The Dusky Forest, a photo from West Bengal, East

Photographer's Note

This is an unusual shortcut to Rimbik from Kaalapokhri through a forest trail which lets one bypass Sandakphu. The trail is long (around 20 km) but easy and leads one through a beautiful forest till Rimbik. Located in the heart of the forest is a small waterbody or 'pokhri' called Jayrapokhri.
I started the trail with the help of my local guide Bhanu, who took me through the shortcuts and trails.
We started late from Kaalapokhri at around 11 AM, and trudged at a slow pace through the jungles as I stopped every now and then to take a shot. Bhanu was quite at ease with my fooling around but once the sun dived down the horizon and the mercury dipped he looked nervous and a bit restless. Its tough to say what he was more concerned about .. the cold or the darkeness or the occasional bear !
In this shot, Bhanu can be seen waiting impatiently for me, urging me hurry up as I was taking the shot. The semi-darkness, the chill, the fog, the fear and the sense of mystery all added to the magic.

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Critiques | Translate

Tempodulu (168) 2009-06-15 23:16

nice shot but lacks sharpness, IMO.

As you used a tripod, you could have used a higher F number - f8 perhaps?

regards...

tanbag (19) 2009-06-16 3:37

A really good shot. Nicely composed.Described the situation pretty beautifully.To me, it is quite sharp.No further reducing of F-stops seemed necessary.Anyway u could have experimented with some higher f stops as it was a tripod shot.

Overall, very nice shot.....keep on clicking more.

lifeofjoy (101) 2009-06-23 0:18

Nice shot...but u could have avoided the trekker on the side...it would have given a more errie feeling.

Tfs,
Jaydeep

kmangwani (352) 2010-03-28 11:38

Samrat,

This image conveys deep mystery of the Darjeeling forests. You have it framed nicely, except for the trekker who is far too away in the corner of the image.
You have one of the nicest collection of Himlayan sunsets.
Om, Kumar

Juzo (2151) 2010-04-03 20:50

Hi Samrat,
This atmosphere is darkly beautiful, the misty air and barren shapes of the trees create this mood. The B&W rendering is a very good choice.
Regards
Justin

bhargab_c (72) 2010-10-03 22:37

This is a fantastic shot. A bit more contrast would have been better IMO.

Regards
Bhargab