What It's Like Shooting On The Streets of India

Avani Thakkar
Feb 1, 2020
2 min read

Shooting in front of the Taj Mahal or those grand palaces in Udaipur? A piece of cake. Shooting in the narrow underrated alleys of India that you won't stumble upon on an average day-out? The real deal. I found this paradise of a location during a cab ride, and immediately fell in love with the colours and the mismatch of vendor shops, homes and vehicles that somehow still came together beautifully. Shooting here is a photographer's delight, but definitely comes with its own set of challenges.

Considering that it was more of a busy street with locals pouring in and out, I was no stranger to the stares and curious looks that accompanied them. A confident strut is hard in these circumstances and I can't lie - on any other day I would surely have had a nervous breakdown.

However, to be honest, the passers-by couldn't have been more sweet. Several women either peeked from their balconies to see what was going on, stood nearby out of interest and even smiled when I caught their eye. I got a hoard of suggestions on where to shoot next in Bangalore, many couldn't understand why I had chosen this 'ordinary' alley. As Indians, we often underestimate and disregard the charm of our hidden lanes which one won't find pictured on social media as often as our country's grand forts, monuments and other architectural marvels. Let's just say, you haven't experienced the culture of India to the fullest if you haven't been in our gullys.