Nagara- A Green carpet

 Karnataka is one of the places in India which turns gorgeous during monsoon. It has almost become a custom for me that I have to travel to Karnataka during monsoon.This time it was decided to explore Shimoga , a district that lies amidst the beautiful sharavathi valley. Shimoga is close to 5 hours journey from Bangalore.There are enough buses to Shimoga from Bangalore in regular intervals. So me along with two of my friends got-to-gether at the Bangalore mofusil bus stand  and started to shimoga. This time we planned to explore the shimoga  - kollur route. I remember one of my friends saying that there's a fort on the way to kolur and that it's really beautiful in monsoon. But none of us knew the name of the fort or its exact location,  Our only plan was to make plans on the way.

After reaching shimoga , We found a place to stay that night . The next day morning we inquired about that fort and came to know that  it is 85 kms away from Shimoga and any bus going to kollur would stop there. Nagara is the name of the fort.. The village is also named after the Fort, We boarded a bus from the shimoga bus stand. The bus started a few minutes after we got in to the bus ' meanwhile the three of us found the seat near one of the poles. Sugi already claimed a window seat so leaving her the space manoj settled down in the middle and i was left with no choice but to occupy the gap close to the pole with a little bit of cushion on it. The bus route was cutting across a lot of villages which were glowing green in the monsoon. As a custom it has become on the way inside the bus we were taking selfies as the whole bus was giving us a weird look . It was a 3 hour ride so we had to spend time by talking , sleeping & reading. On the way something happened in my life for the first time. A bunch of women waved at me when our bus stopped at one of the village . I still wonder the reason they waved at me but it was a foolishly proud moment as it would be for any given guy. Now let me stop bragging and continue with the story. We almost reached the place ; and remember it is important to inform the  bus driver / conductor that we want to see the fort. Because the Bus goes through  the village and the fort is actually a few minutes ahead of  the village. 

After a bumpy , pleasant-some  ride of about 3 hours, we got down from the bus. The Fort was just a few minutes walk from where the bus stopped The place were we got down was so beautiful that we actually thought we would spend some time at the same place. With huge sigh of relief we started to walk towards the fort. The  Nagara fort welcomes you with a huge wooden gate in the front .  The grass grown on the century old rocks were like a 'ever-green' carpet spread out. The weather was melodious and the slight drizzle was like a cherry atop cake. Just like any other fort , It had a  water-well , lead by sensibly  designed staircases which mazes down and reached the water. 

There were two different paths that we can take to reach the actual tower of the fort which was built on the top of a small cliff. One should take a walk on both the stairs as it gives spectacular views of the Sharavathi valley. 

The huge circular verandas  on all four sides of the fort which I believe would have been built to keep watch of all four sides was amazing.

When we had a view from the top of one of those verandas ,the tar road looked like a  black line  drawn in the middle of vast spread green fields. 

The 360 degree view of the valley with the mountains on both the sides was more than breath-taking. The main tower of the fort is connected by a straight and reasonably broad veranda which followed by a stair-case.

After getting on the top of the fort , we happened to see some spectacular views.  There was a point where one can see the ghat roads above the stream connected by bridges were running parallel . 

A building surrounded by lush green forests with layers of mountain ranges at the back-drop.

A good 3 hours can be spent on the fort , If one admires nature and architecture. Nagara fort can be a good weekend destination especially during monsoon. There are also places like kolur , kodachadri near Nagara if the plan is for more than 3 days.It was really hard for us to bid good bye to each other but we were excited about the next trip...

A few bites for photography on treks

'Experimenting with the software is necessary but experimenting with your camera makes more sense'

I have been into backpacking and photography for 4 years now. I've trekked on terrains with difficulty level ranging form the  easiest to the toughest. Most of us (even me before doing a  trek) confuse  the term  trekking with mountaineering/rock-climbing/hiking. Let me first familiarize you with the term "trekking". Basically a trek trail, or route, is prepared or marked on a map  keeping in mind the size of the valley, steepness of the mountains and the season ( i.e. water availability, climate). The map can be digital (e.g. google maps) or conventional. Trekking actually involves many activities including climbing, hiking and even bouldering . A typical easy trek requires a walk  along the stream,  which requires jumping on rocks in the stream  (in this case small ones) , then requires some climbing to reach the ridge and then  some ridge walking (which is generally on the shoulders of a mountain). The difficulty of a trek is measured  by  the distance of the trek, or the duration of the trek, or the availability of water. 

