2022
The historical Mysore Palace (Karnataka, India) is the royal residence of the Wadiyar dynasty - one of the most famous tourist attractions in India, after the Taj Mahal, with more than 6 million tourists visiting every year. The ‘City of Palaces’, Mysore, has 7 palaces & this main palace is within the ‘Old Fort’.
In 1896, during the Dasara festivities, the Old Palace (Wooden Palace) was fully burnt down. Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV rebuilt the present palace with a blend of the Hindu, Mughal, Rajput, and Gothic styles.
The main Palace has three floors and has 245 Ft in length and 156 Ft in width. The domes are built in ‘Indo-Saracenic’ style with the main Dome standing on five floors & 145 feet high.
A must to visit place in India - weekends, the palace will be light - but during Dasara, not only the Palace but the whole Mysore will be decorated/colourful - see to believe it!!!
[A detailed Post will be published later]
# One needs 2 to 4 hours to visit the palace, depending on your interest. Online booking & Conter sale are alvailable for a very affordable fee.
Accessibility:
Note: Remember there are many staircases and one spiral staircase - this may be challenge.
The Photo:
A night Shot of Mysore Palace:
Although, I have used Sony RX10 M2, rest be assured that even with any decent Camera Mobile, a very close result can be achieved.
#. A must for night photography is a very “Stable Tripod” - whether you are using a camera or Mobile, the TRIPOD is a MUST.
Remember, both the cover photo and the above photo were selected out of many photos = Meaning, you will have to experiment with different settings to get the best result.
Firstly, I shall explain a typical Mirrorless/DSLR settings for such a scene.
- A very stable tripod
- Switch on Self-timer (2 Sec is OK)
- Preferred/settings used in this shot:
- Selected Aperture as 5.6 as lower settings will not give this clarity; I could have gone up to f/8 with Shutter Speed (SS) up to 1 to 2 Secs.
- SS here is 0.33 Sec. (Self timer 2 Sec)
- ISO: 400 - Usually I play around up to 800.
- Focal Length: 24 mm (Wide)
- Object at a distance of fewer than 100 feet.
- Camera at a height of 6 feet.
- Shot time: almost 7 PM.
Using a typical Mobile Phone Camera for such a scene.
Nowadays, modern cameras have a dedicated night mode should give you the best result.
And if you go for Manual Mode, my recommendations will be:
- Mostly for 'Aperture', we do not have any control; however, if you have a selection, then opt the second larget f.
- Sutter speed between 1/10 to 2 Seconds
- ISO: 200 to 400.
- Self-timer = must
Note: If you have a RAW option, then shoot in RAW & develop; in that case, look for sharp shot than a bright shot.
Factors affecting the quality of night shots:
- The water particles, dust, pollution, etc in the atmosphere - these will reduce the focussing/sharpness.
- The ambient colour lighting - White balancing in Manual mode may some times help you to get the original scene.
- Rush during festivals can introduce shake while the shutter is open.
IMPORTANT:
Do not leave your camera (unattended) on a tripod with a camera in any time (especially festivals); many of my disciples & known photographers have damaged their gear in the rush (fallen down & broken).
Hope this will help you.
| Sl. No: | The Title | Link | Author | Contributor |
| 1 | Mysore Zoo & Wild Life shooting | Here | TG | |
| 2 | London Tower Bridge & Bridge Camera | Here | TG | |
| 3 | Sand Sculpture & Shot settings | Here | TG |
... More ...for you
Awesome pictures of Mysore palace.
It's really very helpful post for beginner photographers like me @TravellerG sir. Thank you so much for sharing with us.
Kindly guide me where the explanations are NOT CLEAR so that I can assist, you all,
Thanks for your valuable responses.
Regards, dear @NareshDarji
Happy that you liked the photos & assistacne.
When time permits, kindly try some of these shots & let us discuss so that we both can learn.
Regards, dear @AbdullahAM
