Photo-walk to Charminar

This weekend me and my photography enthusiast colleagues decided to cover Charminar and Chudi bazaar areas for our ongoing photo-walk sessions to improve our photography skills.

About the place:

Charminar is the oldest landmark of Hyderabad, built by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah of Qutb Shahi dynasty way back in 1591.

Legend has it that the building honours a promise Quli Qutb Shah made to Allah. He supposedly had prayed for the end of a plague and vowed that he would build a masjid on that very place. The masjid became popularly known as Charminar because of its four (Farsi char = four) minarets (Minar (Arabic manara) = spire/tower), which possibly honour the first four caliphs of Islam. The actual masjid occupies the top floor of the four-story structure.

The elegant structure of the Charminar is a vivid example of Cazia style of architecture comprising of granite and lime-mortar.

Photographer's note:

We managed to reach Charminar by 5:00 pm. Since it is summer here, Sun was still at a lower angle. The top side-lighting was perfect for highlighting the shape of the architecture and to cover the textures. As the golden light of evening sun was entering the interiors of Charminar, even the architectures inside were lighted nicely. An hour later, the setting sun was a perfect backdrop for capturing silhouettes of the building. Later the lighted architecture in the dark. It was a wonderful photo-walk session with lots of good learnings and ideas sharing.

Charminar stands tall very elegantly in the chaotic old city area of Hyderabad. The unlimited count of people moving around and the loud ambiance add unique beauty to the place. It is a must visit for people who love to frame the beauty of monuments.

Sharing some pictures from this photo-walk. Feel free to comment and to leave your feedbacks/suggestions.

For more pictures, check my Picasa Album.

Location:
Please use the interactive map below to find your directions to Charminar.


View Larger Map