Bits of India

[Rajan Parrikar]

Bernard, I was wondering if you captured these images from a taxi or tut tut? The reason I ask is that I intend to do the same on journeys between various destinations in India. I'm wondering, would I be better served sitting pavement/nearside or roadside? My gut says nearside but I'd be interested in other's opinions.

In some places (eg. Bombay), you would also be better served keeping your window up. That is, if you don’t want to end up in this kind of situation.

[farbschlurf]

Very good. I did roughly similar things some years ago, my camera got damaged by the monsoon (...) and would only work with aperture fully open. After I calmed down about the damage I started to shoot at max. ISO and fully open walking through the markets having the camera waist-high in the hand, from tuk-tuks, (aren't they called like that, never heard tut-tut before, although of course it somehow fits, too!), and so on. I had to make those B/W unfortunately my camera of the time wasn't able to get those great colors you got so fine!

[KLaban]

I took them from a taxi on the left (pavement) side, a tuk tuk would work also.

The thing is that TTs tend to go slower and run towards the left, so they be a better option to capture the sidewalk since you can probably do with a slower shutter speed and therefore keep the ISO lower.

Cheers,
Bernard

Thanks Bernard, makes sense.

No doubt I'll be taking a tut tut or two within the cities but will be travelling by car between them.

[KLaban]

In some places (eg. Bombay), you would also be better served keeping your window up. That is, if you don’t want to end up in this kind of situation.

The following Steve McCurry image is one of my favourite captured in India.

begging

[Rob C]

Well, I lived in India through Independence to the mid-fifties. In those seven or eight years of childhood I never felt under threat and the people with whom I interacted were unfailingly kind, regardless of how poor they may have been.

Perhaps because of that early experience, I feel obliged to say that I am ever uncomfortable with photography of this type: however it's presented, to me, it smacks of being exploitative. There is nothing beautiful about poverty and never will be. There was a spot on france24.com today about a multi billion euro Indian effort to provide a wider western-style sanitation; much of the time there is neither water to service the toilets nor are there people to keep the establishments clean. Grandiose schemes have to be thought through, beyond their political braggng rights. Which is a bit distant from snaps, but part of the same sorry, endemic situation that's probably beyond any government's power to meliorate. Seems to me it's best seen, understood and left in peace because nothing can fix it, and especially not by glamourising it via pretty, theatrical snaps.

Rob

[KLaban]

Well, I lived in India through Independence to the mid-fifties. In those seven or eight years of childhood I never felt under threat and the people with whom I interacted were unfailingly kind, regardless of how poor they may have been.

Perhaps because of that early experience, I feel obliged to say that I am ever uncomfortable with photography of this type: however it's presented, to me, it smacks of being exploitative. There is nothing beautiful about poverty and never will be. There was a spot on france24.com today about a multi billion euro Indian effort to provide a wider western-style sanitation; much of the time there is neither water to service the toilets nor are there people to keep the establishments clean. Grandiose schemes have to be thought through, beyond their political braggng rights. Which is a bit distant from snaps, but part of the same sorry, endemic situation that's probably beyond any government's power to meliorate. Seems to me it's best seen, understood and left in peace because nothing can fix it, and especially not by glamourising it via pretty, theatrical snaps.

Rob

When my wife and I depart this world most of our estate will be going to a selection of what we believe are deserving causes. Seems to us a more positive action than simply turning a blind eye or worse still resorting to defeatism and pompous pessimism.

No smoke there then ;-)

[Rob C]

Well, we all have differing views on life; I just think some esoteric, more exotic, perhaps, forms of street photography are sometimes very close to crossing over into voyeuristic sadism with touches of smugness deriving from the good fortune to have been born into better circumstances than some of our fellows.

If it's cool to snap Asian deprivation because we can, why don't we just cross over to Glasgow or Paris and go into the estates there and wave our cameras about in the non-tourist areas...

But it's nothing new, and in his own way, William Klein did the very same thing in Harlem, but at least he knew he was running a real risk of not coming out the way he went in.

Photography is one helluva tool; whether it turns into a smoking gun is very much up to the photographer.

:-)

Rob

[Peter McLennan]

...sometimes very close to crossing over into voyeuristic sadism with touches of smugness
 ...whether it turns into a smoking gun is very much up to the photographer.
Rob

Valid points, Rob.  Although I see no smugness or sadism in Bernard's images.  Merely well-executed and interested observation.

Here are some of my impressions of India, albeit from a different age.  The early eighties; when India was far different than today.

As was the photography.  35mm FP4 in a Pentax Spotmatic.

https://petermclennan.myportfolio.com/india

[Rajan Parrikar]

Valid points, Rob.  Although I see no smugness or sadism in Bernard's images.  Merely well-executed and interested observation.

Here are some of my impressions of India, albeit from a different age.  The early eighties; when India was far different than today.

As was the photography.  35mm FP4 in a Pentax Spotmatic.

https://petermclennan.myportfolio.com/india

I didn’t see any smugness in Bernard’s images either (I rather doubt that Rob was referring to them).

Peter, your India photos are outstanding. I see you got the Jaisalmer fort.

[Peter McLennan]

Thank you, Rajan. High praise indeed.

Jaisalmer remains one of the premier experiences of my life.  A brief excursion into the distant past.  The Silk Road made real.

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

Peter,

Thanks for sharing that wonderful collection!

Eric

[farbschlurf]

https://petermclennan.myportfolio.com/india

Great stuff! The man with the bad ears ... !!!

Don't want to impose myself on you, but as we're in the process of showing India-Pictures, here's what I referred to obove:
https://flic.kr/s/aHsk5Ggden

[BernardLanguillier]

Very nice images  Peter!

I hope that my  images have indeed not been perceived as voyeurism. I go to India regularly, I am in daily contacts with many people in India that I consider to be friends.

Although I fully understand that the people living there would probably prefer to be in one of these lifeless appartement buildings, I see beauty in the mess, I see colors that I find amazing (and the D850 is amazing at capturing those), I see cultures crossing, I smell and feel energy and life much more than in a majority of other countries such as Japan.

I do love India and would consider it a failure if the images I shared didn't convey this.

Cheers,
Bernard

[KLaban]

My wife and I have shot in some very deprived areas in Morocco, families squatting in condemned and unsafe buildings with no power or water. What has always struck me is the pride of these people and the warm welcome we receive. We've also shot in areas with known prostitution and drug dealing but have never felt threatened.

There's surely a lesson there somewhere.

[KLaban]

Some very good images in this thread, thanks to all.