Tag Archive for 'india'

Aboard the Chinese Fishing Net at Fort Cochin

Published on April 11, 2010 in kerala. 115 Comments Tags: beach, culture, fisherfolk, india, kerala, life, limited edition archival prints, people, photos, religion, sea, Yashica Mat.

“YES – pulling – like that pulling – come! come!” cries the fisherman. It is an invitation to the tourist(s) to hop aboard the Chinese Fishing Net (that) he toils on. And experience the process. Seldom is he turned down.

And once on the platform:

“This is Chinese technology fishing net – the framework weighs eight hundred kilos – pulling then net comes up – release it then goes back down in the water – it is hard work: and at this time of the year, very little fish…”

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TEAPOT

Published on April 6, 2010 in kerala. 66 Comments Tags: india, kerala, people, photos.

TEAPOT on Petercelli Street in Fort Cochin serves fantastic tea, coffee, juices and snacks. I’d frequent it for breakfast and high tea during the week I’d spent there in the last week of March. The Pineapple Juice and Chicken Cheese Omelette are fantastic.

Over with 35-millimetre film?

Published on April 5, 2010 in kerala. 38 Comments Tags: culture, india, kerala, life, people, photography, photos, rajubhai, Yashica Mat.

‘Digital Monochrome’ has been around for a good three or four years now. Maybe I should switch to it.

I enjoy the experience of using film – the 35 minute train journey downtown to Rajubhai’s shop where I purchase the film and then a rickshaw ride to Bandra to get the film processed after I have exposed them. And then the scanning – at home on my EPSON V600. I’m not so sure about 35-millimeter film anymore. Firstly, it isn’t easily available. Fuji Neopan is the only film easy to find but something seems to be wrong with it. Maybe they don’t store it right. And secondly, scanning is a pain. The dust, spots and scratches are difficult to negotiate. I still enjoy medium format 6×6 photography (120-millimeter film on my Yashica Mat). And medium format negatives are a lot easier to scan. I shot this photo at a Kathakali performance at Fort Cochin in the last week of March. I didn’t particularly enjoy scanning it. So I’ll put my Canon AE-1P away for the moment. Perhaps.

FIN

Untitled – II

Published on April 5, 2010 in kerala. 16 Comments Tags: culture, fisherfolk, india, kerala, people, photos, Yashica Mat.

In an earlier post, I had introduced you to a fisherman from Goa and a farmer from Maharashtra. Today I have for you a fisherman from Fort Cochin in Kerala. I had photographed him on a trip in the last week of March.

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Of Snakes and Sausages

Published on March 27, 2010 in goa. 52 Comments Tags: goa, india, life, mangroves, nature, people, photography, photos, river, Yashica Mat.

On a winter afternoon, Rahul Alvares, Anne Ketteringham and I did a boat trip in sunny Goa through the backwaters of the River Mandovi. Amidst the narrow canals and mangroves that are rich in bird life, the motor gave way.

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Untitled

Published on January 9, 2010 in Uncategorized. 52 Comments Tags: fisherfolk, goa, india, maharashtra, people, photography, photos, Yashica Mat.

Yashica Mat, f/5.6, 1/125, Fuji Neopan 100 ISO – 120mm film.

I shot this portrait during my visit to Goa in the November of 2009. At about 6 ‘o clock in the evening, he was on his way home after a hard day in the seas, fishing. He reminds me of a gentleman I’d shot in Maharashtra, half a decade ago. I see many similarities in indigenous people from the west coast of India.

Canon AE-1P, f/1.8, 1/60, Kodak T400CN – 35mm film.

Versova, Mumbai 400061

Published on November 20, 2009 in bombay. 24 Comments Tags: bombay, india, monsoons, photography, photos, skyline, Versova.

Versova is an upmarket neighbourhood in the Andheri area in northern Mumbai. It is located at 19°7’60N 72°47’60E and is known for its beach and the Versova Fort. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Versova_(Mumbai)

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Shot from the 6th floor of a residential building.

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November in 2009 brought unseasonable thundershowers, pleasant weather and overcast but beautiful skies.

Canon AE-1P 50mm f/1.4 lens.

FIN

b &w

Published on August 18, 2009 in bombay. 18 Comments Tags: beach, bombay, culture, india, life, monsoons, people, photography, photos, skyline, sports.

In this day and age, I can recommend only the one professional film lab that processes black and white film in Bombay – Studio Mull Herr. It wasn’t the case five years ago. I had options. 4 or 5 of them. I’d use Mazda most oft.

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A bunch of juveniles engage in outdoor sports whilst high tide during the monsoons at Juhu Beach in Bombay. 2009 brought the tallest tides in over one hundred years.

Contact prints are expensive &indecisive. I prefer low resolution scans instead. I can then check focus, composition etc. &get the better frames scanned at a high resolution thereafter.

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Ganesa

Published on August 14, 2009 in bombay. 10 Comments Tags: culture, india, photos, religion.

Ganesa is coming to town.

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But this one skill.

Published on August 2, 2009 in bombay. 8 Comments Tags: bombay, culture, india, life, paritosh, people, photography.

Paritosh and his brother are poor. But skilled. Paritosh and his brother have one, a God-given gift. Paritosh and his brother are darkroom specialists. Black and White film. Processing and prints. Good job. Comparable to the best photo labs in the city.

Pre digital photography times, the one-room-kitchen apartment at Prabhadevi served as shop. Or should I say, darkroom and waiting area. Prabhadevi isn’t the cheapest neighborhood in Bombay. But Paritosh and his brother could afford the rent. Just about. Give thanks to the Rent-Control Act.

Everybody loves Paritosh. And his brother.

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