Photo Stories
A series of travel images intended to smash the stereotypes about India – plus, dogs dressed as humans (no, really)
So far I have visited India twice. The first time was a short trip to Mumbai and the second trip, where this photo series comes from, was a far longer trip that included some sight seeing around the ‘Golden Triangle’ – before heading to Varanasi and Bihar for my own wedding.
On both occasions people warned me that I may feel overwhelmed as India is highly populated – especially the big cities – and can be noisy due to traffic. But I never felt this. Even within the hustling of the cities, it’s easy to find a peaceful and quiet corner, tucked away from the chaos. This is what I tried to focus on for this mini project.
For the images to have a similar aesthetic, regardless of
my goal is to break the preconceived ideas of the destinations I travel to
subject, I decided to focus on more muted tones, compared to the vibrant rainbow of colours that is often thought of when thinking of India.
I was only in Jaipur for one day, so I focused on the Amber Fort and Hawa Mahal. These locations were the most difficult of the trip as, of course, there were lots of groups of tourists. To overcome this I visited the Amber Fort as early as possible – I know it’s the main tourist attraction of Jaipur. I tried to stay ahead of the crowds and capture images without any tourists accidentally getting in the way of my composition.
The Amber Fort is great for impressive doorways and alcoves that can be used to frame subjects. I used this to my advantage and waited for one of the many elephants to walk past. The elephants make for a fantastic subject, but the use of them is criticized by animal rights activists. For this reason, my photographs of the elephants will be used to spread awareness, so anyone visiting can make an informed decision before choosing this way to get to the fort.
Keeping with the theme of this project, when I was in the village of Satghara, Bihar, I found a pink-toned wall on the second floor of the house I was staying in. I decided to use it as a backdrop for the portrait, ‘Maithil Royalty’. I used the 50mm f/1.8 II lens to give a blurred background that draws the viewer’s eye to the subjects face. I didn’t want there to be too much distracting sharpness so the outfit and jewellery could come across better. It’s a softer, slower pace compared to the generalized chaos of Delhi or Mumbai. As a travel photographer my goal is to break the preconceived ideas of the destinations I visit.