A Benarasi Perspective Photo

Photographer’s Note

Almost midway in its long journey from the slopes of the mighty Himalayas to the inflamed shore of Bay of Bengal, the muddy waters of the River Ganga (Ganges) flow by a city that is five centuries older than Christ. The city finds mention in the great Indian epics of Mahabharata and Ramayana. It was already an old city when Rome was founded, and was a flourishing center of trade when Buddha came to Sarnath, some 10 km away, to preach his first sermon in 500 BC. It is a city of temples and for more than 2,500 years, it has attracted pilgrims from near and far. According to Hindu belief, Benaras or Varanasi as it is known, is the cosmic center of the Universe.

The numerous Ghats along the bank of the Ganga present a varied scene from dawn to dusk. A ghat is a series of well-paved steps that lead to the water. A ghat in Benaras usually has small temples built into its side, while the larger structures, housing the powerful gods and goddesses from the Hindu pantheon, form a formidable backdrop to the serene beauty of the meandering river. These ghats numbering more than a hundred, with their entourage of temples, form the axis on which the city developed. For centuries, the Hindus considered it very auspicious to bathe at the ghats of Benaras. Everyday at dawn thousands of pilgrims can be seen offering salutations to the Sun God in waist-deep water, secure in their conviction that the muddy waters of the Ganges will wash away all the accumulated sins of their life. The dirt, the squalor, the pollution would easily raise questions in the mind of a traveler and I was no exception. But what is here that attract people from cities and towns 10s of thousands of kilometres away, year after year? Experience yourself, my friends…

This is a perspective along the river and the ghats of Ganga. The two local boys seemed interested with what I was photographing.

Pls do check the Workshop, where I tried my hand in doing some PP to give an ageless feeling to this picture…because the Ghats of Benaras are truly ageless!

emka, Royaldevon, subhendu_bagchi, daddo, John_F_Kennedy, jhm, pierrefonds, gervaso, crckt, TravelerNL, papagolf21, ChrisJ, belido, Didi, josepmarin, riclopes, Bluejeans, adores, lacroux, siolaw, emjleclercq, plimrn has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

emka (21744) 2009-10-19 0:34

Hi Angshuman, We are neighbours today! Beautiful photo from Varanasi. Nice warm colours of the ghats. Fine boats.
Wow, in a bit more than two weeks I will saw it in my eyes. I have made already reservation in a hotel just above the Ganga river. I am counting days to this time...

Warm regards

Malgorzata

Royaldevon (5938) 2009-10-19 0:51

Hello Angshuman,

Interesting notes about a place of which I have no experience.
You have chosen a good viewpoint with the two youngsters to capture our attention in the f/g and then with the line of receding boats to lead deeper into the shot.
There are many interesting details to give us a flavour of the location.

Have a good day,
Bev :-)

subhendu_bagchi (3209) 2009-10-19 2:03

Dear Angshu da,
nice presentation of this shot. Nice to see these boats in blue water. Great light. The arrangement of the boats created here a nice graphical effect. Great contrast with the buildings of ghat. Excellent.
Subha Deepabali.
Subhendu

daddo (11335) 2009-10-19 2:22

Namaste Angshuman. I have just finished watching a documentary on Mother Ganga on TV, part of a series on great rivers of the world.Benarasi was featured amongst many other places along the river.I loved the sunset images. Here I love the light and the perspective. At the same time I am aware that ganga is experiencing great stress due to the increasing human presence. Regards. Klaudio.

John_F_Kennedy (31609) 2009-10-19 4:38

Hello Angshuman,
Excellent capture. I like the light play and the beautiful colurs of the boats. And the perspective and including the kids is nicely done.
Best wishes,
Achim

jhm (82759) 2009-10-19 4:43

Hello Angshu,

I looked to your WS, I prefer these photograph here, these is fantastic of colour.
Extraordinarily lovely, what a perspective and depth.
Technical as picture and splendid as subject.
Excellent captured and lovely composed.
Very well done, TFS.

Have a nice week,
John.

pierrefonds (26407) 2009-10-19 4:57

Hi Angshuman,

The boats in the foreground leads our eyes toward the horizon which is giving depth to the composition. The child in the foreground seem to be wondering why he is part of the photo. The presence of the people has an effect of scale. The nice blue sky is sending a light which is bringing out the colors. Have a nice day.

