Bikaneer, approx 6hours north of Pushkar has a camel fair also, and its not as publicised as the Pushkar one - Its also another place to do a camel safari, where you wont encounter droves upon droves of tourists in 4WDS and on camels. Bikaneer is also near the Karni Mata, or rat temple... where thousands or rats are believed to be the souls of Karni Matas devotees - its one of Rajisthans more important temples, but not for the faint-hearted! Bikaneer itself is a pretty big industrial sprawl, but that shouldnt put you off, as the old-town is interesting, theres a wonderful Palace and if you are interested in purchasing some minature paintings save your time and money and pop in and see Raju Swarmi - an indian minature painter whos work is famous throughout india - mention his name to any minature painting merchant in Rajisthan and they will leave you alone/suddenly prices will half!!
I havent had the fortune to witness a camel safari, but there seem to be hundreds of camels at pushkar all the time, along with the dust, harsh midday light and other things associated with being in the desert. There are a few short walks outside of Pushkar up the mountains, which provide an escape, and a great vantage for sunset/telephoto shots.
My best advice to anyone going to India is:
Get up early!! - this makes sense photographically as the light is better, but culturally, India is serene and peaceful yet alive at sunrise, people start the day with their morning rituals, prayer, worship, collect water, wash the kids, sweep/wash the street/decorate the steet/house, talk to the neighbours, pop down the local chai shop for a chinwag and a brew.... all before the hedonistic traffic begins soon after sunrise!
Chai stalls are a great way to sit back and watch the world go by, and meet people.
Learn what Cricket is about! I talked my way out of trouble a few times over a game of Cricket.
India is a vast country photographically speaking and you will need to re-asess your approach, you will benifit by understanding where you are, what is permitted, when to be confident, when to be respectful. Read about it, observe. - You are bound to shoot a few rolls of film within a few hours when you arrive.
Other Highlights for me in India, photographically are:
Varanasi,
Haridwar,
Armitsar,
Ajmer,
Hyderabad,
Agra - dont fky from Delhi - its not dangerous here!!
INDIA; Photo advise on Pushkar Camel Festival
in Travel
Posted
Bikaneer, approx 6hours north of Pushkar has a camel fair also, and its not as publicised as the Pushkar one - Its also another place to do a camel safari, where you wont encounter droves upon droves of tourists in 4WDS and on camels. Bikaneer is also near the Karni Mata, or rat temple... where thousands or rats are believed to be the souls of Karni Matas devotees - its one of Rajisthans more important temples, but not for the faint-hearted! Bikaneer itself is a pretty big industrial sprawl, but that shouldnt put you off, as the old-town is interesting, theres a wonderful Palace and if you are interested in purchasing some minature paintings save your time and money and pop in and see Raju Swarmi - an indian minature painter whos work is famous throughout india - mention his name to any minature painting merchant in Rajisthan and they will leave you alone/suddenly prices will half!!
I havent had the fortune to witness a camel safari, but there seem to be hundreds of camels at pushkar all the time, along with the dust, harsh midday light and other things associated with being in the desert. There are a few short walks outside of Pushkar up the mountains, which provide an escape, and a great vantage for sunset/telephoto shots.
My best advice to anyone going to India is:
Get up early!! - this makes sense photographically as the light is better, but culturally, India is serene and peaceful yet alive at sunrise, people start the day with their morning rituals, prayer, worship, collect water, wash the kids, sweep/wash the street/decorate the steet/house, talk to the neighbours, pop down the local chai shop for a chinwag and a brew.... all before the hedonistic traffic begins soon after sunrise!
Chai stalls are a great way to sit back and watch the world go by, and meet people.
Learn what Cricket is about! I talked my way out of trouble a few times over a game of Cricket.
India is a vast country photographically speaking and you will need to re-asess your approach, you will benifit by understanding where you are, what is permitted, when to be confident, when to be respectful. Read about it, observe. - You are bound to shoot a few rolls of film within a few hours when you arrive.
Other Highlights for me in India, photographically are:
Varanasi,
Haridwar,
Armitsar,
Ajmer,
Hyderabad,
Agra - dont fky from Delhi - its not dangerous here!!
Fatepur Sikri,
Kolcutta,
Hampi,
Manali,
Kalimpong,
Sikkim,
Any railway station.
The list could go on.