Monday 10 September 2007

A brief Passage in India

Pin It It is said you need a month to visit India and get a taste of it, and probably a lifetime to photograph it. Well, I only was going to be there for four days, and of that, I had a day on a bus and a few hours to capture some of the spirit of this amazing country. The rest of the time was business; meetings and functions.

It's called 'Incredible India' in the marketing material and that is in itself an understatement. Colour, contrasts, incredible poverty and extraordinary wealth. Tradition that is centuries old, modernity that has been borrowed from the West and given its own unique eastern flavour. Stunning colours, rich fabrics, spicy food, delicate beauty and faces lined with poverty.

I focused as much as I could on people to try and capture some of the diversity of some 1 billion people that live here. But the buildings and the small artifacts that are used in everyday life are absorbing and unique in every possible way.

These images are from a half hour while in transit on Juhu Beach in Mumbai and the rest are from Jaipur in Rajahstan. They say that you have to leave behind a pair of shoes in India to be sure that you will return. I was only told about this a few days later, so my shoes all came home with me, but I do hope that I get a chance to visit this incredible place again in my life. These few images taken over a few hours manage, I hope, to capture some of the sense of place that is India.

As is always the case, double-click on any image to get an enlarged view.

All Images Nikon D200, 18-200VR lens























































8 comments:

Chiayu said...

As always, wonderful photos. I particularly like how you were able to capture so many different faces in such a short time. You definitely were able to capture the essence of India in these photos. Thanks again.

Oh, where did you find that guy with the bobby pin in his mustache? He's funny.

One last question, what lens did you use?

protocolinpractice said...

I think you'll have to go back to India - it just climbed int your camera and into your soul didn't it?
Great images as usual.

Anonymous said...

Peter....your photos are truly exceptional. Were we on the same trip???

Sérgio said...

Absolutely Wonderful stuff... congratulations, your photos are truely magical!

All the Best

Sérgio

Peter Bendheim said...

Thanks for all the comments. The guy with the rolled up mustache actually pins it up because it is 6 feet long and took 11 years to grow...He has the press clippings which he proudly showed me!

The lens is, in all cases, 18-200mm VR

Peter

Anonymous said...

Wow what a verity

Chiayu said...

Wow, 6 feet long and 11 years to grow!! He looks like a real character.

18-200mm VR... very nice, somehow I think your photos will come out wonderfully even with a P&S camera :).

Anonymous said...

great selection of images; thanks for posting. Your text is a pleasure to read also.