Travel and Photographer: October 2011

Monday, October 31, 2011

Cheryl Dunn: 'Everybody Street'

Cheryl Dunn is a photographer and the director of "Everybody Street", a feature documentary on well-known NYC street photographers. The documentary is of real stories of the men and women, who can be described as the foundation of the street photography movement and of the medium itself.

A short intro is being shown on Kickstarter by Cheryl in an effort to raise funds to film the studios and out onto the streets where the working techniques of these photographers will be seen as they unfold in the theater of New York City. "Everybody Street" is expected to provide considerable knowledge and insight into the art of photography and the City of New York.

This is an interesting project for street photographers, especially those who, like me (although I can hardly describe myself as a street photographer despite of my Leica File blog) are passionate in their photographing the streets of New York.

I do not know Cheryl Dunn nor her background, so this post should not be construed as an effort to encourage anyone to contribute to the Everybody Street project, but is merely to mention it on this blog because it's about a discipline that I like and that I'm interested in; street photography.

via the click

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Tony Smith: Kolkata's Cult of Durga

One of the first thing you'll find out about Tony Smith is that he's Welsh, and if it happens that Wales' rugby team is playing in the 2011 Rugby World Cup as it did during the Kolkata's Cult of Durga Photo Expedition/Workshop, you'll be reminded of that fact a few more times.

His biography is certainly interesting, as he “ran away to sea” on a cargo ship to South America when he was 15 years old, then he eventually mellowed and pursued a career in hospitality management that took him to Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), Johannesburg, and London before settling down in Winchester (that's in England, not Wales).

Tony is an Associate member of the Royal Photographic Society, and he traveled to Nepal, Bhutan, India, France, China, Spain, Morocco the USA and Canada and the West Coast of Ireland. He has attended Hindu, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist and Gypsy events.

He worked quite hard during the Kolkata's Cult of Durga Photo Expedition/Workshop to produce an audio slideshow on the festival, with his own narration. It's compelling, not only for his still imagery, but for his narrative skills which are enhanced by his precise enunciation. I gather he's still working to further improve it but it hasn't been finalized yet.

In the meantime, I suggest you view his blog entry on his experiences at the Durga Puja during the workshop, which also has a number of his photographs of the festival.

New! Panasonic Lumix GX1?

As readers of this blog know, I'm a fan of Micro Four Thirds cameras, especially the Panasonic GF1 which I use a my 'walk-about' camera of choice. So my pulse ran a little faster when reading a post on the Gizmodo blog that featured leaked photographs of Panasonic Lumix's new Micro Four Thirds Lumix GX1 camera, which appeared on the Taiwan Mobile01 forum.

Panasonic signalled that it would split their Lumix GF line into consumer and professional models. The pro-oriented GX1 is rumored to have a 16MP sensor, ISO levels up to 12,800, a new image processing engine, a touchscreen display, an LVF2 electronic external viewfinder and will include the Lumix GX 14-42mm as its kit lens.

It's expected to be announced in a week or so.

I've said a few times already, so I'll be brief...but I believe the Micro Four Thirds cameras are the future of photography.

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Chico Sanchez: Mexico & Saints

I am pleased that Chico Sanchez (whose work has been featured on this blog many times) has now self-published a book of his wonderful photographs of Mexico. Chico's photographs of religion, faith and spirituality are published here in full color. It shares his journey through Mexico, a country of faith, mysticism and religiosity.

He has also announced another self-published book, Saints. In this book, Chico documents the celebrations and rituals honoring Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary and all the Saints in Spain. The first part of the book features images from Andalusia, while the second is of images of the Way of Saint James pilgrimage in northern Spain.

Chico Sanchez is a Spanish photojournalist based in Mexico City since 2007, who worked in Venezuela for six years with Reuters, EFE, EPA and various newspapers.

PLANET Magazine: Global Travel Photo Contest

PLANET Magazine has announced its 4th annual Global Travel Photo Contest, which is divided into two categories; General Travel and Portrait. Photographers are encouraged to submit traditional travel images, studies of the people and environs they encounter as they travel, and even explorations of their own local surroundings.