Now that I've explained you about the terrain one can imagine the pain in carrying the photography equipment and, most importantly, managing to capture the moments or scenes without delaying the group. When you are on an exploratory trek where speed is required and terrain is unknown, carrying the photography equipment becomes much more challenging. A photography enthusiast cannot avoid taking photos during the trek because the lighting there is so true and magical. When we walk on the ridges, or reach a peak of the mountain the landscapes, views are so  exclusive and more than breath-taking. In this blog I would like to share a few tips / suggestions on the equipment choice , Dos and Donts in  photography during the trek, and also discuss about  photo-summarizing a trek in minimum number of photographs.

The following is a list of equipment that generally affects the weight and size of your kit. I've given below a few suggestions based on my experience and also on others' feedback.  

Lens:

Generally apart from the camera body, it  is the lens which most contributes to the heaviness of the kit. As I said earlier, magical lighting in case of portraits, and breath- taking views in-case of landscapes, is inevitable on a trek. So are you going to carry a wide angle lens , 24 mm for landscape and a portrait lens in addition ?  My answer would be NO . It  inevitably makes the kit heavy with a body. Not to mention the personal stuff and food items we will carry on a long duration trek. I generally prefer to carry a 18-105mm and 50mm prime lens along with my body (nikon d7100).  Canon users can opt for a 18-135 lens. Both the above-mentioned lenses are good for general purpose as well.

Carry-case :

It's always better to keep the carry case as compact as possible. If you are to carry two lenses ,  a case like in the picture below should do a great help. However , there are much more compact bags available in the market if you are opting for a single lens.  As I said earlier, choosing your kit and the case wisely will make your life easy on the trek.  And, also choose a bag / case that has handy & useful compartments because  a lot of unused space in your case is useless. Please check for the bags/cases which hasve a water cover. These days it has become a mandatory thing on the camera carry case in any price range.

Things to carry in your case : 

These are some mandatory contents in your camera case which is known to all . I'm just re-iterating the importance of the equipment.

1) Lens cleaning kit

2) Silicon packets ( to absorb moisture in case you are trekking in winter)

3) Zip lock and plastic covers

4) Spare memory cards

5) Battery charger ( although there is no point in carrying a charger deep in to the woods , you may come across some villages during the trek where the camera can be charged if required)

Do's :

Following are some healthy practices that can be followed when clicking on the treks.

Cover Landscapes: 

Any trek you do there will be a peak-climb in the plan for sure. Whenever you get on  top , apart from group photos make sure you cover the landscapes. Don't just go for regular frames you saw on any website.Use your creativity , frame interesting and exclusive shots. Look for the colors in the sky. Watch out for patterns formed by the surrounding peaks.
Do visualize the scene in monochrome because more-often you get to see interesting shadows and patterns. It is important to get inspired by famous landscape photographs , at the same time we must try to establish our own style of composition along which we become matured and recognized as a photographer.

Be attentive to the moments: 

 In any kind of photography, stealing the moments is the secret of winning the gamble. So pay attention to the group. A group is always composed of mischievous, quiet , observant , enthusiastic people. Try to bring out people's character in your photograph. Below are a few examples of such photographs. Start studying your subjects right there. 

The man in the below picture is Peter Van geit. A Belgian , is the founder of chennai trekking club. Knowing him very well , I can assure that one cannot describe in words his thirst of adventure and curiosity on conquering  peaks.

Experiment: 

During a trek experimenting may not be a good idea as it is time consuming. But, you can experiment during naps , lunch breaks, and especially  on camp sites and during campfire.

A simple reflection of the light source from behind a tree adds enough drama to the scene.

Never underestimate the magic a campfire can add to the photo. This photo was taken at a slow shutter during a campfire. To note, I used a 50mm lens. 

Having said that ,you also require a compatible low light body or lens. That is the reason why I always carry a 50mm prime along with my 18-105.  It's my personal choice of equipment. It is upto you what equipment you want to carry. But make sure it makes sense to the type of trek you are in. You need to have confidence on your equipment, which in-turn demands developing a good understanding on your equipment.