Pierre

gervaso (5304) 2009-10-19 7:34

Hello, Angshuman!

Very nice framing to show this part of the city by the Ganges River side, including the houses and the boats in a wonderful picture with excellent definition! The colors are wonderful, especially the light blue of the boats, which stand out for its beautiful contrast with the rest of the scene. Really good job!

sayeed_rahman (2289) 2009-10-19 7:57

Indeed the ghats at benaras..rendered cliched by the experts..at least nowadays..this place is too photographed by tourists..students..pilgrims..freelance..pros too..but thats how special this place..it draws people from all walks of life..and yet for the one who has an eye can compose something special out of the ordinary..personally i attach more worth to that...

i'd say visit the places that has been visited my the masses..all the photographers in this world (for a worst case scenario) and compose what no one has ever before..there is greatness in that..there is a special sense of fulfillment..

Love the proportions in this one Angshu...nothing that could have been done differently from where you stood..1/25 at f14..perfect..i had a similar problem with my nature shots..the sky..realized that opening up the aperture to about f8-f10 would lighten things up a bit..

i think kristine(avene) uses her polarizer very well..

tc brother.

yaya13baut (2325) 2009-10-19 10:38

hi Angshuman,
nice composition of the Ganga banks : the buildings close the left of the picture, life is on the bank, in the middle and the boats, well squared up lead to the river.
Yannis

crckt (7078) 2009-10-19 11:17

Hi Angshumanda,
I have never been to Varanasi, but I have seen it in many movies. And I simply love it. You have a very sharp picture here with good colors and especially the diagonal arrangement of boats is lovely. Do you have pictures of the sandhya aarti or very early morning shots?
Best,
Shaeri
PS: Shubho bhai phota :)

TravelerNL (2967) 2009-10-19 12:47

Hi Angshuman,
I like the pov you have choosen, showing the kids and the boats in the foreground and the ghats on the high left part. Well composed and with good colors.
Well done & thanks for sharing!
Harko

Graal (58169) 2009-10-19 22:46

Hi Angshuman,
an interesting place and presentation of row boats in perspective. Amazing architecture of houses. Good note and WS also. Well photowork.
Gr., Aleksander

pablominto (40876) 2009-10-20 0:08

Hello Angshu,

A strong repetition effect in the boats!
The point of view works well to show both sea and land, and I like inclusion of the kids as eye-catchers in front...
Otherwise I notice the rich deep colours in this nicely balanced composition!

Greetings,
Pablo -

papagolf21 (56483) 2009-10-20 1:04

Bonjour, mon cher ami Angshu,
C'est toujours avec un réel plaisir que de contempler vos réalisations.
Ici, encore vous nous faites profiter d'une vue exceptionnelle.
Une très belle présentation de la vie quotidienne.
Amitiés.
Philippe

ChrisJ (70335) 2009-10-20 1:59

Hi Angshuman

Wonderful repetition of the fg boats at right, with good sharpness & reflections. The people add scale & aninmate the scene. Good warm cold colour contrasts of the yellow ochre buildings against the blue sky. Tfs!

belido (16627) 2009-10-20 6:04

Namaste Angshu,

there is something in your photos that pleases me a lot and I'm almost sure it's the particular combination lighting/colors. Here you have a powerful photography. I see many interesting elements such as the colorful boats, the two kids and the particular architecture, all of them well placed in the frame. Very nice daily life scene of India. Great job!
Regards,
Carlos

Didi (36204) 2009-10-20 11:48

Salam Angshu
Interesting local scene with a nice patterns of boats. and good lights ambiance.
I have done this time an original WS.
Best regards

[workshop] [compare]

Urs (2970) 2009-10-20 17:52

Dear Angshuman

That's how it is at the Ghats, the rubbish has to be there, otherwise I would miss it. Just kidding. In my opinion your photograph shows the reality and that is what has to be shown in a photograph. Removing anything from a photograph is in my view wrong. If it is there it is there. In plain English I disagree with Didi's version. As usual for February you had an excellent morning sun producing vibrant colors with high sharpness. Well done

