Need Advice/Info for Varanasi, India

[dhiren]

I am planning to photograph Varanasi, India around late October this

year. I am sure there must be a lot of people from photo.net who

have visited Varanasi and I was looking for some advice; as in which

places/ghats/temples/lanes/markets to visit/photograph. I am

thinking of limiting this trip to only 3-4 days, do you guys think

it would enough to cover major locations [i know its never enough]

but still � & any central/convenient place to stay ?

 

Thanks in advance

[dhiren]

RML, I don't want to insult you either, but did you go through all those four pages and see if it answered my question ? 'I' did and it didn't ...

 

Thanks for your effort, btw

[vandit]

Your best bet is to spend time in/around the Ghats. Start with a morning boat ride, and then wander around the byzantine lanes alongside the river. Varanasi is all about people photography and this is where it all happens.

 

Vandit

www.photosafariindia.com

[dhiren]

Thanks for replying Vandit, do you think 3-4 days would suffice, if the the trip is only for photography ?

 

Thanks again !

[vandit]

3-4 days should be very good, in my opinion (and given my tastes, which admittedly tend more towards nature than people). It is one of those places where you can spend a week shooting street scenes, and get new stuff everyday; and yet, after 3-4 days, you'd be shooting for depth, not breadth (great if you are a dedicated street/people photographer, not so ideal if you aren't).

 

3-4 days lets you take 1 day to explore at leisure, 1-2 days to focus on some essential shots (sunrise from a boat, sunrise from the shore) as well as on the ghats, and leaves you enough time to potter around the streets doing street/people/cow photography.

 

Vandit

[nevilleb]

Spend the first day just <i>looking</i> around... familarize yourself with the place, looking for possible locations, the play of light and decide the best times to visit them for photographing in the best light. Of course, keep your camera at hand then - some shots don't wait for the best light.<br><br>

 

I cannot overstate the importance of reconing a place out in this fashion. Keep detailed notes.<br><br>

 

Revisit these places over the next few days at the right time to capture the elusive sense of place that make travel photography what it really is.<br><br>

 

Ghats, winding lanes, old temples, pilgrims... this is a town that dates back (according to hindu mythology) to the begining of time - you'll have fascinating opportunities to make some great images.<br><br>

 

<a href="http://www.nevillebulsara.com">Neville Bulsara</a><br>

Travel and documentary photography

[bonsignore_ezio]

Just some scattered notes:

- Please be aware that photography at the ghats where/when bodies are being burned is no-no. If you absolutely want to take such photos nonetheless (it's your moral choice) you may try and sneak some from the boat - if you take care not to be conspicuous and your boatsman allows you. Trying to do the same on the shore is liable to bring you into serious trouble (and rightly so IMHO).

- There are 64 ghats spread over a considerable length of the, moves. However only a few of them are directly reachable from each other by walking along the bank. In most cases you must go up from the steps of a gath into the city, move transversally and then go down the next steps. The maze of small alleys is incredibly complicated and you are virtually certain to get lost. This is not a photographic problem in that there is plently of opportunities for good shots, but it may cost much time. I would suggest that you get yourself a map with the names of all the gaths clearly marked, and then hire a a local (a smart kid will do) to bring you from one gath to the other.

- The real action at the gath takes place at dawn, when they are full of people washing and praying. For the rest of the day they are just steps leading into the water, most of them not particularly impressive. You will certainly find much better opportunity in the town.

- In any case when the ghats are full everybody will be facing the river or actually into the river up to their waist. Being of the gaths themselves it would be difficult not to to take alot of photos of people from behind or at the maximum sideway.

- Summing up, my advice would be to spend all the dawns in a boat passing in front of the ghats, and explore the town during the rest of the day. Please note that most boats are relatively large affairs taking 10-20 turists, and of course they will move to their schedule and see but what is of interest to the average turist. You may want to try and engage a smaller boat for all the 3-4 mornings.

[dhiren]

Thanks a lot Guys !