There are several pushkarinis (also called as kalyani) spread across Hampi. Some of these pushkarinis were related to the temples. Few larger ones were built for the general public. Some situated within the Royal Enclosure, like this were specially built for the members of the royal family of the Vijayanagara Empire. It was amazing to see how these stepped tanks were connected to an extensive network of stone aqueduct that provide fresh water from the nearby Tungabhadra River.
P.S : If you would like to see this with higher water level, check this out.
Canon 7D : Canon 10-22 mm : ISO 500 : 10 mm : f3.5 : 1/200 sec
With all the things going around in the world right now, in context of COVID19 – borders being closed, people staying home as much as possible. It is tough times. But nature always has its way of getting things balanced out.
Distance socially, but not from yourself. Slow down, breath, find your zen. Enjoy small things in life. Go for a walk, enjoy the sunset, spend some lone time & rejuvenate. Learn something new. Use the opportunity to connect – with people and nature.
Stay healthy and stay safe.
This scene is from a village in south of India. Just a regular day, a regular guy, spending his morning time in the early morning twilight. Life is simple, the moment we stop making it complex :)
Canon 7D : Canon 10-22 mm : ISO 500: 12 mm : f3.5 : 0.5 sec
Nature has its way of taking care of things, all we need to do is not interrupt :)
Bulls Island, is an undeveloped barrier island within the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge. Its one of the most pristine spans of coastline on the eastern seaboard. Its seven miles of beaches include the famed Boneyard Beach, where the remains of surf-battered trees are littered across the sand. To add to that, after each high tide, every corner of the beach is restored to its immaculate state :)
To preserve the wildlife and its habitat, Cape Romain is closed from dawn to dusk, and no camping is allowed on the refuge islands. Hence not many get to witness sunrise on the pristine Boneyard Beach.
Canon 7D : Canon 10-22 mm : ISO 100 : 10 mm : f3.5 : 1/125 sec
Kanyakumari , the southern most tip of Incredible India, is well known for a handful of things – The Vivekananda Rock, Thiruvaluvar statue, the small fishing colony, Devi Kanyakumari Amman Temple on one end and Our lady Church on the other. But it all comes together during sunrise, when everyone gathers by the coast to witness the dynamic colors :)
Canon 7D : Canon 10-22 mm : ISO 100 : 10 mm : f4.5 : 0.3 sec
When I heard about the pineapple fountain, I was pretty exited. As per the name, it was quiet a fountain. Arrived before sunrise to shoot. Unfortunately the fountain was not turned on. It was surprising that the near by spider fountain was operational.
As I was walking by the gardens and enjoying the twilight, found a building opposite to the fountain. The high vintage from the steps gave a nice perspective. As I set the camera for the first rays, the fountain sprung to life !
Here is a Pineapple fountain, with sun cherry topping, for you :)
Canon 7D : Tamron 18-270 mm : ISO 100 : 85 mm : f27 : 1/125 sec
Pineapple Fountain Charleston, South Carolina, USA
This past weekend, got a chance to drive by Smokies. As with last minute plans, needed a few creative ideas to make it happen. One of them was to just drive around and sleep in the car as needed. One of the huge advantage of car camping, is that you are always just a door away from a night full of stars or floating in a mystic fog or waking up to lovely view like this.
After trying out some fun light experiments at the Clingmans dome, we decided to head out to NewFound Gap to catch some sleep. The intent was to be able to crash till twilight and be able to enjoy the sunrise from near a view point. But as it is aptly called – Smokies – the view was pretty covered with fog and overcast.
After some quick gamble, decided to see if we would have a better luck driving around. As we pulled out of the parking lot and within the next turns, we were greeted with this scene. The sun was just rising behind the mountains lighting up the horizon :)
Canon 7D : Canon 10-22 mm : ISO 250: 10 mm : f3.5 : 1/30 sec
Hampi, a village in northern Karnataka, India, was one of the richest and largest cities in the world during its prime. It is located within the ruins of the city of Vijayanagara. The ruins are a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site.
A trip to Hampi is incomplete without the trek to Matanga hills. Matunga Hill, being at the center of Hampi, and also the highest point, is the best spot to get an aerial view of Hampi and it’s surroundings. One can experience the true essence of any new place much deeper – in the first few moments leading to the sunrise and a few moments after, when the world around us is waking up from a slumber. And the rooftop of the Veerabhadra Temple at the summit is the ideal place to experience it. Apart from the Veerabhadra temple, there are lovely views sprinkled around, like these.
