Michael Lee invited me to help him out with a shoot for John Casablancas’ build-your-own-book event. The event puts up-and-coming hair dressers, wardrobe stylists, and makeup artists into a group with a professional photographer so they may build their portfolios. In the 8hour day you get 1 model, 3 different styles, 5 different unique looks to complete.
Because I was just helping out with lights and setup, I took this time to take a more journalistic approach to my photographs instead of a final look. Enjoy
The others are from Michael’s camera. I only took the photos treated them in the same style
Mel and I stayed the night at Hotel Pearl Palace were we enjoyed a peaceful breakfast up on their patio. Recommended by many travel sites and tourist if and when staying in Jaipur, do it here!
Ali was our driver for today. We met him the night before when he picked us up at the train station. He had a package available for us if we decided to go with him. At first we took his offer because the price seemed ok with us, but later into the trip we really found out how much people were really making on a monthly basis and this guy was doing really good for himself as a driver. The service was ok, we missed a couple spots on the map, I’ll get to that later, but when he found out he wasn’t getting a huge tip with his already high prices. It was like he didn’t even know us anymore once we paid him – pretty disappointing.
Today was a bad day to be a tourist on a schedule in India. The passing away of a government official led to the closing of all palace, and temples entrances. We had to made due by cutting out the city palace, Jaigarh Fort and Nahargarh Fort.
Galtore
One can easily reach Galtore from the city by taking local buses, rickshaws and taxis. Located just 15 kms from Jaipur it lies in west of Amber. Here you can find Cenotaphs with typical Rajasthani Carvings, but they weren’t all that impressing. Don’t have a lot to say for this place except good luck with the steep climb if you’d like to see a view of Jaipur from this area – make sure you bring lots of water
Jai Mahal (Lake Palace)
Built in the 18th century by Madho Singh, ruler at the time. Another monsoon would’ve helped to replenish the scares shallow lake on the day of my visit. Now abandoned and closed to visitors, the causeway which use to reach the temple has also disappeared. It’s still impressive and in past times must have been a peaceful retreat for the rulers and their families. The palace has beautiful chatris on either end and the garden doesn’t look like it’s doing to bad.
Monkey Temple (Galwar Bagh)
A bit aways from the city, the Monkey Temple can be reach roughly 20 on foot. Apparently there are supposed to be 5,000 monkeys in this temple, but I have my doubts about that. Watch for your belongings because once the sun goes down the monkeys get aggressive and gang up on tourists -wasn’t willing to take a chance anyway. You can see monkey’s everywhere, they climb everything, swim in the pool, groom themselves and even yell at each other from time to time. You many pick up food from the guard for a small tip but get ready to get jumped. The only thing fascinated about the temple is that it’s surrounded by sharp cliffs extruding from around it. It’s a temple, and there are monkeys – what else do you need?! Take one home, dress him up in a butler outfit and train him to get you a beer. On the way back the sunset presented us with a beautiful overview of Jaipur. As we snapped a couple photos I decided to film a part of my trek back down.
Welcome to India – wasn’t that just the strangest thing you’ve ever seen! Animals have rights too, they can do whatever they want! Ya you heard me, ANYTHING! Disregard my commentary, lol
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuUNlQk0MkU
The day was over and Jaipur was accounted for. As we got ready for our 8 hour overnight train ride to Udaipur, we found the sleeper class wasn’t exactly what we expected. Makes sure when booking this class, that you have your own blankets because it gets really cold! We learned the hard way!
Agra, the city famous for it’s wonder of the world, the Taj Mahal. I found out very quickly that the small city lacked any inspiration or significance – in other words, was plain and boring – and was best planned as a day trip from Delhi.
On the train to Agra, Mel and I met a Canadian girl from Toronto who spotted my Canadian baggage tag. Tina was already on her second month in India with another two months to go. She had a spunky personality and an intriguing travelling knowledge. As travelers from the same country we quickly became good friends and decided to visit the sites together.
That evening Mel and I met up with Tina at the Taj, where she surprised us with two tickets. Tina, although Canadian, had an Indian heritage and went out of her way to purchase us local passes for a mere 20 rupees (instead of the tourist rate of 750 rupees). Unfortunately, we were stopped short of entering the grounds as we obviously did not look like locals. Tina on the other hand was let through without question. Although750 rupees doesn’t convert to being all that much, when you’ve been in India long enough, you’ll find yourself pushing to get the best price for everything. No complaints though, as the money goes towards guards and the maintenance of the beautiful palace.
The Taj Mahal (also “the Taj”) is a mausoleum located in Agra, India, built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
It is considered the finest example of Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements from Persian, Indian, and Islamic architecture. In 1983, the Taj Mahal became a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was cited as “the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world’s heritage.”
While the white domed marble mausoleum is its most familiar component, the Taj Mahal is actually an integrated complex of structures. Building began around 1632 and was completed around 1653, and employed thousands of artisans and craftsmen.
The construction of the Taj Mahal was entrusted to a board of architects under imperial supervision including Abd ul-Karim Ma’mur Khan, Makramat Khan, and Ustad Ahmad Lahauri Lahauri.
- Wiki
Like the McDonald’s logo, the iconic image of the Taj is known by all around the world. It is a magnificent monument of pure marble that shines from all angles and never looks bad on any occasion. I found it surprising how the marble has remained in great condition after 350 years and even to this day the building’s sheer size and architecture is a work of art. Every girl’s fantasy of having a palace built by their husband seems almost a reality in the Taj.
Here is a quote from Emperor Shah Jahan about what the Taj was to him:
Should guilty seek asylum here,
Like one pardoned, he becomes free from sin.
Should a sinner make his way to this mansion,
All his past sins are to be washed away.
