POV: Taking My Time

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

While leading one of my photo expedition-workshop, documenting a cultural festival or religious observance, I fall into a "photojournalist" mode, shooting the activities on instinct rather than anything else...when the action is really frenetic, it's a crap shoot to a certain extent. If my instinct fails me, the results show it. That's how it is, and I find the more I immerse myself into the event(s), I get more discerning as to what I manage to photograph. Researching the events beforehand helps a little, but never prepares you for the reality.

So it's with a sort of 'relief' that I find wonderfully photogenic people who allow me to enjoy the time-honored portraiture-making. Many times, I'm allowed to have all the time in the world in capturing the right mood, expression and attitude of my subjects.

The distinguished Sadhu-like man at the Nizzam Uddin dargah, the humble yet proud spice porter in Khari Baoli and the charismatic Qawwal Ustaad in Old Delhi, have all given me the time to capture what I perceived to be their essence through these simple portraits.

And since I had the time to fiddle with my settings, these portraits were made with a M9 and an Elmarit 28mm.