Street Photography Tips, Interaction, Travel, Guides
On my recent trip to India, Chennai was my first stop. Coming straight from Sri Lanka, I’d been shooting around beaches a lot lately, but Chennai took it to another level. I really enjoyed shooting within the city too, but Chennai’s massive urban beaches were something special with the unique atmosphere and scenes they provided. Each day of shooting, I made sure to finish off at Marina Beach. So here’s some street photography I was able to capture during my time in Chennai…
Last time I visited India, I spent most of my time in the north. So on my recent trip to India, I decided to check out some of the bigger cities in the south, starting in Chennai. Previously known as Madras, Chennai is one of the biggest cities in India at over 8 million people.
Chennai brings the chaos that India is known for, but adds to it with its old world atmosphere, the most impressive urban beach you’ll find anywhere, and much more. So here are my first impressions of Chennai, from my personal Street Photographer perspective…
Two weeks ago I posted 15 Top Instagram Accounts for Street Photographers, which ended up getting shared and viewed quite a bit. With that came facebook comments and messages, most of which were very positive. But it was brought to my attention a few times that the post’s list didn’t include any women. I spent a lot of time making sure it was all of the highest quality out there, but wasn’t thinking about men or women. When I made the list, I laid out minimum post criteria to ensure only the most active accounts were included, which also left out some very talented female photographers I admire.
Since it wasn’t my intention to make it a Men Only list and I know that it can seem that’s where all the representation goes in this genre, I decided to spend time creating a list of talented female street photographers on Instagram. This time without the minimum post criteria, but they still had to be very high quality, active, and appeal to the street genre. There were already many I knew I had to include, but after spending hours researching and finding new accounts, I discovered how many more are out there. From there, I was able to cut it down to 20 of my favorites. (Never a definitive “Best List,” but 20 of the Top out there.)
These women are all talented photographers on their own, but to help strengthen visibility of women in the street genre, here’s a list of 20 of the best Instagram accounts that street photographers should all follow!
(in no particular order)
This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken in Chennai, India at Marina Beach. This 13 km long beach is not only the longest urban beach in the world, but it’s also one of the most chaotic. For the morning and most of the day, it feels more like a deserted island, but once people get off work and out of school, it starts filling up fast.
People don’t come here to sunbathe, but they do enjoy getting in the ocean. Swim attire is not required, though. Men roll up their slacks and unbutton their collar, while women go in the water in full saree.
It was getting close to sunset and the shoreline was crowded with people getting wet or watching others do so. Amongst the shoreline of crowds, I noticed one man facing away from it all. He seemed to have his mind on other things as he looked towards the sun. Many people in Chennai come to the beach after work to escape work, and the city. He seemed to be trying to escape it all. So I walked up above him on the sand and took this photo trying to capture him deep in thought amongst the scene.
* “Master Profiles” is a series profiling all the great photographers of uncontrolled life. Unlike the rest of the blog, I’m doing these in a straight profile format to make it easy for quick access to facts, quotes and knowledge on all the masters. I’ll also group them together here every time I add a new one.
Harry Gruyaert (1941-present)
Belgian photographer known for his use of vivid color to create depth and interest, before it was a respected medium in photography .
*A series of guides on shooting Street Photography in cities around the world. Find the best spots to shoot, things to capture, safety concerns, street tips, and more for cities around the world. I have personally researched, explored and shot Street Photography in every city that I create a guide for. So you can be ready to capture the streets as soon as you step outside with your camera!
*A new interview series with a play on “20 questions,” where I try to mix it up with different questions. Some serious, some not so much. I’ll also be focusing the series on some of the best street photographers from the cities I visit around the world during my 100 Cities project.
During my recent month in India, I visited Hyderabad, a royal city famous for its rich history, culture, cuisine, and architecture. Hyderabad is also home to the talented photographer, Swarat Ghosh, who thankfully agreed to take on this edition of “20 Questions.”
Swarat is a member of one of my favorite photo collectives, That’s Life, which I highly recommend checking out. Much of Swarat’s work captures stories from everyday life in a way that uses layers and multiple elements to help add to the moments he discovers. He’s also able to work well in both black & white and color, and uses them each in their own way to really bring out his scenes.
So now to learn more about him, it’s time for 20 Questions in Hyderabad, India with Swarat Ghosh…
This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken in Galle, Sri Lanka by the Fort wall. Galle Fort is one of the most preserved fort cities in the world, with many locals still living inside its walls today. Due to its preservation and attractive mix of Dutch influence in a tropical atmosphere, it brings in plenty of tourists too.
An elaborate wall runs around the fort city, with most of it lining the ocean. It might be the most interesting wall I’ve seen. There’s always plenty of activity going on along it with a mix of locals and tourists. Also, due to its construction, there’s a lot of different areas to explore within the wall. While in Galle, I spent more time here than any when it came to photography.
When it comes to this shot, it was more of an instinctual reaction to what I saw. I was walking along when out of the corner of my eye I saw this scene. There was something odd about it, mostly from how the girl was holding the umbrella. I instantly reacted by quickly taking the shot, thinking more about capturing it before the strangeness disappeared than anything else.
After getting some of Sri Lanka’s bigger city life in Colombo, I took a train down to Galle, where Dutch-colonial buildings blend with a tropical setting. Exploring the walled fort city inside and out provided plenty to see and capture, while giving a unique variety of life for a smaller touristic city. It was a nice, relaxing change of scene from Colombo too. So here’s some street photography I was able to capture during my few days in Galle…
After Colombo, I took a train down to Galle in the southwest corner of Sri Lanka. Galle is a major city in Sri Lanka, but is best known for its Dutch influence and walled fort city where locals still live. It’s also nearby some of the most popular beaches and become one of the top spots to visit in Sri Lanka.
Galle was only a quick train ride from Colombo so I decided to give it a few days during my time in Sri Lanka. Here are my first impressions of Galle, from my personal Street Photographer perspective…
