Le Pakshi

After a break of few months from photography,i was looking out to shoot something and by chance i got to know that a photography enthusiastic group called Bangalore Photowalk was planning to have a photowalk at Lepakshi which i was longing to go for from a very long time.

Camera + Lenses + Memory Cards + Batteries : Check

About Lepakshi
Distance : 125 kms from Bangalore
Mode of Transport :
1. Train :
Hindupur passenger train starts from Yeswanthpur at 8 a.m and reaches Hindupur by around 12.30.
15 kms away from Hindupur is Lepakshi.You can hire an auto or board a bus to reach Lepakshi.

2.Bus :
You can get bus from K.R.Market.
3.Own Mode Of Transport :
You can go via Airpot Road –> Doddaballapur –> Hindupur –> Lepakshi

Ok now back to the journey.
We boarded the Hindupur Passenger express from Yeshwanthpur Railway station which departs at 8.00 a.m.

This was my second photowalk with Bangalore Photowalk group.
19 out of 20 members turned up and the train journey started.
Few minutes later we got into introducing ourselves and discussing about so called photography,lens,camera gear etc.
It was now time to take out our camera gears and start clicking.
We were all over the coach near the doors,windows trying out to capture few interesting subjects.

Train reached Hindupur at around 12.30 p.m.
After a round of introduction we headed towards the bus stand.

Any eateries/Fast food at Hindupur railway station??
Answer is: No,You can find small departmental stores to grab some biscuits or chips.

Destination : Lepakshi.
Mode Of Transport : Auto.

After a 20 mins auto ride,we reached Lepakshi.
Our next task was lunch.Luckily we found a small hotel just infront of Lepakshi temple.

Ambience : 6/10
Food : Only Veg
Quality : 9/10
Value for money : Yes.

Just after a few minutes,all the cameras were out and everyone got busy shooting the local people there.A large people had gathered there.

Now it was one thirty and we had to leave by four.So everyone rushed towards the temple and we had spread all over to get atleast a few good shots of this temple.

About Lepakshi :

This Vijaynagar architectural style temple is dedicated to Veerabhadra which was built by the brothers Viranna and Virupanna.
A huge Nandi bull made out of a single granite stone is one of the attractions in Lepakshi.
As per the Legend, the Naga of the Nagalinga was carved out of a single stone by sculptors while they waited for their mother to prepare lunch.

The weather was favorable for photography which isn’t usually the case as its too hot in this part of Andhra.
Adding to the weather,cloud patterns was also a plus point.
Now the only things going through most of our minds were Aperture,Shutter speed,ISO 🙂

As soon as you enter the main entrance of the temple you see a wall infront which indicates that the temple wasn’t planned.

Everyone was busy shooting and in no time the clock striked 4.
But i felt why so soon? We can spend some more time.
But we had very less time and had to move to the Nandi sculpture which is said to be carved out of a single rock and believed to be the largest Nandi statue in the world.

After a small snack break we headed towards the Nandi statue which is around a km away from the Lepakshi temple.
After a few shots there and a group photo.The rain gods started pouring down and we rushed towards the bus stand and luckily there was a bus standing heading towards Lepakshi.

All in all,its a heaven for photographers interested in architectural photography.

We headed towards Bangalore from Hindupur at start 6 p.m. and reached by 8.30 p.m.

A set of pics:

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Bengaluru(Bangalore) : A city with Diversity – Episode 2

After a hard working and tiring week ,comes the weekend to relax. To all the photography enthusiasts who would like to spend their weekend to go on a clicking spree as they get time only on weekends.The first task would be to choose the place to shoot.

In the first episode, we visited a very calm place surrounded with greenery and birds all around.Now lets go to a place which is exactly opposite in nature with people all around you busy in their daily work.So this time it is the most famous place in Bangalore for photography where almost all of the photography enthusiasts here would have visited atleast once.

Location : Avenue Road,K.R.Market

Interesting Photography Subjects : Morning, Candid, People and Fruit and Vegetable Market Photography

This was my fourth time in last one and a half year and I must say i never get bored of visiting this place again and again as each time i visit this place I find something new always.The best time to visit would be around 7 am near the Mysore Bank Circle.

Park your two wheelers in the Mysore Bank circle or if you have a car,its better you park in the Kempegowda Parking lot near Sagar theatre.

You can have a cup of hot coffee,Idli,Dosa,Bhajji  near the Mysore bank circle.
The first thing you would see here is loads of people sitting in the pavement beginning their morning with a hot cup of tea/coffee  and going through the news paper.A good place for Candid shots.

Next , you can start walking through Avenue Road,which is famous for books.If you just need any books ,you will find it here for sure.Ok further down the Avenue Road,you can find old buildings around you.(Rao Bahadur Building,An old church and a old hostel besides the ING Vysysa Bank for example.)

A good place for People and Candid photography as a lot of people will be busy to start of their daily routine of work.People here are very friendly and have got used to cameras with huge lenses as many people visit here during the weekends.So you will be able to get a lot of people and candid shots.

A small piece of advice to take candid shots.Firstly, as soon as you go to the place don’t start off shooting.Why shouldn’t you?Answer : If you directly start off with clicking pics,people around you will be conscious and you will not get their best natural expressions.

So get in with the crowd so that people around you aren’t conscious now you stand a great chance of getting somegood candid pics.If a person notices you while clicking,just approach him/her and show the photo with a smile. Even they will like it.If someone refuses from getting clicked, just pass a smile and walk over.

Now after walking further down just before the KR Market bus stop, there is a vegetable and flower market along the roadside. Wait for a few minutes, observe your surroundings and if you find something interesting ,go ahead and click.You will obviously find something interesting.

You still aren’t satsified with your shots?

Head towards the main KR Market,just before the KR Market bus stop, take a right turn which heads towards the main Krishna Rajendra Flower and  Vegetable Market.A huge gate to welcome you inside the market with everyone around you busy in selling  flowers, vegetables etc.First you will enter the flower market.Go around and click ,people here too are very friendly .After a few interesting shots proceed towards the vegetable market.A good one hour or an hour and a half would be enough to cover this place.

Now its time to headback and you would be very hungry after spending so much time clicking.Head back towards Mysore bank circle.On the way you will find some Street Dosa vendors.Have some dosas and end of this happening weekend photography trip.Its time for post processing and learn from your mistakes and you can come over and over again to see something different here always.

Happy Clicking.