I mentioned in my 5 Favorite Photos post a few weeks ago that while I did get to travel a little bit last year, with the exception of our annual family beach trip, none of those photos ever made it to Picture of the Week. There were probably multiple reasons for this: it just didn’t feel right talking about travel when no one could; I was personally mourning the loss of traveling and talking about it made things worse; I was trying to be hyper-focused on local subjects, and talking about travel seemed like a distraction… I’m sure there are other reasons. In any case, as I was looking through those travel pictures from last year it occurred to me that I still had pictures I wanted to share and stories I wanted to tell. So let’s travel for a bit, shall we?
I’ve read so many travel guides about India that make the comment that you either love India, or you hate it. Though I’ve been to India three times now, prior to this latest trip, I don’t know that I’d spent enough time there to really pass such a judgement. There were of course things about India that I didn’t care for, such as the chaotic-feeling of the place, the constant worry of getting sick, the brutal heat, the brutal reality of the poverty present in the country; but there were also things about it that I really liked, such as the warm and kind people I’d met, the vibrant flavors of its food, and of course, masala tea – oh how I love masala tea! Well, on my trip last March I decided I wanted to try to see the place with new eyes. I would only be visiting Mumbai, so I thought I’ll do my best to learn as much about Mumbai as possible. I hired a guide on two different occasions and visited religious sites, historical sites, and took in the views, sounds, and tastes of the city.
One view in particular that struck me was the view above. In the foreground is the Worli fishing village, a village some 800 years old that has been referred to as a time capsule inside the city. What struck me about this view in particular was how colorful the fishing village was, but also the contrast of the obvious poverty in front of the backdrop of wealth being built up in the background.
I saw this view a number of times and tried my best to capture it from different angles. I actually even went and walked through the village one evening – something I later found out was REALLY ill-advised – trying to figure out how to tell the story of the place in a photo. I later decided that the best view of it was the view I’d been seeing over and over from the bridge coming into downtown. To get this shot I ended up hiring a driver to take me into the city, but on the way I had him drive slowly in the far left lane (their slow lane) so I could shoot from the car window. Luckily the traffic was unusually light at that time of day and the light was perfect!
More next week!
–Dan Thompson