Canon XSi : Tamron 18-270 mm : ISO 100: 18 mm : f3.5 : 1/90 sec
Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing there is a field. I’ll meet you there. ― Rumi
Excessive judgments weigh you down and make you feel heavy-hearted and unsatisfied. While we are judging and discerning, sometimes it is just wonderful to allow the radiance of the universe to permeate and just be, and let go. We are always making distinctions and labeling things as right and wrong, good or bad, true or untrue … Sometimes it is exhausting to carry all the burden of excessive judgment.
Just be :)
This shot is from an early morning by the countryside of Wisconsin, as I was returning back from shooting the Milky Way & Perseids. It is always fun to shoot thru the night and into the light !
Canon 7D : Canon 10-22 mm : ISO 100 : 10 mm : f4.5 : 1/60 sec
Cave Point is a little park – off the beaten track with beautiful views of the rock ledges along Lake Michigan. This probably is the most beautiful areas in Door County, WI. The hiking was fabulous and allows to enjoy the thrill of climbing down the rocks to get close to the waves crashing against them. Make sure you wear good shoes as the rocks can be a bit tricky especially if you want to climb down towards the water. The effects of water and wind erosion on these cliffs is very prominent, leading to the creation of carved pools and caves (hence the name).
Witnessing a lovely sunrise from one of these caves, as the high waves and the cold water was splashing across, along with the early morning breeze caressing the face – It was just serene & breathtakingly beautiful.
I strongly believe, what we feel while looking at a photograph is proportional to what the photographer felt when making it :) the idea is that connection transcends the photograph.
Looking forward to witness, capture and share many beautiful sunrises and more in 2015 !!!
Canon 7D : Canon 10-22 mm : ISO 100 : 10 mm : f3.5 : 1/350 sec
The perks of shooting out the whole night is that you don’t need to wake up early to catch the sunrise ! After chasing the perseids over the night, it was well worth stopping by at Jonsrud Viewpoint. With a view like this, just a few steps from the parking, this spot never disappoints !
It was quiet cold for a summer morning, the sun was coming up in the horizon and kissing the valley with its golden light. And as if to respond the blanket of fog started rolling, without haste to reveal the Sandy river below. As I walked out that mid summer early morning, this is what I saw !!!
Canon 7D : Tamron 18-270 mm : ISO 100 : 13 mm : f4.5 : 1/750 sec
I was returning back from shooting stars over the night. Heading right back to office, was treated with this lovely sun rise. How can I avoid pulling over, running across the highway and getting a shot of the same :)
The inspiration you seek is within-
Be Silent & Listen
Canon 7D : Tamron 18-270 mm : ISO 100 : 130 mm : f5.6 : 1/30 sec
The trip to India was awesome. It was time well spent with the family and taking a break :)
Though I was not able to shoot as much as I had intended, I was able to sneak in a stop for a sun rise at Mahabs. Am glad I did it :) Mahabalipuram is very famous for the shore temple. My plan was to shoot a silhouette of the shore temple. I had shot the same during twilight blues, but wanted to get the same with some vibrant colors this time.
The plan started to fall apart when the start was delayed and the overcast horizon made the light questionable. And just as I just set up the tripod, realized I had missed the Neutral Density filters at home. I always like shooting a long exposures during twilight, as it gives the dreamy feel to the shot.
Given these, decided to freeze the wave action. The foam was so fresh and the water was inviting. In turn, luck, as if to favor me, decided to help with the light. Just in time, the sun broke out of the overcast horizon, spreading the golden blanket across the sea. When I look at this shot, I was reminded of the below quote by Ansel. It really paid off getting in the water and shooting low :)
A good photograph is knowing where to stand – Ansel Adams
Canon 7D : Canon 10-22 mm : ISO 100 : 10 mm : f3.5 : 1/125 sec
That is how Customer Support is supposed to be : I host my photos with Smugmug and should say they probably have the best customer service. Generally they respond back to mails within less than an hour and have the overall issue addressed within few hours or maximum a day. This is irrespective of being a weekend or holiday as the support team is spread across the globe.
Recently noticed they had added a real time chat option – for support. I was skeptical, but went ahead and queried to get something taken care of. End of the chat realized the feature (setting my own License Agreement for selling digital downloads, hope they plan for it soon !) was not yet implemented. But the experience was exhilarating. It was kind of magical, the responses were so swift that it felt as if the other person was able read my mind. It was as if the person on other side was able to see and understand what I wanted, before I even sent the message. And just at that moment I realized that is exactly what was happening. Many times when we try to frame a query we go back and fourth, refining the query – reading it from other end – in real time gives such a advantage in responding appropriately and quickly. Such a small technical workaround to give that speedy experience.
