The Feel of Monsoon in Munnar

Tea gardens of Munnar shot during the Kannan Devan Tea competition

Tea gardens of Munnar shot during the Kannan Devan Tea competition

Monsoon in Southern India is best experienced in Kerala. I visited Munnar has one of the winners of the Kanan Devan #PhotographyEscapade contest. We spent an awesome 2.5 days shooting different places in and around Munnar.

This is a photograph of a tea factory nestled in between the picturesque tea gardens. I photographed this scene early in the morning when most of the other folks in our group hadn’t yet woken up their morning chai. The mountains had seen a fresh spell of rain because we were there during the monsoon.

I have more photos from my trip here.

Hidden Temple at Savandurga

Savandurga temple during sunset

Savandurga temple during sunset

Savandurga is a very popular trekking spot near Bangalore. The largest monolith rock in Asia lies here, and entices thrill seekers from the city. However, surrounding the massive mountain are a few small hillocks and water bodies which many tourists choose to ignore. These are the spots which are a treat to photographers.

Exploring the area around Savandurga, we stumbled upon the ruins of an ancient temple. Not much about this structure is available on the internet. It is largely cut off from the main hillock, because a deep gorge surrounding it. Probably there is another approach to the place, but we couldn’t go close.

The large monolith, sparse forest, ruins of a fort, and this mysterious temple all make Savandurga a very interesting place. The smaller hillock is much easier to climb, and definitely not unworthy of the effort. The couple of hours we spent at Savandurga yielded plenty of keepers.

The Ocean at Om Beach Gokarna

Sunset at Om Beach Gokarna in monochrome

Sunset at Om Beach Gokarna in monochrome


Evenings at Om beach in Gokarna are magical. The unique rock formations close to the shore make it possible for humans to venture out far away from the land. I made this image on our recent Landscape Photography workshop to Gokarna. I co-mentored the workshop with another landscape photographer, Dinesh Maneer.

I shot exclusively with my Fujifilm XE-2 mirrorless camera in Gokarna. In this photo, I used a Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 NCS CS lens. This combination produced spectacular results and I can safely recommend it to any landscape photographer. Sure, it does not have the density of pixels like that in the 5D Mark III. But as you can see in this photo, the Fuji can produce extremely pleasing tones, not to mention sharpness.

One aspect of shooting landscapes by the ocean is the unpredictability of the waves. My original intention was  to capture both the star burst of the sun, and the crashing of the waves in a single photo. Unfortunately, the ocean did not co-operate with me, and I couldn’t fulfill my vision. Another participant on the tour was better prepared and shot a similar frame with the crashing wave. Interestingly, both of us were using mirrorless cameras.

With no clouds in the sky, and the sun still a little high up, there wasn’t anything interesting above the horizon. This prompted me to convert the photo to monochrome, and bring emphasis to the patterns in the wave, and the star burst. I am aware that the Rokinon lens has barrel distortion, but hey, the earth is round 🙂

St Mary’s Island

Sunrise at St Mary's Island

Sunrise at St Mary's Island

St Mary’s Islands are a group of four islands in the Arabian sea, close to Malpe beach in Udupi. Tourists can visit one of the islands, called Coconut Island. Geometric rock formations, as if man made, are unique to this island.  These rock formations are a result of rhyolitic lava flow from the Deccan Trap Complex. There are only four such rare locations, with these rock formations, in the world. These polygonal joints developed 85 million years ago when hot lava flow got pound in a depression. They look very similar to a dried up lake or river bed.

We hired a ferry to visit St Mary’s Island at sunrise. Normal tourist ferries start operation later in the day, when the sun is generally too harsh. Our goal was to have the island to ourselves, devoid of tourists, and make the best of the morning light. We reached St Mary’s Island at 6 am, but it was unfortunately too dark and cloudy. But because we were the only inhabitants in the island, a sense of tranquility was everywhere. We watched the colors of twilight change, while enjoying the gentle breeze and listening to the sound of crashing waves. Slowly, a faint pinkish glow began to illuminate the horizon. This light, which you can see in the photograph, lasted only for a few minutes. The frame I was able to make in the short duration represents our efforts of waking up before dawn, hiring a ferry and being at St Mary’s Island to watch the sunrise.

Kaup Beach near Mangalore

Lighthouse at Kaup Beach, Karnataka

Lighthouse at Kaup Beach, Karnataka

Kaup is a small town near the highway connecting Mangalore and Manipal. The entire stretch of road runs parallel to the west coast of India. Of the many small and big beaches here, Kaup is famous because of the light house. In late 2012, a friend and I did a road trip along the coast starting from Mangalore, and terminating at Kundapur. I continued my journey further to Gokarna thus touching upon almost all the major beaches in Karnataka.

I shot this photo with a 1D Mark IV that I had rented. The 1D Mark IV is highly regarded as a sports camera, but here you can see that it shines in landscape photography as well. I love the smooth tones in this photo – a characteristic of a high quality sensor. Later in the trip, I used the camera to shoot my friend’s wedding, where it served me well.

Sunset at Chandratal Lake in Spiti Valley

View of Chandratal Lake and Himalayan mountains behind while doing a parikrama around

View of Chandratal Lake and Himalayan mountains behind while doing a parikrama around

We were rushing to finish the 4 km Parikrama around Chandratal lake. It was getting late, and we were worried that the sun would go down and plunge the surrounding in darkness. The winds had picked speed and the air was cold. At 4,300 metres above MSL, the situation felt risky. Just when we were trying to race to the other end of Chandratal lake, wonderful colors began appearing in the sky. This spectacle could not be missed. We had to get to the other end, but we  couldn’t get enough of the sight in front of us.

