Kissed by the Morning Sun Photo

Photographer’s Note

Dalhousie is a city in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, India, built on and around five hills. Located on the western edge of the Dhauladhar mountain range of the Himalayas, it is surrounded by the beautiful scenery of snow-capped peaks. Dalhousie is situated at 6000-9000 feet above sea level.

Established in 1854 by the East India Company as a summer retreat for its troops and bureaucrats, the town was named after Lord Dalhousie who was the Governor-General of India at that time.

Dalhousie is favourite among those who seek solitude and rest. Nature has, indeed, been very generous to Dalhousie in that it bestowed upon it a salubrious climate, invigorating air, serene atmosphere, chaste environment and rich flora and fauna. The main town as it stands today has two important chowks. One is Charing Cross popularly known as Subhas Chowk and the other is the General Post Office (GPO) popularly known as Gandhi Chowk. The famous Mall Roads of Dalhousie are known as North Terah Mall and South Terah Mall. The North Terah Mall is called Thandi Sarak (cool road) by the natives as it is less exposed to the sun and the South Terah Mall is called Garam Sarak (warm road) because it is better exposed to the sun. Vehicular traffic is prohibited on the South Terah Mall. A beautiful view of the valleys below the plains is obtained from the Mall. It provides a calm, quite and delightful walk.

The Hotel we stayed in is located in Dalhousie’s third and highest mall around the upper Bakrota hill nearly a 1000 feet above the G.P.O. (Gandhi Chowk). From the Hotel balcony, we could have beautiful views of the low hills surrounding the town. This is the view as the rays of the morning sun kissed the terraces on the hill slope.

Sorry about the bleached sky...I was shooting towards the sun, which was behind the hill in the FG left. I tried to bring out the blue in PS by using levels, resulting in some mottling in the sky. The hill slope on the left with the beautiful houses is dark as well, as they are in the shade till past noon, when the sun moves to the west (right side of the frame). Any WSs for improvement most welcome!

sanita, medio, vincz, ChrisJ, siolaw, dhurjati, edytungkal, emjleclercq, Graal, bakes888, papagolf21, pierrefonds, jhm, feather, josepmarin, axiotea has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

sanita (44) 2007-10-29 8:26

Thanks for the very useful information, and for a picture of a place I think most people would not mind waking up in.

medio (462) 2007-10-29 8:29

Hola Angshuman.
buena toma, un lugar precioso y abundante arboleda, la foto es buena tiene un buen enfoque y bonitos colores.
saludos jose

sagar (2299) 2007-10-29 9:43

Hi Angshumanda,
This is treat for a mountain bug like me. Amazing greenery of the forests and a wonderful ambiance. Such a view is a delight to watch.
Regards,
Sagarneel.

vincz (19039) 2007-10-29 14:32

I see you had some time off in a beautiful part of your country. Great light on the mountains on the back. Certainly a place where I would appreciate to take some rest as well.

siolaw (25702) 2007-10-29 22:22

Hi Angshu,
You had a refreshing time in Himachal! Nice view here with all the greenery around, nice colors and reasonable sharpness... a pity sunlight doesn't hit the small village in the dark part, but no issue there...
Greetings
Laurent

dhurjati (2827) 2007-10-29 22:46

Hi Angshu,
Very refreshing shot.Only minus point that I see is the sky - perhaps bit over and dull which doesn't quite fit into the rest of the gorgeous colours of the composition.Like the different shades of greenery and the play between light and shade.You have managed the morning soft yet bright light extremely well.Those tiny looking houses in the lap of the pine trees are the most beautiful spots.Overall a good composition.
Greetings,
Dhurjati

edytungkal (4517) 2007-10-29 23:22

Hello Angshu,
I must agree with others that you have a beautiful point of view but the weather seems not too friendly especially the pale sky and the housing around the nature not clearly enough. Nevertheless still a nice place and your story behind this picture is very informative. Thanks :-)

daniel

emjleclercq (14133) 2007-10-29 23:41

The colors are not perfect, but it is intersting to see how these Summer resorts dating back to the English presence in India look like.

