held at Chogye temple in Seoul, South Korea. Eight children entered the temple as apprentices to experience the life of a Buddhist Monk for three weeks. What you see here are images from a service held to celebrate Buddha's upcoming birthday. Buddha was born approximately 2,554 years ago, and although the exact date is unknown, Buddha's official birthday is celebrated on the full moon in May in South Korea, which is on May 21 this year. Buddhism has a long history, originating in India over 2,600 years ago. Travelers introduced the religion to Korea around the fourth century A.D. Since that time, Buddhism has greatly influenced Korean society, culture, and the arts.

South Korean Buddhist monks shave the head of Hyun Dong during a service to celebrate Buddha's upcoming birthday on May 21 at Chogye temple in Seoul, May 3. He is one of the eight children who entered the temple to have an experience of monks' life for three weeks. (Lee Jin-man, AP)

Believers worldwide have commenced their annual observance of Holy Week beginning with Palm Sunday, which highlights the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem nearly 2,000 years ago, when a cheering crowd greeted him waving palm leaves. It also marks the start of the most solemn week in the Christian calendar. As per the New Testament, the Holy Week begins with the Palm Sunday and ends just before Easter Sunday. The Holy Week is observed by Christians by fasting during this period of time as they gear up for the important feast of Easter. This period of time has immense significance in Christianity as it marks the last week of the earthly life of Jesus Christ prior to his crucifixion on Good Friday, which is followed by his resurrection on Easter Sunday.
Lets take a look at the Holy Week celebrations from around the world...

A figure of Jesus is seen inside a van after been taken from its location to the main church to take part in the procession during the Easter Holy Week in Vejer de la Frontera, a Spanish hilltop town in the province of C‡diz, Andalusia, March 28. (Emilio Morenatti, AP)

There's something undeniably creepy about abandoned properties. Be it a house, a hospital or even an auditorium, uninhabited buildings often give the impression of the existence of an inside story. The tattered ceilings, broken-down interiors, dusty floor and the cobwebs everywhere raise many questions about what happened in there. The truth might not be half as exciting as the doubt, but, the doubt remains anyways.Through this post take a look at a collection of many such abandoned properties from various parts of the world. While you enjoy the pictures, we'll just let the inside story remain a mystery....

Credit: tEdGuY49®
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tedguy49/

It's all colorful in India as the whole country comes together to celebrate the tradition of triumph of good over bad. Celebrated all over India since ancient times, Holi, also known as 'The Festival Of Colors', is a riotous annual celebration of the coming of spring. The festival is followed predominantly by Hindus throughout the world, with people from all walks of life coming out on the streets and applying colored powder on anyone and everyone. Although there are various events in Hindu mythology pointing to the reason for celebrating this day, today holi is a time when man and nature alike throw off the gloom of winter and rejoice in the colors and liveliness of spring disregarding social norms and indulge in merrymaking. It is believed that the combination of different colors used during this festival takes all the sorrow away and makes life even more colorful. Holi is probably the least religious of Indian holidays, thus bridging social and religious gaps with a sole intention of bringing people together.


Priests throw color on the devotees celebrating "Holi," the festival of color, at the Banke Bihari temple in Vrindavan, about 140 kilometers (87 miles) from New Delhi, India, Feb. 28. Vrindavan is famous for Holi celebrations, where according to legend, Hindu god Krishna played Holi with his consort Radha. (Manish Swarup, AP)