Twilight Canopy | Matheran

[Abhishek Jamalabad]

A view of the canopy of the semi-evergreen forests that crown the Matheran hills. (Matheran literally means "forest on the head".) Clicked from Monkey Point in Matheran, with the 100mm just as the sun was setting.
This is by far my most favourite spot in Matheran. It bustles with wildlife throughout the year, with plenty of birds (both perching birds and several raptors), some pretty uncommon reptiles and amphibians during the rains, small mammals like wild ground-dwelling rodents and giant squirrels, and as the locals tell me, a leopard as well. (Waiting to see that one :D)

SS 1/320
Av 8.0
ISO 800
EC -1&2/3
Narrow crop from the top to remove a hint of the sky, and a small contrast boost.
There are some nits- the under-exposure, a bit of noise etc., but I felt they add to the low-light feel of the image. Let me know your view.

Thanks, C&C awaited.

[Bibhav Behera]

Very nice image Abhishek. Nice colours. A slightly wider view would have been great but Then shooting with a prime would require you to go back a few steps (Not advised on a cliff edge ;))

Including a bit more on the right of the dominant green tree would have been nicer. THanks for sharing.

[Abhishek Jamalabad]

Thanks Bibhav, agree about shooting more towards the right. By the time I attached the 18-55mm, the light had faded quite a lot :(.

[Mrudul Godbole]

Nice to see the dense forest cover. The different shades of green look nice. I had been to Matheran last year, and seeing the tourists and the littering I felt quite sad. Its good to see some tree cover. Agree a wider composition would have been great. Thanks for sharing.

[Abhishek Jamalabad]

Mrudul,
Agree that tourism is taking its toll on Matheran... in fact found one more building coming up near the market area, which is even more disheartening :(. Fortunately there are some forest patches that are yet untouched, such as this one. The authorities seem to be doing their best to maintain the natural wealth of the place.

[Murugan Anantharaman]

Nice Image.Its good that at this time of the year matheran's probably at her best. Once the exams are over Matheran becomes an avoidable place. Tourists have completely massacred the place. Had been there 7 yrs back and never got the motivation to return :( inspite of the fact that I live just a couple of hours away.

[Abhishek Jamalabad]

Its good that at this time of the year matheran's probably at her best. Once the exams are over Matheran becomes an avoidable place. Tourists have completely massacred the place. Had been there 7 yrs back and never got the motivation to return :( inspite of the fact that I live just a couple of hours away.

Murugan,
Perhaps you haven't been to the lesser known, wilder parts of Matheran. When I used to live in Mumbai (from my toddler days till last year), I used to visit the place regularly, at least 4 to 5 times a year. Now that I live in Karwar, Karnataka, I can't visit that often, but I do make it a point to go there whenever I come home on holiday. It still remains for me the best wilderness area around Mumbai, as compared to Karnala or SGNP.
Agree that tourism has ruined the market area, but the rules are still pretty strict in Matheran (touchwood), construction and encroachment on forest land are a strict NO there, even if there's some power backing it. :)

[Murugan Anantharaman]

Interesting to know that Matheran has good wilderness to offer. Will make it a point to visit soon. Is there a forest office or would you know where I could get information on which areas are allowed??

[Abhishek Jamalabad]

Murugan,
Since it is not a true wildlife sanctuary, there are no 'restricted' areas where you can't go. The thing to do is to go off the main tourist-frequented paths. If you're not familiar with the geography of Matheran, you may need some time to look around for such areas. I haven't seen forest officials there, but if you try to get friendly with the locals, you will gather quite a lot of info about the wildlife, and where to see it.
Please feel free to send me a PM if you would like any further details...

[Sabyasachi Patra]

Nice image. I agree that a wider focal length would have been good. However, this looks nice as well and shows the forests well.


Murugan,
construction and encroachment on forest land are a strict NO there, even if there's some power backing it. :)

I guess you mis-spelt the power. :001_smile: In this instance, the spelling mistake is understood.