India Photography Workshop

In 2001, when I was new to leading photography workshops, I was invited to take a group to India. It was beautiful but exhausting. The sights, smells, colors and sounds were overwhelming. Last month I took a group to India again, for the Mentor Series, and this time it was delightful. India hadn’t changed, but I sure had.

In the years since that first trip, I’ve grown. As a teacher, I have a better sense of when to help people and when to leave them alone. And as a traveler, I’m better at managing my energy and equipment. If you’re tired, hungry or sick, you’re not going to be creative. So I travel light (doing laundry as I go),  am careful about what I eat, make sure to get enough sleep and take just the gear I think I’ll need. For this trip that was two cameras (Nikon D750 and D7200), three lenses (Nikon’s 16-35mm f/4, 50mm f/1.8 and 70-200mm f/2.8) and one small flash (SB-500). That also meant no big bag to drag around, just one camera on each shoulder and the extra lens and flash in a fanny pack.

We planned to cover a lot of ground, which meant an aggressive itinerary. And it turned out to be a wonderful trip with exceptional people photography opportunities. So here it is, one day at a time, one photo from each day.

Pre Day – For international trips I always plan to arrive a day early, just in case there are flight delays. After all, it’s not good if the trip leader isn’t there at the beginning! That also gives me a day to do some scouting, if needed. First up was the Red Fort, which wasn’t on our Delhi itinerary but I wanted to see if we should try to include it. As it turned out, due to restoration work going on it wasn’t a good time to visit. However the Sikh temple (Bangla Sahib Gurudwara), which was on our itinerary, was great. Which meant we’d change our plans to spend more time there. One of my favorite shots from that scout day was near a busy intersection, where a man had just picked up some food. The rich colors, a hallmark of India, were great.

Day One – The official start of the workshop was the next afternoon, planned around flights into Delhi. The workshop opening – going over the schedule, teacher introductions, Q&A about the schedule and photography – was all that was officially planned. We knew people would be pretty trashed from travel (India’s on the other side of the world). But we also wanted anyone interested to have a chance to start shooting right away, so we arranged for a bunch of taxis to take us to a nearby Hindu temple. Unfortunately, it turned out that camera’s aren’t allowed inside the grounds. One of the great things about India, though, is you can always find something interesting to shoot. There was a group of young men singing out front, so we worked that. And that gave me a chance to use my little flash to add some light to the drummer, balancing it with what little light remained in the sky.

Day Two –On our first full day, we had a tour of Delhi, visiting Jama Masjid mosque, taking rickshaws through the spice market and then finishing at that same Sikh temple (Bangla Sahib Gurudwara). All presented good photo opportunities, but my favorite was the temple. It was a lovely place, the people were incredibly friendly, and at the end of the visit I found myself photographing a family of four. As the father took his baby daughter down to the water for a ritual bath, I moved around the side to catch her expression.

Day Three – From Delhi we flew to Varanasi, one of the holiest places for Hindus because of the Ganges River. There’s a tremendous amount of activity there, as people come to pray and bathe and the dead are cremated along its banks (and the ashes spread in the river). After a late afternoon river cruise, and lots of photos, we waited for the Ganga Aarti ceremony to be performed at sunset. Wandering the area, a few of us found one of the Sadhu, or Hindu holy men, preparing opium (yes, opium!). Not much light, but great color and tones, with his beard and hair framing a wonderful face.

Day Four – No sleeping in for us, as we were up before sunrise for another visit to the river. This time we’d again go out on a boat, but instead of cruising, simply float near shore as people came down to pray and bathe. Lots of activity and good photos, but my favorite was of one man floating on his back, ignoring the bustle all around him as light and color reflected off the surrounding water.

Day Five – From Varanasi we flew back to Delhi and hopped on a bus to Agra, to see the Taj Mahal. The next morning we were up again before dawn, to get in line so we could enter the grounds when they first opened. It’s a beautiful place so we were able to make those classic shots everyone wants, and still had time to explore. My favorite image from there was of a dog roaming the grounds. Called “Pariah” dogs, they’re a mixed breed you see regularly throughout the country. I loved how it seemed to belong there just as much as the people.

Day Six – Wasting no time, we left Agra behind the previous afternoon and headed to Jaipur, where we’d visit Amer Fort. A vast and elaborate complex built on a hilltop, you get there by walking, jeep or elephant. Most of our group chose the elephants, but since I’d done that before I decided to walk. Let me tell you, sharing a narrow road with elephants going both ways was a new, and sometimes too intimate, experience. There was one moment when I was just behind an elephant as it lifted its tail… boy did I take off the other way! But the light was great (it was early, of course), the colors eye-popping and I found a man selling parasols to the tourists going by.

Day 7 – The next morning we took another bus trip to the small city of Pushkar. It’s famous for the annual camel fair, where thousands of Indians come to buy and trade livestock (horses in addition to camels) over a two-week period. Plus there are loads of street vendors and a carnival. If India is overwhelming, the camel fair takes that to a whole new level. Dirty, dusty, noisy, smelly – but oh, the pictures! Near sunset a few of us found a photographer working on a book project. He had an assistant and was shooting portraits, supplementing the sunset light with a gold reflector. We approached and asked if he’d mind if we shot some pictures too. He  laughed and said sure. God bless him, that reflector was the perfect accessory and helped make some wonderful photos.

Day 8 – From Pushkar we drove to Jodhpur, famous for Mehrangarh Fort and the “Blue City.” Many of the homes in the old city are painted blue, which of course makes for a nice backdrop. But you’ll find all kinds of color there. We did a walking tour through part of it that afternoon, on our way to the fort. My favorite moment came as we passed a girl blowing bubbles in front of her home. As I stopped to ask if I could take her picture, her brother came out and joined in. I love finding quiet, candid moments like this.

Day 9 – The next morning had been set aside for shopping, but I’d seen a beautiful building near the fort and asked if the bus could drop some of us there instead. It was Jaswant Thada, a memorial that’s sometimes referred to as “the little Taj.” We spent a couple of hours wandering its grounds, making pictures of both the people and the building. On my way back to the group, I came across a woman cleaning a small plaza. The light, shadows, colors and lines all came together to make a nice picture.

Day 10 – On this, our final day, we didn’t have to leave for the airport until around noon. Most people were planning to rest and pack, but a few were interested in visiting a village near the hotel. Two of the group had walked there the day before and found a family preparing for a wedding. So a bunch of us went back this morning, and didn’t just find the wedding, but were invited to attend. It was a pretty amazing experience, photographing people getting ready followed by the parade through the dirt streets. As with much of the trip, there were a number of nice pictures to be made.Picking just one, I settled on this shot of a boy who was a member of the bridal party. Kneeling down in front of him, his is the only face visible in a sea of bodies.

I’ve been home a couple of weeks now, and people ask, would I go back to India? Absolutely. Yes, it can be overwhelming. But the people are friendly and the photos wonderful. If you get a chance to go, take it. But remember these two tips – travel light and take care of yourself. Do that, and you’ll have the trip of a lifetime.

(I’ll post the entire India gallery of photos soon on my “Past Workshops” page. And if you’re interested in other great photo trips I’m leading, check out the ones to Nashville, Peru, Iceland and Salt Lake City in 2016)