So, my quest of shooting the icons of Mumbai continues in this post too. In the earlier posts, the Tulsi Pipe road, Haji Ali Dargah, Chor Bazaar and the Queen’s Necklace have been covered. This time, it is the ₹1600 crore worth engineering marvel, the Bandra- Worli Sealink. The shots have been shot from the Bandra Fort, in company of Dipanwita, and the other shots are from the Dadar beach, in company of Tanisha, both amazing photographers in their own rights.
I was asked recently by a friend, what I do in my spare time?Well, I post process my photos! 🙂
Next up, I go to Grant Road, and shoot a very specific chowk. Keep an eye out for the results.
Cheers!!
In the previous post, I mentioned about a trip to the Mumbai’s famous Chor Bazaar.
Alighting at the Sandhurst Road station, I took a taxi to Mutton St. And I officially arrived at the Chor Bazaar.
Some say, it was orginally Shor Bazaar, Shor meaning Noise in Hindi, and then slowly over time, and with influx of stolen goods available for sale, it got renamed to Chor Bazaar, thieves market. To me, it appeared to be more of a second hand market. From old furniture to a pair of walky talky, a little search can yield wonderful results. I arrived at the place at noon, a time when the bustle is at a minimum. I hopped from shop to shop, looking for a very specific item. There are shops which sell old film cameras, SLRs, Projectors, vinyl records, typewriters. Shops selling lamps, from chandeliers to signalling lamps, everything is available. Clocks, table clocks or wall hanging ones, or if you fancy, the big grandfather ones, all are available, in different conditions, at different prices, and bargaining is rampant. This is a collector’s paradise. One must visit this place to take in the essence. Enough of the literature, let the photos speak now. Enjoy.
I hope I have managed to entice you to take a trip to this part of the city. A word of caution, do exercise common sense in terms of how you dress and how you behave with people in the bazaar. Flaunting that you have deep pockets may not end on a happy note for you, and yes, dear photogs, who plan to go shoot here, ask for permission. If they say No, then respect it, do not try to be sly and take photos anyway. They may not be very happy about it.
Go on, search in the bazaar, am sure you ll find something that interest you.
It has been almost a month at this business hub of India. In my earlier post on Mumbai, I said, people appear to be distant, and that they bother about their own business mostly. Well, that feeling hasn’t changed. A certain respect has come up for the people who manage to squeeze into the suburban trains in the peak hours. The Hanging Gardens, Mahalaxmi Temple, Haji Ali Dargah are the places that have got ticked off the list. The Chowpatty is a must go place for the kulfi and falooda loving public. As for the beach, okay, its fine, too crowded for my liking. The area near the Banganga Tank, was different. It looks as if the place is still stuck in time, do visit it if you happen to be in the Malabar Hill area. Now, the photos.
Next post is about my experience in the famous Chor Bazaar. Stay tuned 🙂
Mumbai, the city of dreams some say. I am here for a couple of weeks now, owing to an internship in one of the huge multinational companies.
Since am already here, its only fair that I should go out and go clicking, as and when I get some time.
These are some shots from the past few weeks.
In my limited exposure to the people here, I realized, the public is generally impassive about their surroundings and their neighbours. Everyone keeps to themselves and is bothered about just their own. Its not necessarily a bad thing, but then, I felt a certain lack of compassion in the air for the fellow being highly prevalent. I may be wrong, or maybe I just met people who were having a bad day. Whatever be it, Mumbai is different. Its true when people say, there are two ways of doing things, the normal way, and the mumbaikars’ way.
A question has been often posed at me, what kind of photographer am I? Today, I ll try to answer it.
I am in pursuit of photography with some seriousness, for the past two and a half years now. My peers, who had started along at the similar time, have become specialized. Some shoot only portraits, some are landscape guys while some are wildlife fellows. They have expanded their arsenal with better bodies and lens…and then there is me.
I have not managed to settle down to just one genre yet.
I like shooting portraits.
Also enjoy shooting landscapes.
I am not averse to shooting macro
And even the streets appeal to me just fine.
And sometimes, I do shoot purely technical shots too.
I guess, I am just not cut for the strict regime of just one type of photography. Some might say that I am straying and that I must stick to a certain genre, but I’d rather shoot things that appeal to me,even if they belong for different genre. It brings out the me in the photos. This my calling, whats yours?
