Morning Purple Hour, a photo from Uttar Pradesh, North

Photographer's Note

Back to Varanasi, such a photogenic city, especially here along the Ganges River.

Here we have an early morning boat ride, yes, its a must, its very inexpensive, and very rewarding. Also rewarding to get up out of bed this early, you won't regret it.

Obviously I was in the boat directly behind this man, and the views were too good to pass up. It may not be 100% sharp or clear, but that's expected with the very low light situation and the movement of the boat on the water. Having said that, i'm very happy with the end result, especially with the unusual blue/purple hour lighting in the sky.

What a great place this is for any photographer, a can't miss. Hope you like this one.

papagolf21, Fis2, holmertz, ikeharel, pajaran, pierrefonds, ricardomattos, jhm, PaulVDV, COSTANTINO, Royaldevon, PiotrF, jean113, adramad, ktanska, CLODO, worldcitizen has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Silvio1953 (208689) 2020-09-27 23:50

Ciao Cr4aig, fascinating misty view with magic atmosphere, wonderful colors and splendid light, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

papagolf21 (152605) 2020-09-28 0:17

Bonjour, cher Craig,
Il est souvent très difficile de reproduire à travers une photo une ambiance particulière ; eh bien, cette fois-ci le résultat est à la hauteur du sujet. : très bon.
Excellent !
Amitiés.
Philippe

BennyV (32788) 2020-09-28 0:29

The purple haze is quite bizarre here, Craig. I wonder what light source created it: natural light, electric, magic...? This is a very atmospheric shot from the midst of the early morning river action. Thanks for sharing it & cheers from a very rainy Antwerp morning.

Benny

Fis2 (158301) 2020-09-28 0:41

Witaj Craig!
Wonderful morning, scene makes impression.
Excellent framing and light.
Corors make impression.
Well done.
Good new week.
Krzysztof

holmertz (94764) 2020-09-28 0:43

Hello Craig,
Seeing the Varanasi ghats at dawn was a must for me too, but I didn't catch this strange light. I arrived just as the sun rose above the horizon. The atmosphere here is incredible and the colours are really magical. I remember Indian sunsets having amazing colours because of traffic and factory smog and the haze created by all fires for cooking, but these colours are extraordinary.
Best regards,
Gert

ikeharel (107123) 2020-09-28 1:25

What an outstabnding photojob you managed here, Craig.
Employed well the light and mist, dark parts in contrasting purple color and motion of the boats with the people marvelously applied.
Cheers for this one and have a nice new week,
ike

pajaran (104989) 2020-09-28 2:11

Greeting.
Interesting view and moment, good text ...
Well shown with beautiful colors, contrast, perspective and captured moment.
Nice start to a new day.
I wish you all the best in the new week that has begun.
Paja.

dedee (989) 2020-09-28 4:44

What a lovely atmospheric image. Colours and lighting are superb.

pierrefonds (105622) 2020-09-28 4:53

Hi Craig,

You have captured well the movements of the boats. Using probably a support, a slow exposure speed and an higher ISO to see the details of the boats and of the persons. It also has a sepcial effect on the colours. Have a nice day.

Pierre

Miguel82 (47110) 2020-09-28 5:06

Craig, i ve participated to a morning boat ride too in Varanasi. I ve also captured a purple sunrise but i ve photographed the opposite bank of the Ganges. The light is well managed. Fine colors, good sharpness, regards.

CMJC (4779) 2020-09-28 6:43 [Comment]

Show Comment

ricardomattos (15908) 2020-09-28 7:35

Hi Craig,

Fantastica tomada meu amigo. Parece cena de filme. Excelente foto e momento!

Bravo!

Ricardo

jhm (205289) 2020-09-28 9:01

Hello Craig,

The morning colours make your picture superb.
A little bit fog are always nice ingredients for a lovely picture.
The man with boat are a nice addition.
Nice composition and perfect presentation.
Very well done, TFS.