Portraits : 

You may feel that I am discussing light, again  ! But come on, photography is gamble of light.

Try taking some candid moments of the group/individuals. Capture the action when people swim or jump in the pools.

Modes: 

First things first, set the camera in manual mode ('M'). Set your comfortable ISO and WB and play around with the shutter/F value. Always ,always, always watch the meter  for 'every single' click. I personally try to keep the ISO for the day as 320, WB in to sunny /Cloudy, and play with the shutter/F value . Same way find your comfort zone and play with in that.

Photo-summarize: 

Try to summarize the trek in 15 -20 photographs. For example, you are on a tough trek and you have to cross a narrow gorge, do not miss that photo in the album because that one photo will suggest to the viewer that the trek was tough. This way you can increase your story, describing the group’s capability, and also make your album look short and sweet. The below picture shows my friend Ram taking pictures of us standing over a gorge. I just clicked him with a little bit of surrounding details, just enough to suggest that he is taking a risk to photograph us.

Donts 

Following are certain practices to be avoided during and after clicking on treks.

Extensive Post-processing :

Post-processing to an extent of minor color correction, cropping, or exposure adjustments can be understood and accepted. But, please do not try to over-process the image . For example , saturating the colors too much or applying irrelevant filters through any of the software. I personally feel that post-processing should be done with the sole motive of reproducing what you saw on the shot. Anything beyond that does not make you a photographer but a Photoshop artist.

Huge watermarks: 

It has become a fashion these days to add a funny logo to the photo suggesting the name or the studio of the photographer. Again it is acceptable for the photo to bare your name on it, but please make sure it does not occupy the frame and spoil the story.

Clicking extensively: 

If you really want to improve your photography skills please stop filling your memory card with pictures, going back home viewing on the computer, and selecting a few from them. This bad habit of yours and can be helpful only if you are a beginner but certainly not beyond that.  If you are taking up photography seriously you should visualize the frame and then shoot. You  should also always know what your output is going to be.  It's natural people do this,  especially with the evolution of digital photography, but there are lot of ways to help yourself out.  One way I successfully overcame this tendency of mine is  I assumed that I am a film photographer and I have very little space to just 'click'. It takes time for you to set to that mode but once you are used to it you are only going to gain better picture quality. 

Remember, the above points are stitched based on my own experience . I've given you only a few points and suggestions, or rather work-arounds, to situations every photographer faces. Photography on treks is never easy. Every trek I learn something new in terms of framing, lighting etc. You will also learn as long as you keep trying different things. Experimenting with the software is necessary but experimenting with your camera makes more sense.

Finally, I request my readers to go through this article, provide your feedback, and suggest me if there are any points I can add.

Please have a look at my work on :  http://mkfotoblogs.blogspot.in/

Thanks so much for spending your time learning from my experience. All the best with your trek photography!

A day in Halebid

It was decided mutually between four nomads to go on a short two day trip to some place on a summer weekend. The plan was only to go to bylakuppae , a tibettian settlement near mysore in the state of karnataka. But With  two days in hand we thought of travelling to another place which is around mysore. It was halebid , where we travelled first. It was hot more than what we thought it would be. Saturday morning we set foot on the mysore junction. That was only one of the very few times I saw railway tickets being checked meticulously.   I remember last time I went to mysore . If my memory serves me right it was during the summer in the year 2002-03. Back then it was not all this hot. I was pretty cool.I remember we did not leave the fans on during the night as it was really cold. Just a small interval of 11 years and the place had already been heated up. The difference was clearly evident.

I never waste time on finding fancy hotels or air conditioned shelter whenever I backpack.That is one of the reasons I always stress on the fact that anyone can travel but only a few could back- pack. I made sure my travel had always been less luxurious in the past and always wanted it to be that way. I was glad that  the others in the group were in par with me. With no intentions of wasting time , We broke our fast in the railway canteen just outside the station which soon appeared to be a bad choice.The food which  was served was so  close to ridiculous .After pushing the food , We quickly walked out of the station. The auto stand unlikely yet surprisingly was so well organised. All the autos were queued up in a single line.The drivers had no chance of quarreling as there was one pre-paid booking office allocating the ride to the passengers. We boarded the ride which took us to the mysore bus terminus from where we had to get a bus to Hassan.

