Travel blog with Andrew Newey – part 1

Andrew Newey travels to the holy city of Varanasi, India, and finds an abundance of photo opportunities alongside the river Ganges

Travel Photography Location Guide: Varanasi, India

The holy city of Varanasi offers a wide range of photo opportunities for a photographer and is a place you will want to return to again and again…

A visit to India would not be complete without experiencing its holiest city, Varanasi. Previously named City of Light this deeply religious place and is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and probably the oldest in India. The culture of Varanasi is closely associated with the River Ganges and the river’s religious importance. The accessibility to the practices of an ancient but very much alive religious tradition is what captivates most visitors and offers an abundance of photo opportunities. A walk along the Ghats or a boat ride on the river at dawn or dusk is one of most memorable experiences to be had in India.

It is easy to capture the colour, spiritual mood and atmosphere along the western bank of the river Ganges with its ancient temples providing an excellent backdrop to the pilgrims bathing at the many Ghats and performing their morning prayers to the rising sun.

You will find that most people are happy for you to take their photo although some may want a few rupees in return. However you should refrain from shooting the burning Ghats where people’s loved ones are being cremated. You will often see funeral processions threading their way through the backstreets to the main burning Ghat, Manikarnika.

Shooting Tip: Use a telephoto lens to zoom in on interesting details and by doing so you will be able to capture more candid shots of people going about their daily life because you will be further away. Also use a large aperture like f/2.8 to drop the often cluttered and busy background out of focus.

The best time to photograph daily life on the Ganges is from dawn until an hour or so after sunrise after which time the sun gets stronger and light is harsh – less than ideal for photography. The temperature is cool, the Ghats less crowded and of course the sun is softly lighting up the western bank of the river where you will be spoilt for choice of subject matter. People come to the Ganges not only for a ritual bath but also to wash clothes, practice yoga, offer blessings, buy paan (a mixture of betel nut and leaves for chewing) , sell flowers, get a massage, improve their karma by giving to beggars, or simply hang around. This is traditional India at its most colourful and photogenic.

The liveliest and most colourful Ghat for photography is Dasaswamedh which is the most central and accessible from the main road. Here you can haggle with numerous boat owners for a trip along the river where you can get some great shots of the Ghats from a comfortable distance.

Every evening at 19:00 an elaborate ceremony called ganga aarti with puja, fire and dance is staged here. You will either need a tripod, flash or a high ISO setting on your camera to capture to action.

Shooting Tip: To increase your chances of capturing a great shot of a moving subject set your camera to continuous shooting mode and AI (Artificial Intelligence) focus mode. This makes it easier for the camera to render a moving subject in focus.

Away from the Ghats the streets are rather more crowded which provides the opportunity to capture the hustle & bustle of daily life. There are temples, people, colourful market stalls, ubiquitous chaiwalla’s (tea vendors), cycle ricksaws & tuk tuk’s – perfect for experimenting with the panning and blurring techniques.

Shooting Tip: To add motion blur to your pictures set your camera to the semi-automatic Tv (Time Value) mode, select a shutter speed of between 1/4 second and 1/15th second and let the camera calculate the exposure for you. Simply track the moving subject, press the shutter button when the subject is where you want it in the frame and remember to continue the tracking motion for a few seconds after the picture has been taken.

To check out more of Andrew Newey’s photographs and advice, head over to www.travelphotography.org.uk

All images (C) Andrew Newey