The contest runs from September 1 until October 31, 2011. All entries must be received by midnight on 10/31/2011. Photographers may submit multiple entries. There is a fee of $20 per entry to cover administering the contest.

The prizes range from round-the-world ticket (or $1500 cash), to liveBooks pre-designed website or $500 toward a custom designed website, to Canon G12s, to coffee table photography books as well as the opportunity for all top 10 finalists to have their image shown in a special gallery exhibit and opening event at New York City's Clic Gallery in Soho.

As I always suggest in my posts involving photo contests, make sure you read the terms and conditions very carefully to avoid any nasty surprises.

Friday, October 28, 2011

Kolkata's Cult of Durga: Verdict & Epilogue

I wanted to write this post earlier, but I needed intervening time to be more objective and allow my thoughts to settle. Few if any photo workshops leaders take the trouble of publicly posting their verdict on their workshops...but I've always done that, and will continue to do so.

"Few if any photo workshops leaders take the trouble of publicly posting their verdict on their workshops...but I've always done that, and will continue to do so."

Planning the Kolkata's Cult of Durga Photo Expedition/Workshop, I knew full well that setting a photographic trip and workshop in a congested urban center such as Kolkata would be fraught with difficulties, and I was right for two main reasons. The congestion, traffic and the crowds (especially during the Durga Puja week) in that quintessential Indian megapolis certainly exceeded my expectations, and occasionally took me by surprise with its severity. The prevailing weather was also a factor that I had to consider when planning the duration of the photo shoots, especially when leading a group of people unaccustomed to such high degrees of humidity and heat. For the first time in all my photo expeditions, I recommended to the group that drinking fluids with electrolytes was a necessity and not an option. It's very rare for me to schedule an off day during my workshops/expeditions, and yet I did on this one. Shooting all day for almost a full week in such humid and hot circumstances made me rethink our pace, and I was glad to see that a day of respite was welcomed by the group.

But let's start from the top. Despite my travel agent's assurances to the contrary, I was somewhat apprehensive about the Lytton Hotel where we stayed for the two weeks in Kolkata, having read some negative reviews on a travel forum. My reservations turned out to be unfounded. My experience (and largely, that of the remainder of the group) was satisfactory. Sure, there were some minor hiccups here and there, but the staff were generally professional (especially Beryl at the reception, and Nicholas in the restaurant) and helpful. The Lytton is on Sudder Street right in the heart of Kolkata, and we couldn't ask for a better location. Whenever we felt the absolute need for a luxurious and posh restaurant, we popped in the next door Oberoi Grand, where we grumbled about its prices.

"If I had the luxury of rescheduling the photo expedition/workshop, I would have started it two days earlier, and ended it three days earlier."

If I had the luxury of rescheduling the photo expedition/workshop, I would have started it two days earlier, and ended it three days earlier. It would have given us more time at the outset of the Durga Puja week to document the potters in Kumartuli more thoroughly, while they finalized their effigy making. As it happened, we only had a day and a half to document both the potters at work as well as the transporting of the effigies to the pandals, which didn't didn't give us space to photograph that particular chapter of the festival at a more relaxed pace.

Transportation was somewhat of a drag. Kolkata's traffic is notoriously bad, and while we had a van for a number of days during the festival itself, we relied on taxis for the rest of the time. Taxis were not difficult to find, but with no ac they were uncomfortable in Kolkata's heat. In retrospect, I should've jacked up the price of the workshop to cover the cost of the van, even if the seasonal price gouging seemed unreasonable in comparison.

That being said, I am gratified that my photo expedition/workshop was held during the appropriate week. I heard that another photographic workshop had mistimed the Durga Puja festivities by about a week, and its members arrived when it was winding down!

