Consider Night Time Photography During Hot Summers Of South India

As February ends, daytime temperatures start becoming disturbing, to say the least. No wonder, Netflix and dining out start to tip the scales compared against, a hot, sunny, trip across places, that have turned yellow.

Over-exaggerated photo showing how a person behind the camera feels, with sweat dripping over the eyes…

Personally for me, many places lose their photographic appeal, during summer, till the monsoons arrive, and everything becomes green again! (rhymes with .. Make ____ Great Again)

Below, I have summarized my points:

• We have been to a lot of small hills (trek length averaging 5 km one side), and surely enough, the daytime photographs of those have seemingly become monotonic. The same, dusty, brownish bottom views, golden brown rocks under a bright sun and a pale brownish blue horizon.

Small hills, sunny days and faint blue skies have become boring!

• Sunny afternoons are not a good experience at hill-tops. Few places allow you to stay at the hill top after sunset.
• A chilly night, on top of a hill, has an extra-ordinary appeal during the onset of summer.
• Sunsets are the holy grail of landscape photographers (for west facing views, of course. No offence to mornings)

Sun setting over the tea gardens of Munnar

• You slowly witness the lights turning on, in the valleys below.

Seeing the glowing lights below somehow feels reassuring

• Stars! Lots of stars!

Night view from a hill top in Kerala. The red box highlights the trail of an aeroplane

• The drive around is pretty relaxing and enjoyable. Especially, if you have friends to chat with.

However, always make sure that staying at a particular place in the night is allowed, and proper permissions, if any, has been taken.

Also check out my one such night photo trip to Horsley Hills in Telangana.