The sight of this mansion creates sorrowing sighs;
And the sun and the moon shed tears from their eyes.
In this world this edifice has been made;
To display thereby the creator’s glory.
The interior was a bit of a letdown. For all the people rushing to get in and out, the inside was small and very dark. They could have at least put in some lights.
Concluding the day, we dined at a rooftop restaurant with a view of the Taj and experienced the slow and painful process of waiting an hour for a meal *stomach growls*
I woke up the next morning to find I had missed the sunrise by an hour. I put on my stuff, grabbed the camera equipment and ran out the door to catch a rickshaw. It was a cool and misty morning in Agra and when the rickshaw hit top speed you could feel the chill in the air. I covered myself with a shawl and hoped we’d arrive soon.
At the back, along the Yamuna river, the Taj was engulfed in fog. At first, I was very disappointed. But with time, the sun started cleaning up the morning mystery. Guards manning the posts wouldn’t let me onto the beach, as apparently it was too dangerous. I’d seen photos from the beach, and had to find a way.
Original Taj complex papers dispel the myth of plans for another Taj in black marble across from the Taj in white. What does exist is the Mahtab Bagh, or “Moonlight Garden,” which is perfectly aligned to the gardens at the Taj and an extension of the gardens across the river. Original plans indicate that central to the garden was supposed to be an octagonal pool that would hold the nighttime reflection of the Taj, the idea perhaps being to make it a location from which to view the Taj during a full moon. How incredible would it have been to see a mirror image reflection at moonlight! Unfortunately, before the pool could be built, the emperor was overthrown by his own son and so construction ceased. Take another look at the image just above with the Taj in the fog. The gardens path leads to bed of bricks where the pool was supposed to be made.
Mel and I had to miss out on the World Heritage Site of Fatehpur Sikri, all because we we tried to book our train tickets at the station. (I have a video of the whole fiasco). What really should have taken fifteen minutes took two hours in India. Some words to sum up the experience would be slow, painful, and disorganized. As one local put it, the country runs on IST (Indian Stretched Time). If you ever visit India, book your trip accordingly.
That evening we went back to our hotel for dinner and got ready for our train ride to Jaipur the next day. So far into the trip I enjoyed Varanasi the most, whereas Agra had nothing significant to offer in terms of culture. I really disliked the traffic and messy atmosphere it provided, which was why I liked the peaceful nature of Varanasi once we got along the Ganges. All I’ve read and heard about Rajasthan had been positive, so I felt I had nothing to fear.
When editing I quoted this picture as, “a photo that might blow your mind” – I hope it does just that
Science World, Vancouver
Took this photo last night when coming back from a shoot on downtown. The weather was very poor, but even with the rain the creek was very calm. I forgot my tripod at home, but the flimsy light stand gladly filled it’s postion. Even a 20second exposure turned out remarkably sharp!
False Creek , Vancouver
Varanasi, a holy city to Hindus and Buddhists, is situated at the far eastern tip of Uttar Pradesh, just off the bank of the Ganga (Ganges) River. The “Old City,” the quarter near the banks of Ganga, has crowded and narrow winding lanes flanked by roadside shops and scores of Hindu temples. Varanasi’s labyrinthine Old City is rich with culture, and as confusing as it is beautiful — but getting lost makes for an adventure waiting within. Along the bank where the Ganga river meets the city there are nearly 100 ghats (stairways leading to water). Most are bathing ghats, while others are used as cremation sites; regardless, all are associated with legends or mythologies of some sort. Dashashwamedh Ghat is located close to Vishwanath Temple, and is probably the most spectacular of the ghats. Every night a Hindu ceremony called the Ganga Aarti takes place, during which light from wicks soaked in ghee (purified butter) or camphor is offered to one or more deities.
For a moment I thought all of India was the same, but coming from Delhi, Varanasi’s Old City quarters were a perfect change! However, the busy bluster of traffic in India was here as well. Honking horns at all hours of the day was music in the streets. The best words to describe this would be “harmonized chaos” (thanks, Mel). It’s mayhem that somehow works, but was tiring to watch. From the train station we avoided all the hassle and walked a couple of blocks out to grab our rickshaw. As mentioned above, the old city was a maze of tight streets where it was necessary to squeeze yourself around cows and avoid their dung. To find hotels, shops, and bakeries, we looked for their names painted on the building walls like signs; some were worn so badly it took some deciphering skills to figure them out. The Ganpati Guesthouse was our stop and for 10 bucks a night ($5 a person) we had the best view in the house!
The view out onto the Ganga stretched endlessly like two points in space. I remember leaning out over from the balcony taking in the beauty and closing my eyes, hearing kids playing along the ghats below. This was truly a breath to be taken in and a moment that would never end to enjoy.
Mel and I got ready, geared up, and went out to walk along the ghats. I’ve read about how the Ganga is a site for cremation and has seen dead bodies floating in it, so I asked myself why are people were bathing and cleaning their clothes in it. I hope my hotel sheets didn’t’ get washed in the river! What surprised me were the white sheets; they actually turned out as white as paper after washing. With a strong breeze along the ghats, you can’t help but take notice at all the kites overhead, used by all ages, not just by kids — probably a Varanasi pastime. Along the way I slowly picked up on subtle scam hints, but not before falling for one which all started from a hand shake. It slowly led to a hand massage, then a shoulder rub, and transformed into a two-man body massage. After that, I remembered to avoid all interpersonal contact while in Varanasi.
The two days that I did spend here were very enjoyable nonetheless. It’s a great place to come to relax along the Ganga while having dinner or a morning coffee. Before leaving that night on a train to Agra, I picked up some souvenirs and the ever-so-popular shawl and a green shirt, which you’ll see in a lot of my self-portraits throughout India.
