To whomever it was who started this thread,
I've regularly worked in South India and photographed throughout all the
country except for the NE. Trouble spots are obvious (Kashmir/Assam) and
generally authorities will try to keep you away from them, soyou won't
wander in by accident!
I would say the two most important rules are:
1) Remember that you are prohibited from taking photographs of sensitive
installations. "Sensitive" is defined widely. As you might expect, it
includes all things military, but also train stations, airports, power
plants, etc.
2) Be prepared to give photographs as well as take. Many people will ask
for their portraits to be taken and for you to send them copies. I
consider you ethically obliged to send copies of any photos you take and I
hope you do too. An alternative (though not travelling very light) is to
take a poloroid for portraits. This has worked wonderfully. I take a
picture of them for me and a picture for them and they get this right
away. Plus, everyone loves to watch a Poloroid develop (tell them to keep
it out of the sun!!!!)
Other points:
Many tourist sites charge large surcharges to take photographs. This may
not seem "fair" to many, but remember that it is one way that poorer
admissions can be subsidised and if you travel to India and own a camera,
you can certainly afford the higher fees. The surcharge can also justify
your asking for assistance to use that camera (Crowd control, tripod use,
etc.)
Expect to be the center of attention always. It is not impolite to stare.
I've seen many foreigners trying to outstare curious onlookers and just
getting more and more upset. Creating a baffling spectacle in the process.
Expect airports to want to bombard your equipment and film with heavy
doses of X-Rays from ancient equipment, usually with a crude "film safe"
sign attached. Do whatever you can sweetly do to get a hand search. Take
some ultra high speed to justify this if necessary.
I remember once hanging out in the early morning inside the domestic
Bombay airport before it was officially open and watching hundreds of mail
sacks be dutifully xrayed. For the first half hour or so, no one was
actually watching the monitor to see what the xrays might have revealed,
but at least the goods were xrayed!
Complement people -- they deserve it! Dress conservatively and earn
respect.... And remember -- despite the foreign newspaper headlines
suggesting otherwise -- the people of India are not your risk, the
microbes are!
Expect remarkable glare from April-June (polarizers!). Haze in
the mountains is very thick (especially the Himalayas) after about 9AM.
Think hard about protecting your equipment from dust and from moisture
during monsoon periods.
Token Olympus content: I've mostly used OM equipment in India, but I most
liked using a Contax T2 pocket camera. It was with me whenever I could
take a picture and didn't attract extra attention. Perhaps more loyal
would be a Stylus, though you can't use that manually... Maybe I'll take
my Pen D2 next trip... You definitely want light. I remember watching a
tourist with a huge Mamiya MF set-up in fancy case, many lenses etc. He
saw a stunning ceiling painting (I was admiring it too), took out his
equipment and snapped the picture from where he sat. Not a moment's
thought about the best angle or exposure. So remember, whatever else we
say, it's not the equipment!
Someday, I'll scan in India photos and post, but not until I pass the next
few work deadlines...
Eric Pederson
epederso@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (no "n" in "epederso")
Professional home page:
http://logos.uoregon.edu/uoling/faculty/pederson/pederson.html
Personal home page:
http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~epederso/
> > Travel in India has been not-so-safe for the last 5 years (some of the
> > hostages from '95 still have not shown up, terrorist attacks, political
> > rallies, demonstrations, etc make it a tad uns*table ) so please check
> > carefully..
....
> Stay away from trouble spots like Kashmir and Assam; keep a low profile (i.e.
> don't flash your cameras or viewpoints about) and you should be OK
< This message was delivered via the Olympus Mailing List >
< For questions, mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >
< Web Page: http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright/olympuslist.html >
|