#LocalGuidesLove - My LOVE for travel & how I plan for my Photo-Shoots - TravellerG
Hello dear friends,
As many of you are aware, I love travelling & photography. I am presenting my “Love” towards Photography which I am publishing in response to the challenge, **#LocalGuidesLove,**initiated by our dear friend @AdrianLunsong .
As a Traveler-Photographer, I used to conduct ‘Photo-Shoot’ sessions in India & abroad. Usually, I try to study the zone (Main location) & POIs around the same in detail; thus it takes 2 to 3 months (or more) to prepare for a major Photo-Shoot session & the shoot sessions may last from 3 to 5 days, at a stretch.
Let me take the example of the Mahabalipuram Photoshoot (The Mega series):
In 2017 June, I visited Mahabalipuram for attending my corporate duty. I stayed in a 5 Star Hotel, where a lady staff gave me a detailed description of the monuments/history of Mahabalipuram & showed a couple of photos. This made the decision to take Mahabalipuram as a Photo-shoot destination.
My studies & research work style:
Once I was back, I collected & read some books about Mahabalipuram and made my notes. Also, I searched for available documentation in Google Search - collected different information and compiled it. The end result of such studies was a detailed list of POIs. Now my focus was on POIs & tried to obtain as many details as possible. I also tried to watch YouTube videos on these POIs, wherever available. I have also consulted a couple of Google Maps reviews.
This much work gave me an idea of the list of monuments, their locations & hence the sequence of visiting, approximate duration to visit, car parking etc. and hence, I could arrive upon the total time needed to cover the Photoshoot. Based on all these factors & information, I created a master plan for the trip, with the help of Google Maps - I decided on a full 3 days’ shoot.
We reached Mahabalipuram late evening on Monday 22nd January 2018 and spent 3 days (23, 24 & 25) for the Photoshoot and returned back on 26th Friday. For this trip, I was accompanied by my driver & 2 assistants (Engineers); the cameras used were: One Pro camera (Sony 7RM2 42 Megapixel, full-frame), 2 Mirrorless Cameras (Sony RX10M2, Sony Alpha 6000) along with 2 dedicated mobile cameras.
We started from the north most Monument & ended at the south most POI. On 23rd, after an early breakfast, we started day-1 with Zone -1 (Zones & POIs - Here) and after a late lunch, the rest of the day was spent in Zone -2. Day-2 also we did zone-2 in the morning because I needed evening & morning shots of Zone -2. Day -2 ended with some beach shots, night shots, etc. On Day -3 we covered Zone -3 & Zone -4, though we were a little late to complete the shoot.
And the current MAHABALIPURAM MEGA SERIES is the result of two more shoot sessions, after this. I have written detailed reviews & uploaded photos in Google Maps, after reaching back.
Here are some of the alluring photos of the Monuments in Mahabalipuram,
Photo.1. Caption: The Mamallapuram Lighthouse - It was commissioned in 1887, it became fully functional in 1904. Here
Photo.2. Caption: The Krishna’s Butterball - It is just a massive stone of about 250 tons of weight (20 ft high & 5 meters in width), which stands on a slippery slope of a hill, on less than 4-feet base. Here
Photo.3. Caption: The aerial view of Olakkanesvara temple from the Mamallapuram Lighthouse - It was built from grey granite cut into blocks. The construction was started at the beginning of the 8th century during the Pallava dynasty. Here
Photo.4. Caption: The Shore Temple - one of the most famous monuments of Mahabalipuram which was built in the late 7th century by Rajasimha. Here
Photo.5. Caption: The Ganesha Ratha - It is one of the most complete monolith stone structures in the shape of a Temple Chariot at Mahabalipuram. Here
Photo.6. Caption: The Pancha Pandava Mandapam - It was built between the 7th and 8th centuries, under king Narasimhavarman I of the Pallava dynasty. It is dedicated to Pandavas, the mythological characters from Mahabharata. Here
Photo.7. Caption: The Trimurti Cave Temple - This triple-celled monument is dedicated to the three supreme powers, Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva (the holy trinities of Hinduism). Here
Photo.7. Caption: The Krishna Mandapam - It is the largest among the rock-cut caves in Mahabalipuram, which is dedicated to Lord Krishna. (7th century). Here
Photo.8. Caption: The Pancha Ratha - It includes Chariots of Arjuna, Sahadeva, Draupadi, Bheema, Yudhishtir and statues of Elephant, Tiger and Bull.
Photo.9. Caption: The Tiger Cave - It is one of the world-famous monuments, is considered to be one of the Mahabalipuram rock-cut temples (dedicated to Goddess Durga) constructed by the Pallavas in the 7/8th century. Here
Photo.10. Caption: “Arjuna’s Penance” and “Descent of the Ganges” refer to the same monument, but there are 2 different stories, refer Here
Photo.11. Caption: The Varaha Cave temple - It is a “single rock-cut” (pink granite) cave with a small mandapa that was built by the Pallava king “Mahendravarman-1” (7th century). Here
Photo.12. Caption: The Mahishasure Rock Beach & Mahabalipuram Beach - Here
Photo.13. Caption: The Raya or Rayar Gopuram - It is one of the most uncompleted projects - If it would have been completed, probably this could have been the largest monument in Mamallapuram. Here
Photo.14. Caption: The Maritime Museum - This building has many models of ships/boats & samples along with some collections of large items - one of the buoys is exhibited in the open yard (this photo). Here
Kindly let me know your comments.
I believe that my friends, @Erna_LaBeau @Ddimitra @indahnuria @Radhikasingla1 @Anil6969 @AjitThite @Gurukrishnapriya @davidhyno @CAAG1959 will like this post.
Thanks in advance for your valuable company, dear all.
