India is one of those gorgeous countries that anyone could photograph and end up with an amazing picture. I know this because I used to be freaking terrible at pictures and I still ended up with some awesome stuff. Funny thing is that I never realized there was a pattern to all of my greatest photos until very recently. I was looking through all my old pictures and I realized that getting the best Indian photography is a tricky business but if you know a couple of tips you usually end up with some great shots.
Now my style is very different from what other photographers might consider “good” photography. I consider good photographs those that capture the viewer and are pleasing to the eye. For this reason landscapes bore the crap out of me and so does most street photography surprisingly. I usually take photographs with myself as the subject that I can also use for Instagram. I like creating composition by finding culture or architecture that already exists in a place and then throwing myself in the middle of it.
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1. Photograph in the golden hour
The Indian sun is very sharp during day time and this creates some amazing opportunities for incredibly lighting on the monuments. A lot of monuments in India are huge and corners which have good composition for photography are better lit during the afternoon than the golden hour. In contrast for photographing monuments at locations when the sun is directly shining on you wait until the golden hour or you will end up with stark contrast between the dark and the light part which ruins the whole picture. My conclusion is that don’t be afraid to shoot during the day because photography in India takes time and you don’t want to be rushing because the sun is about to set.
2. India is very crowded. You want to be the first one in
This is one of my biggest issues when trying to get a good photograph in India. There are so many people everywhere that I took it upon myself to reach every location right at sunrise and yet some of those bastards beat me to it. To set yourself up for the best shoots there are two things you can do. For those monuments that are open to the public get there as early as possible and make your way right to your location spot. You can take your picture first and then spend time looking at the monument. The other is to pay to have a good location. This includes staying at hotels with gorgeous architecture, being let into parts of palaces not open to the public like at the City Palace Jaipur or splurging for a meal to get to shoot at a location. This has always worked for me and I really like some of the results.
3. Bring a tripod
Unless you are traveling with a friend you really want to get a tripod if you are planning on spending at least some time at every location. It just gives me peace of mind that no one is holding my camera or getting annoyed by the 101 pictures I will definitely ask them to retake. My Olympus OM-D EM-5 Mark II is my favorite camera to take in India because I can download the Olympus app on my phone and remotely take pictures while looking at myself in the frame.
4. Research and find your place
It’s a habit of mine to really research locations before I visit them. This means searching it up on Instagram, Pinterest and Google to see all of the other pictures that people have taken at this location. This usually gives me a good idea of what I would like to do with it and what would satisfy me. I then screenshot these pictures and put them in a folder that’s easily accessible at the location so if I am looking for the same composition I can compare them while I am shooting. Another thing I do when I really like a composition is to find the exact place the picture was taken at and mark it in Google Maps. When you are shooting with limited light and lots of people you cannot waste time trying to blindly find locations. Having them ready on Google maps is a great way to make sure you will get to the spot you are looking for. The monuments are huge and wandering aimlessly hoping to stumble across the spot where that IG person took that picture won’t do it.
5. Go for different angles and don’t stop
While I love looking for composition ideas online I make sure not to get stuck on them. When I have gotten a couple of shots that I am happy with I try and purposely go out of my comfort zone to find new angles and compositions. I will get low, get high, play with water reflections or try something new that I haven’t done before. With a country as colorful as India and with so many opportunities, you will be surprised at getting a great shot at a location no one else saw or with lighting that hasn’t been captured before. This makes me a better photographer and forces me to cultivate my own creative vision. I like playful bright pictures that really make you go wow! And that can’t happen if I am always looking to others to provide me with the ideas.
6. Wear light flowy clothes
The architecture in India is so amazingly captivating and colorful that wearing bold colors will distract from it. If you are shooting with yourself as the subject as I do everyday you also begin to think of how to style yourself in the picture. In India I decided to go with outfits that were bright and bold but wouldn’t over shadow the pictures with too many colors or patterns. The traditional kurtis that women wear in India in either darker colors or white look great with all monuments.
7. Be comfortable with stares
People in India stare at anything. It’s just one of those annoying things that you have to ignore. They have probably never seen anyone with a tripod stand and even if they have they still are entertained by it. Just ignore all of them and focus on the fact that you are about to create some amazing content.
8. Always keep your camera with you
Sometimes you will stumble across a colorful door or a sunset over a fort and not have your camera with you. Don’t let this be the case! Always keep the camera on you and you might just end up with the winning shot on accident.
Looking for amazing locations to add to your Instagram? Checkout – 20 Bucket List Spots in India for Photographers.
Great article, and amazing pictures! I can’t wait to visit once India!
Great tips! I have adapted many of them and am working on the others! I have found that getting to a location as early as possible also makes for the fewest crowds and best picture taking opportunities. I also have become quite fond of taking many photos and from many different angles. I feel like I take to many pictures sometimes! Great tips, I enjoyed reading about them!
Totally agree with your points especially being first to avoid crowd. India is beautiful but I’m not sure if I can quite handle the “stares”!!! Beautiful photos.
I fully agree with your points, especially start early when crowd is not present. Many times I am about to click a photograph and have to stop, due to a group. Also, your take on the dress it true. It should easily blend with the surroundings rather than standing out. Good observation.
I absolutely love your tips for taking great photographs. I need to work on my angles and how incredible are your pictures. India is so beautiful.
Amazing photos! Thanks for the great photography tips. Taking pictures at the golden hour is always the best idea whenever possible, it’s such great lighting 🙂
These are all such great tips! I’m always in awe of people’s photos with the beautiful doors 🙂 I want to visit India so badly so this is such a great guide to photography there!
Great tips on taking photographs in India. I cannot agree more on people stares and coping with them! When it comes to India, any colour and any kind of costume fits into the frame so effortlessly to give a beautiful end result. Flowy dresses and florals are my absolute favourites too! Would love to go back to Rajasthan and do many photographs.
It is a great post. I love such tips and hints. Because I photograph a lot, I am always looking for information on how to best photograph a given place. It was in India in 2008 that my love and interest in photography began! I’ve been to India 3 times and would love to come back.
Theses are some really great tips! I love the idea of researching places you want to take photos before hand! super helpful! I never travel without my tripod too! Great post!
These are such great tips! Especially catching the golden hour. ????