We had tremendous photo opportunities; some planned and many serendipitous. Being invited to a private home to witness and document the puja and rituals revolving around welcoming the effigy of Durga, and to another large home involving return of the effigy to the Ganges were serendipitous to a very large extent, and speak volumes to the hospitality of the Bengalis. On another occasion, leaving a cluster of Jain temples, I saw the perfect backdrop for a staged photo shoot, and quickly convinced a nearby rickshaw puller and a woman to spend half an hour as models.

"These slideshows were as good as those I see submitted by seasoned photojournalists!"

Along with Chhandak Pradhan, a freelance photojournalist in Kolkata who assisted us on the photo workshop, contact was made with a Baul singer (a Bengali wandering minstrel) who treated us to a private demonstration of this ancient skill, and allowed us to record his musical prowess.

There were big time misses as well. Kolkata's Chinatown (at least where we went) wasn't worth the time, nor were the tanneries. Photographing in the Kali temple is prohibited, and the authorities kept a keen eye on us all through our brief visit. That again wasn't worth the trouble. However, the whole area around the Kali temple teems with photographic opportunities. Another area that I found fascinating in the Muslim area of Chitore...also teeming with tremendous photographic opportunities.

I don't know any other photographic expedition/workshop whose members were such media stars. We were featured in The Hindustan Times, along with some of our quotes. I was also glad to be featured in The Indian Express where I explained the objectives of the workshop.

Finally, a photo expedition/workshop is as good as its participants. I was very pleased by the quality level of the final audio slideshows. I knew the participants were all accomplished photographers, but I underestimated their quickness in mastering the techniques of slideshow making and audio editing. Consequently, when I saw their multimedia work in progress, I was extremely gratified. These slideshows were as good as those I see submitted by seasoned photojournalists who attend my class at the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Dilla Djalil Daniel: Myanmar

Dilla Djalil-Daniel is a photographer currently living in Jakarta, and just returned from Myanmar where she photographed the country's remarkable people and its stunning scenery.

Although she travels around the world for her photography, especially in Asia and has a impressive portfolio that ought to be shown on her own personal website, Dilla has yet to have one. It's a shame really...but The Travel Photographer blog features her work as much as it can. Dilla is also an alum of the Istanbul and Buenos Aires Foundry Photojournalism Workshops. In Buenos Aires, she attended the class given by the incomparable Maggie Steber.

Most of her work is in black and white, which I think is courageous on her part especially when depicting countries as color-rich as Myanmar. The top photograph is of the famous Inle Lake fishermen, and is an obligatory scene for photographers visiting the region, however the lower two are different, in the sense that they are more photojournalistic in composition and vision. I particularly like the bottom candid scene of the Buddhist nuns.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Enrico Martino: Dia De Los Muertos

Time flies, and it's this time of year...once again! Observed on November 1st and 2nd, the Dia de Los Muertos is around the corner. Family and friends gather to pray for loved ones who have died. It is celebrated in Mexico, where it's virtually considered a national holiday. Traditionally, private altars honoring the deceased are built using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the dead. Visiting cemeteries, crypts and graves is also a tradition during these two days.

A common symbol of the holiday is the skull (known as calavera), which celebrants represent in masks, called calacas. Also common are sugar skulls, inscribed with the name of the recipient on the forehead. Other special foods include pan de muerto (bread of the dead), a sweet egg bread made in many shapes, from plain rounds to skulls and rabbits often decorated with white frosting to look like twisted bones.

For those who are interested in documenting the Dia de los Muertos, photography workshops in Oaxaca are almost a tradition as well, and are plentiful.

