Green fields and windmills of Hassan

Windmills at Hassan

Windmills at Hassan

Hassan being a transit town doesn’t sound like an ideal destination for a photographer. Surrounded by scenic places like Sakleshpur, Chikmaglur, Belur and Halebid, Hassan isn’t going to get a lot of attention from photographers. But I was in for a pleasant surprise as friends and I were driving down to Halebid one early morning. Having stayed over at Hassan, we were on the road to Halebid by about 6 am when we came across some beautiful light bathing green fields on either side of the highway. Although our aim was to cover Halebid and Belur before the crowds got there, we couldn’t resist stopping the car to explore a small hillock. Much to our surprise, tucked away behind the hillock was a vast expanse of beautiful fields. Windmills towered at a distance, we we watched the morning light sweep over the grand vista in front of us.

There was no one around, and I took my own sweet time to compose and shoot many frames – just the way I like working on my landscape imagery. I used my Canon 70-200 f/2.8L IS Mark II and Canon 17-40L along with Lee GNDs to create a variety of compositions. This frame was taken with the wide angle, and summaries the coming together of a beautiful sight, lovely light, and an undisturbed environment, all conducive for the creative juices to flow.

Tailed Jay at Lalbagh, Bangalore

Tailed Jay at Lalbagh in Bangalore

Tailed Jay at Lalbagh in Bangalore

This is a photograph of a Tailed Jay species of butterfly, shot in Lalbagh, Bangalore. This butterfly is very jumpy, and restless. I had to patiently wait for almost half an hour, and take multiple exposures, to get a few good ones. The Tailed Jay wouldn’t sit on a flower for more than a few seconds, before quickly scampering off to other flowers. And of course, chasing butterflies is a futile exercise 🙂 Luckily, the previous day’s rain and overcast skies made the setting perfect for me to make this photograph. The leaves and flowers wore a fresh look.

Lalbagh is a botanical garden in the Garden City of Bangalore. An oasis for flora and fauna that was once defined Bangalore. Every year in August, the Horticulture Department organizes a flower show at Lalbagh. When I first moved into Bangalore, I found the flower show interesting. But over the years, the lack of creativity on the part of organizers and the large crowds that attend this program has forced me to stay away from the flower show. However, the horticulture department maintains flowers within the garden even after the flower show. This is a good time for macro photography, and to shoot flowers and insects/butterflies that feed off the flowers.