The streets of Benares are fantastic for photography!
You will get many opportunities for excellent street photography!
Photographing people in Varanasi.
I will keep this brief, focusing on the photographs. The only question running through my mind is which section to place this post into.
On rapid, mature reflection – I am a wise man – I decided to place this post in the photography section.
I am placing the images in a gallery, and will also share a short YouTube Shorts link. Please click the link and follow my work on YouTube.
https://youtube.com/shorts/uexm1mSCdSw
My wife, the harsh critic that she is, insists my voice is monotonous, stilted, and corporate. In this case, I must confess she is correct, but in my defence, I wish to state that I have been focusing on my diction, and transcription services have started giving me better grades.
Benares is alive and well, despite our politicians!
Benares is alive and well, despite the best efforts of politicians and business houses to take over this ancient city and convert it into a concrete monolith.
So long as you have the river, the magnificent dawn, and as long as the ancient spirit courses through the city's beating heart, Benares will be alive and will continue to attract both pilgrims and crazy fakirs to itself. Tourists will flock to the riverside and sail the boats, even if some of them prefer the new, motorized contraptions that threaten the dolphins' lives.
I'd like to share a few thoughts on photography.
Stroll along the ghats.
Walk along the ghats at dawn. Stroll by the riverside in the evening. Sit and listen to the sound of the water at night. Drink some lassi or some chai. Sample the street food.
Chat with the people and enjoy their company and some gossip.
You are permitted to use a zoom lens if you are shy.
Benares offers you fantastic opportunities for street photography. I confess I used a zoom lens for some of the street portraits. Cowardice overcame me, and I sat at a safe distance from the men as I photographed them.
Most street photographers will advise you to use a prime lens, specifically a 23 mm focal length on a crop sensor camera (like the Fujifilm X100V). In specific situations, such as narrow gullies, I find that the 23 mm focal length is too long. A week ago, I purchased a 16mm lens (equivalent to 24 mm on a full-frame camera). The APS-C sensor of the Fujifilm X series has a crop factor of 1.5, which means you multiply the focal length by 1.5 to convert the focal length to a full-frame equivalent.
At that time, I used a Nikon D200, which was an excellent camera for its generation.
I like to capture everyone’s innate dignity. Respect.
When I shoot street portraits, I strive to capture people's expressions and convey the innate dignity that exists in every human being. When I started my street photography journey, I gloried in highlighting the poverty and misery we often encounter on the streets and in daily life. I've changed since those days, and every photographer (or artist, businessperson, etc.) must evolve if they want their work to stay vibrant.
Be cognizant of asymmetric power relationships.
Now, with increasing asymmetry in society–money, power, the rise of bigotry and violence, and 'othering' – I am focusing on the marginalization of people in the world.
When I make street photographs, I focus on both aspects – the dignity of every human being, as well as the asymmetry we encounter in society. The first set of pictures tries to convey the human spirit of the men I saw at the ghats, and the last two focus on the imbalance in our world.
Places like Benares offer many opportunities for fantastic street and people photography. If you approach your subject with respect, you will reward yourself with outstanding images.