Hyderabad - Old City

For a long time I've cribbed about how there's nothing to do in Hyderabad. My main gripe is that there are no real weekend getaways. Nowhere you can simply drive down to without much thought. And while my trip to Dindi Resort in Konaseema showed me that there are lovely places to visit in Andhra Pradesh, driving 10 hours one way every weekend just isn't practical. Sorry APTDC but it ain't happening.

A very good friend of mine kept telling me that there are enough of places within Hyderabad to photograph, especially in the old city. I used to scoff at him and say, "Charminar, Laad Bazaar, Salar Jung Museum.. and?". Finally fed up with my laziness & cynicism, he sent me a link to a blog by a lady called Madhu Gopalan. It was only then that I realized that he was right. There are plenty of photo ops within Hyderabad itself. Thanks Goat and thanks Madhu.

Yesterday, after a brief afternoon siesta, I dragged myself out of the house & got into an auto at Lakdikapul and headed towards Purani Haweli in the old city. My plan was to go to H.E.H. Nizam Museum (Have already been to Salar Jung Museum) and just explore the place. I didn't know of it till I went through a post on Madhu's blog. Even the autorickshaw driver hadn't heard of it & kept insisting that the only museum was Salar Jung. When we finally located the museum, I was dismayed to see a platoon of cops stationed at the entrance. Turned out that there were some exams going on in a school right next door and the cops were there to prevent any trouble with Telangana agitators.

With my plans of seeing the museum gone kaput, I decided to walk to Charminar. I thought that I'd be able to take some pictures there at least. I did see some great portrait picture opportunities - character, context - but I didnt have the guts to take out my 35mm prime and change the lenses on those crowded dusty roads. So I just kept walking & hoped that something would come up. The only picture I got in Purani Haweli (had my kit lens on) is below.

However, when I was almost at the Charminar (could see the monument in fact), I realized that the place was way too commercial & crowded. More like Mohammed Ali Road in Bombay really. This wasn't what I was looking for, so I jumped into an auto & headed to Nampally.

From there I walked home and along the way I managed to salvage my trip by clicking a few pictures, posted below.

Please take a look & let me know what you think.

Key Takeaways:
1. Go by auto. Don't even think of taking your car to the old city. It's crowded, traffic is crazy and, as my pic captured, there is no place to park.

2. Be careful while you're walking around looking for picture opportunities. There are enough of idiots on the roads and you need quick reflexes to keep yourself out of harms way.

3. People were quite friendly and happy to help, especially with giving you directions. So dont worry about how you'll find a place. Just go to the general area and ask.

Photography Learnings:
1. If you like to take portrait pictures, like I do, go in the late afternoon. The place has lots of narrow streets and if it gets dark soon (like it did yesterday), the shadows will make things difficult. The famous 'Golden Hour' is more like 'Golden Fifteen Minutes'.

2. I love my 35mm prime lens & always use it for taking portrait pics. But this time I couldnt use it as I had the kit lens strapped on. So this may sound basic, but decide what kind of pictures you want to take before hand, or settle for a less than optimal solution (which I wasnt ready to do). You may not be able to change the lens in such dusty places.

3. Apart from looking at monuments, keep an eye out for old buildings, machines, tool shops, junkyards. There's more to an old city than famous monuments.

Well, that's about it folks. This was my first photo outing to the old city. Am certainly going back soon - better prepared and hopefully a little luckier. Shall keep you posted.