Enrico Martino is an editorial, geographic and documentary photojournalist specialized in travel and cultural assignments. He's a contributor to Italian and international magazines, to include Meridiani, "D"-Repubblica, Epoca, Espresso, Panorama, Focus, Gente Viaggi, In Viaggio, Airone, Panorama Travel, Sette, Traveller, Tuttoturismo, Elle, Marie Claire, Merian, Spiegel, Die Zeit, Jeune Afrique, Altair, Rutas del Mundo.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Ethan Knight: Faith

Ethan Knight is a documentary photographer and a film maker whose work focuses on the impact of war and poverty on marginalized societies. Currently based in Auckland, New Zealand, his work has been published by The New York Times, the National Geographic, the Wall Street Journal, Lonely Planet Images, Australian Geographic and New Zealand Geographic amongst other publications. He also worked with NGOs such as UNHCR, ICRC, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

Ethan suggested I viewed his Northern Sri Lanka/Jaffna gallery of images, especially those of the Festival of Murugan, The Tamil god of war, but I went further and viewed his entire Faith Gallery in which he features about 34 monitor-sized images of photographs made in Jerusalem, in Sri Lanka and Kenya.

I thought his most powerful images in the Faith gallery were those of the Thaipusam religious festival, especially those of devotees rolling on the ground for 2 kilometers to the entrance of a temple, and self-inflicting wounds to their bodies in the hope of redemption.

After doing so, you may wish to recuperate from the graphic images by viewing Ethan's photographs of the New Zealand Fashion Week 2011.

Monday, October 24, 2011

Zara Bowmar: Kolkata's Pandal Mania

Zara Bowmar is one of the participants in my Kolkata's Cult of Durga Photo Expedition/Workshop, and produced a remarkably compelling documentary of the Durga Puja festival.

A native of New Zealand now living in Sydney, Australia, she is the founder of ZeeGlobe, an independent travel site featuring stories and photography, which highlights adventures in new places and cultures in off the beaten track locations or old favorites in new ways.

As featured in her audio slideshow (converted to an mp4 movie) above, Zara was one of the first participant to complete her project in Kolkata. You can view it in black & white above or in vivid color here.

A talented photographer who quickly grasped the photojournalism style in shooting and editing, Zara also provided me with a number of black & white photographs of the Durga Puja festivities. These are as follows:

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Jehad Nga: Cairo Corners

One of my favorite photographers is Jehad Nga, and I've featured his work on many occasions on The Travel Photographer blog for his superb chiaroscuro work, for his distinctive photographic and visual style and for his choice of subject matter.

In recent interviews, Jehad shared that he was no longer interested in editorial work, but I'm glad he decided to feature recent work on Cairo on his website. Those who know his work will realize that the Cairo work is, in a way, more art than documentary-editorial.

There are two galleries relating to Cairo; one of which is Cairo Corners, in which his trademark unabashed shadow-play is clearly evident.

"I respond more to fashion and fine-art, carrying these fields and variables in photojournalism." -Jehad Nga

On a personal note...I've been urged by a number of Egyptians to photograph my homeland, and even to lead photo workshops there...not necessarily in Cairo, but to outer regions such as Siwa for example, which boasts a distinct culture. Such a workshop may well occur in the near future, especially as I pore over Jehad's beautifully crafted images. Is my hesitancy to photograph in Egypt caused by what I call the "native's blind eye"? I don't know....but Jehad's work certainly inspires me to see Cairo in a different light.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Time LightBox: Xavier Comas' The Rumoh Raja

Photo © Xavier Comas- Courtesy TIME Lightbox

LightBox, TIME’s photo department's blog, is really one of my top photo destinations almost every day, and one of its recent features is incredibly compelling.

The feature is titled The Rumoh Raja, and is by Spanish photographer Xavier Comas, who shows us photographs made in Thailand’s southern region. The people of the region are mostly ethnic Malay and Muslim, and are descendants of people who had lived once in an independent sultanate.

"Somehow, the house possesses its inhabitants, who merge into the darkness of its shadows."

Xavier spent three months living with an ethnic Malay Muslim family in the decrepit shell of a once splendid palace at the invitation of a local imam's helper and a shaman-healer. The Rumoh Raja (ie the “Raja’s house”) used to be occupied by Tengku Samsuddin, a turn of the century aristocrat who governed the semi-autonomous Malay state of Legeh until it and other territories were swallowed up by the kings of Siam in 1909.

The current inhabitant claims the upper floors of the palace are still haunted by he spirits of two women in red, court concubines who still dance in mourning for their fallen Raja.

