Sale on canvas prints! Use code ABCXYZ at checkout for a special discount!

The Real India

Blogs: #7 of 12

Previous Next View All
The Real India

India is one of those places you will never forget, especially if you are a photographer but it is hard work!
The first time I went I was so terrified I didn't leave my New Delhi hotel for two days. Many people who go to India stay in big-name Western hotels surrounded by gates and security, but not me...I had to be different, I wanted to see the real India, how people lived and worked.
The real India was hot, humid, loud, fast, crumbling, dirty and barely under control. The hotel I chose was in a busy part of the city with many markets, food sellers, beggars and young men on motorcycles seeming to have a death wish as they curled around citizens on foot at high speed. For two days I sat on the front steps with my camera trying to have brave but on the third morning it was hunger that finally made me leave my perch and wander down the street.
It was about 5am, about as quiet as it gets in New Delhi. There were street traders setting up their stands, street cleaners and people on their way somewhere. I was a bit nervous taking candid photographs of people going about their business but most didn't seem to care, they had a busy day ahead and I was just a momentary distraction.
As I became more confident I began buying train tickets, bus tickets and started traveling around.
Before I left I did a lot of reading. The general opinion was that India was an exhausting place to visit which was absolutely true. Getting from A to B can be nightmare with ever-changing schedules, ancient trains and doubtful train tracks. It is also an experience hard to match anywhere else. Traveling around on India Railways in third class was one of the most unforgettable...especially if you get off the beaten track. People would stare for hours, chattering among themselves and often a teenager would be nominated to come sit next to me and find out why this lady was not in the first class section with the other "rich people." They would ask very personal questions. How much money did I make? Was I married? Why am I not married? They were fascinated by my digital camera and how I could take their photo and they could instantly see the photo. This would send the kids into such happy hysteria that the entire family would gather.
If the families got off before me at a station along the way they would all stand waving goodbye to me from the platform like I was some long lost family member.
I read that walking around with a fancy camera was just "encouraging" pick-pockets to rob you blind. I traveled with the bare minimum of gear, my 11mm and 300mm lenses were all I needed. I kept my gear close, often hidden from view and I had no problems.
I read that women should think twice about traveling alone. Yes, maybe. But again, it's a matter of being aware of where you are and what you are doing. Walking around with fancy gear, proclaiming what country you are from and complaining a lot will draw attention and not good attention.
I had read that some people would let you take their photos but would often want payment in return and could become quite aggressive about it. That is true too, it's a fact of life if you want to see the real India.
For all its hassles India can reward the photographer with stunning human interest images, colorful landscapes and amazing architectural photography.

amandastadther.com