First Light

Most people aware that the last light of the day is usually the best of the day while fewer people looked the same way for the first light of day, I decided not to be one of them, so I started my 2nd day in Nepal by getting up early, went to Patan Royal Palace.  The Patan Royal Palace was built at a time historians consider the flowering of indigenous Newar (Kathmandu Valley) culture in the 17th and 18th centuries. The royal palace dominates the east side of the Royal Square, whose Malla period temples and other earlier features underscore the historial importance of Patan as an urban crossroads from as early as the 2nd century AD.
Again, in Nepal, one will find out the world heritage side is not something inside a fence, it is part of Nepalese life.  Getting there before daybreak, a larger sensor camera with low light ability is the choice, and mine is Canon 1Ds III and 5D II. Indeed, the 1Ds III is considered aged by today's digital camera development, but it is still a fine performer. Not to mention the 5D II, especially with its breath taking capability in motion pictures. This image, taken with Canon 5D II with EF 35/1.4L, is a good example. Here the rich color of Nepal fully reproduced, the ancient wood doors, the brick houses, the stone street, the vibrant shrine, the traditionally dressed Nepali woman walking by.......

And one more here, taking at the exact location.  And here a tip for readers: as advised: "Working on your subject!" I positioned myself in this set up, patiently waiting for the people passing by to get the right color, composition I need.  This one, again I picked a Nepali woman again dressed in red, walking from the left hand side of camera to the other side, while waiting for the dog turning its head to another direction.  Still captured with Canon 5D II with 35/1.4L, ISO setting at 800, manual setting f/4.5 to get 1/20s speed to enough to freeze the dog and allow the Nepali woman to have some motion blur.

And one more here, this time a Nepali man whose dress color in harmony with the background color. This time I around 10 meter from the spot of shots above, same camera, lens and set up, except this time there is no shrine, but 2 small lamps, to tell the time. I have also adjusted the while balance so the overall tone is better, a subject matter here.
And this is the street where all these shots made. One more tip: study your location carefully, picture in your mind, and prepare for the shots. There is really no secret or luck in photography. Start your day early!