Capturing India in my rookie year
Every photographer has a point where they look back on work they were proud of as a beginner and chuckle a bit. For most, it happens more than once. For me, the first moment is the time I lived in India.
In 2019, I shipped off to Bangalore on a three month assignment for my corporate job with my cheap, hobbyist camera body in hand. Every weekend was a new adventure, whether that be riding a jeep through the tea hills of Kerala or admiring the ancient mystery that’s the Taj Mahal. I had no intention of what I would do with these photos. No photography instagram to post to, no plan to print, and no plan to submit to publications or travel companies for licensing. The only real purpose they served was for me to look back on and for my parents and aunts to like on facebook.
The irony? India is a place any travel photographer dreams of seeing. I now joke that it was “wasted” on me as a beginner (side note - I’m totally kidding here!) It was a once in a lifetime trip, and boy are there a million things I would’ve done differently if given the opportunity. Let’s talk about a few!
I wish I chased the story I wanted to capture, rather than waiting for it to come to me.
Don’t get me wrong, spontaneous moments offer the best opportunity for storytelling. In fact, it’s really the key theme of street photography as a whole. During my trip, I found myself waiting for these moments to present themselves, rather than actively thinking of what I wanted to capture.
For example, when visiting a market I should have brainstormed what I could expect to see and make a list of what I want to capture- a gentleman shining jewelry, an elderly women weaving baskets, a painter designing their next masterpiece, haggling products between the buyer and seller, the list goes on and on!
Tell the story of a place from a traveler’s point of view.
I look back and am still relatively proud of my architecture and landscape photography from that country. What I think is missing is looking at the country from a traveler’s point of view. My priority was actually not to be in the frame at all; I simply wanted to highlight what makes India unique (which can also be a good thing! We’ll talk about that in a sec!). However, I missed out on some major licensing opportunity:
A portrait of myself or a friend holding a passport while boarding the crowded trains India is famous for
A photograph of a traveler riding a tuk tuk (saying that still sounds funny to me)
A group of locals asking travelers to join them for a game of cricket in the park
The list goes on!
I know gear isn’t everything, but it does matter!
Once upon a time, a Youtube video told me that prime glass (a lens that does not zoom and has a fixed focal length) is sharpest and I really ran with that! I spent almost the entire trip shooting with a 24mm and 50mm prime lens. As I’ve progressed in travel photography, I ditched the prime lenses unless I’m doing a portrait or there is a specific look I’m going for (aka bokeh). As of now, the RF 24-105 F4L is my go-to! It has almost every focal length I need and is sharp as a knife.
Ok, but what did I do well?
(Highlighted the people who live there)
I really trash talked myself here, but I do want to share one thing I’m proud of from that trip that I still take to my work today. All too often, travel photographers place an overemphasis on their personal travels, ignoring the stories of the locals that give a location its character. Earlier I mentioned that I took little to no self portraits of my travels. By shifting my focus to the locals, I was able to document the vibrant culture and tradition that make India so unique. I’ve yet to come across a country that’s more excited to share their culture with visitors. I found that engaging with the locals allowed me to capture the welcoming, vibrant, and not to mention chaotic spirit of India.
The role of media in travel is not only to document our own experience but also to showcase the beauty and diversity of the places we visit. By highlighting the local people and their stories, we can help to promote cultural awareness and appreciation- something especially important in today's globalized world.
