Photography is perceived as an expensive hobby. True, the equipment doesn’t come cheap, but you needn’t always spend on expensive expeditions, especially when there are so many destinations in and around the city, perhaps some of them just a few bus stops or a short walk away from where you are.
Street Photography
Head to the market areas if you want to capture the urban-rural life - the colours of the heart of Bangalore. If you want portraits of people, artistically arranged fruits and vegetables or everyday moments frozen in time, a visit to K R Market, Majestic or Russel Market might just be the thing. Pottery Town and Washermanpet too are locations that give you the pulse of a lesser known part of the city.
Mornings are best, most photographers advise. Both to catch the soft natural light as well as to avoid crowds.
Vasudev Singh, an amateur photographer who is also a graphic designer, says he often shoots when he’s travelling on the metro. “The opportunities you get there are unbelievable,” he says, adding, “It’s always better to take the consent of the person sitting next to you though.”
Nature Photography
If you’re keen on wildlife photography, you don’t always have to pack your bags and rush off to Jim Corbett or Ranathambore at the other end of the country. Instead head to Bannerghatta.
Unless you’re particular about capturing the bigger mammals, you can plan trips that are lighter on your pocket. Places like Ranganathittu or Kokkarebellur en route to Mysore are the haunts of several migratory birds, so you can catch them during the nesting season between September and May. Of course, a photo walk through Lal Bagh or Cubbon Park is an option if you think you’ll have an otherwise busy weekend - here, the amateur macro photographer will find a host of insects waiting. Birds, too, are no rare things, and those winged beauties are most active in the mornings and evenings.
“Even the paddy fields on the outskirts of the city often see migratory birds,” says Vedavratha, a school teacher, who has been an amateur photographer from his school days.
The Sangama at Mekedatu and the area surrounding Valley School are two bird havens along the Kanakapura Road that he frequents.
Landscape photography
Bike down to Nandi Hills in the wee hours of the morning, and you won’t regret it. Surrounded by fog, this common tourist destination will be all the more picturesque in the mist.
“Skandagiri, a hill close by that attracts several trekkers, too is great for landscape shots. So are Savanadurga, near Magadi, one of the largest monoliths in the continent, and Shivagange, also at driving distance from there,” shares Sunil Umbre, a commercial photographer and founder of an amateur photographers group in the city. Other destinations for landscape photography include Gopalaswamy Betta beyond Mysore in the Chamarajanagar district and Manchanbele dam at the outskirts of Bangalore.
Temples
Temples have a cultural significance, but there are a few in Bangalore that also have historical value and are aesthetically pleasing. Singh recommends the Gavi Gangashareshwara temple in Gavipuram with its rock-cut architecture. “The play of light and shadow that you can capture there is amazing,” he says. Vedavratha adds that Someshwara temple at Halasuru is also worth a visit.