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Umerkhadi Rd portraiture
Umerkhadi was once a creek separating the island of Bombay from Mazagaon until it was reclaimed in the 17th century. In the area you will find the Sandhurst Road, which is the is the closest suburban railhead and the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport to the north. You will also find the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Railway Station in the south.
How has Mumbai developed through the years?
In less than 500 years, Mumbai has metamorphosed from an aboriginal fishing settlement into a megalopolis of more than 16 million people and India's largest city and one of the biggest urban sprawls on the planet. Being swept along broad boulevards by endless streams of commuters or jostled by coolies and hand-cart pullers in the teeming bazaars, you will continually feel as if Mumbai is about to burst at the seams. |
An old an important area in Mumbai
Umerkhadi is one of the oldest and most important areas of Mumbai and it is located in the southern part of the city and is home to some of the oldest and most famous landmarks in Mumbai, such as the Wellington Pier, the Gateway of India and the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel and this area is also home to a number of religious and spiritual sites and the famous Mahalaxmi Temple is located in the area and attracts thousands of devotees every day. Other important religious sites include the Haji Ali Dargah and the Mumba Devi Temple. Given its close proximity to the sea, Umerkhadi is also a great place to take in the views of the ocean. There are several beachfront bars and restaurants, offering a wide range of food and drinks.
It is also a great place to take a stroll along the waterfront and watch the sunset. In short, Umerkhadi is a vibrant and bustling area of Mumbai that is packed with attractions, activities and landmarks. It is a great place to explore the city's culture and history, as well as its unique street life and it is also a great place to take in the views of the ocean and enjoy a drink or two.
"Umerkhadi is a vibrant and bustling area of Mumbai that has a wide range of activities and attractions to offer and it is a great place for tourists who want to explore the culture and history of the city. There are several heritage sites, such as the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, the Town Hall and the Old Custom House, that are all located in Umerkhadi. The area is also known for its bustling street life, with markets, stalls and shops selling a variety of items and the streets are also lined with food and drink vendors, offering a wide range of dishes and drinks and many of these vendors are famous throughout the city and draw in a large number of tourists"
First impressions of Mumbai
Ever since the photo walk in Umerkhadi area of Mumbai the photographer's new pictures have been taken in Mumbai on the Indian Subcontinent. Travelers tend to regard time spent in Umerkhadi and Mumbai as a rite of passage to be survived rather than savoured. Mumbai is the powerhouse of Indian business, industry and trade, and the source of its most seductive media images, the Maharashtran capital can be a compelling place to spend time. When you travel in Umerkhadi or any other place in Mumbai and whether or not you find the experience enjoyable, however, will depend largely on how well you handle the heat, humidity, traffic fumes and relentless crowds of India's most dynamic, Westernized city.
"First impressions of Mumbai tend to be dominated by its chronic shortage of space. Crammed onto a narrow spit of land that curls from the swamp-ridden coast into the Arabian Sea, the city is technically an island, connected to the mainland by bridges and narrow causeways"
Mumbai, a conglomeration of seven islands
The cosmopolitan metropolis, earlier known as Bombay, is the largest city in India and the capital of Maharashtra state. Mumbai was originally a conglomeration of seven islands on the Konkan coastline which over time were joined to form the island city of Bombay. The island was in turn joined with the neighbouring island of Salsette to form Greater Bombay and the city has an estimated metropolitan population of 21 million counted in 2005, making it one of the world's most populous cities. Mumbai is undoubtedly the commercial capital of India and is one of the predominant port cities in the country.
Mumbai's nature as the most eclectic and cosmopolitan Indian city is symbolized in the presence of Bollywood within the city, the centre of the globally-influential Hindi film and television industries and it is also home to India's largest slum population.
"Mumbai is a city built in successive waves of migrations. The neighborhoods acquired their character from the communities that settled there first. These neighborhoods are too numerous to list and there is no commonly accepted way to group these neighborhoods into larger districts. But roughly, from the south to the north, this is how the city developed"
Catch light in portraits
As a photographer and traveler it is naturally to photograph good photographs in India A very popular technique in portraiture – a catch light is a spark of light in your subject's eyes. This spark will help you to draw your viewer's attention to your subject's eyes, making them full of life and, well, sparkling. To create a catch light, all you need is a source of bright light to reflect in your subject's eyes. This source can be artificial, like a flash or natural, like sunlight. In this archive story, the photographer has focus on creating catch light in portraits using natural light.