Dark and brooding as befits the subject matter, this feature is will leave you wondering whether the building hosts ghosts or not.

Angkor Photo Festival: Updated Website

The Angkor Photo Festival website's just announced facelift is quite substantial, so have a look at the 2011 schedule of events and you may be tempted to drop by, if you aren't already planning to attend.

The festival is to take place in Siem Reap from November 19 to November 26, 2011. This well established event is the first photography festival held in Southeast Asia and for 2011, will exhibit the work of 110 photographers, out of whom 60 are from Asia.

The 2011 list of exhibiting photographers includes Andrew Biraj, Pep Bonet, Paula Bronstein, Marco Di Lauro, Tewfic El-Sawy, Siddharth Jain, Yuri Koryzev, Liz Loh-Taylor, Wendy Marijnissen, Erica McDonald, Palani Mohan, and many more.

Friday, October 21, 2011

David Lazar: Myanmar Redux

I featured David Lazar's work on The Travel Photographer blog a few months, and having learned that he had uploaded two new galleries unto his website, I was eager to take a look. I was not disappointed.

The first gallery is titled Return To Myanmar, and features about 45 portraits and set up photographs made in this beautiful country. These are heavily processed and over saturated, perhaps following the style of many South East Asian photographers who like such effects.

The other gallery is titled Bangladesh In Portrait, and has just under 50 facial portraits and environmental portraits made of Bangladeshis. A far different photographic approach than that of the so-called Bangladeshi school...which is usually black & white, edgy, gritty and super contrasty.

David Lazar is a musician and photographer from Brisbane, and who loves traveling and capturing moments of life through photography. He has won a number of awards and recognitions for his photography which include Shutterbug Awards 2011, Kumuka Travel Photo Contest 2010, Lonely Planet Photo Competition 2010, Asian Geographic - Poetry in Motion Competition 2010, Intrepid Photography Competition 2009...and many more.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Aujin Rew: Cuba

Born and raised in South Korea, Aujin Rew is a freelance photographer based in Singapore. Having studied engineering at Stanford University, she had recently undertaken long travels in South and Central America.

Whilst there are quite a number of galleries on her website, I chose to feature Aujin's work in Havana in which she makes a lovely use of the city's light. Don't miss her lovely photograph (fifth in the series) of a street scene in Havana...a scene with a number of protagonists frozen as if in suspended animation. To my mind, this photograph encapsulates all the ingredients of a successful street photograph in the real sense of the word.

I met Aujin at the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop in Buenos Aires, where she attended a class by the legendary Ron Haviv.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Carsten Bockermann: The Sunderbans

Carsten Bockermann is a German photographer who specializes in photographing everyday life in different cultures around the world using a combination of direct reportage and visually interpretative style. He has photographed in West Bengal as well and, as I just returned from Kolkata, I thought I'd feature his work on the Sunderbans.

The Sunderbans is located at the southern tip of West Bengal, and is a stretch of impenetrable mangrove forest of great size and bio-diversity. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Sunderbans is a vast area covering 4264 square kilometers in India. The area is intersected by a complex network of tidal waterways, mudflats and small islands of salt-tolerant mangrove forests.

While I have already featured Carsten's photo essay on the Ambassador cars on this blog, you may want to revisit his photographs on his website. These are the type of cars that form Kolkata's yellow cabs fleet...literally thousands of them can be seen on its streets on any given day. Battered, painted over many times, and literally held together with strings, these taxis are key to Kolkata's commuters.

A word of caution to those who are 6 feet tall and above...do not sit in the front with the driver.

Canon EOS 1-DX Is Launched

Canon just launched the EOS-1DX, a digital SLR with a full-frame sensor. It's Canon’s new flagship professional DSLR, and boasts an 18MP CMOS sensor. It can capture RAW bursts of up to 12 frames per second, and is replacing the 16MP Canon 1D Mark IV and 21MP Canon 1Ds Mark III at the top of Canon’s professional line. It's obviously targeted at pro sports photographers, nature photographers and photojournalists, with a 14 frames a second super high speed mode.