As we were walking inside the bus stand , we saw a bus coming out with a conductor on the steps shouting 'hassan-halebidu,beluru' and  clinging on to the bus with one hand. We got it into the bus and  We  already knew that it was going to be a 3 hour long journey to hassan. I was hoping to see some interesting scenes inside the bus but was totally disappointed with an empty bus. Kumary and selva the other two nomads almost talked through the whole 3 hour journey. Sugee , was quietly reading a book which was wrapped with a news paper which clearly suggested that she is an organised lady.

I also tried to turn few pages of a book I took with me but  I eventually was beat by the lack of sleep the previous night. It was only  when i woke up after two hours that I felt selva and kumary were still discussing while sughee was so much in to the book.I also joined the discussion with kumary and selva for the rest of the journey. Three hours passed by in a jiffy and we reached hassan just past 12 noon . From there we had to take another bus to halebid.We waited close to 30 mins and the bus arrived. Before even we picked our backpacks , there was already a cluster of people on both the doors of the bus blocking each other's way not realising the fact that no one had actually entered the bus. Somehow we managed some space to make ourselves seated at the back.

As usual kumary and selva started talking and this time sugee also joined them. It was almost 30 mins , me and the little one were seriously talking though both of us did not understand what each other said.  The bus was brushing the dust on the road , and suddenly it stopped in such a way that we almost banged our heads on to the front seat. It was because an old man carrying a big bunch of curry leaves waved his hands. He literally threw that big bunch in to the bus and stepped on top of it. The conductor and the old man got in to a firing conversation because people are not supposed to take-in big luggages to the bus.People around cooled the conductor down and by the time the issue was settled , we already reached Halebid.

When we got out of the bus, It was like setting foot on to a furnace.It was very dry.There was a temple just opposite the bus stand. We acquired the details about that temple and the other two temples from a  tea seller from the shop where we had  tea. Not wasting much of time we went in to the temple and took our own corners to admire. The guide explained us about the sides of the temple and certain other distinct aspects of the hoysala architecture. The first difference one would notice seeing the Hoysala architecture is the star shaped base of all the temples. Hoysala architecture is unique in its own way , especially given the fact that all their temples were built based on the shape of a star. They believed that by doing so they can manage space wisely and accommodate more structures.  Here is a pillar bearing the shape of multiple stars at the Jain temple in Halebid . Another proof for the fact that temple like today were not a place of worship but a place to put-forth people's imagination and skills. 

The sides of the temple walls actually contain 11 sections , that are configured with 11 types of people lived those days. They had shaped up warriors,musicians, comedians, animals ,Gods,stories etc. This ruined sculpture of warriors caught my attention some how.

It was almost 4 when we came out of the first temple. There was a small hotel on a basement just opposite to the temple where we had the so-called lunch. Soon after the lunch we started walking towards the Jain temple ,which was at a 10 mins walking distance. I somehow liked the Jain temple better than the other one because there was absolute silence and less people.  Roof of the temple was supported by smoothly carved pillars. The pillars were made of soft-stones and nicely polished.

It was almost sunset and  we were searching for a place to get our selfie. Selva and i tried hard to set a self-timer on our cameras and somehow Selva managed to set it up on his camera. I never really use it on mine.
The sun was setting just behind the huge temple walls resulting in a beautiful silhouette image. It looked exactly like this.

We had to skip the other temple beside the lake as we had to start to Hasan to reach Bylakuppae  by night fall. So we took a bus from Halebid which will take us to Hassan . We reached Hassan in an hour and from there we had to take another bus to Bylakuppae. It was a 3 hours long journey to Bylakuppae on some really tough roads. All our spines took a toll on the ride.

It was eleven by the time we reached Bylakuppae. There was a sole tea shop just  opposite to the bus terminus . We sipped  a quick tea  and walked to the lodge where we had already spoken on our stay. It was not very far from the tea shop. We got to the room , refreshed ourselves and quickly and made it to bed as we had to wake up early the next day. Actually we did not have much plans on sunday except for visiting the golden temple in the Namdroling dynasty.