I decided to stop and spend a moment taking photographs of the sun setting over Chandratal lake. By sheer co-incidence, the golden hue of the sun was around the tallest peak in sight.  This was a once in a life-time moment for me – and certainly the epitome of my trip to Spiti Valley.

A lot goes behind making a photograph, which is not always evident. I took this frame with a Canon 24mm Tilt Shift lens and a Canon 5D Mark 3. This is very expensive gear, and I have sacrificed a lot in life to be able to afford it. I am more than grateful that during this golden opportunity, I had the best of what I could afford. The hard work paid off, so this photograph means a lot to me.

To read about my Spiti trip, click here. Trust me, you will not be disappointed.

Sunset from Hemakuta Hill in Hampi

Sunset from Hemakuta Hill in Hampi

Sunset from Hemakuta Hill in Hampi

The ruins of the Vijayanagar empire are situated in the town of Hampi in Karnataka. Ancient structures, mostly in dilapidated condition, are found spread across many acres of rocky terrain. The temple of Virupaksha is the epicenter of Hampi. Close to the temple is a hillock, known as Hemakuta. Tourists visit this hillock in the evenings to see the sun set over the green fields that surround Hampi. The Tungabadra river flows to the right of Hemakuta, making the view from the hill almost fairytale-like.

Remains of ancient Jain temples dot the Hemakuta hill. For a photographer, this scene is both inviting and challenging. There are so many different elements of interest on Hemakuta that you are mostly left wondering how to weave a visual story from what is around you. The sunset is definitely a golden opportunity (pun unintended) to make your photograph extra special.

The photo here was planned much before we even reached Hampi. I wrote to the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) for permission to use a tripod in Hampi several weeks before the trip. I had to follow-up a few times, and finally make a personal visit to the ASI office in Kamalapura to obtain the letter permitting us to set up the tripod in the vicinity of the monuments. With so much of effort having gone in, I was under pressure to make a memorable picture that evening on Hemakuta hill. I hadn’t scouted the location beforehand, so I had literally walked into the scene that I was to photograph. This, to a landscape photographer, is equivalent to going on stage without a script.  Adding to my woes were tourists who didn’t mind walking right into my frame. I did manage to get a few photographs that I am personally pleased with. This is one of them.

Barachukki Falls near Bangalore

Bara Chukki Falls at Shivanasamudra or Simsha

Bara Chukki Falls at Shivanasamudra or Simsha

Gaganachukki and Barachukki are twin water falls around 150 km from Bangalore, in a place called Shivanasamudra. They are also known by two other names – Simsha and Bluff. River Cauvery pours flows from a height of around 350 meters here.

Though geographically next to each other, Gaganachukki and Barachukki are 30 minutes apart by road. Tourists are not permitted to go down near the water at Gaganachukki, but can do so at Barachukki. Farms that surround Barachukki make this place more scenic. Not surprisingly, Barachukki sees more visitors. You can climb one of the two watch towers to get a panoramic view of the place.

In spite of the natural beauty, human apathy towards the environment was abound at Shivanasamudra. Plastic garbage welcomed us as we neared the falls. Sundays no doubt brings in the most number of tourists. You’d expect people visiting the outdoors to be more sensitive to the environment, but that does not happen in our country. More open area only means the freedom to litter in more places. About ninety percent of the tourists were only interested in eating and taking photos of themselves. The beauty around seemed to serve no purpose except as a backdrop f0r photos.  We photographers were certainly the odd ones out.

I made this photograph during sunset. It captures a portion of Barachukki. Both Gaganachukki and Barachukki are segmented falls. Forest guards at Barachukki were strict about ensuring that the tourists vacate the place after sunset. This is understandable, because Shivanasamudra is in the forest area of Kollegal. Why can’t the government show the same concern towards keeping the place clean?

See more photos from Karnataka here.

Somnathpura near Mysore

Somnathpur near Mysore

Somnathpur near Mysore

Mysore road is chock-o-block on weekends. The other way to get to Mysore is via Kanakpura-Mavalli-Bannur. This route is extremely scenic and not very congested. River Cauvery showers her blessing all along. There are also tourist spots on roads deviating from State Highway 33. One such spot is Somnathpur.

The first thing that strikes you when you enter the high walled complex is how similar the architecture of the temple is to  the ones at Belur and Halebid. Indeed, they all follow the Hoysala style of architecture. The intricate carvings and symmetrical designs instantly appeal to one’s aesthetic senses. The Kesava temple was built by one of the more recent Hoysala kings. It is consequently much better preserved. In this photograph I have tried to capture the symmetry of the temple by using a frame within a frame type of composition.

Shepherd of the Himalayas

A Shepherd Readies for Travel in Spiti Valley

A Shepherd Readies for Travel in Spiti Valley

Sheep and shepherds are omnipresent in the Himalayas. You might think of your journey to remote parts of the Himalayas a great achievement, but you can be sure of finding a flock of sheep and a humble shepherd already camping there. These mountain men are as nimble footed and fearless like the sheep. That is a lot to say, considering that humans have to manage with two feet what the animals can with four.

We met this shepherd when we were traveling from Manali to Kaza. He had a warm, cordial smile. He didn’t seem perturbed when surrounded by a dozen photographers. His sheep were resting and we used the opportunity to take some portraits of them as well. The terrain was relatively flat. But when it was time for him to leave, all the sheep stood up and started walking towards a hillock. As you can see in this picture, they started walking in a particular direction even before he could show them the way. It is wonderful to see the harmony between man and animal in these parts. And though our meeting was short, I have pleasant memories of our encounter with this shepherd.

To read about my Spiti trip, click here.