B (142)

Don’t be judgemental. You might not share the

beliefs of the devotees, but don’t let your notions

cloud over the vision for the photo project.

Keep your gear safe. Any such large gatherings are

potential hotbeds for pickpockets.

Talk to the devotees, find out where their sense

of belief stems from. It will give you ideas for your

approach towards the festival itself.

Look for vantage points that will help you show the

scale of the gathering itself.

Tips for Photographing Festivals with Large Human Gatherings

The belongings left

behind by the devotees

are distributed amongst

the priests. It takes

two to three days to

completely clean out

the area.

Families who visit

during the festival set

up camps right outside

and cook meals for the

Sun God.

“It is commonly

understood

that faith takes

precedence

over common

sense. But when

there are so

many people

who believe in a

certain concept,

who are you

to question

their ways?”

Better PhotograPhy

117

march 2015

PhotoFeature