Reading mode: Light Dark

Mobbed at the Lal Kothi Subzi Mandi - [Many Images]

Go to last post
Member said:
Joe Pineapples wrote:

Somehow we have been sold on the idea of the "street photographer" as a stealthy observer catching people unawares, or as a rude man walking up to people without a word and shoving a wide-angle lens in their face; but much of the earlier documentary photography involved the photographer taking the time and trouble to get to know their subjects and to be accepted by the people he or she was photographing. You have showed us a glimpse of this earlier approach, and I think it has been very successful in capturing "posed but natural" photographs - excellent environmental portraits of your subjects.

Joe
Click to expand...



Agree with you Joe. Didn't see your comments when I made mine, but you've explained things brilliantly.

Peter.
 
John Basso said:
John Basso wrote:

Hello Raaj.

Love this wonderful set .Also a big applause to you for having been so nice to these hard working vendors.They will cherries those photo's for ever; My warmest greetings to you; John Basso.
Click to expand...
Thank you very much, John. Appreciate your kind comments. Glad you liked the images.

Cheers,

-raaj
 
Foto Freak said:
ehazera wrote:

Excellent images and narrative.

You did exactly what a good photo journalist would do. You interacted with your subjects to create interesting scenarios.
Click to expand...
Glad you liked the images and my telling of the experience. Thank you for your very kind words. Much appreciated.

Cheers,

-raaj
 
Knorp said:
Knorp wrote:

Wow Raaj, what an amazing story !

You shot some excellent portraits as well.

Did I say I love the photos and the story ?

Good job :)

All the best.
........................................................................................................
Bart
Click to expand...
Dear Bart,

Thank you for your kindness. Much appreciated. Glad you liked the images and the story.


It is good to see you here. We haven't seen much from you in a while and certainly the forum is the poorer for that. When are you going to treat us to some fabulous macros with your Goldberg setup? :) Hopefully soon.

Cheers,

-raaj
 
Fazal Majid said:
Fazal Majid wrote:

Nice story. It's often the poorest people who are the most inclined to share, putting us pampered westerners to shame.

India is poor, but not destitute as some places in sub-Saharan Africa. I recall one pro photographer who shoots there explaining how he includes a small battery-powered 4x6 dye-sub printer in his travel bag so he can give prints back to desperately poor people who will otherwise never have photos of themselves or their children.
Click to expand...
 
Folks,

Apologies for the tardiness of my replies. I've been traveling in Rajasthan and things have been very hectic for the past few days. I've received many warm PMs on the images as well as queries on what camera/lenses were used for these images. They were all shot with the M9 with either the 50 'cron or the 75 lux.

Cheers,

-raaj
 
Raaj, my friend!

Firstly, I wanted to tell you that this story is really interesting!
The fact that you take the time to talk to these men, to give them the importance is reflected in your images ...
A good example of sharing between human ... This should be a sacred experience ... I imagine you strolling ... In this large market, hoping to return with the images you must have in your head ...
And you did ... Very beautiful and very interresting story my friend!

Hoping that everything happens for the best ...

Hugues.

PS: Thanks for your message on my penultimate post!
Always appreciated ....


 
RaajS said:
RaajS wrote:
Click to expand...
RaajS said:
Dear Bart,

Thank you for your kindness. Much appreciated. Glad you liked the images and the story.

It is good to see you here. We haven't seen much from you in a while and certainly the forum is the poorer for that. When are you going to treat us to some fabulous macros with your Goldberg setup? :) Hopefully soon.

Cheers,

-raaj
Click to expand...
 
Knorp said:
Knorp wrote:
Knorp said:
RaajS wrote:

Dear Bart,

Thank you for your kindness. Much appreciated. Glad you liked the images and the story.

It is good to see you here. We haven't seen much from you in a while and certainly the forum is the poorer for that. When are you going to treat us to some fabulous macros with your Goldberg setup? :) Hopefully soon.

Cheers,

-raaj
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
janlu said:
janlu wrote:

Hi Raaj.... what a beautiful day and story..... and warm feedback !!

This a beautiful series.... a pleasure to look and read at.....

A very fine set of pictures , representing very well the mood of the people in that Market , i also enjoyed very much the other images you linked us .

The watermelon and the onions sellers are absolutely fantastic !!! Great photographs !!

Best, Gianluca
Click to expand...
 
Choi said:
Choi wrote:

Indeed an interesting experience. I had a similar one in Jodhpur (the Blue City) years ago. I had been to the city twice with a lapse of about 2 months. In the second visit, I brought along the photos I took in the previous one and asked a lady to distribute them for us. I could feel the joy they had, especially among the kids.

When it comes to a place for people and daily life shots, I would say India is second to none.

Thanks for sharing your experience and images, both are outstanding works.

Best,

Choi

c1854a31274f4d818182a7c87f9bf7ce.jpg
Click to expand...
Dear Choi,

First of all, love your image shot in Jodhpur - it's beautiful. Please post more from that trip! :)

Very glad you made prints for the folks you shot - as some else commented earlier, many of these folk do not have the means to get photographs and an act like that makes a huge positive impact on someone's life.

Totally agree with you - India is an amazing country for photographers to visit, especially if one is willing to engage with the people - they are unfailing warm and welcoming. I've had street vendors stare at me with a scowl on their faces, as I walked towards them with a camera. That scowl unfailingly changes to a warm smile as soon as I smile at them and ask how they are. It's amazing.

