India photos
I went travelling around Northern India for three weeks during Nov – Dec 2008. The main reason I chose to travel round India was a wedding I was attending in Rajasthan which was incredible; an unforgettable experience. However myself and some friends also went for atour around Rajasthan following the wedding ceremonies.
India is HUGE so I only touched Rajasthan during the first two weeks including the cities of Delhi, Jaipur, Pushkar, Udaipur and Jodhpur. I also travelled to Goa and spent a week travelling from the Northern town of Calagunte to the Southern beach town of Palolem.
People ask what India was like … in response ‘an experience’. It’s almost impossible to compare India to other countries I visited. It is at times both beautiful and at times vastly neglected leading to great photographic opportunities. The people and overall atmosphere was both friendly and welcoming … it’s just a shame that the hygiene was so poor (I suffered with Delhi belly for almost 75% of my travels).
I would certainly recommend India as a destination. Everyone should visit it at least once in their lifetime … especially if you enjoy photography. Would I go back? Yes … I would like to travel round the South Eastern corner.
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Photos of India:
I have split up my photos of India into the following three categories; people, architecture, misc. Please select one of the above photographic categories to view the photos of India.
I have also added a top five photos from India page. Let me know what you think.
Please select one of the photographic categories belo to view over 100 photos of India.
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Taking photos around India:
The following are tips on sites, places, areas of interest that make great opportunities for photography around India (in order of the towns I visited). Of course in the end you should not force a photograph, let it find you.
Quick links:
Delhi
Jaipur
Pushkar
Udaipur
Jodphur
Goa
Delhi:
For me Delhi was my first Indian hit …and boy what a hit it was. Your head spins with the noise, smell and colour of this hectic capital city.
I spent a few days in Delhi and each day was spent in a different sector of this city. My first destination was around New Delhi and the Connaught area. I hired a driver for a few hours and he took me to the major sites around Delhi.
New Delhi was designed by the British in the 20’s and built on concentric circles surrounding a central park. To be honest it’s a manic shopping area and there are not too many opportunities for photographers. Jantar Mantar however is one you want to try and get to (an open-air observatory). Other notable attractions include the gates of Rashtrapati, the Indian gate and the domineering and impressive looking secretariat buildings. There are a few temples to check out in New Delhi including Bangla Sahib and Laksmi. Personally I found the tomb of Humayun was the most impressive site in New Delhi. As a precursor to the Taj Mahal (which I did not unfortunately visit) its worth checking out and makes for some great photographic back drops.
Old Delhi was awash with colour, smells, narrow streets and oodles of atmosphere. I found a guide by the red fort (Lal Qila) which is in itself worth a visit. I suggest you also get a guide to walk you around and point out the hidden gems of the Old city. I can recommend a look at the spice market which is a fascinating building. You can certainly get a feel for the hustle and bustle of trading and good for some ‘candid’ portraiture.
Jaipur
From Delhi I caught a train to Jaipur. Overall I spent four days in Jaipur for a wedding and it really is a fascinating city to photograph. A few photographic highlights I would like to bring to your attention are the Amber fort (I went there for a night disco), Hawa Mahal which was a magnificent looking building and the city palace which featured interesting architecture. Jaipur also had a number of markets that I took photographs around. Again try to find a guide with a rickshaw who can drop you off in these bewildering markets.
Pushkar
From Jaipur we drove down to Pushkar which is a religious city built around a large (and rather dirty) lake. There are literally hundreds of temples scattered around the lake, some are more picturesque for photos than others. I did however find Pushkar a little too touristy for my liking and always found some tourist rambling into one of my shots. For some interesting shots head to the coach stop at the end of the day where everyone tries desperately to clamber onto the bus.
Udaipur
After Pushkar we headed to Udaipur. This city has the famous floating palace (as seen on Ocotopussy). At a distance it makes for a good photo however the nearer you get the more grimy it becomes. If you are lucky there would have been some rain before hand which is great for photographing the reflections from the lake. I also recommend taking the lake from a height (such as restaurant roof) as you’ll be able to photograph the whole panoramic scene including the palace and Taj hotel. I also enjoyed wondering around Udaipur as it had some atmospheric and interesting alleyways that are worth venturing around.
Jodhpur
From Pushkar I headed to Jodhpur however on the way I stopped at Ranakpur. Ranakpur is certainly worth visiting, built sometime between the 14th and 15th century there are a large amount of Jain temples to check out. A very impressive site indeed! Jodhpur itself was the India I had in mind before I left England … its dirty, poor, dusty, smelly … brilliant! For some madness check out the markets (especially around the clock tower). Also check out the alleyways west of the said market for some interesting photography opportunities; lack of natural light can however cause issues.
Another good site in Jodphur was the Mehrangarh Fort which was particularly impressive. Perched overlooking the city of Jodphur you can get some great shots from the walkway by the cannons.
Goa
After travelling around Rajasthan I went for sand, sea and sunsets at Goa. At first I stayed at the Northern town of Calangunte. However I was disappointed by both the beach and over development of the town (it was a bit like a grimy Bognor Regis) so made a move South.
I took a tour around South Goa and there were some interesting sites … mainly religious buildings such as churches i.e. St. Catherine's Cathedral and Saligao Church and various temples ie. Mahadeva Temple and Sree Mangueshi Temple. There was also a scattering of Portuguese houses that had both colour and character and made for some interesting photos.
However it was the stunning sunsets that caught my cameras attention. Flaming suns and red wispy clouds made for some great photography. I took the majority of my shots on the chilled (and recommended) Palolem beach. Although it was more developed than I had envisaged it was still a lot more relaxing and enjoyable than the Northern beaches.
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Useful resource links on India a:
Useful for all things Indian - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India
Indian tourist information - http://www.incredibleindia.org/
Lonely Planet guide to India - http://www.lonelyplanet.com/india
Frommers guide to India - http://www.frommers.com/destinations/india/
Delhi city guide - http://www.exploredelhi.com/
Things to do in Goa - http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g297604-Activities-Goa.html
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Other photography links on India:
Pictures of places - a range of great photography taken around India - http://www.picturesofplaces.com/Asia/india.html
TrekEarth - a great resource for Indian photography - http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Asia/India/
Remember to check here for more photography links.
All photographs appearing on this site
are the exclusive property of James Cooper and are
protected under International Copyright laws. The
photographs may not be reproduced, copied, stored
or manipulated in any way without the written permission
of James Cooper.
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