India Travel and Photography Guide
- Where to fly into: Delhi Airport is the busiest airport in India and offers the most international flights.
- Best luggage: For a trip of this length, the Nomatic Check-In roller bag is the ideal choice. It offers polycarbonate construction that stands up to the rigors of travel, silent wheels, low-profile handles, and a three-stage aluminum handle to fit your height. With space for 78 liters of gear, this bag has plenty of room for a 5-day trip or longer.
- Attractions & Things to Do: Humayan's Tomb is an architectural wonder from the 16th Century that's definitely worth seeing. For fun and games, hit up Escape Reality Delhi.
- Best Time of Year to Visit: The dry season (October to March) is your best bet.
- Check the weather in the Delhi area right now.
Photo by Ken Lee/Art of Seeing Photography Adventures
India is a country rich with photographic subjects.
Home to some of the most breathtaking landscapes in the world, it is a country of varied terrain from tropical rainforests to the heights of the Karakoram. There is an abundance of wildlife, too, that make India a top destination for wildlife photographers.
But to think that your camera should only be trained on landscapes and wildlife is a mistake…
In this India Travel and Photography Guide, we’ll explore three things to photograph in India that offer you every bit the opportunity to create a breathtaking shot that tells the unique story of India.
What to Photograph in India: The Architecture
Photo by Ken Lee/Art of Seeing Photography Adventures
Whenever the words “India” and “architecture” are uttered together, one’s mind can’t help but think of the Taj Mahal.
Perhaps the greatest monument to love the world has ever seen, this striking white marble mausoleum was constructed in the mid-1600s after it was commissioned by Shah Jahan, a Mughal emperor.
The purpose of the Taj Mahal was to serve as the final resting place of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Muhal.
Photo by Ken Lee/Art of Seeing Photography Adventures
Rising from the banks of the Yamuna River in the city of Agra, the Taj Mahal is the centerpiece of a much larger complex - 42 acres in all - that also houses a mosque, formal gardens, and reflecting pools.
When visiting the Taj Mahal, the iconic shot of the building reflected in the pools is certainly worth making your way through the throngs of visitors.
But it’s also well worth your time to explore other vantage points and to visit the grounds at different times of day as the changing light can completely change the look and feel of your images of this iconic building.
What to Photograph in India: Festival of Holi
Photo by Ken Lee/Art of Seeing Photography Adventures
Holi, an ancient celebration of the arrival of spring in India, should be on your photography bucket list.
To say that it’s a time of excitement is an understatement - festival-goers from all walks of life join together to play Holi by throwing, rubbing, and smearing handfuls of colored powder all over everything and everyone.
And Holi is not an optional activity - for Indians or tourists. No matter one’s lot in life, you must participate in the Festival.
Naturally, the abundance of vibrant colors is an ideal addition to your photos, particularly of portraits of the Festival’s participants.
Photo by Ken Lee/Art of Seeing Photography Adventures
And while Holi is celebrated throughout India each spring, in some locations, it takes on further meaning.
For example, in the Lathmar Holi, men from the town of Nandgaon visit the town of Barsana, where the women of Barsana greet the men by beating them back with sticks, called lathis.
This spectacle is a celebration of an ancient Hindu tale, in which Lord Krishna of Nandgaon visited the subject of his affections, Radha, in Barsana. However, Krishna began to tease Radha and her friends, who took offense to his actions and drove him out of their town.
Regardless of where you participate in Holi, it is certainly a spectacle worth seeing and photographing! Just be sure you take precautions to cover your camera and lens, lest you’ll end up with lots of non-functioning gear.
What to Photograph in India: Daily Life
Photo by Ken Lee/Art of Seeing Photography Adventures
Whether in Delhi, Varanasi, Jodhpur, or a city or town in between, daily life in India affords you the opportunity to highlight the beautiful, vibrant, and friendly people of India.
In Delhi, the juxtaposition of new and old is plainly evident, with vestiges of ancient ruins and colonial rule still evident amongst modern-day luxury towers whose shadows linger above the streets where you can photograph the hubbub of commerce in one of the city’s many street markets.
Photo by Ken Lee/Art of Seeing Photography Adventures
In Varanasi, you can photograph young monks that begin their day on the banks of the Ganges by practicing yoga and meditating as the morning light burns off the mist hanging above the river.
In Jodhpur, the blue city, locals go about their day with the city’s once-vibrant, yet now fading blue walls to serve as the backdrop of your portraits.
And everywhere you go, you’ll likely have a following of children, some of whom may have never seen a foreigner.
It is a uniquely diverse and electric country, and one that is supremely open and friendly towards visitors as well.
Planning Your India Photography Trip
Photo by Ken Lee/Art of Seeing Photography Adventures
The difficulty with planning a photography trip to India is twofold. First, you have to know when the best time is to visit this magical place, and two, you have to figure out what should be on your list of must-see locations.
This might sound like an easy task, but with so many possibilities for subject matter in such a diverse and large nation, it can be almost overwhelming trying to decide what makes the cut and what doesn’t.
Photo by Ken Lee/Art of Seeing Photography Adventures
If you’ve never traveled to India, I highly suggest you do so as part of a photography tour.
And by “tour,” I don’t mean a run-of-the-mill photography experience in which you spend five days racing from one corner of the country to another in a motorcoach with a few dozen other foreigners...
Instead, India is best explored with your camera by using a slow, methodical approach - two weeks in-country is ideal - that is truly an immersive adventure.
Photo by Ken Lee/Art of Seeing Photography Adventures
For that, I recommend exploring India with Ken Lee as part of his Colors of India Photography Workshop and Tour.
You’ll have a chance to photograph each of the locations discussed above and then some, all without having to plan the itinerary, book lodging, or concern yourself with getting from point A to point B.
For me, the best part of Ken’s workshops is that you aren’t just a number to be herded in and out of a massive bus for photo opportunities that everyone else gets.
Photo by Ken Lee/Art of Seeing Photography Adventures
Instead, you’re shepherd from the iconic spots like the Taj Mahal to off-the-beaten-path locations that few tourists get to see or photograph.
In that regard, this workshop is as much about immersing yourself in the culture and traditions of India and learning about its history and people as it is about improving your photography skills. This is a hallmark trait of Ken’s Art of Seeing Photography Adventures - it’s a personal journey that puts you in touch with the real people and stories of the places you explore.
The tour takes place over two weeks - March 2-15, 2020 - so you can experience the chaos of Holi to the fullest extent as spring descends onto India.
This is an adventure you don’t want to miss! Get more details by clicking here.
Other Tips for Planning an India Photography Trip