Thank you for your kind words - I'm happy you liked the images.

Cheers,

-raaj

--
'Change is not Mandatory, you don't have to Survive...'
SeekingLight.net
 
A Guy Platt said:
A Guy Platt wrote:

Hi Raaj

What a great post. Makes me want to up with you in India sometime. Closer than Michigan any way.

Love the faces and colors. The people look so alive.

I'm waiting to hear what happens next - does the young man get his image, etc...

regards

Guy
Click to expand...
You are always kind, dear Guy. Thank you!

Absolutely love to have your company the next time I come back here (which is soon!). David and Kevin have been threatening to come too, so who knows, we may have a forum outing in the Pink City in 2013!

Cheers,

-raaj
 
Daniel74 said:
Daniel74 wrote:

Enjoyed the portraits and the story - thank you very much, Raaj!

Personally I would probably PP them to bring out the subjects more, adjust the highlights and the shadows, but as always it's a matter of choice.
Click to expand...
Hi Daniel,

Thanks for your kind comments. Glad you enjoyed the post.

You are right - the images would probably improve with some tweaking. PP is one area that I suck at and most of my images have little to no PP. I am trying to teach myself Photoshop but not making huge progress because finding time is very difficult. I barely manage to convert my images to monochrome...

Cheers,

-raaj
 
Paul20 said:
Paul20 wrote:

Raaj,

This is a heart warming storey with some very nice images. My favourite is actually not one on DP Review but the shot of a man and [persumably] his son from your website. I also like the watermelon seller portrait. You have used a relatively slow shutter on some shots and there are little incidents of movement which I think adds interest - like the kids throwing the watermelon.

I had a similar experience to you in Jodhpur. I got chatting to these sweet makers and took some shots. Like you, I found that after spending some time chatting I tended to get a very warm, funny response from the people I photographed.

I took the details and their addresses of the sweet sellers with the intention of sending some prints when I got home. Unfortunately when I got back to the UK i could not make sense of the address they had written down for me in my notebook [google maps was no help] so I could not send the photo. Perhaps I will just have to return one day and personally deliver them..... :)




Sweet Sellers Jodhpur

Paul

--
www.flickr.com

Paul M2012

Explore Paul M2012’s 399 photos on Flickr!
www.flickr.com www.flickr.com
Click to expand...
Hi Paul,

Love your image above - it conveys so clearly the horsing around and the humor that I see in the roadside vendors here in India. They are alive in a way that is difficult to convey easily and your image does that so well. Please post more! :)

Yes, addresses in India often appear strange and incomplete. If you have the address written down by those guys, it will most likely work and may be worth a try.

Glad you liked the images and you're right, I should have posted so of the other ones - they are more interesting. Have been a bit stretched for time...

BTW, did I request more image posts from you? :)

Cheers,

-raaj

--
'Change is not Mandatory, you don't have to Survive...'
SeekingLight.net
 
l_objectif said:
l_objectif wrote:

When I see your wonderful shots, dear Raaj, I wish I was there to shoot those colorful moments. India has always been a dream for me and I am sure I will visit this fabulous country one day.

Very engaging reportage, dear friend!
Click to expand...
 
Raaj,

I do not have a lot to add but I would like to say that this is one of the most interesting posts I have read in dpreview. Very inspiring.

Thanks, D
 
JTori said:
JTori wrote:

Raaj,

Great story and great images! I have always found engaging subjects in conversation while while shooting to be the best way to break the ice. And, invariably, there is a moment when the individual lets his or her guard down, providing a glimpse of the real person inside.

I think you have done an outstanding job telling a story with your photographs and in getting these individuals to open up by establishing trust. The compositions and natural rendering of hues is terrific. I especially like images 2, 5, 6 and 7. Of these, 5 is the most compelling to me because; the composition is pleasingly balanced and the man's expression conveys warmth and a certain vulnerability.

Nice job. I wish you many more satisfying hours of image making during your travels.

Best,

Joe.
Click to expand...
Thank you very much, Joe! Glad you liked the images. I trust you are well (and enjoying the cold!). I'll be returning to all that fun shortly. We should go shooting again!

Cheers,

-raaj
 
Nich0las said:
Nich0las wrote:

Raaj,

What a heart-warming and moving story and kudos to you for taking the time to get to know the stallholders and producing some genuinely wonderful portraits - particularly the gentleman with the watermelons. Awesome series!

Nick
Click to expand...
 
ulfie said:
ulfie wrote:

बहुत अच्छा ! Fine series and comments which bring in necessary background info. I lived in India (Benares or Varanasi, U.P.) for a year as a Hindi student and had similar experiences though sans digital gear. Taking time to talk with folks not just shoot and be off opens many, many doors. Even using English is OK since it's understood and spoken--more or less--by lots of people of all ranks. The key is making that connection. Well done! Thanks for sharing this.
Click to expand...
Thanks much, Steve, for your kind comments. Also appreciate the videos you sent me. Thank you!

Cheers,

-raaj
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Keyboard shortcuts

f
Forum
m
My threads
Mobile site
About
Editorial content
Cameras & Lenses
Community
All content, design, and layout are Copyright © 1998–2025 Digital Photography Review All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction in whole or part in any form or medium without specific written permission is prohibited.
When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission.
©GPS Media - Guides, Products, Services.
Back
Top