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In this archive story we are portraying An Indian youngster at a road in Mumbai, Maharashtra in India.
Read the background story of this archive photo by the photographer. |
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The youngster portrait was taken at the Carnac Rd just near the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Mandai, formerly 'Crawford Market' in Mumbai, which is one of South Mumbai's most famous markets. When the photographer is taking portrait in India he tends to focus on the subject's eyes and personality, as a photo that captures the essence of a subject's expression. |
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Youngster at Mumbai Rd portraiture
Above is a photo by the portrait photographer Kristian Bertel. He does not have a studio, background, lights and equipment as a lot of folks with more technical skill. Yet those folks may not be portrait photographers as Kristian. What is the difference? He cares about people and is genuinely curious about people he has never met and can connect with them in just a few minutes.
Where was this portrait taken?
The youngster portrait was taken at the Carnac Rd just near the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Mandai, formerly 'Crawford Market', which is one of South Mumbai's most famous markets in India. |
Portrait photography at the Crawford Market in India
One can buy a variety of things in and around Crawford Market, where the portrait was taken of the youngster. Some of the things that you can buy at the market are ready-to-stitch clothes, dress material, Chinese toys, party products, artificial jewellery, travel bags, fruits and vegetables, shoes, belts and cake making and decorating equipment and toiletries. It was earlier named after Arthur Crawford, the first Municipal Commissioner of the city. The market was later named after Mahatma Jotirao Phule after a long struggle by the President of Mahatma Phule Smarak Samiti, Mukundraoji Bhujbal Patil.
"The market is situated just north of Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station and west of the J.J. flyover at a busy intersection. The market houses a wholesale fruit, vegetable and poultry market. One end of the market is a pet store. Different varieties of dogs, cats and birds can be found in this area"
Also, endangered species are illegally sold there. Most of the sellers inside the market sell imported items such as foods, cosmetics, household and gift items. It was the main wholesale market for fruits in Mumbai until March 1996, when the wholesale traders were relocated to Navi Mumbai, known as the New Bombay. The building, completed in 1869, was donated to the city by Cowasji Jehangir. After India's independence, the market was renamed after Maharashtrian social reformer, Mahatma Jyotirao Phule. In 1882, the building was the first in India to be lit up by electricity.
Taking portraits of a subject
After a one-hour session, he knows more about his average subject's life in India than many others. Film costs, so he does not limit himself to two exposures per subject. Yet his photo of the youngster above is one of the only pictures of this youngster he took a portrait of. He suggests that if you do not have or cannot create a photo studio, concentrate on environmental portraiture as the portait in Mumbai. Show the subject and also his surroundings. These tend to work best if you can enlarge the final image so the subjects eyes can be seen clearly. In any smaller photo, the subject's face is simply too small. Taking photos that will enlarge well is a whole art by itself. Your allies in this endeavor will be a low 'ISO' setting, prime rather than zoom lenses, a tripod and at least a mid-range digital 'SLR'.
"Fast telephoto lenses have very little depth of field and your subject's eyes and nose will be sharp. Everything else that might have been distracting will be blurred into blobs of color"
There are two elements to a photo studio for portrait photography. One is a controlled background. You want to focus attention on your subject and avoid distracting elements in the frame. Probably the best portraits are not taken against a gray seamless paper roll. On the other hand, you are unlikely to screw up and leave something distracting in the frame if you confine yourself to using seamless paper or other monochromatic backgrounds. You do not have to build a special room to have a controlled background. There are all kinds of clever portable backdrops and backdrop supports that you can buy or build. If you absolutely cannot control the background, the standard way to cheat is to use a long fast lens, for instance a 300mm lens with 'F/2.8'.
See this video about telephoto lenses made by Nikon India.
The photographer's own experience taking photographs with a telephoto lens
"- My advice to digital photographers is to fill the flash card with at least 50 images in hopes of yielding one that captures the essence of a subject's expression. The artistic success implies that the most important thing about portrait photography is an interest in your subject. If you are so busy working that you cannot care about strangers, do not take their photos. Or at rate, do not expect those photos to be good. Some of my better portraits were taken on a trip to India because I had the time in which to be alone and learn to appreciate the value of a stranger's company and conversation", the Photographer says.
"- As a passionate traveler and photographer, I've always found joy in capturing the beauty of the world through my lens. Recently, I added a telephoto lens to my camera gear and it has completely changed the way I capture my travel experiences. Without hesitation, I grabbed my camera and attached the telephoto lens. The view through the lens was breathtaking. The snow-covered peak seemed just within my reach and I couldn't resist taking multiple photographs from different angles. What amazed me the most was the detail and sharpness in my photos. The telephoto lens allowed me to capture the individual snowflakes on the peak, giving my photos a truly breathtaking quality. This was a significant upgrade from my previous standard lens, which often failed to capture the little details in the distance", the Photographer says again.
"- Since then, my telephoto lens has become my go-to during my travels, especially when I encounter people in India. While on a photo walk in Mumbai, I was able to capture close-up photographs of the youngster in this archive story without getting too close and disturbing them. The telephoto lens allowed me to zoom in on their every movement, capturing incredible photos that I will treasure forever. Another aspect of telephoto lens photography that I've come to appreciate is its ability to create a shallow depth of field. This helps to bring focus to my subject and blur out the background, giving my photos a professional and artistic look. I've experimented with this technique in various landscapes and the results have been stunning", the Photographer says again.
"- However, like any other photography technique, using a telephoto lens requires practice and patience. It takes time to get used to the weight and size of the lens and it can be challenging to keep the camera steady while zooming in on a faraway subject. But as I continue to use it, I have become better at handling the lens, and the results have been worth the effort", the Photographer says again.
"- Another challenge I have encountered is the limitation of a telephoto lens in low-light situations. Due to the long focal length, the lens needs more light to capture a clear and sharp image. I've learned to compensate for this by adjusting my camera settings and using a tripod when necessary. In conclusion, my experience with a telephoto lens has been nothing short of amazing. It has enabled me to capture stunning images that I never thought possible. It has also challenged me to think outside the box and experiment with new photography techniques. I highly recommend adding a telephoto lens to your camera gear, especially if you are a travel photographer. It will take your photos to a whole new level and allow you to capture the world's beauty in ways you never imagined", the Photographer says again.
Read also: An Indian portrait
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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 youngster 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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