Got up just before dawn on my second day in Varanasi. Took a few shots of the sunrise, then started photographing the pilgrims coming down to bathe in the Ganges. The girl in the orange dress had come to Varanasi with her family. She wasn’t shy at all. She lit a floating candle, then beamed for the camera.
A doctor friend of mine lent me some medical scrubs. So, at the end of a couple of recent shoots, I asked the model if they wouldn’t mind wearing something a little more clinical. Models: Amanda with makeup by Summer Johnson (above) and, Talisa with makeup by Mallika Sharma (below).
A friend recently asked me if I was making a lot of money from the advertising on my blog. He mentioned the fact that there were ads for a variety of products from toothpaste to flights appearing at the bottom of my posts. He sent me a screen grab of the blog, and there were all these commercial ads. I was surprised, and more than a little troubled. It was particularly confusing, because when I looked at my blog on my computer, I couldn’t see the ads. It took a check of the small print to find out what was going on. At WordPress.com, we sometimes display advertisements on your blog to help pay the bills. This keeps free features free! We only run them in limited places, and we do not show ads to logged-in readers, which means only a very small percentage of your page views will actually contain ads. As I was logged into WordPress it never showed me the ads, and I was unaware anyone else could see them. I don’t want …
A couple more shots from my studio shoot with Joseph. When shooting a client whose musculature is so defined, you can use light to really show off the amazing anatomy of the body.
And now for a public safety announcement, or a personal rant depending on how you look at things. I dislike branded camera straps. I hate camera straps that show the model number. I know that many camera owners are passionate fans of their own team, and proud to own a particular high-end model. However, wandering around a country where the average per capita annual income is $1219 and blatantly advertising the fact that you are holding a US$1500 dollar camera is not a good idea. (And yes I do believe thieves will know the value of different camera models.) My advice is to change your camera strap to something less obvious. I have a simple black PacSafe strap I can easily attach and remove. It’s also not a bad idea to give your camera a makeover so that it looks a little older and beaten up. An opportunist thief is less likely to want to steal your gear, when there are pristine brand name cameras that would be much easier to resell. I put a few pieces …
There are many sadhus or holy men in Varanasi. Some are there for spiritual reasons, leading an ascetic life, free from worldly possessions. Others are, to put it politely, a little more commercially minded. It can be hard to tell which is which, both can be friendly, they’ll chat to you and let you take their photograph. Some will then shake your hand, and nod or give a blessing, if you leave a little money in a collection bowl. A few, however, will suddenly demand hundreds or thousands of rupees, the amount seemingly based on how rich or vulnerable you look. Of course the majority of these sadhus are simply trying to find the divine in a world that seems obsessed by material goods.
First of the India images. I’ll try and put up one or two everyday for the next few weeks.
A bright beauty image of Tomoko. This type of shot seems to be pretty much standard for cosmetics particularly in Asia. Model – Tomoko MUA – Summer Johnson-Makeup Artist Pentax 645D HD PENTAX-D FA645 MACRO 90mmF2.8ED AW S Lighting – White background. Octabox powered by Profoto Pro-7a as the main light. Small softbox as low fill. A medium size strip softboxes on both sides adding rimlight (powered by Profoto compacts). A fifth compact aimed at the background. Strobes triggered with PocketWizards.
A final shot from the UK. I would be willing to bet on the fact that this winding road has been used in car commercials or an episode of Top Gear.
TRAVEL 67 : Chris Willson Photography 