Best regards,
John

PaulVDV (56405) 2020-09-28 9:04

Hello Craig,
A very special and interesting atmosphere!
Beautiful and well composed with the different boats on the Ganges.
It's wonderful how the colours at the top gradually change from a light orange to purple and dark blue.
I got it: One has to get up very early in Varanasi.
Best regards, Paul

GyurMaster (22212) 2020-09-28 11:51

Hello Craig,

I like the colours of this photo. That's what sells it for me!

Best Wishes,
Gy.

Tue (84078) 2020-09-28 12:32

Hello Craig,
An amazing view from the river with a foggy view of the town on the left and a row of boats on the right. The colours are spectacular and make a great mix of orange, purple and blue. Great shot!
Lars

emka (153436) 2020-09-28 13:04

Hello Craig, Of course, such a cruise is a "must" when in Varanasi. I also wsent for such a sunrise trip. But this purple colour is very strange. I wonder what caused it. Delightful view of the ghats in the early morning haze. The water in the river looks like dense chocolate.
Best regrads Malgo

lousat (131475) 2020-09-28 14:38

Hi Craig,so not a lot of money to see a great show like that. Wonderful atmopshere form the early morning boat trip in Varanasi,i like the fog and the warm colors,very impressive quality despite the difficult light too. Have a nice evening and thanks,Luciano

SteveH (8090) 2020-09-28 18:35

Hi Craig, you were well rewarded for your early rise, if only for this shot. It really is a beauty, both the colours and the details visible through the haze. Cheers, Steve

ifege (35439) 2020-09-28 20:43

Hi Craig
A superb early photo with great hazy light and colours.
cheers
Ian

COSTANTINO (106093) 2020-09-28 23:19

Hello dear craig and have a nice day
fascinating view with a magical atmosphere
this is a very atmospheric shot...
regards
Costantino

vjmite (5464) 2020-09-29 0:43

Hi Craig,

A brilliant photo of a colorful scene, with an air of mystery about it. It has a cinematic feel to it. I like the way everything just disappears into the coloured mist. Great work!

Vince

Royaldevon (78404) 2020-09-29 2:35

Hello Craig,

I'm curious, was the boat ride to a particular place or just to experience the river in the early morning light?

The atmosphere is both mysterious and delightful!
I love how the hues change from gold to deep purple, as you scan across the frame!
The pools, made by the oars, make it seem as if the water is a thick liquid!!
Love it!!

Have a good day,
Bev :-)

mkamionka (63558) 2020-09-29 7:22

Hi Craig,
great capture indeed. Great quality for this low light situation.
I see you have used the very good lens for that, this may have been the trick.
Excellent effect with the colors which are passing from orange to purple. Also nice effect with the decreasing visibility, and lights.
Fantastic work,
M

PiotrF (52342) 2020-09-30 16:57

Hello Craig
Amazing colorful picture from Varanasi.
I like good composition, fine details and good quality. Fine presentation
Regards
Piotr

jean113 (23515) 2020-10-01 9:38

Hello Craig, I somehow missed this one!
It is a very atmospheric shot; I would not have known the time of day if you had not said.
The colours are eye catching. I like that we are able to see the boat beyond the foreground boat, obviously caught in the light from the shore.
An excellent composition.
Kind regards, Jean.

adramad (68206) 2020-10-02 11:07

Hi Craig.
A wonderful photo, with a touch of mystery due to the color and the lights in the mist, the Ghats that reach the Ganges at this time begin with the sad ritual of the cremation of corpses, something that impressed me a lot in its day.
A fantastic photo, with beautiful natural colors, very good lighting and excellent sharpness.
Well done. I love.
Enjoy the weekend.
Very best regards.
Luis.

ktanska (41045) 2020-10-04 2:03

Hi Craig,
Yes, it was really worth it to get up early. Although lazy me wonders if the same result could be achieved after sunset. Mix of purple tone dusk and sepia like illumination is wonderful. Ripples of water look really nice and the exposure time seems to be just right for this result.
Kari

worldcitizen (14562) 2020-10-28 14:03

Hello Craig,
The atmosphere in this shot is great, and it looks like it could be the set of a movie. The mist, and the oar in the foreground hitting the water, are cool details. The lights look eerie as they try to break through the fog. I hope all is well with you and your family. Take care!