Best regards
Urs

Waylim (10909) 2009-10-20 18:51

Hi Angshuman,
This is a beautiful showing the daily life and scenery of the area. No extravagant temple just a way of life as it is, polluted water with trash, local kids and residences carrying on with life as they know it. Even with this not so clean environment, you manage to a beautify composition here, we almost forgot that the problem exist here. Very sad, and hofully throught education, the future generation will do better in keeping their home clean for a better and healthier life.
Way

pajaran (3350) 2009-10-21 0:39

Zdravo.
Velika mocna reka.
Lepa luka sa arhitekturom, kao i svuda plastika u vodi.Dobra kompozicija, sa velikom dubinom fotografije i dobrim umerenim bojama. Dobar trenutak.
Pozdrav, Paja.

josepmarin (33837) 2009-10-21 1:23

Namaste Angshuman,
This one is another great capture at which you have worked skillfully with the perspective of the city and of the boats, for to create a very deep and dynamic image.
The interesting architecture leads our eyes towards the far horizon. I like the light and the chromatic level that you have obtained, due to an excellent technical execution, and also the presence of the children in FG, which seem to pose for you.
Well done.
Best regards,
Josep

riclopes (33033) 2009-10-21 2:57

Olá Angshu, trash is a big problem in India and I guess it's very dificult to solve it because it's a cultural thing. I like your pp work in WS1. Some experiences in pp can surprise us. This is a great perspective with splendid colors. It would work well even without the boys since the boats make a strong diagonal completed by the buildings. But this way, the boys won the protagonism in FG making the photo more interesting. I love all the details here including the boats moving in the ganges and the view disapearing in the distance.
Friendly regards,
ricardo

jafadabret (39825) 2009-10-21 7:20

Bonjour Angshu.
Les deux photos sont très belles et je ne saurais laquelle choisir. J'aime la perspective des barques qui amène le regard sur la ville. Les promeneurs donnent de la vie à la composition.
Amical salut !
Jacques

Bluejeans (32547) 2009-10-21 11:09

Ola Angshuman ,
Este local deve ser fantástico , um lugar mítico da Índia , belo ponto de visão com os dois rapazes e os barcos alinhados , só é pena o lixo na agua :(, boas cores e luz , gostei do WS , parabéns!!!
Um abraço Gonçalo

BennyV (4781) 2009-10-23 8:50

A familar scene here on TE, dear Angshuman, but your new perspective works. Classic composition, with the row of boat doing the trick. Great position of the two boys too.

Benny

adores (15609) 2009-10-24 15:29

Hi Angshuman!
Good photo of this famous place! You did it very well with the inclusion of these two boys in foreground and the row of little boats.Perfect sky and great colours. An unusual photo of this place!

lacroux (3166) 2009-10-25 12:27

Hello Anghsu
A composition very careful, very thoughtful and very sucessfull, as shown in the workshop.
I like the fickle perspective of boats aligned; the children in the foreground who animatethe scene, the gradation of the sky.
A lesson of photography.
I continue my visit.
Pierre.

siolaw (25788) 2009-10-26 5:58

Hi Angshu
Nice POV and perspective along the Ghats and this row of small boats.
The boys in the FG anchor the shot well, adding interest. We can see that pollution is a problem there!
In France they call the city Bénarès!
Greetings
Laurent

marietom (32026) 2009-10-28 16:14

hello Angshu,

Magnifique scène, riche de beaux détails colorés.
Bonne soirée
Marie

emjleclercq (14352) 2009-10-30 14:05

A very interesting note again, and a very nice perpective, created on both sides, on the left by the ghats, and on the right by th small boats.

All the best,

Emmanuel

jga (226) 2009-11-01 0:02

Hi Angshuman,
Here is a very good shot, I remember the first time you posted this photo, this new version is much better, you have corrected well the sharpness problem. tfs. Julien

plimrn (19686) 2009-11-04 7:27

Hi Angshu,
Sayeed has really nailed it, you take an oft photographed site and give it new perspective. You managed to take reality, giving us feeling of being there, and make it beautiful. I think part of it is the complexity of your composition with the intersecting diagonals of the boats and riverside buildings, are they all Ghats? The people, especially capturing the eye of one of the boys, put the work in a class by itself. For me, the little boat on the river balances the boys. Then your note is wonderful at putting the scene in its perspective in history; your notes are always straight from the heart.
HLJ, Pat

Ooops, I knew I was forgetting something, your WS does give a timeless feel but I think that it then loses a lot of the here-and-now reality.

Yves-triga (3533) 2009-11-06 4:32

Hi Angshuman,
i lke your this shoot,
it's a very nice composition,many beautifull colors.
well see
yves