But before we start salivating and get all excited, the DSLR is scheduled for March 2012 availability and will be sold in a body-only configuration at an estimated retail price of $6,800.

Canon Europe has an intro movie advert for those who like that sort of thing. And for Canon USA's press release, click here.

Would I consider it as a replacement for my Canon 5D Mark II? I don't think so. I may change my mind in due time, but now having a Leica (not that it's comparable in any way) has altered my tolerance for big, heavy and complicated cameras. In the meantime, let's see if Canon (or Leica) has something up its sleeve for a mirrorless camera. That's what I'm really waiting for.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Al Jazeera Documents Mustang

Tibetan Buddhism still survives intact in Upper Mustang - a once forbidden kingdom high in the Nepalese Himalayas. Here is Al Jazeera's Steve Chao's documentary on his travels to Mustang, the former Kingdom of Lo and now part of Nepal.

Mustang was once an independent kingdom, but tied by language and culture to Tibet. From the 15th century to the 17th century, its strategic location granted Mustang control over the trade between the Himalayas and India. It now relies on tourism, animal husbandry and trade.

I also noted the recent death of Michel Peissel, who was a French explorer and an ethnologist who devoted a good part of his life to recording the culture of Tibet. He managed to gain access to the Mustang region in the early 1960s; which led to his book “Mustang: A Lost Tibetan Kingdom.

Al Jazeera also features a wonderful gallery of photographs of Mustang.

Readers of The Travel Photographer's blog may recall that I wrote of a cashier at a corner store near my building, who told me she was born in Mustang! A Mustang born woman working in a corner store in New York's West Village. How incredible is that?!

Sunday, October 16, 2011

The Indian Express Features The Travel Photographer

Piyasree Dasgupta, Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express newspaper, interviewed me for an article she titled Visual Documents Of Culture which appeared today in its Kolkata edition.

The mutual introduction was initiated by Chhandak Pradhan who assisted me during the Kolkata's Cult of Durga Photo Expedition/Workshop, and is the second article feasturing the workshop and background information.

Friday, October 14, 2011

The "Gamsha"...Yet Another Scarf Fetish

Well, I'll be at the Delhi Photo Festival for most of the day, reviewing photographers' portfolios, and then presenting a seminar Introduction To Multimedia in the afternoon. I shall post something on the event as the day progresses.

However, I discovered yet another type of scarf that fits extraordinarily well in the panoply of photojournalists' scarf collections. It's the gamsha...a cotton scarf worn by many Bengalis, and especially useful for the rickshaw pullers of Kolkata who use it for virtually everything. They range from 35 to 60 rupees depending on quality, and haggling skills of the vendor.

The rickshaw pullers use it as a sarong when they shower, as umbrella when it rains, as face wipes when it's humid and they sweat, a fly swatter....almost exactly like photojournalists use their own scarves.

The one above at 35 rupees is the cheapest version, and is super absorbent.

Seriously, this is a must have for photographers who suffer of scarf-fetish.

Correction: Kaushik Saha, a Bengali photographer living in Delhi pointed out that the correct spelling for the scarf/towel is 'gamchcha. I don't know if the pronunciation differs from what I used, but the rickshaw puller I asked for directions as to where to buy them understood me perfectly.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Kolkata's Tramways

For our final day on the my Kolkata's Cult of Durga Photo Expedition/Workshop, we rode one of the famed Kolkata's Trams as long as it took us. The ride wasn't too long by Kolkata's standards, and lasted 45 minutes one way. The return was more crowded, but the ride was comfortable and almost breezy! A far cry from the cramped and uncomfortable old Ambassador taxis we used most of the time during the workshop.

The Kolkata tram is the oldest operating electric tram in Asia, running since 1902. The cars we rode in were certainly old, battered and painted over many times....but they were functional, and its wooden seats relatively comfortable. Our route was on tram #5, running from Esplanade to Shyambazar, a total distance of just over 5 kilometers, and stopping at Bidhan Sarani, College Street, Nirmal Street and Lenin Sarani. The fare was about 5 rupees (or $0.10).

