Wildlife photographer Shreeram and I will be conducting an outdoor photography tour of Hampi, covering a variety of photography opportunities in and around Hampi. The tour includes daily sessions and image reviews besides field trips to shoot landscapes, architecture and wildlife in the region. Read on for more details. We hope to see you on the tour.
Many Worlds of Hampi – An Outdoor Photography Tour January 14th, 15th and 16th
“Many worlds of Hampi” is a 3-day photography tour designed to cover a wide range of interesting subjects that goes beyond the architectural splendours of Hampi. We have explored all the corners of Hampi to bring you the best in
- Landscapes – the river, boulders and hills of Hampi. Perhaps few places can boast of dramatic sunsets and sunrises as Hampi can. A crimson sun rising and setting over the boulders and hills of Hampi overlooking Tungabhadra River is perhaps among the most beautiful, but less photographed spectacles in this magical landscape.
- Wildlife – birds and bears of Daroji. Daroji Bear Sanctuary is a refuge for more than a hundred bears living in a small area, offering a high probability of sightings and photography opportunities. The rocky terrain is also home to rare birds like the Yellow-throated Bulbul, Painted Sandgrouse and Red Avadavat. May be an encounter with Star Tortoises too…
- Architecture – the famed ruins of Vijayanagar Empire. Hampi’s architectural heritage and its temples in various stages of ruination have brought this small village to UNESCO world heritage status. A large number of monuments more than four hundred years old are strewn all across the plains of Hampi, inviting photographers to lose themselves in the ruins.
The tour calendar includes
- Visit to sites that offer excellent photography opportunities
- Expert session on landscape and travel photography
- Expert sessions of wildlife photography
- Basic photography session for amateurs
- Daily image reviews
Accommodation:
We will be staying at the Sloth Bear Resort, the new offering from Jungle Lodges and Resorts, on the boundary of the Daroji Bear Sanctuary.
Cost: The cost of the tour would be Rs.8,500/- per person, ex-Hospet.
The cost includes:
– Accommodation on twin sharing basis and 3 meals per day at Sloth Bear Resort
– Field trips
– Photography sessions
– Transport from Hospet to Sloth Bear Resort (for buses and trains arriving to a pre-planned schedule) and transport during the three days in and around Hampi.
The cost does not include:
– Transport from your hometown to Hospet/Hampi
– Additional soft drinks/mineral water/liquor ordered at Sloth Bear Resort
– Additional snacks or eatables ordered at Sloth Bear Resort
– Tips and anything that is not part of the includes list above
ACCOMPANYING GUIDES AND PHOTOGRAPHY EXPERTS
Arun Bhat
Accomplished travel and landscape photographer Arun Bhat’s works have been used by publications in India and across the world, all the way from Japan to USA. He is a professional photographer who has extensively travelled across India, creating some of the finest imagery of India’s landscapes and heritage sites.
Having travelled the country many times over and being used to waking up at 5am in bitter cold winter days, he has seen and captured finest landscapes all the way from Himalayas to the peninsular India but is yet to see anything as spectacular as the ‘morningscapes’ seen from the top of Hampi’s Hills.
Shreeram M V
Shreeram is a passionate naturalist and a professional wildlife photographer. He has photographed wildlife across multiple habitats across India – from the rainforests to the high-altitude deserts to grasslands to coasts. He comes with vast expertise in bird photography, having photographed hundreds of species from places as far as mountains of Ladakh to seashores of South India. See some of his works at http://www.visualquotient.net
BOOK THIS TOUR
Contact us to book the tour. Book before 26th get early bird discounts.
email: arunchs@yahoo.com
Ph: 97400 83260 (Shreeram) / 98800 06460 (Arun)
This article appeared in December issue of Terrascape, a travel magazine for which I am an editorial consultant and also write a column on photography. Read all the earlier earlier travel photography articles on India Travel Blog.
Photographing in foggy weather needs an approach much different from shooting on a clear day. Details in the subject get masked in the mist, letting shapes and outlines take more importance than finer aspects. Since the light gets completely diffused in the fog, your subject tends to get uniformly lit from all sides, reducing the significance of the angle in which the light source is located.
Go above the fog. The best way to shoot fog is by standing much above it. You can do this in mountainous regions where mist gathers in the valleys during early morning hours. Climb over a high peak that overlooks several ridges and valleys. If there is enough humidity in the atmosphere, there is a good chance that you will find fog settling down in the depressions, adding a drama to the landscape. Your chances of finding such fog are higher during the winter months, during the first two hours after sunrise.
Shapes, not details. On a foggy day, details and colours in your subjects are lost in the mist but the contours get emphasized. Look for interesting shapes to capture and ignore the finer aspects within. Some good subjects include arches and domes, a series of temple towers, tall trees standing parallel to each other, mountain ridges and repetitive patterns of any kind. Once again, attempt this during winter mornings.
Capture light rays. Have you ever seen photographs with beautiful streaks of light making a landscape look glorious, and wondered how to photograph them? Your best bet is to wait for a mildly foggy day with an alternating sunny and foggy weather. Light rays passing through fog invariably create streaks of light. When you spot one, aim your camera with sun directly above you, keep the aperture of the camera small and take a picture. You are guaranteed to record your own shot of light streaks in the landscape.
Aim at the sun. A foggy day is your best chance to take pictures that have sun in the frame. If you include sun in your frame on a normal day, all that gets recorded in the frame is a huge white area of the sky without any details. But on a foggy day, you can capture the evening sun in all his glory without worrying about poorly exposed picture. While you do that, ensure that you have more interesting elements in your frame: it could be anything from a sea shore or rocky cliffs to power lines or an urban expanse.
Prints of all the images available. Request for prints.
I spent a few days in McLeodganj or Upper Dharamsala in November, walking on its narrow roads and gazing at the mountains, trees, birds and Tibetan Buddhists. Being the home of HH Dalai Lama, you see Buddhist Monks and Buddhist symbols in every corner of McLeodGanj. Before I arrived at Dharamsala, I had made plenty of plans about places to see and things to photograph. I was getting a feeling that my three days would be so packed that I will hardly manage to get the feel of the place. But there was a sudden change the moment I arrived in town. I kept my camera away and spent most of my time in Dharamsala walking in the beautiful hills, often aimlessly and randomly. I did not find the need for a schedule. I did not find the need to go see all things that must be seen. I did not wish to get busy with the camera. I simply let the days pass from moment to moment and spent most of my time walking in the hills. Only on my last day in McLeodganj did I spend a few hours taking pictures. Here are some of the images of the Buddhist world in Dharamsala captures in those few hours.
Prayers wheels on the way to Dalai Lama Temple in Dharamsala
Prayer wheels – handheld ones.
Prayer flags fluttering near Dalai Lama Temple
A stupa or chorten with prayer flags in the background
A Buddhist Monk carving mani stones. Mani stones are tablets bearing the sacred mantra – Om Mani Padmehum
A mani stone
Devout Buddhists prostrating at the Dalailama Temple
A monk on the streets of McLeodganj
Finally.. an elderly lady with rosaries in hand, walking on the circumambulation path around Dalailama Temple
Prints of all the images available. Request for prints.
