We have “street photography” today from Joe Routon, taken in one of his (and my) favorite countries. I’ve indented his captions and text; click on photo to enlarge them.
I’m submitting a few from one of my favorite countries to visit and photograph: India.The Taj Mahal in Agra, India.
When in other countries I enjoy photographing the beauty of the dance, whether it be ballet, folk, or, in this case, Bharatanatyam, the oldest classical dance tradition in India.
Faces fascinate me the most, especially those of children.
There are not many places where a photographer can find such wonderful, expressive faces in colorful costumes as there are in India.
On several occasions my photos of young Indian girls have been used by organizations to help fight the rate of gender-selective abortions or the deaths of female infants in India. Fortunately, the trend is reversing. This is a poster for an event that included an exhibit of some of my photographs of girls in India.
My photo of two sisters in India was used in the United Nations’ magazine “The Interdependent” several years ago. Entitled “More Indian Girls Go Missing,” it was in an article by NY Times foreign correspondent Barbara Crossette about the plight of infant girls in India.
wow..pretty pictures…very interesting and sad!
Thank you! India is a fascinating place, full of friendly, colorful people.
Great photos Joe! Thanks for sharing these. Love the portraits, all of them!
I may have asked this before; but what is your preferred lens for portraits?
I use my 45mm f/1.8 Olympus most of the time (2.0 crop factor). Or something longer, up to 300mm equivalent, to reach out further.
I find that the 90mm (equivalent) FL allows me to stand outside the person’s comfort zone (makes them more relaxed) and it also yields a very pleasing result for portraits.
Thanks, Jim! I recently bought a new Nikon Z5 with the Z 24-200mm lens, which is great for traveling. My preferred portrait lens is anywhere between 85 and 105mm. I find that this focal length doesn’t distort or flatten the face.
Agreed on those FLs! I’ve used 85mm, 90mm, and 105mm and they all work well.
Beautiful photos – and fantastic that they’re put to such good use.
Thank you! It’s gratifying for me that they can help others.
I look at that picture of the dancer in pink and almost see extra sets of arms.
Well played! 🙂
Kudos are owed to you, Joe. Your work is splendid and serves a noble purpose.
Thank you! I love to travel and I love to take photos, so it’s a joy when I can do them together. And if it helps someone else, it’s even better!
Splendid as usual, Joe! Enjoyed these. Can’t wait to see more, can’t wait to travel somewhere, anywhere again.
Thanks, Art! I’m getting stir-crazy staying at home. Like you, I can’t wait to travel again!
Wonderful work, just mesmerizing. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Cate! I enjoy meeting and photographing people. Can’t wait for this pandemic to run its course, so I can travel again!
Those photos..so much better than those I took when visited the Taj Mahal..all are so beautiful.
Thank you! The time of the day when you photograph the Taj Mahal is important. Fortunately, our guide, knowing how important the photos would be to me, told me to arrive very early for the best lighting. He was right.
I posted my Taj Mahal photo just now…for the Photo Challenge ..taken 1o years ago.
How do I see it?
Here is the link https://100countrytrek.com/2020/12/18/travel-challenge-day-10/
Yours is a beautiful photo!
This is amazingly accomplished. Very impressive!
Thank you, Mark! Coming from you, a first-rate photographer, I consider that a real compliment.
Hello Joe Routon
Great photos. Can I use the last picture on the post , of the two girls as a photo reference to paint from. The lights and shadows on the faces are very interesting for practice painting. Thanks. Nini
(I’ll come back for your permission).
Nini, thank you for asking. Certainly you can paint them. When you finish your painting would you please email me a jpg for my files?
Wonderful and dramatic photos. I can see why some were chosen for the “spokespeople” of emotional, humane causes.
Thank you, Mark! Fortunately, the outrage has caused the numbers to decrease, but it still happens.
All your photos seem to tell a story, which I love.
Thank you, Su! I’m glad I have a camera to record those things that I want to remember. I appreciate your kind comment!
Excellent – both the Indian ones and your other travels. I wish I had a knack for, or any skill at photography. Sometimes I take those accompanying my articles – hilariously amateur hour. Oh well, the articles are better I like to think. 🙂
I’ve travelled a lot and India is one of my favorite countries also, probably my favorite after the ones I’ve actually lived for some years in (Australia, NZ, Japan and Manhattan). India is such a trip – so utterly unlike other places. I loved how so many of the signs are hand painted on stores. And cows in the street.
Thx for the pix.
D.A.
NYC
Thanks, David, for your comments. I’ve read and enjoyed several of your articles.
You’re fortunate to have lived in different countries. My wife and I have been to Japan but not to Australia and New Zealand (both are on our bucket list). India remains at the top, followed closely by Myanmar (for photography) and Italy (for art).
Your mentioning the signs in India reminded me of an airport in a small city in India. More like a bus station in the USA, it was packed with people awaiting their flights. We looked around for the TV screens displaying arrivals and departures, but there were none. There were no gate numbers, and no PA system announced flights.
When it was time to board, a man, carrying a sign with the departing flight scribbled in Hindi, walked throughout the room. Not being able to read the sign was a big hindrance for us, Alarmed, we were afraid that we might miss our flight. Fortunately, a friendly Indian who spoke English recognized our dilemma and helped us out.
One of the best things about traveling is the memories, and nothing stirs the memories more than photographs.
+1