Windmills at Chitradurga

View of the Windmills at Chitradurga at Night

View of the Windmills at Chitradurga at Night

You know you have reached Chitradurga while traveling on NH 13when you see windmills. These windmills have always fascinated me, but I never found time to shoot them. So one weekend, a few friends and I, made time to visit Chitradurga just to shoot around there. We did not get anything worthwhile due to lousy weather, except for a few cool shots of the windmills. This is a long exposure shot after dark. The slow shutter speed has nicely blurred the rotating blades of the windmills. Pretty cool effect, eh?

Sunrise at Madiwala Lake in Bangalore

Fishermen at Madiwala Lake in Bangalore

Fishermen at Madiwala Lake in Bangalore

Bangalore is as much the city of lakes as it is a garden city. Madiwala lake near BTM is a large waterbody which the locals have been using for ages. Now, as the city has expanded, concrete buildings surround the lake, but beautiful scenes such as the one shot in this photo still exist.

Note that there is a charge of Rs 100 to take photos at Madiwala lake. If you are a birder, then this place is heaven. If you are a landscape photographer like me, then you must visit this place in the morning for sunrise, or late evening to capture the city lights.

Shea Goru on the Hampta Pass Trek

Rocky terrain and streams near Shea Goru

Rocky terrain and streams near Shea Goru

Shea Goru is a place where we camped after crossing Hampta Pass. I shot this photo when I trekked to Hampta Pass in August 2016. It was raining on all days of our trek which made it very difficult for us to walk. The gloomy weather also meant that I did not shoot a lot of photos. However, upon reaching the Shea Goru campsite, we saw sunshine for the first time after 3 days. Although this lasted only for a short while, Shea Goru is where I shot a lot of photos. This was also a very pretty camp site beside a river. Situated in a valley, from our tents we could see tall snow clad mountains as well as wild flowers strewn all across.

To see more photos from my Hampta Pass trek, click here.

Monsoon in Hampi

Monsoon clouds roll over the ruins at Hampi in Karnataka

Monsoon clouds roll over the ruins at Hampi in Karnataka

Climbing Mathanga hill is one of my favorite activities in Hampi. The climb is not particularly easy. but it offers very nice views of the entire landscape around Hampi. Going up before sunrise is well worth it. The juxtaposition of green banana plantations and brown rocky terrain peculiar to Hampi makes for interesting photographs. Dotted along this landscape are ruins of the ancient Vijayanagar Empire.

My most recent visit was during monsoon. The skies were dull and not conducive to photography. However, early in the morning, the low monsoon clouds were scattered and moving fast. I made  this photograph with a 10 stop ND filter and a grad ND filter. I love my Haida ND filters. They are a great tool to have, particularly on days like these when the light is not good for regular landscape photography.

For more photos from Hampi, read my travelogue.

Daroji Bear Sanctuary near Hampi, Karnataka

View from the visitors viewpoint at Daroji

View from the visitors viewpoint at Daroji

Summers are not very fruitful for landscape photographers. The days are long, and the golden hour lasts for a very short time. This is generally a time for hibernation. However, I got an opportunity to travel to Daroji which is near Hampi (or Hosapete) on assignment. Though our task was to shoot bears, I could also capture some landscapes. This one was from the watchtower inside the sloth bear sanctuary.

The sanctuary is open from 2pm to 6pm. The sloth bears come out from their caves after the temperature goes down a little. They spend most of the time feeding. If you are lucky, you can get to see a mother with her cubs. The young ones are really cute and fun to watch. The climb up to the watch tower gives a panoramic view of Daroji and the nearby town of Hampi. Certainly the best place to view the sunset from Daroji.

Birding in Satpura – Common Kingfisher

Common Kingfisher at Satpura

Common Kingfisher at Satpura

I visited Satpura in December 2015 as a guest of Forsyth Lodge. We went on different types of safaris in the forest across the Denwa river. Of all our excursions, I loved the canoe ride across the Denwa river the best. I got the best bird photos ever, that morning. And of all the birds that I shot, this common Kingfisher was the friendliest. We watched in awe as it patiently preened itself. I shot several frames and almost every one of them was a keeper.

If you ever visit Satpura, don’t miss the canoe ride early in the morning. This is a great way to experience not just the wildlife near the banks, but also watch the sunrise. On our trip we also went on a jungle walk. To read about the various activities offered by Forsyth Lodge, read my travel report here.

Sunrise at Deoria Tal Lake at 8000 feet

Sunrise at Deoria-Tal

Sunrise at Deoria-Tal

Deoria Tal is a lake at an altitude of 2438 meters or 8000 feet in the Gharwal region of Uttaranchal. I camped here as part of a 5 day trek during which we covered Deoria Tal, Tunganath and Chandrashila. Tunganath is the highest Shiva temple in the world at around 12,000 feet and Chandrashila is a summit above Tunganath at 13000 feet.

The trek from the village of Sari to Deoria Tal takes 2 to 3 hours and is completely uphill via a well paved path. Sari is the last village accessible by road. Deoria Tal offers plenty of camping opportunities.  Locals operate dhabbas during the season, so you are never too far away from food and drink. A two night stay at Deoria Tal will give you a chance to explore the heavily wooded jungles of the Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary. This area is a paradise for bird lovers.

Deoria Tal offers splendid views of the Kedaranath peak and Chaukambha peak. Towards the evening, the waters become still and mirror the beautiful surroundings. It stays this way till the morning. I shot this photograph during a cold winter sunrise. The aforementioned peaks are only partially visible due to cloud cover. Deoria Tal offered an excellent start to the next 3 nights we spent in the jungle.

Penner River View from Gandikota Fort

View from Gandikota Fort

View from Gandikota Fort

Gandikota is a nondescript town in Andhra Pradesh. But in its glory days, a Chalukyan king built a massive fort, the remains of which thrill visitors till date. Anyone who has paid attention to the India’s ancient structures would know that our intelligent ancestors always factored in the local terrain in their plans. The view point at Gandikota enforces this. The fort walls run long, and beside the river. Anyone trying to climb up the walls can easily be seen.

Much of this ancient architectural masterpiece is in shambles now. Today, visitors can visit the granary, Madhavaraya temple, Jama Masjid and Ranganatha Swamy Temple and the Gandikota Gorge View Point besides a few minor structures. The entire town of Gandikota is sparsely populated and does not see a lot of tourists. We stayed in the APSRTC tourism guest house which is a sprawling property at a walk able distance from the fort. Gandikota makes for a nice weekend trip from Bangalore.

Sathodi Falls near Yellapur

Sathodi Falls near Yellapur

Sathodi Falls near Yellapur

Earlier this month, I lead a team of 10 photographers to the enchanting green environs of Northern Karnataka. Our goal was to shoot known and unknown waterfalls in this region of the Western Ghats. We intended to catch the best light in each of these places. The other waterfalls we visited were Magod and Unchalli.

We departed before sunrise from the Banana Country resort to spend the best part of the morning shooting at Sathodi falls. The drive was bumpy and through mud roads for most part. Situated deep inside the jungle, Sathodi is a hidden gem in the Western Ghats. This image is a blend of multiple exposures. I used my Haida 10 stop ND filter to smoothen the flow of water.

[symple_highlight color=”blue”]This post also celebrates my website’s listing as one of the top photography blogs of India! Absolutely thrilled to be in this prestigious list. Thanks to everyone who supported me! [/symple_highlight]