It is a beautiful morning with the sun shining rather brightly, reminding me that summer is on its way. But walking around the lovely houses in the French town Pondicherry, the landscape is coated in shades of pastels.

The Norte Dame of Pondicherry

Interiors of the church

If there is a town that is made for street and mobile photography, then it is Pondicherry as the French town Pondicherry gives you some great colours and textures.

A window to the past

The city is drenched in shades of pinks and peaches and am not just referring to the bougainvilleas in bloom.

The pinks of Pondicherry

Kissed by the sun – walls of Pondicherry

I have my Honor 6 X,  my new toy with me and I am playing around with the dual camera  setting in it as I walk around French town Pondicherry.

Charlie Chaplin greets me in Pondiicherry

Pondicherry is my childhood haunt. For someone living in Madras or Chennai, lets go to Pondy is a weekend refrain. When ECR or the East Coast Road came up decades ago, it was a pleasure to just go on a drive.

More street art in Goa

It was a simple ritual – Head to Pondy, soak in the beaches, walk along the streets, head to the ashram, chill in one of the cafes, visit Auroville and just head back home.

A cafe in Pondicherry

Sometimes we stayed but the it was the journey that became the destination for me. ECR always had more of a charm than Pondy alone.

Art galleries and theatres galore in Pondicherry

However years later,  I rediscovered Pondicherry. I went to the backwaters and beaches, discovered its Roman connections, stumbled upon Arikamedu, saw some ruins, ate some crepes, watched some performances and plays, including “Theru Koothu”, walked around the Tamil quarter, did a lot of walks with INTACH and explored a Pondicherry beyond the guide books.

French heritage of Pondicherry is seen in the architecture

But it was the French town Pondicherry that beckoned tourists . Walking on the familiar streets yet again, I decided to capture the moods and colours with my Honor 6X.

I am a huge fan of mobile photography and the photographs on the posts have been shot by the Honor 6X. Most of the houses are now homestays and hotels

Fascinated by the gates and doors

The best part of the Honor 6 X camera is not just the camera but the battery for me.For someone who is constantly on road trips and is on the go, you need a phone whose battery does not give up on you. Mine did not for about 36 hours as I drove from Chennai to Pondicherry .

Doors of Pondicherry

A quaint house in Pondicherry

Couple of features that I enjoy playing around is the settings on the Pro Mode, be it White Balance or aperture settings. When am shooting a landscape I usually play around with the HDR mode and the Pro Mode. If the colours are already vivid, then I shoot it on the normal and pro modes to compare or else I try the HDR mode.

Ruins and backwaters near Pondy

It has a 12 MP primary sensor but the 2MP secondary sensor is used when you want to use the wide aperture mode where you can play around with the depth of field. This is the best part of the phone. Activate it, click on the part where you want to focus, change the aperture and you can even adjust the settings after taking the photographs.I have used this feature extensively in Pondicherry and you will see this in my images as well.

Flowers in the market in Pondicherry Tamil town

This is a two part photo essays on Pondicherry – while this feature is on the French town in Pondicherry, the second feature is on the Tamil town of Pondicherry with its colourful markets and temples.

This post is in collaboration with Honor 6X, a great camera phone that fits your budget and pocket.

Time stands still in Pondicherry

Also read

Exploring the Tamil town of Pondicherry