Sonar Quila, a photo from Rajasthan, West

Photographer's Note

Perched in the heart of the Thar Desert (literal meaning abode of the dead), Jaisalmer Fort upsurges like a mirage from the golden sands, with its huge lookout tower pointing skywards. Built in 1156, Jaisalmer is the second oldest of Rajasthan's major forts after Chittorgarh & is one of the largest of desert forts of the world. The fort was built on the triangular shaped Trikuta hill, 76 m above the town in the 17th century. It is enclosed by a 9m wall with 99 bastions. Within this Rajput fort is a series of palaces, the product of successive generations of rulers.

Jaisalmer Fort is a monument worth visiting and worth retaining in your conscious mind. Made of sand stones and locally known as Sonar Quila (the Golden Fort), the Jaisalmer Fort is a dominating structure amidst sands. The Golden Fort is so called for its exquisite golden hue that reflects the aura of setting sun on its ramparts. Incidentally "Sonar Quila" is a Bengali (my mothertongue) name, coined & made famous by a film of the same name by one of India’s foremost film directors, Satyajit Ray.

Two hundred and fifty feet tall and reinforced by imposing crenellated sandstone wall 30 feet high; the Fort has 99 bastions, 92 of which were built between 1633 and 1647. Wells within the fort still provide a regular source of water. Even today, nearly one fourth of the old city's population resides within the fort, making Jaisalmer Fort the world's only living fort.

So in search of the ‘golden truth’ I went looking for the perfect POV, as the sun was going down; & I got the silver moon as a bonus! :-)

fabio_ts, Bluejeans, sabyasachi1212, Kielia, Gerrit, axiotea, avishek_khan, emjleclercq, feather, riclopes, kiwi_explorer, Dpbours, Graal, pierrefonds, ChrisJ, jusninasirun, adores, siolaw, josepmarin, jafadabret, avene has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

aadilj (18102) 2008-07-17 3:19

No words are enough to describe the beauty and class of this image. An absolute gem which only the talented are able to spot and capture with such intensity.

fabio_ts (13696) 2008-07-17 3:55

Superb work Angshuman,
a perfectly composed picture with smart use of spaces and colors, all my compliments!!!

have a nice day,
Fabio.

carper (96) 2008-07-17 3:58

a very nice one Angshuman
I like the pov and how you took the moon into the shot, good contrast and fine details, good photojob, I like it, have a nice day.
gr. jaap

Bluejeans (64251) 2008-07-17 5:53

Ola Angshuman ,
Que magnifico forte situado no alto desta colina tem uma cor muito bonita ,gostei muito dos detalhes, a lua no alto ficou linda , parabéns!!!
Um abraço Gonçalo

crckt (7222) 2008-07-17 6:55

Hi Angshumanda,
Ohhhh! WONDERFUL shot, perfect in all aspects, not just the POV. Love the colors, this place is a dream for me too. One day, I will visit surely. You have made my morning great with this shot, thanks!!
Shaeri
kanpur theke samai pele bhabchi lucknow ta ghure dekhbo, tumi ki okhane giyecho? any suggestions?

sabyasachi1212 (19779) 2008-07-17 9:40

Hi Angshu,
Eta ki age dekhechilam? Mone porche na. Absolutely amazing POV, the inclusion of the silver moon is a brilliant touch.
Sabyasachi

somak_g (497) 2008-07-17 10:12

hi angshu,

perfect. so neat and crystal clear. the pov is also very well chosen (i havent seen any shot from this angle before )- looks like the rear end of the fort?

regards
somak

Kielia (24077) 2008-07-17 11:50

Hi Angshuman,
great work with an excellent POV! I like the high sky with the moon over this impressive fort. The colours are amazing.
TfS
Best regards
Harriet

goodwill (4274) 2008-07-17 11:56

I like the diagonal POV, rising high to the moon. The detials are clear Angshu, and the sky very well exposed.
Yur shot has created interest in me to visit Jaisalmer too.
T F S, dear

Rajeev

Gerrit (62042) 2008-07-17 13:29

Hi Anghu,
beautiful fortified city on a rock. The moon above is a great topic.
Regards, Gerrit

axiotea (21651) 2008-07-17 21:05

Hello Angshu
The golden tonalities are fantastic and I like how you've presented the Fort creating a diagonal in the image. there is a nice contrast between the sky and the architecture and the moon is the icing on the cake ;)
Have a nice day
Marilyn
Yesterday we had, finally, good rain... Today is full moon and it might goes on...

avishek_khan (544) 2008-07-17 22:34

Hi,
An absolute beauty! What a POV you chose to get our very own Sonar Kella. The golden colour tone of the fort on the blue canvas of sky create a stunning contrast. And that beauty spot on the upper right corner is a masterstroke!!
Regards
Avishek

Stepan (27210) 2008-07-17 22:45

This large frame to include the moon works very well. And Jaisalmer is so lovely... A great warm diagonal, under a lovely tiny moon...
Stéphane

emjleclercq (15778) 2008-07-17 22:52

Always nice to see the moon in daylight. The fort looks very large, more a fortified town than just a stronghold. I regre the fact that the moon was so high is the sky, which conditions a lot the balance of the picture, and led to a very large part of empty sky. But nevertheless a picture I enjoy.

