India 2016, a photographic travelogue By Mark Seymour

India 2016, a photographic travelogue

By Mark Seymour

Mark Seymour, Nikon UK wedding ambassador 2013 -2015 and Nikon Trainer trainer, has spent two weeks travelling India to develop his documentary street photography training courses. The first week was spent in the romantic region of Rajasthan, visiting the Blue City of Jodhpur, before leading a week long workshop on the streets of Kolkata in association with Nikon UK Training School and The Hope Foundation who fund several projects in the area.

‘I had been inspired by other photographers’ images of Jodhpur and I was not disappointed by my own visit here. Although I often present my documentary street photography in black and white, there is so much vibrancy in the colours of India, the people, building, flowers, spices and material, that most of the images remain in colour. If you haven’t ever travelled to India it is hard to convey the overwhelming assault on your senses that will confront you; physically, visually and mentally, the heat, sounds, sights and smells, the number of vehicles and people all trying to access the same space, what appears to be random and chaotic actually has rules and order, everything hits you in intense waves.’

‘There are some incredible backdrops against which to capture portraits, including the indigo washed walls of the old city and the steps of the water. I spent some time recording two men in the city whose faces had real character and to me symbolised traditional Jodhpur. I also captured the traders on the street, where they live and work, creating the baskets and pottery that they sell, and making the various street food and chai tea.’

‘We were lucky enough to be taken by a guide out to the rural villages and farmland outside of Jodhpur where I photographed a couple of nomad families and the herdsmen, looking so impressive in their white robes and red turbans.’

‘Moving on to Kolkata, a growing city, where construction cranes and the outline of tower blocks fill the horizon, was another shift in gear, even crazier and busier, the sound of horns seemed a continual backdrop as you made your way around the city. The number of street communities that have grown up along disused water ways and along train tracks is why Mother Teresa and now the Hope Foundation make Kolkata a centre of their charity work, rescuing children and vulnerable adults from the streets and providing them with education, health care and homes.’

‘We arrived as the city prepared for Diwali so the potters were busy making hundreds of statues of the Goddess Kali, and the city has many incredible locations that are perfect for documentary street photography, including the Flower Market and College Street. There are still the remnants of colonial India, in sharp contrast to those families making their homes on the streets below.’

‘We visited some of the Hope projects including the hospital and I was invited to meet with the Punjorbin Boys photography club, a great group of young men eager to turn their lives around and create new opportunities for themselves by becoming professional photographers.’

‘If you have ever wondered about visiting India I would encourage you to do so, it is everything and more than you imagine, and if you’d like to photograph these incredible places I would love you to join me on my workshops next year.’

The daily travelog can be seen here http://www.markseymourphotography.co.uk/photography-training-in-india/