NZPhotographer Issue 33, July 2020

STREET TAILOR MENDER
F5.6, 1/200s, ISO1000
Street photography most definitely rules in New Delhi
since the people are some of the friendliest and most
cheerful in India. Engage with them, I usually find a
friendly smile, a simple namaste, or a thumbs up will
help break the ice and then, before I know it, I’m
deep in conversation discussing their family and my
travel plans. Once you’ve connected with the person
or people, motion the camera their way or ask if it’s ok
to take a few shots. Very rarely have I been refused,
and more often than not I’ve been offered a cup of
chai (tea) and even had the opportunity to pose my
subjects if I felt it was needed. By engaging with local
people your pictures will come alive and through
curiosity and courtesy, you’ll make those connections
that will have you reminiscing of your time in India for
many years to come.
In addition, there are also opportunities to practice
some more creative styles using long exposure and
panning techniques. In order to pan a shot, you
should use shutter priority mode and drop your shutter
speed to about a 10th or 15th of a second. Make
sure you have your ISO set to its lowest setting or your
image may be over-exposed. If it’s a really sunny day
you might need to use a 3 or 4 stop neutral density
filter. A little secret... I don’t carry such a filter, so what
I do is use my graduated filter but drop it down all the
way covering my lens which allows it to function as
a neutral density sufficiently enough to get the shot.
Next, find a road with some tuk-tuk traffic and pan
your camera following your selected tuk-tuk. Align the
speed of your pan with that of the tuk-tuk, keeping
the subject in focus and blurring the background.
A great place in Delhi for the classic hustle and
bustle shot using a long exposure is in the Paharganj
as seen at the start of this article. This is a famous
location in the heart-pumping centre of New Delhi
opposite the New Delhi Railway Station. The street is a
kilometre or two of stalls, markets, hotels, cafes, and
hippy hangouts, all of which offer great street action.
Moreover, there’s a tall blue building mid-way along
where at the top sits Krishna’s Cafe. Here you can stop
for a soda and a meal and use your tripod to capture
a long exposure of the street below. The colours and
action blend together to give your image the true
feeling of what it’s actually like to be consumed by
the manic excitement on the streets of Delhi. Here,
use a 10 stop neutral density filter to slow your shutter
speed right down to around 8 or more seconds to
create the blurred-effect.
12
NZPhotographer