I took some risks by jumping off the first class compartment/car to the other car, and had to run to make it. As I'm writing this from my Kolkata hotel, I survived the experience.

In a few hours, I'll be flying to Delhi to attend the Delhi Photo Festival. Stay tuned!

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Kolkata's Cult of Durga In The Hindustan Times!!

Our workshop is prime news in Kolkata this morning!!!

I was initially interviewed by the delightful Debarati Chakraborty of the Hindustan Times regarding the objectives of my Kolkata's Cult of Durga Photo Expedition/Workshop, and shared what were our intentions to document the festival of Durga. Debarati also interviewed the remainder of our group, and penned a wonderful article on the photo workshop, with many quotes from Kris, Zara, Tony and Ron. Sandy Chandler wasn't available for the interview, and that's the reason why only four participants are mentioned in the article instead of five.

The article can be read in full here.

A salient quote from the article:

"It's easier to get seduced by colours (in India). When you use black & white, you focus more on the expression, the story behind the images."

I have only managed to get 4 copies of the newspaper so far...some of which were through the kindness of the Lytton Hotel's reception manager....so they must be selling out at a brisk pace!!!

Monday, October 10, 2011

Kolkata's Cult of Durga: Rickshaw Bell

This may only happen in India.

Walking in the center of Kolkata, I photographed a number of rickshaw pullers for a planned multimedia project, and having seen that Tony Smith, one of the participants in the Kolkata's Cult of Durga workshop, had acquired one a few days ago, I asked a few of them where I could buy one. Getting head wags, I gave up and resumed my shooting.

Three hours later, I get a call from the Lytton Hotel's reception advising me that a rickshaw puller was asking for me, and had a bell!!! How did he know where I was staying is beyond comprehension.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Kolkata's Cult of Durga: Lakshmi Puja

Having spent most of the morning (and part of the late afternoon) in the vicinity of the Kali Temple and Kalighat, we crossed over the main street and entered a small version of Kumartuli....the potters neighborhood which produces the gigantic effigies used for the Durga Puja.

Here, however, the area is much smaller and its artisans produce smaller figurines of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity, both in material and spiritual terms. The effigies are much smaller since Lakshmi Puja is traditionally celebrated within the confines of private homes. Lakshmi is depicted as a beautiful woman of golden complexion, with four hands, sitting or standing on a full-bloomed lotus and holding a lotus bud, which stands for beauty, purity and fertility.

Yes, it does seem we are getting a whole gamut of puja celebrations...from the gigantic public Durga puja to the private Lakshmi festivities.

In the meantime, we are taking the day off from photography, and are ensconced in our hotel rooms completing our individual Durga Puja multimedia projects.

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Kolkata's Cult of Durga: The Puja Is Over...

As per the planned schedule, the Kolkata's Cult of Durga Photo Expedition/Workshop completed the coverage of the Durga Puja yesterday night. Whilst there still are some immersions taking place in the Hooghly river at various ghats, the main immersion event was last night. The local media, in all its manifestations, was out in force and included a large number of accredited photojournalists, as well as amateur photographers wanting to document this important religious and social event.

With the completion of the Durga Puja, our group has started to edit the images made during the past week, shaping them into individual multimedia projects on the event as seen and recorded by each member. To make matters slightly more difficult, I requested that the still images be all in black & white. Perhaps counter-intuitive for such a colorful festival, but black & white forces the photographer to visualize the composition rather than being seduced by the colors.

We are in search of other projects in Kolkata; one of which will be to document the rickshaw pullers. Also in black & white, the group is photographing these hard working individuals as we move along the streets of Kolkata.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Kolkata's Cult of Durga: The Immersion Of Durga

There's little doubt that today's day-long photo shoot was one of the most exhausting I've experienced...I would rank it just under the day-long photo shoots during the Allahabad Maha Kumbh Mela in 2001. Kolkata's legendary heat and humidity, over and above the incessant in-motion kaleidoscope of colors and sound, all contributed to an immensely rewarding day, but also fatiguing.