All the best,

Emmanuel

TopGeo (21433) 2007-10-30 0:01

Hi Angshuman! The splendid morning and the marvellous landscape him you combined, in a very intelligent composition, with amazingly light and shades. Kompliments
Georgios

ChrisJ (69588) 2007-10-30 0:41

Hi Angshuman

I've been to Darjeeling, which looks similar to this superb hill station view. Perhaps I'd add some gaussian blur to the sky, to mask the mottled effect? But superb sharpness & color, & a good pov. Tfs!

Graal (57292) 2007-10-30 1:12

Hi Angshuman,
amazing city on the hills, fine POV and composition. Interesting informations. Fine contrast and colours. I like it.
Gr., Aleksander

bakes888 (18055) 2007-10-30 1:25

Hi Angshuman. Nice capture. Sure looks like a lovely place. Nice composition with good diagonals and foreground focal points. Well captured and thanks for sharing.
Cheers, Paul.

papagolf21 (55990) 2007-10-30 1:28

Bonjour, mon ami Angshu,
Véritable lieu de calme et de sérénité. La beauté à l'état pur !
Quel spectacle !
Un cadrage soigné avec une profondeur de champ parfaite.
Excellent comme d'habitude.
Amitiés.
Philippe

pierrefonds (25953) 2007-10-30 3:50

Hi Anhshuman,

A good POV of the trees and of the mountains, the photo has a good composition, DOF and nice colors. Thanks for sharing.

Pierre

jhm (81731) 2007-10-30 5:30

Hello Angshu,

Very nice title for this lovely picture.
You play excellent with light and shadows, the village on the slope is a nice detail, a good note too.
Thanks for sharing.

Greetings from Belgium,
John.

prumod (8258) 2007-10-30 7:39

hi angshu...
here most attractive is the backlight on the buildings... nice capture... i can feel the sun there very well...
greetings...

feather (49848) 2007-10-30 8:49

Once you've blown out the sky there's not a lot you can do about it apart from transport one from another image which is not allowed on TE. It's not a big issue as there is some colour in it, but not one to resist a challenge I had a go and managed to make the sky more blue instead of cyan.
I like the way the light is catching the ridge and the foreground trees and you found a good POV. The dark triangle with the village stands out well from the mountain behind.
Kath

[workshop] [compare] +

josepmarin (33591) 2007-10-30 11:13

Hi Angshuman,
This beautiful landscape of mountains is a bit different from your habitual work, but it is very pleasant at sight.
The light was very difficult and the Sun behind the hill was giving you problems with the exposure, but in spite of it, the result is good and the magnificent shades.
Good work.
Friendly regards,
Josep

clic (4063) 2007-10-30 15:45

Hello Angshuman
I have the impression of being back in the Bavarian Alps, in front of Adolf Hitler's Eagle Nest!!
Don't worry about backlight; the magnificence of premises is quite perceptible.
Best regards.
Robert

axiotea (15929) 2007-10-30 21:13

Bonjour Angshu
Excellent view from your balcony, giving and idea of the Himachal environment, with the village perched on the left slope. After Delhi, I think was good for you to take some fresh air in this beautiful area. I made a WS and just to see how it will look in B&W and hope you'll like it.
Cheers
Marilyn

[workshop] [compare] +

Stepan (27167) 2007-11-01 0:35

Last summer, Stephane and I almost went there but we skipped Delhousie because of lack of time. Then, it will be interesting to discover the place thanks to your eyes...
A classical pov to begin (makes me think at Mc Leod Ganj), a green mood, as often in that part of the country.
Stéphane

toto (18563) 2007-11-01 3:41

Belle photo de ces maisons dans les montagnes,belle prise de l' ensemble, jolies couleurs et bonne netteté. Ces sapins a l' avant plan et ces montagnes a l' arrière lui donne une bonne profondeur de champ.
Amitiés Thomas
Je reviens

Budapestman (41066) 2007-11-01 8:20

Dear Angshu,
Beautiful impression the lights are amazing. POV is very attractive, details are very fine. Splendid shot! Have a nice day
George

Scharan (13951) 2007-11-04 15:47

Que bela paisagem Angshu...
Aquelas casas lá no alto devem ter uma vista de sonhos...bonitas cores e luminisidade; bom trabalho meu amigo.
GA
Vera