To create a catch light in an indoor location in Umerkhadi or another place in India, all you need to do is to make sure there is a visible source of light, which will be reflected in your subject's eyes. Position your subject near an open window or door, during daylight and make sure there is a direct line between the source of light and the subject, without blocking objects like furniture. Your subject does not have to look directly into the source, as it might be too dazzling or uncomfortable.
The important thing is that the light source must be visible as a reflection in the subject's eyes. The closer your subject is to the light source open window or door the larger and more dominant the spark of catch light will seem. Think carefully about the location of your subject to the light source, as that will not only affect the size and visibility of the catchlight in the subject's eyes, it will also control the entire ollumination of the subject's face on the street in India.
"For achieving the best results in an outdoor photographing, all you need to do is aim your subject to look at the largest light source which is the sky. Do not instruct the subject to gaze at the Sun, even for a brief moment, as it can lead to pain and damage to his or her eyes. If you do not want to stage your subject in India or if there is a language barrier, a great technique of aiming your subject's gaze up, is by simply positioning yourself a bit above your subject. While they gaze it your lens, the sky behind you will reflect in their eyes. This is why the photographer is photographing many of his India outdoor portraits at a position, which is a bit higher than his subject"
See this video about catching light in portraits made by Beyond Photography.
The photographer's own experience of catching light in portraits
"- As a keen photographer and avid traveler, I've always been fascinated by the power of light in capturing portraits. It wasn't until a recent trip to India, however, that I truly understood the impact that light can have on a photograph. Undeterred, I approached the group and asked if I could take their photograph. They nodded eagerly and began to pose, but the harsh shadows cast by the Sun were not doing justice to their beautiful features. I took a few shots, but I knew they wouldn't be my best work", the Photographer says.
"- But then, as I was about to give up, a cloud covered the sun, diffusing the light and creating a soft, even glow. I quickly adjusted my settings and took a few more shots. The difference was astounding. The man's features were now illuminated in a gentle light, bringing out the intricate patterns and colors of their clothing and the details in their faces. It was as if the light was painting a masterpiece in front of my lens. I couldn't believe the difference that a change in lighting had made to my portraits. I continued to capture photographs of the man as he went about his activities, each time eagerly waiting for a cloud to pass in front of the sun, creating the perfect lighting for my portraits", the Photographer says again.
"- As the day went on, I realized that catching light in portraits was not just about luck. It was about being patient, observant and knowing how to use the available lighting to your advantage. I started to actively search for different types of light and experimented with backlighting, silhouettes and creating shadows.", the Photographer says again.
"- The experience at the Umerkhadi area in Mumbai taught me that light is a powerful tool in portrait photography. It can make or break a photo and as a photographer, it is our job to use it to our advantage. The soft, diffused light of the early morning and late afternoon can create a dreamy and ethereal atmosphere, while harsh midday light can be used for dramatic and high-contrast photos and on a sunny day, I recommend positioning your subject in the shade, as gazing at sunny skies might be uncomfortable", the Photographer says again.
"- My experience in India also made me realize the importance of having a good understanding of the technical aspects of photography. Knowing how to adjust my settings quickly and efficiently to suit the available light allowed me to capture the perfect photographs in a matter of seconds", the Photographer says again.
Read also: Hanuman Ji
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India is a land full of stories. On every street, on every corner and in the many places in India, life is rushing by you as a photographer with millions of stories to be told. In the archive story above, you hopefully had a readable insight in the story that was behind the photo of an Indian man in Mumbai. On this website of Kristian Bertel | Photography you can find numerous travel pictures from the photographer. Stories and moments that tell the travel stories of how the photographer captured the specific scene that you see in the picture. The photographer's images have a story behind them, images that all are taken from around India throughout his photo journeys. The archive stories delve into Kristian's personal archive to reveal never-before-seen, including portraits and landscapes beautifully produced snapshots from various travel assignments. The archive is so-far organized into photo stories, this one included, each brought to life by narrative text and full-color photos. Together, these fascinating stories tell a story about the life in India. India, the motherland to many people around the world, a land of unforgetable travel moments. The archive takes viewers on a spectacular visual journey through some of the most stunning photographs to be found in the photographer's archive collection. The photographer culled the images to reflect the many variations on the universal theme of beauty and everyday life in India. By adding these back stories the photographer's work might immensely enhanced the understanding of the photographs.
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