India

I have visited India on two occasions. It is a country which attacks the senses - the colours, the noise, the hustle and bustle. It is one of my most enjoyable photographic destinations. My first trip, in 2014, included Jaipur, Agra and Varanasi. In 2018 I spent a week in Kolkata concentrating on street photography. Scroll down to see different groups of images.

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"The Goatherds"

This is my favourite image from my first trip. It seemed to summarise the contrasts which typify India. The group in the foreground with their small herd of goats, supplementing their income by collecting discarded plastic bags from the river bank which they can sell for recycling, contrasting with the splendid elegance of the World Heritage Site on the far side of the river.

People

As always, I enjoy photographing people in the places I visit, capturing their style of dress, their activities, the faces of the many characters I meet. This is the style of travel photography I enjoy most, where travel photography and street photography overlap.

Cowherd, Jaipuer

Roadside, Jaipur

A Patch of Shade, Amber Fort, Jaipur

Amber Fort, Jaipur

Spinning yarn, carpet factory, Rajasthan

Rural School, Rajasthan

School Dinner Lady, Rajasthan

Rural School, Rajasthan

School Dinner Lady, Rajasthan

Mixing plaster, Agra Fort, Uttar Pradesh

Craftsman, Agra, Uttar Pradesh

Roadside shop, Uttar Pradesh

Fatehpur Skri, Uttar Pradesh

Harvesting aubergines, Agra, Uttar Pradesh

Agra, Uttar Pradesh

Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

Wedding Ceremony, Uttar Pradesh

Station buffet, Uttar Pradesh

Transport

The roads in India seem chaotic to Western eyes, with push bikes, motor bikes, tractors, buses, lorries and tuk-tuks all vying for space on the crowded roads. The rule of the road (driving on the left) seems to be treated as guidance rather than obligatory. India is also well known for its extensive and busy rail network. All these forms of transport offer subjects for the camera.

Wildlife

If you are lucky, you may catch a glimps of tigers in the wildlife reserves. I was not so lucky, but there was other wildlife to photograph.

Places

Splendid palaces, forts, step wells and other monuments.

Kolkata

These photographs were taken during a street photography workshop. All the images were taken with a 35mm prime lens, and the aim was to get close to and involved with my subjects.

The people were very accepting of my camera. As an example, the cook could be seen from the street in his kitchen at the back of the restaurant, so we just walked through to the back and, after a quick check with him to ensure he had no objection, took his photograph.

The people on the railway were part of a large community which lives in abandoned and condemned buildings or rough shacks alongside the tracks. They live, work and play on and around the railway and seem remarkably content with their conditions. Some we spoke to expressed no desire to move away, happy to continue living there with their families and friends.

Other pictures were taken in markets, streets and the railway station.