Dams are always controversial. They are built for a purpose, but they are never accepted by everyone as a solution to the problem they are supposed to solve. Irrespective of what you think of dams, there is no denying that they result in a lot of destruction. They are known to bury entire villages. And in some cases, heritage monuments like this temple in the photograph. This was shot in the backwaters of TG Halli Dam (Thippagondanahalli Reservoir). For most of the year, this temple is not visible. But when the water level goes down, it surfaces from below to remind those to care to notice ..read more

Hoysala style of temple building thrived in the South Deccan plateau, currently the region of Karnataka, between the 11th to 14th century. There are plenty of Hoysala temples here – both known and unknown. Among the well known temples are the ones at Belur and Halebid. Among the lesser known ones is the temple in this photo, where I got a chance to capture the Milky Way. Beautiful intricate carving and aesthetic structures are the hallmark of Hoysala temples. Most of them are near the city of Hassan. This photo represents the peak of human intelligence, but at different periods of time. Going ..read more

  Chitrakote Falls in Chattisgargh is a sight to behold. The massive flow of water from the Indravathi river as it tumbles down red rock which has weathered over aeons is proof that nature is raw in its purest form. In this image I have taken away all colour from the photograph to show how slowing down time for a few seconds can alter what we see with our eyes. To see more photos from my trip to Chattisgarh, read my blog: http://www.pratapj.com/travel/waterfalls-bastar-region-chhattisgarh ..read more

I was in Meghalaya recently and it felt absolutely wonderful to be so close to the natural world, and yet not too far from civilisation. My travel was confined to Sohra and Jaintia hills, and I could not decide which one I liked better. Before entering the vast beautiful expanse known as Cherrapunji, I had to cross Shillong. This photograph is from the outskirts of the city. The waterbody on the left is Umiam lake. My travel dates were close to the full moon, so the landscape was beautifully lit by the big ball of light in the sky. I think this photograph speaks volumes about Meghalaya ..read more

Let’s face it – the internet is saturated with photos of popular tourist destinations. Especially in a country like India, where the majority of the population is young, owns a mobile phone with a camera, and has just discovered travel as a weekend routine. There are more than enough photos of places that are easily accessible by the general crowd. Jog Falls is one such destination. So when I visited Jog and took photos with my Canon 5D Mark IV, I wasn’t sure how I can tell the story of the place any differently. To add to that, a perpetual fog veiled the most common view of Jog Falls. Luckil ..read more

On the eve of Independence day, the seat of the state legislature of Karnataka, Vidhana Soudha in Bangalore was lit up. This magnificent building constructed in 1956 is in the Neo-Dravidian style.  The authorities light up the outside of the building on Sundays and important national holidays. Recently, the road in front was concreted and landscaped. The whole area looks grand and invites visitors who come to see the building and click photos. It was a special treat to photograph Vidhana Soudha with the lighting on, during the blue hour of twilight. It had rained a few hours before the s ..read more

Ambavilas Palace popularly known as Mysore Palace is a beautiful structure and the pride of Karnataka. On Sundays and public holidays, the Palace is lit up. A thousand incandescent bulbs turn the Palace into a fairyland. It is magical to watch the golden glow of the building against the dark sky. The lights come on at 7.00 pm. On Sundays, the police brass band performs in front of the palace.When I shot this image on Saturday, the 16th of June, a crescent moon was setting above the palace. Look closely and you can see it in the photograph. The bright dot next to the moon is Venus, the br ..read more

In 2014, I posted a picture of the lighthouse in Kaup Beach. That photo went on to sell in exhibitions and got copied by other websites (without my permission of course). I guess I can say it was popular. In 2018, I visited Kaup again and shot this photo of the lighthouse. The weather conditions were different. A storm was approaching, and the same evening, the entire South Canara district saw the heaviest rainfall in a decade. And there I was in the beach at 7.30 am – watching dark clouds approach mainland. I will not forget the making of this picture. I absolutely love shooting by the ocean ..read more

One Saturday evening, some friends and I decided to explore Krishnagiri Dam which is located in Tamil Nadu. We set out from Bangalore after lunch and hit NH44 which goes all the way to Kanyakumari. Somewhere after Hosur we got caught in a major downpour which included a brief hailstorm. Visibility was poor, but thanks to the well marked three lane roads, we managed to reach our destination in time for sunset. Krishnagiri Dam is close to the highway, but yet fairly unexplored. It was still drizzling when we got there, so drove around looking for a nice spot. The turquoise colored backwaters of ..read more

Although technically the Milky Way is above us during the right seasons, we cannot see it due to weather conditions and light pollution. This year, I was lucky to see it twice. Both times, it was towards Kanakapura. An attempt to spot it near Magadi did not yield much success. I captured this image at a farm house 50 km from Bangalore. By far, this is the best spot to gaze at the skies. We were in a well protected enclosure, and the light pollution levels were certainly manageable. The weather did not play spoilsport and around 10 of us spent the night looking up at the night sky. Some of the ..read more