As planned we started early and made it to the golden temple. Spent more than 2 hours sitting in front of the giant buddha statues. Later , we took a walk to a nearby lake and took a power nap on the benches that were lying on its shores. We started back to the lodge and left to mysore as we had to board our train to chennai the same night.

It was a perfect short weekend trip , where you just start and do not worry about where you go but just enjoy the journey. After all its the journey which lend happiness not the destination.

The barricade

'Any 'ism' is incomplete if it does not eradicate the economic difference , corruption and most importantly if there are no  enforcements on the  protocols alike.'

I'm not one of those rich fools who pretend to care about the society's state and perform publicity stunts
with  the NGOs around.

Actually I'm one of those first sons of a family with typical middle class dilemmas and responsibilities. Thus  infused with greater anger , agitation on the ruthless barricade strongly based and poised enough with politics , corruption , negligence, scarcity of punishments along with the classic democratic confusions.
When i think of my above statement i ask to myself , Is democracy the issue ? Or any other 'ism' is strong enough to break the pale , un-uniformed,  senseless economic barricade ?

Well , Any 'ism' is incomplete if it does not eradicate the economic difference , corruption and most importantly if there are no enforcements on the  protocols alike.

In to the memories- A short photo-story

"Astounding structures, Bombarded boulders, Captivating art, Dancing sculptures,Enthusiastic people are a few things that people can fail to miss in the city of Hampi."

The then vijayanagara capital is situated in the state of karntataka. Summers are really hot and mansoon is harsh on the city of hampi. Hence backpacked there in the month of january when winter is still young and pleasure-some. Having said that , I should also say days in winter are also dry and hot. Even for a madrasi.

Anyone who loves history should visit this place, and when they do so they can feel like almost every stone has a story to say. Apart from the stupid tourist development facilities of India, Anything that is present in Hampi is almost ancient.

          Here's a short photo-story of my trip to Hampi..

The sun is about to wake-up , Priests making their way to the virupaksha temple on a misty morning.

Sun rises and its yet another dawn at Hampi

Ruined and battered yet standing through ages.

The guard.

Stagnated water contributing to the reflection on the stone structures

The break-fast centre for backpackers.

 

 

The commercial street of hampi

The Queen's Bath has been built with some amazing patterns.

On the eve of sankaranthi

A man enjoys the aerial view of Hampi and the crowd.

A mansoon visit to her majesty - Kerala

''No matter how heavy her slippers were, If  kerala was a woman , I would have proposed her for sure. Especially when she wears the monsoon robe.''

Dark clouds,continuous showers are one thing dominant in Kerala during the monsoon. Non- green patches,people without an umbrella are close to rare sight at this time of the year. As i recall my two days in Kerala , I wanna take you through the sights which I free zed through my camera and a few insights on them along with it.

A lone ice cream stall , water kissing the dark beauty , and the broken bridge with a red flag - What is exclusive about this?? one may ask. I don't know if this is the right answer but hope it is not disappointing - There is always a 'red - flag' shown by most of  others to a few of us who choose solitude.Most people think , people who choose to be alone are dull , non-social and boring.But I say people who choose to be alone are brave enough to ignore fake smiles, unending , pointless talks , forming just groups  assuming it to be friendship and most importantly have freedom of thoughts beyond the horizon and still have amazing control over it.

Indian Coffee House  is an age old resturant present ashore the Alleppy beach. It was quite a lovely sight from my table to see the waves coated dark by the clouds.
To say about this photo , I somehow believe that the reason for this place in the earth being so green is beacause there is enough red 'ruling' .

It is so fascinating or rather inspiring how a place can be decently developed yet practice the age old traditions and cultures by all means without a crooked face.This old man with my favorite umbrella (thaatha kodai - I call it) was holding his dhoti up and walking on the Mullikan street , a busy commercial corridor in Alleppy.

 It was almost seven and the lights were on- It seemed like time just broke up with the evening and started to date the night . I was looking for that one thing to strike me and here it is. A luck seller. Inspite of the kissing showers this man was so determined to sell the lotteries he had.

On a street beside the light-house aside the shore  , I was quietly admiring the peace queens composing music with their wings . 'cling-cling-cling' a cycle bell faded-in and this little fellow was so much concentrated on vibrating the reverberating flock.