The day's photo shoot started with thousands of Bengalis married women performing the sindoor (vermillion powder) ceremony, which symbolizes the farewell to the Durga goddess. This ceremony is held at pandals all over the city, and it takes place before the immersion of Durga in the river.

Following the farewell ceremony held at a private residence to which we were invited, the representations of Durga and her four children are loaded on trucks for immersions, a tradition that symbolises her return to her marital abode.

We followed the idols to the ghats, and witnessed at least three large immersions. These ghats were extremely crowded, but I am accustomed to wiggle through the crowds to find a good spot. The rest of the group also did very well in that respect.

Some of the Durga idols were taken for immersion in raucous processions. The loud chants of 'Bolo Durga mai-ki jai' and drumbeats accompanied the idols to the Ganges river. The climax is when the Durga idol is cast in the water. This symbolizes the departure of the deity to her home with her husband in the Himalayas.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Kolkata's Cult of Durga: The Bauls, Mystic Minstrels

One of the high notes planned (or rather hoped for) for the Kolkata's Cult of Durga Photo Expedition/Workshop was to document a performance by a Baul. After obtaining contact information by Chhandak Pradhan who's assisting me on the workshop, all arrangements were made surprisingly quickly, and we were successful in setting up a private photo shoot, and ultimately fortunate in meeting Satyananda Das and Hori Das.

We photographed both Satyananda and his partner Hori, who's Japanese (with fluent Bengali) and the music and the chants were just mesmerizing. We all had our audio recorders working full time to capture the various pieces by Satyananda. One of the participants said that if this had been the only thing he returned with from this photo workshop, he's be perfectly content.

Wikipedia defines the Bauls as "a group of mystic minstrels from Bengal. They constitute both a syncretic religious sect and a musical tradition. Bauls are a very heterogeneous group, with many sects, but their membership mainly consists of Vaishnava Hindus and Sufi Muslims. They can often be identified by their distinctive clothes and musical instruments. Not much is known of their origin."

To the unversed, a Baul may appear as a musician sadhu with a one string instrument, but they are much more than that. Baul philosophy has mixed elements of Tantra, Sufi Islam, Vaishnavism and Buddhism. In 2005, the Baul tradition was included in the list of "Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" by UNESCO.

Chhandak in action during the photo shoot and recording session of Satyananda and Hori.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Kolkata's Cult of Durga: Flower Market & Interviews

Our game plane this morning was to visit the famous flower market in Kolkata, near (and under) the Howrah Bridge. Known as the Mullik Ghat flower market is a sensory overload of sights, and is the destination of small businesses and consumers who are readying themselves for the Durga Puja.

Marigold garlands, roses, lotus flowers, young banana trees, leaves of every shape and genus were on display by the vendors, who either have stalls or just spread their flowers on the ground. The porters are in high demand to carry the loads of flowers back to cars and trucks.

While stopping at two pandals afterward, two of the group members were stopped by local television chains for interviews. Kristine Bailey was interviewed by a local television chain, while Ron Mayhew's interview was with CNN India.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Kolkata's Cult of Durga: The Dhakis

Braving a sweltering morning sun, and an accompanying humidity, we drove to Sealdah train station in Kolkata where the dhakis were expected to congregate and beat their drums.

An Indian newspaper wrote “Durga Puja does not assume the festive aura without the maddening beats of the dhak, the large drum that men hang around their necks and play with two thin sticks to infuse the frenzied rhythm into listeners. Those enchanting beats are enough to conjure up the sights and smells of Durga Puja."

Dhakis perform their drum beating in pandals starting from Viswakarma Puja till Kali Puja, but especially during Durga Puja. Pandals without drum beaters would be unthinkable, and organizers vie to hire the best and most energetic of the small bands for their neighborhoods.