Photo Drive to Tamhini Ghat in Monsoon 2016

This year (2016), during the monsoons I made a short half day drive to Tamhini Ghat. This was more of a photo drive than just winding up.

This was probably my fourth or fifth trip towards Tamhini but the place never ceases to amuse me with its breathtaking beauty. This year Tamhini received the most rainfall in Maharashtra (yes, surpassing even Mahabaleshwar), so the astounding greenery and the spectacular white streams were in abundance and perfectly complemented each other. 

We had to stop at several places and take photos to the heart's content.

Not a place to be missed during the monsoon, if you are in/around Pune.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED IN MONSOONS.

The photos are clicked without any ND or CPL filters. I used a simple gorillapod to place my 5DMK3 on top of it.

The first spot where we reached by 8 am in the morning was the gigantic waterfall just besides the Mulshi Lake.

There were some tiny waterfalls around it as well.

And I certainly did not let go of any opportunity to try various angles and focusing techniques.

All these sources of water combined into one and a gushing stream was output through the bushes.

Everywhere as far as one could see, it was green all around...covered with white sheets of cloud...

...and small streams gently flowing to its destiny...

..and some tiny beauties...

..and some marvels of nature....

..and some fauna too...

Practicing with high shutter speed....

Monsoon brings out the explorers in us....

Sometimes only sitting in the car also can bring your attention to beauties around you....

And some more greenery on our way back...

We had a stopover nearby Mulshi Dam, and the beauty simply was breathtaking with the farmlands posing with a genuine grin (read 'green') in contrast to the last year's seriously dry spell..

Finally, before our ways part until the next blog, no monsoon photoblog can be completed without such pictures as below:

Time to say good bye. 

Thank you very much for taking your time to go through the post. If you like it, please leave your encouragement as a form of a comment.

See you!!

DCP Weekend Photowalk at Khadakwasla

Last Sunday (14th August 2016), there was an early morning photo walk arranged by the DCP Expeditions team at the Khadakwasla Lake.

The theme was Nature and Macro photography. A pretty serious group gathered at the 'Chowpatty' by the Khadakwasla Lake, braving the weather and the morning weekend nap. There were tips and tricks shared about how to click Macro photographs. Led by the skipper, Mr Arvind Patole, the group visited a couple of gardens by the lake and the dam backwaters and did some amazing photography.

A couple of hours just passed in the twinkling of an eye as each of the group ventured into the seriousness of photography. They were duly supported by the weather God, with no rain and no harsh lighting.

Once again, a lovely morning with a group of like minded people! Keep them coming DCP Team.

Here are some of the images captured by yours truly. I have only used my Camera (Canon 5D Mark III and the Kit Lens (24-105 mm f/4L) and no other equipment.

All pictures are in low resolution mode.

The Flower:

The Fight:

The Butterflies:

The Spiders:

The Flowers....

Trapped:

The Ignored One:

The Unknowns...

And Finally, the Group (Thanks to DCP):

A Short Drive to Purandar Fort (Once Again)

Recently I had been to Purandar Fort (yes, for the fourth time) just to de-stress. 

This fort was one of my favorite destinations over weekends because of its close proximity to the city and the nature alike – which is really a rare occurrence. I just really love the way the roads wound up to the top through the trees and quaint nature.

I had already been to this area thrice before, I would not go into the details of the journey, once again. The previous logs are found at the links below:

2011 Log

2012 Log

2015 Log

This time, we noticed quite a few changes around the fort:

• The infrastructure of the whole area was maintained quite well as it is nowadays mostly being used as a training academy of the army.

• Security was really really tight. Everywhere there were guards with arms to guide the tourists and threaten the miscreants.

• Camera was not allowed to the top anymore. You have to submit your phones or cameras to the security personnel.

• The roads were being cleaned, renovated and widened. 

• There were well designated parking areas.

• Thorough checking at the entry gate.

I have tried to add some narratives for each one of these pictures below, though there are not many photographs this time.

The Ruins of the Past

Remnants of the early Army settlements on Purandar Fort (in the year 1665, the famous Purandar Treaty was signed here between Chhatrapati Shivaji and Rajput ruler Jai Singh I, a commender of the Mughal Empire).

See the scriptures on the wall at the left. Sad to see that our lack of awareness and callous attitude are slowly destroying our own heritage and culture.




The Deserted

The entrance of the early settlements in Purandar Fort. Not maintained at all.



The Church

When the Britishers took over the charges of this fort, they built a few churches inside the premises of the fort-city.



The View

A cliched view from the top. How beautiful our country is! The urban beauty is in full display.


That's all folks!!