People On My Travels – A Photo Essay
It’s interesting to photograph random people on the road. Some of them are unaware of being captured, some oblige happily (or reluctantly), some agree after a little cajolery and some refuse quite brusquely.
Although the photographs that I am going to present are nothing close to artistic genius, they are still dear to me. I know I have to learn a lot of things as a photographer when it comes to taking pictures of strangers. It is not easy to photograph somebody on the road. I almost feel like an intruder. I feel like I am invading someone’s privacy and it feels so selfish. On the other hand, I find it a good way to connect with people. Sometimes when I propose a person for a picture, he or she is secretly happy and gets ready to be photographed pronto, which kind of breaks the ice and we end up chuckling a bit before moving on.
So here’s a potpourri of ‘people’ through my lens –
I clicked this one quite candidly as I saw this man settling down to start out with his day at the Golden Fort in Jaisalmer.
I spotted quite a few newly-weds while I was vacationing in Sydney. This one was clicked at Sydney Opera House. I saw this pretty bride walking away with her groom and a friend.
Melbourne is a cultural city with lots of colours, buzz and energy. The man playing guitar and singing grabbed my attention instantly, and taking a photograph was quite obvious.
This is a man with his little shop of musical instruments at the Golden Fort in Jaisalmer. When I saw him playing a traditional violin, I was intrigued to click his picture. I like the fact that he wasn’t aware of being captured and that’s why the picture came out so well.
This Parsi lady came into the picture without invitation! I didn’t intend to take her picture. She was so chirpy and excited to see me taking pictures. She said a lot of encouraging and kind words to me and then asked me to quickly take her picture, too.
He was our coracle boatman in Dandeli. After he had moored the boat, I asked him for a photograph. He was such an innocent fellow. Since he wasn’t expecting me to take his photo, he got conscious and stood straight with a sincere expression on his face.
She is a woman who sells flowers at St Andrews Church in Mumbai. I had an impression that she was secretly happy to be photographed, yet maintained her poise.
It’s an itra(perfume) shop at the entrance of Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad. The guy was arranging stuff and was questioning the senior man about something. They barely cared about being photographed (at least, that’s what it appeared).
He was my Tuk Tuk cabby who showed me around in Jodhpur. I clicked this picture with his Tuk Tuk and Mehrangarh Fort in the background.
She’s a woman selling trinkets at the Golden Fort in Jaisalmer. I liked the fact that she was hardly bothered about being photographed. I also like the way she sat.
The Bhelpuri seller posed for me against the skyline at Marine Drive in Mumbai. He knew I was some crazy photographer who wouldn’t leave him alone, so he quickly stood still and even remarked ho gaya (are you done?)
It’s a tea and noodles stall in the midst of a forest in Matheran. It was raining like cats and dogs, so when this lady beckoned me to have a cup of tea at her shop, I couldn’t refuse.
He is a rural man from the village of Nagda in Rajasthan. I am sure this man had been photographed a lot of times before. The moment I proposed him for a picture, he responded like a professional. (He was like, oh sure, why not) He just made me wait for he had to use the lavatory to freshen up.
He was such a sweet chap. He was my cabby-cum-guide who dropped me at Mumbai Central station. Since I had plenty of time to kill before boarding the train, I asked him if there were any places to see on the way. He suggested a couple of places, but he was also worried about my reaching to the station on time.
I bumped into this sweet old French couple in Udaipur. We got along talking for a little while, which gave me a chance to ask them for a photograph. And they agreed quite happily!
Did you enjoy this potpourri of different personalities?
