Tour to Hampi 2014 from ICAT, Bangalore

The Advertising Department of ICAT, Bangalore organized a study tour to Hampi from 11th to 14th of December, 2014. The main objective of the tour was to enable the students to master their photography skills for the Photo Communication module, and also to understand the art and culture of the place.

The students were very excited to photograph the spectacular natural view of river Tungabhadra, craggy hill ranges and open plains, with widespread physical remains. They also explored their photography skills with the Vitthla temple that has the most exquisitely ornate structure on the site and represents the culmination of Vijayanagara temple architecture. They also photographed the secular buildings like the Queen’s Bath and the Elephant Stables that represent a highly evolved multi-religious and multi-ethnic society.

The students used lenses of 5 mm prime, 18/55 nikon and 70/300. They clicked photos during different time of the day, to better understand the power of natural lighting. Even a star trail was planned, but it was cancelled due to cloudy weather. The students explored different kinds of photographic techniques like macro, landscape, low light etc.

The students also enjoyed trekking to Matanga Hills, during which they got the beautiful aerial view of the whole ancient Hampi and captured some outstanding wide angle shots using Go Pro Camera.

Apart from photography, the students were also able to relish the sophistication of the varied urban, royal and sacred systems the place, which was evident from forts, riverside features, royal and sacred complexes, temples, shrines, pillared halls, Mandapas, memorial structures, gateways, defense check posts, stables, and water structures.

Overall, the students saw this tour as an opportunity to explore their creative skills and made the best use of it. It helped them to get a practical approach towards photography.