If things go according to plan, as they rarely do, next week, I shall be travelling to Velas, Maharashtra, to visit the tiny turtles hatch and make their maiden journey to the sea. Stay tuned.
Street photography is always recognized as a challenging and equally rewarding venture. Its an adventure and often requires a certain skill to get the shots right. It is difficult to put into words what shall make you a successful photographer on the streets, but practice and patience are a couple of sure shot ways to learn.
My experience in street photography has taught me a few things, which I would like to share here, which, I hope shall be of use to you , my dear reader.
Be ready-
It may sound very obvious, but is the first rule, nonetheless. Keep the lens cap off, the camera set in a probable setting, or be in a position to adjust on the fly and fire away. The opportunities present themselves at unexpected times, you must be ready.
Keep an eye out-
Look out for frames, people, settings which can be used to tell a story. Often, a nicely composed shot, can speak more than a thousand words.
Blend in-
Try to blend in the crowd. Have a lens that is inconspicuous and is not cumbersome. I mean, yes, a 150-600 is an amazing lens, and can be used to isolate your subject effectively, but imagine using it right in the middle of a bazaar. People will actually be wondering if you are shooting them. The local police might be interested too. So, be realistic. Have a small, versatile lens on you. One that makes you comfortable, and doesn’t scare your subject away.
Be discreet-
There will be instances where you are better off not letting your subject know that they are being shot. Be at a distance, be camouflaged and shoot. You ll get the best shots if your subjects are in their natural environment.
Be friendly-
Have a smile on your face, and be ready to show the shots to your subjects. Do not creep your subjects out. Some may want to look at how they appeared, oblige them. Some might want not to be shot, heed them. If possible, ask for their permission if you really want the shot, and once you are done, show it to them. Often, they ll be ready to give you another shot, if the first one was not good enough.
There shall be many missed shots, composition fails and angry glares too, but you ll have to skim them off and cope with the constraints, and once you manage to adjust, you ll see a whole world of opportunities opening up. Good luck.
Cheers!!
A couple of weekends earlier, with an amazing group of photographers from Pune, under the banner of Pune Photo Lovers, we went to Mumbai for a photowalk for a day.
The route was simple, from the CST to Gateway of India and back via the Leopold Cafe.
The 50 mm prime being the only lens with me, it was an amazing experience to restrict myself and work. Here are how the things looked once I came back and processed the photos.
The thing about street photography is that you need to keep the eyes wide open and be able to handle the camera fast enough. Missing a shot because the camera was not set right, is honestly a shame.
It all started when a new tab opened up on the Indiblogger website, with a weird name, #BNLF. Curious, I checked it, turned out to be a blogging event to be held at Mumbai during Oct 31 and Nov 1. I liked the dates, as I would be available, so I joined in.
As days went by, the buzz began to pick up. Slowly and steadily, I found a lot of people whom I follow were attending this event, so the interest got stoked. Ultimately, on the event days, it was a mega hit. Approximately 500 bloggers from all over the country had come. Some of the major motivational speakers, keynote speakers, professional trainers, celebrities, all were there. What more, I was also the part of the Indicrew, which was basically a volunteer group which was formed with the bloggers to help in the smooth functioning of the event. With the camera with me, and in the company of a few more photographers, we covered the event and came up with some shots I can feel proud about.
Arnab Ray – Guest Speaker, Blogger, Social InfluencerKanan Gill – Guest Speaker, Vlogger, Comedian, Engineer
As for the photos, I am sharing approximately 150 photos covering various events of the meet. Some are solo photos, some are group and some are abstract. You, my dear reader, are allowed to view the photos and also use them in your social media sites and blogs, with due credit being given to me. The photos are copyrighted. Also, understand and respect your fellow bloggers and be responsible while you use the photos. Use them in a way, that would be fine with you, if your photos are used in the same manner.
Should you choose to accept and abide to the above conditions, proceed here. In case you have certain doubts, be a good citizen and turn back from this page.
It was one of the best experiences till date. To meet with so many like minded people and have an amazing interaction with them, a lot of networking, and making new friends too.
Bruce Dickinson – Guest Speaker, Singer( Iron Maiden), Pilot, EntrepreneurThe FangirlsMet as strangers, parted as friends!
Am waiting eagerly for the next iteration, where I am sure, it shall be bigger, better and be more disruptive than ever.
TRAVELOGUES AND TREASURES 