As I’ve mentioned before, India fascinates me as a photography subject—the colors are typically so bright (including the clothing, buildings, and vehicles), the high concentration of people results in ready subjects, the people are often so willing to be photographed, the landmarks can be iconic or everyday, and still make an interesting subject, and the festivals are frequent and exotic to my viewers.
In 2006 while on assignment to India by my employer, I had the opportunity to share my love of India with not only my wife and kids, but also my parents (who supported me in my crazy dream of being a Rotary Youth Exchange Student to India twenty years prior). We were invited by a friend to stay in his hotel when we toured Agra, the home of the Taj Mahal. We arrived late evening and had an enjoyable dinner, and our host recommended we rise very early (four AM) to view the sunrise over the Taj Mahal. He arranged for a taxi to pick us up, and off we went to bed.
The morning dawned ominously – a heavy fog made seeing across the street difficult, and we were concerned we wouldn’t be able to see the sunrise, let alone the majestic Taj Mahal. But we went for it anyhow. Our taxi driver showed us down a path (nearly in the dark) to the river’s edge, and promised us we’d see it soon. As the day dawned, there wasn’t even blue light because of the fog, but slowly as the sun rose the cloud began to burn off. Patience and persistence paid off!
There’s some interesting background to this photo, obviously. In addition to rising before the sun, taking a chance on the weather, and braving a somewhat littered river bank, we killed time talking to one another. That’s one thing that makes this photograph even more memorable to me – some quiet one-on-two time spend with my mother and father, reminiscing, talking about dreams, talking about our experience so far. We can do this on a riverbank across from the Taj just as well as we can in one of our living rooms, and I cherish that time with my parents.
As the sun slowly burned the fog, we noticed a boy walking along the river bank with his camel. After some persistent salesmanship, he convinced my father to take a ride, and the resulting photo, while not likely to be a seller, is a cherished one for me. Serendipitously he later ended up in the middle of my frame, washing his camel, and helped make what’s an iconic image for me.
This image isn’t just a favorite image of mine – it ended up Editor’s Choice on a National Geographic travel photography contest!
What lessons did I learn from this experience?
- Cherish your loved ones, and make time with them a priority.
- Be bold—take the adventure, even if it might be a little risky.
- Be patient. Some shots come spontaneously, but others take time to develop.
- Take lots of photos – don’t just take one and leave. This is probably the twentieth photo in a series of 75.
- The subject makes the photo, every time
- But an interesting subject elevates the photo to the next level
- Take a non-traditional approach to an iconic subject. Walk around back. Look for fresh angles. Ask locals for tips.
- Go. If you want to shoot a subject, go there and do it
I’ve had other images with similar impact to me. For instance, read my blog or watch my “Story Behind” vlog on “Accidental Roman Forum” to see how sometimes the image you get isn’t at all what you were looking for.
Oh – and this image was made on a Nikon D70, with my beloved 24-85 f/3.5 zoom. That lens was my sidekick since 2003. There may be better glass out there, but this one has served me well over the years. While the D70 is only a 10 megapixel camera, it was a big step up for me at the time. It goes to show you that you don’t need a $2500 camera body to capture iconic images (but it’s nice to have that camera, if you can afford it). Buy what you can afford, and make great images with it!
Thanks for reading. Have a comment about a photo in this “Story Behind” blog? Have a similar experience yourself? Post a comment and link me to your image. Remember, my photographs can be viewed online at www.johnoverbaugh.com, and I’m always ready to share a lesson or hear a lesson from you!