Moments of Exposure

I was wondering if we would run into snake charmers during our visit.  I had heard that these folks and people with performance monkeys were either banned or discouraged now-a-days in India.  However, as we were leaving the Mehrangarh Fort, we ran into this group of individuals and their snake.  Keith and I were so happy and spontaneously started shooting with glee.

As we were doing this, the guys behind us, who were selling trinkets and paintings and postcards, came up to us and started watching us.  A couple of them asked me how much my camera costs…I was a tiny bit uncomfortable….why? Because I thought of two things: 1) it is so expensive, and they have so little…I was embarassed. and 2) I had a thought that knowing how expensive it was would make us prime targets for pick-pocketing and theft.

By the way, not once did we lose anything throughout the trip or did we feel unsafe. Anyway, we took our shots, paid them their “fees” and left very happy!

Rajasthan is so very colorful. There are women and girls in the most colorful of clothing. The markets and bazaars are a visual cornucopia of colors.  The streets are full of people and their wares – bangles, food, saris, spices, and much more.  Life happens in a 1000 dimensional way in Rajasthan.  One of the fun things to note is the number of colorful turbans men wear.  Here are some examples of such Turban-Wallahs.

Today, I want to share with you images of the incredible time we had in Jaisalmer….a small desert town in the western part of Rajasthan….very near the Pakistan border.  I will write later about the town and the beautiful people, shops, handicrafts etc. that I saw in this town. Also, there is a spectacular fort that rises suddenly and spectacularly right out of the desert in an incredible way.

We drove an hour from this village, into the dunes area to shoot the sunset.  On the way, we saw peacocks, camels, horses, tiny huts, colorful ladies carrying water home on their heads (a whole other story which I will talk about in a future post).  When we reached the desert camp, I negotiated with the owner to rent a camel cart to take us deep into the dunes, and an extra camel and a man with a turban to pose for us by the dunes at sunset.

We rode this cart about 5 kilometers into the desert. It was an amazing experience….remote, peaceful, great light, only sounds of nature around us and an occasional antelope, peacock, camel or a child…..I could not believe I was experiencing such an incredible moment. I am grateful.

Here are some pictures of the cart we rode…. I will post several more awe inspiring sight in the next post on this journey.

Thanks for stopping by.

The cart owner brought his son (the next generation cart owner ) with him. Notice what he is holding in his hand…he was so intrigued by my Flip video camera…so I gave it to him, showed him how to use it and he video taped a ton of footage.  I could not get him to stop shooting…it was funny.

Keith and Sharon by the cart…

A few months ago, after a people photography workshop (Location People by Bryan Allan), a thought came to me so powerfully that I imagined a time warp zone where I was speeding at warp speed towards my destination…then it opened up in slow motion to a bright fully realized moement of this intention. I had goose bumps and I kept thinking of nothing else but that in my free time.  What was this powerful desire I had? I wanted to go to India, see beautiful places and people…and come back with enough information that would allow me to start my own Photo-tourism business to India.

This thought made me happy because it would combine many elements that bring joy to me…travel, meeting people, visiting India and seeing all the beautiful sight and scenes it provides, and most importantly capturing these moments though my camera.  In addition, I wanted to share this feeling with many others and help take them to this exotic country and help them go through a similar sense of wonder and excitement about a far off country.

Well, my experience on my recent trip with my photographer friend Keith and his wife Sharon was an amazing start of this journey. It was all that I dreamed it would be. The logistics, the cities and the sights were great. We had a ton of fun and came back full of excitement about getting my next trip planned…where I would like to take a small group (4-5 people) back to the same cities and show them all of the photographic sights I had seen.

Intentions do become reality! I feel really grateful. I could not wait to come back and share this with you all. Thank you for your time in looking at my first few images.

I work with Kim. After the last heavy snow, we went out to find a spot to photograph during lunch. It was really windy and Brrrr cold.  We only lasted five to ten minutes.  We decided we would come back with better shoes and a heavier coat.  Hope you like it.

Today was a warmish day, but the snow was falling quietly.  Our son was heading out for a really Big Gig (of his band Fresh Cut Collective in Milwaukee).  I asked him to step out and pose for me for a couple of minutes.  I liked this image which I processed in a couple of different ways.

Which do you like?  Any other comments?

Thank you for visiting.

I loved shooting these kids.  They are so full of fun, ice cream and excitement.  I could have spent hours on them….but just spent 5 minutes.  Aaaah.

This is my very first attempt at using Alien Skin’s Snap Art 2.  I downloaded a trial version today and have 30 days to try it and decide if I like this program and this effect.  So, I will try and use this diligently for a few days and see how I feel.

In the mean time, PLEASE let me know if you have any comments, suggestions, and ideas of how else to practice using this program  It will help me work out things and see if I like it.

Thanks for your comments in advance.

This image is of a very sweet person I met in Savannah, GA.  Her name is India.

The reason I love street photography so much is that when I am walking around with a camera in hand, so many photographic opportunities seem to jump out at me.  I love seeing a family passing by, stop and chat with them,  and ask to take their picture. Then when I show an image or two on my LCD, they just glow and pose some more with enthusiasm.  I love this whole process and walk away with such a warm feeling….I smile for a long time after that is over.

I love the colors in this image. Grabbed me right away.

My little niece and our son playing in the backyard.  I like the story telling aspect of this image.  I feel like Chitra is looking intently to what Kiran is showing and is deciding whether she wants to play or not.  What do you think of the treatment in post?

Usha