barnack Posted October 12, 2013 Share #1 Â Posted October 12, 2013 Advertisement (gone after registration) my wife and I will be traveling to northern India in January for 20 days. Any advice about taking pictures of people? I love street photography! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted October 12, 2013 Posted October 12, 2013 Hi barnack, Take a look here Traveling to the Northern India. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
stuny Posted October 14, 2013 Share #2 Â Posted October 14, 2013 Be sure to smile. I have found Indians to be the most willing people we've met in about 75 countries to be photographed. Do not be surprized if they want pictures with you or your wife in them, and they may even hand you an infant to hold for a photo of you and the infant. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaques Posted October 16, 2013 Share #3 Â Posted October 16, 2013 wear a light casual tropical jacket, with pockets inside and out for a few lenses, etc. Keep camera hanging at you side, strapped across one shoulder under jacket. So you can whip it out and drop it away in a flash, button jacket- and don't have to worry about carrying/putting down/losing a bag. and as stuny says: smile! keep a notebook to record peoples postal addresses to send them photos afterwards. They will ask for this:rolleyes:. You will earn good karma if you do this and you photos will benefit also. You also won't get as sunburnt maybe- a (light) cotton jacket in a hot/tropical climate is not as crazey as it may seem. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuny Posted October 17, 2013 Share #4 Â Posted October 17, 2013 I agree with Jaques regarding taking information so that you can send them a copy, but I've never felt I needed to hide my camera in India. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rramesh Posted October 18, 2013 Share #5 Â Posted October 18, 2013 The impact of movies and Bollywood makes everyone want to be a star. So mingle with the crowd and snap away. Just make sure you also carry a pocket camera, in case they want to snap your picture in a group. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGodParticle/Hari Posted October 20, 2013 Share #6  Posted October 20, 2013 India is usually friendly but do take common sense precautions which you would in any big city in the world  Don't walk around dark alleys, don't flash your equipment, don't count money in the open etc.  Very true that Indians are friendly and photo-tolerant, if you do send them a picture via post or email you will have made their day  Most of all, have fun! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Emile de Leon Posted October 20, 2013 Share #7 Â Posted October 20, 2013 Advertisement (gone after registration) You may see some things there of a horrific nature..tough to say if you would want to photograph or not.. I just generally did not..in certain extreme circumstances..as I just became an observer at that point..and not a photo taker.. As in..5 year old girl..living in a garbage dump in a cardboard box....probably not had a bath in months..eating with the dogs and pigs..in an open air pile of waste.. Or..man with broken legs and huge pus filled tumor..begging an the banks of the Ganges.. Or the 8 year old slave boy..begging in the 2nd class section on the train..for a few rupees.. You get the drift.. But..you may want to carry around a few extra rupees to give to people..as they will ask for it after you take their photo.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vicente Posted October 20, 2013 Share #8 Â Posted October 20, 2013 I was in Varanasi for several weeks. Smile and interact with the people, I noticed that most are receptive of being photographed. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick in CO Posted October 21, 2013 Share #9 Â Posted October 21, 2013 my wife and I will be traveling to northern India in January for 20 days. Any advice about taking pictures of people? I love street photography! My wife & I went about a year ago and had a wonderful time. We have a small article on our website if you wish to read (http://fotoduo.com/images/Passage_Thru_Rajasthan.pdf). Most people on the street were fine with being photographed, many wanted their picture taken with us! Keep small change for when it might be appropriate; ie. street performers & vendors (for a small purchase), monument staff (might get you into a "closed" area, etc. As others have said, keep smiling but follow common sense precautions for safety - we had no problems but our driver was very protective, and for food - drink only sealed bottled water and eat only in recommended restaurants. Have a great time! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steamboatbob53 Posted October 21, 2013 Share #10 Â Posted October 21, 2013 The impact of movies and Bollywood makes everyone want to be a star. So mingle with the crowd and snap away. Just make sure you also carry a pocket camera, in case they want to snap your picture in a group. Â I love most of the advice on the thread, however, my experience in Asia and elsewhere is that handing over your pocket camera "in case they want to snap your picture in a group" is an invitation to losing your camera unless you are in well-known company. Pehaps in Myanmar but would certainly not recommend it in India (or Washington DC or New York city. ). Sorry. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
algrove Posted October 23, 2013 Share #11 Â Posted October 23, 2013 Best to hire a protective driver who stays with you always. Gang rapes are getting very serious over there even with foreigners too. Be ever vigilant. Create good images. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
payasam Posted October 24, 2013 Share #12 Â Posted October 24, 2013 January in northern India can be cold. Common sense is all you need, really. If someone objects to being photographed, just smile and put your camera down. Be sure to carry clean drinking water. Packets of biscuits (cookies) are freely available, and fruit is safe if washed in water with a pinch of potassium permanganate added. You probably will get a tummy bug all the same, so best to be prepared to lose a day or two. I am in Delhi and will be glad to help if you need help. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecar Posted October 24, 2013 Share #13 Â Posted October 24, 2013 A photographer's paradise: there's so much going on on the streets, you'll be pressing the shutter more often than in most other countries, so bring extra batteries/SD cards. People are typically very friendly - although they may occasionally get a bit harsh and ask for money. Just follow your judgment and inclination in those instances - you'll be just fine. Food/drinks really is the only area where you should apply extra caution... Enjoy your trip! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaques Posted October 26, 2013 Share #14 Â Posted October 26, 2013 I agree with Jaques regarding taking information so that you can send them a copy, but I've never felt I needed to hide my camera in India. actually the point I was making was not so much about hiding your camera, as a good way to carry it without having to carry a camera bag. And sometimes it is better to have it hidden. In my experience India is very safe compared to other countries- violent crime is rare- most thefts are opportunistic or clever non-violent scams. However carrying a bag is a nuisance and you tend to get hassled more on the streets. When a person is walking unencumbered people assume they don't need anything: hotel, taxi, guide etc. When you are carrying luggage people harass you more. Also it is easier to lose a bag with everything in it (through theft or happenstance) than a camera under your jacket and a lens in your pocket. Â Another good trick is to never give eye contact to those people who walk up and try and engage you in conversation- the carpet sellers, tour guides, perfume sellers, etc. Once you have eye contact it is much harder to get away... Many tourists give in and end up buying a rug they never wanted for 5 times its actual value (they think they did well because they haggled the price to half what was initially asked...)... If you look straight through such touts/scammers: they tend to leave you alone- and after a while you can develop a total body language that says- 'leave me alone'. Â Finally I liked to buy bunches of small bananas or similar and give these to beggars instead of giving them money. Many times beggars are low level members/slaves of an organised syndicate- and the money you give them does not end up in their pocket. Also handing out small change can disturb local economies: when a small child makes more in a day begging than his father makes working: it can create/encourage all kinds of social problems. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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