Thanks Ty (Smugmug hero), you made my day. And Smugmug you just rock !!! Thanks again for all the work you folks do …
Weekly Photo – Mt Hood at Twilight
We stopped over at Jonsrud Viewpoint when returning from Mt Hood in the past. It was late in the evening and the sun was pretty much set for the past hour. Being winter with the biting cold and not much light, I was not able to enjoy or appreciate the view. I did make a mental note to return here someday. I was really inspired by Gary Randall’s Mt Hood Shots. It kindled my interests and gave me the last mile push, Thanks Gary ! If u enjoy Mt hood (or landscapes in general) u definitely should check this out. It was nice meeting him in person last week at the Gallery display. Prior to this I did not know that there were gallery displays across town during First Thursdays.
Anyway, for the weekend the forecast was sunny and we were supposed to have some pretty warm weather and we did. I was glad I pushed myself out early. It was magical to watch the river flow from one side, the fog blanket the valley from the other, as the sun was about to peek from behind the peak. The twilight colors lasted a few moments, but was well worth the drive. I present to you Mt Hood at twilight. Wish you a pleasant morning and a happy weekend ahead !
Jonsrud Viewpoint Mt. Hood Scenic Byway, Oregon, USA
Hampi, apart from the historical ruins is an awesome place for trekking and rock climbing too. Matunga hill @ Hampi is one of the best spots for watching sunrise. the hike is a bit on difficult side, especially if you are not aware of the route. It is better to have a guide if you planning to hike up in the dark for sunrise. But the views are well worth it, they are pretty amazing. This week shot is of the temple ruins, right on top of the hills. The sun was playing hide and seek as the mist was starting to clear. This was taken just moments after the sun rise shot that I had shared in the past. wow the scene changed so dramatically with light , angle and direction !
Update : Sorry, the deal is dead. Not sure why, It was supposed to be active thru Mar 2, 2012.
On a different note, if you are into photography and were looking to buy Photoshop, now is the best time. There is a huge sale going on @ Adobe site. The current version of Adobe Photoshop CS5 Extended can be got for $39, yeah you read that right – $39. The Student version generally sells for $199 (and the original without discount sells @ $699) and there is a 80% additional off, if you use the code SAVE80EDU. You could even get this for your kid who is in kindergarten – all you need is a student ID card or an appropriate school document. If you don’t have a student in the family, now is the time to join that course that you were eying for a long time ! The lower price is probably because of the fact that next version of Photoshop would be out in couple of months, but @ $39 I am not complaining :) The deal is supposed to be on till March 2, 2012, Go grab it while it lasts !!!
“If dreams were made of stone , it would be hampi” – One can completely relate to it, the moment they get into the vicinity of the place. Hampi – has some amazing and stupendous architecture captured in stone from the Vijayanagara period. Apart from the architecture, the place is also know for some strong and dynamic sunrise / sunsets. Matunga hill is a prominent hike up, where one can enjoy the same. Since a relatively a larger crowd trickle in to bid goodbye to the sun rather than to witness the sunrise, I decided to hike up at dawn. There are a couple of paths leading to the topmost point, where the Veerabhadra Temple is located. It is better to carry a torch irrespective of if you are planning for the sun rise or the sun set as the place is not well lit. After taking up the stepped ramp from the west , reached the top just prior to sun raise. There were only a very few folks around, but was really surprised to see a small shop selling garam garam tea and noodles, at that place and time :)
As it was quiet misty, was not hoping much for the sun to come out. Just as I was enjoying the watery tea, the sun decided to give a peek out. It was quiet dramatic, with the Achyuta raya temple at the foothills , the dense forest and the sun peeking thru the misty morning mountains afar. Boy, was I glad to have the 10-24mm wide angle. Did my best to capture it, though I knew I was not able to do complete justice.
As I mentioned earlier, Bryce Canyon is not much of a canyon. One could visit the place umpteen number of times, but still be awed. It is just magical. The hoodoos change with time – due to the forces wind, water and snow. The colors are amazing and different, depending on the time of the day. The early morning with the dawn’s first light, is probably the best times to visit the place. For a close up shot – check this out. Oh yeah, you can hike down into the palace, How cool is that !
I love this shot for the flow it has – from the skies to the mountains, from the mountains to the plains, form the plains to the forest and eventually culminating at the canyons. It kind of gives lot of depth, what do you think ?!
The magnificent shore temple of Mahabalipuram has an amazing architecture and leads itself for an stupendous silhouette during the early morning sun’s light. The journey from Chennai to Mahabalipuram in the morning is by itself an unmatched experience. The road moves along the beach, never leaving it for more than couple hundred meters. But u would need to have these two (the sunrise and the drive) separate. If ur planning for the sun rise, better leave real early and drive up in the dark. This was shot around 5:00 AM on a beautiful morning, just before the sun came up. Though am not much of a morning person, it did pay, to be up early and drive all the way from chennai :)
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