India was an experience like no other. It was also an opportunity to shoot photos in a new climate (literally as it was freaking hot and humid!) with new landscapes and beautiful architecture like I’ve never seen before. Along with the many thousands of new photo views on Flickr (averaging 4,500 views per day up from an average of 1,800 daily views) and hundreds of comments, I have heard one complaint among friends and family and that is there are too many photos of India. I uploaded 496 photos to Flickr across 8 days. What people don’t know is that I took 5,000 photos while I was in India and managed to delete 4,000 of those out of complete disgust and I chose the best 500 to upload. I admit that photos of my friend’s wedding didn’t go through that rigorous process and I uploaded nearly every shot I took but it was mostly for him and not really for the end viewer. I would have uploaded less photos from that day but wanted him to have lots of pictures to enjoy later.
My favorite part of this trip as far as photography goes was the excitement from strangers at how good my photos were. I hear this from friends and family but when strangers on the trip with me all changed their Facebook profiles to photos I took of them, I just got really excited! Many thanks to Aleena, Paul and Neeta for making this trip a blast and a huge congrats to Abbi & Hema. The wedding was beautiful and such an honor to be a part of.
As is the case with all of my trips, I have put together my absolute favorite photos from my trip to India in one blog post. It was so hard to narrow this down to a small selection. Here are 61 of the 496 photos. Please let me know your favorite. Thanks for stopping by and reading!
PS: This may take a while to load if you’re on a slow Internet connection.
A Sun Calendar in New DelhiIndia's Capital GatesAleenaA ticket to visit the tombs of New DelhiA young guy selling beads on the side of the road. I paid him in exchange for a portraitSunset in New Delhi taken on day oneMy new friends on a walkwayExploring an ancient templeShops in New DelhiA man hails a taxiblack and white temple with high contrastCrossing the street in new Delhi, taxis, buses and cars pass by quicklyLotus Temple - New DelhiShopping in a back-alleyI shot over 20 planes taking off over this crumbled temple for an hour. I finally got the perfect shotWomen carrying waterRoad side Pepsi vendorI was wondering how many people were in this taxi (shot at 200mm via Canon 5D)Entering a fortA man taking a photo of Taj MahalTaj Mahal at SunsetThe Golden Hour @ Taj MahalJust as they were asking us to leave...Girls waving to us. We finally passed this truck and I had to stop and pee so as I was going to the restroom beside the road, the girls passed and waved again but this time laughing :)Prayer via song as we left the Muslim Mosque following prayer serviceThis boy wanted to sell me a flyer for 20 rupees. I offered him 20 for a photographCamels are cheaper than a taxi cabIndia's train system is the most vast and well connected train system in the world (everyone should watch Darjeeling Limited. Great film!)A Tour Guide @ Taj MahalA woman's robe touches the ground but just barelyBehind this bright blue door was a family of 10 living in a make shift tent...they still sweep the dirt floors and keep the front door painted regularlyI met this boy on his first visit to Taj Mahal. He said he was wearing his finest shirt and pants...his sandals were full of holes.Tim asked for money but preferred I give him my San Francisco Key chain as a "America Collectible". He loved collectingTaj Mahal right before the sun went downA 5-star sunset in Mumbaiwide-angle. Our hotel (trident) on the right. India Air HQ on the leftThe taxi service in Mumbai. No side-mirrors and no ACTypical apartment building in mumbaiWe spent an afternoon getting fitted for clothing for the weddingMy friend Michael with a neighborhood park behind him through the open windowEating with our hands while sitting on the floorMore apartment buildings. Only a few had AC units.A clean plate with fresh mango juice for dessertRed Rum at an Indian night clubHenna before the weddingEveryone with their henna handsYoung children dressed up for the weddingAll dressed up. This girl speaks many languages including HindiI loved her dress and conversation. what a story tellerMy new friend Paul legs crossed at a barA family on a Sunday afternoon strollA row of offices in MumbaiEverything at this market was "made in china" DepressingMy outfit for the weddingAbbi & Hema saying "i do"Looking North on the "queen's necklace" of MumbaiEating at the 33rd floorPaul & Leena heading to the receptionSmiling after the weddingThe wedding photographers checking their work
The final picture is the last shot I took while in the country of India. It was taken on the elevator after the wedding and reception. The time was 1AM and I was going to my room to pack and prepare for a 4AM flight back to the US. From 4AM in Mumbai to 11AM in Mumbai the following day, I was traveling. I finally arrived home 30 hours later in New Hampshire at midnight, just in time to get some sleep for work the next day.
It was quite an adventure, quite an eye-opening experience. I enjoyed shooting these photos and I hope you enjoyed viewing them. Thank you for the support and kindness as I continue to push my skills forward to become a better photographer and document the ups and downs of life…I’m only 24 and already feel like I’ve accomplished so much. Here’s to life. :)
The full set of India photos as well as many more adventures is in my “India 2011” Collection on Flickr.
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Comments 4
absolutely amazing photos! So happy that you had this great opportunity to see other things and even happier that you can share with us :)
absolutely amazing photos! So happy that you had this great opportunity to see other things and even happier that you can share with us :)
Thank you!
Absolutely beautiful pictures!
Whoa. You read my blog!?!?!! :O