All the best,

Emmanuel

jasmis (58653) 2008-07-17 23:02

Superb place, amazing sem-diagonal composition, detailed note.
Regards.

feather (51130) 2008-07-18 3:09

The golden colour from the setting sun has cast a wonderful glow on the fort confirming you chose the perfect time to visit. The moon surely was a bonus, but I can't help wishing it wasn't so tight in the corner of the frame. I'm certain there was nothing to be done as earlier when the moon was lower you wouldn't have the late sun.
Kath

riclopes (35577) 2008-07-18 3:16

Olá Angshu, here it is the golden Beauty. It's a gorgeous image. It would be just fine without the moon and still with all this beautiful blue above. But then the moon became a crucial element in the composition, so nicely placed on the corner. The Fort is like a big ship making an effort to reach the moon - that's why it is more elevated on the right - and the tree on the edge is the lips that will kiss it :)
Friendly regards,
ricardo

kiwi_explorer (12209) 2008-07-18 3:31

Hi Angshuman,
Perfectly composed using the rule-of-thirds ... that moon is well placed to create interest in the negative space of the sky. Great color contrast and image sharpness. Excellent work! tfs and have a nice weekend.
Cheers,

ps-- thanks for spotting those water marks ... I had to check and luckily it was just on the filter ... whew what a relief ... I thought it was a scratch in the lens. My camera and lens are second hand so there is always a possibility of hidden defects. Anyway, I got it cheap and it is a good entry point for me to learn how to use these advance cameras ... too many functions and too confusing though :)

Dpbours (222) 2008-07-18 5:27

Hello Angshu,

What a great contrast in colours between that wonderfully blue sky and the detail and yellow tones below! And what a location to build a fort in the middle of the desert! Why did they choose this seemingly abandoned end of the world for this fort? What was it protecting in ancient times? Yep, very nice golden moment here!!

Greetings,
Dennis

Graal (103040) 2008-07-18 11:12

Hi Angshuman,
fantastic fort, an interesting sight and colours. Fine composition with the moon on the sky. Excellent quality. Good work.
Gr., Aleksander

pierrefonds (114422) 2008-07-18 14:58

Hi Angshuman,

An excellent note, The point of view has capture well the Jailsalmer Fort eith the moon on the top right end corner. The light brings out the best of the colors and is giving a good contrast between them. Giving more room to the sky and the fort in the lower part is an asset to the composition. Have a nice day.

Pierre

testmaniac (13508) 2008-07-19 0:10

Hi Angshu, nice photo with good lights and composition. Only the colors is missing:) Great place indeed!

TFS

Phil

dvlazar (6662) 2008-07-19 1:55

Nice shot of the sandcastle like fort.
I like the framing in the extremes of the frame- the fort down low and that moon right in the corner.
Works nicely.

Namaste,
Dave

ChrisJ (171822) 2008-07-19 4:49

Hi Angshuman

I like the angled pov, and striking colour contrast between the red & blue. Good sharpness & tfs!

jusninasirun (17529) 2008-07-20 18:44

Hello Angshu. Amazing shot with the gibbous balancing well with the architecture. Pure blue sky contrasting well with the red earth. Well done and best regards. Jusni

Tobias__Ortmann (2638) 2008-07-21 4:42

Hi angshuman,
great picture with great composition and perfect light conditions.
You chose a great composition and also the colours makes a good contrast to each other.
well done
Toba

mark_mk (266) 2008-07-21 9:51

Hi Angshu,
you really have a nice gallery, a lot of nice shots!
Here the light is very pleasant, warm colors due to the evening light and the moon of course, the icing on the cake! Nice POV and great sharpness, I really like it, very well done!

Take care
Mark

adores (46979) 2008-07-21 17:22

Hi Angshuman!
I just understood what it was when I opened it, it's great, the fantastic light reflected on the fort and the moon, so well placed on the right top. A great shot!

Scharan (14144) 2008-07-21 19:46

Olá Angsh

Linda foto, uma bela imagem e composição que prende o olhar. As cores e contrastes são maravilhosos.
Parabéns.
GA
Vera

pablominto (53746) 2008-07-21 23:19

Hello Angshu,

I like the simplicity of the composition and the well defined colours!
The contrast sunshine-moonshine adds excitement, and the ancient structures are recorded with fine details...

Greetings,
Pablo -

siolaw (38294) 2008-07-22 0:18

Excellent compo in which the moon plays a big role, but the rising cliff topped by this fort in a superb light look just awesome.
Excellent
Laurent

josepmarin (59385) 2008-07-23 10:45

Hi Angshuman,
A light and a few magnificent tones in this capture, I like how you have organized your setting, and the graphical balance that you have obtained.
It is a very attractive photo at sight, with an excellent protagonism of this architecture on a very beautiful sky.
The presence of the moon adds a good aesthetic detail to the composition.
Great shot.
Friendly regards,
Josep

jafadabret (56501) 2008-07-23 11:36

Angshu bonjour.
Cette forteresse antique et vénérable se pare de belles couleurs au coucher du soleil. La lune est un plus appréciable sur ce très beau paysage.
Une réussite.
Jacques

jmcl (14535) 2008-07-23 14:39

Hi Angshuman,

Beautiful light on the stone .. great tone .. the position of the moon is striking .. at first I thought "what!" but it just grabs you .. especially the way it seems almost connected to the way the structures rise from left to right across the image .. very nice. take care, John

avene (12675) 2008-07-24 20:16

hello Angshuman,
I think this photo is among your best work, I like a lot how you play with minimalistic composition of strong shapes - triangle of the Fort and circle of the moon. and it's interesting to observe how the intricate details of the Fort create a feeling of a busy place exactly because of how small the place looks compared to the moon. I guess it reminds me of an anthill :) superb light, such a warm tone can make all the difference for the photo. excellent work, my compliments.

with best regards,
Kristine

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sagar (2410) 2008-07-27 7:44

Hi Angshumanda,
Absolutely wonderful shot..I liked the idea of keeping the vast sky in the frame with the moon. Very artistic approach.
Regards,
Sagarneel.