In the spring of 2008, I visited India for the second time. It had been almost twenty years between my visits. This time, I toured in Delhi, Japiur, Ranthambore, Agra, Kajaraho, Varanasi, Cochin, Bombay, and points in between, with an Overseas Adventure Travel group for three weeks. India offers us a glimpse of life on the edge, with its huge population living simultaneously in both yesterday and today. It presents us with surprising and sometimes shocking incongruities that fuels both thought and camera. If you've viewed the previous articles of travel impressions I've posted on this site, you'll note that my photographic intentions are focused on interpretation, rather than description. I wanted to make more than just a record of the sights I saw along the way. I want my pictures to express my own feelings about them. Aside from sharing these pictures with you on this website, I also am using many of them to teach the principles of expressive travel photography on my pbase website (
http://www.pbase.com/pnd1) as well as in the tutorial workshops I give in Phoenix for those desiring instruction in photojournalism, expressive travel photography and digital imaging. These 109 images were gleaned from the more than 8,000 digital pictures I shot during this trip. To view them properly, it is essential that you click on the link beneath the image marked "View full-size image -- 1000 x 750" This will allow you to see the picture in all of its detail. I used a ten megapixel Leica V-Lux-1 to make most of these images. It features an amazing 36mm-420mm Leica lens with image stabilization, allowing me to use its long telephoto in low light situations with remarkable clarity. Its flip-out LCD viewfinder allows easy use at low and high angles, making it the single most useful tool for travel photography that I've used to date. I also made some images with a Leica D-Lux 3, a pocket camera offering a 28mm wideangle view within a 16x9 frame, a shape similar to a high definition TV screen. I've edited all of these images with Photoshop to correct and refine the hue, color, contrast and sharpness levels, hopefully making my pictures more vibrant and meaningful. Although all of these photographs were digitally enhanced to some degree, none of the content has been significantly manipulated. The facts are all here, as I captured them. I hope you will enjoy these photographic impressions. Please post any comments at the end of the article, or ask me any questions you might have via email. Phil Douglis Director, The Douglis Visual Workshops, Phoenix, Arizona, pnd1@cox.net
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Jama Mosque, Old Delhi Raptors swirl around one of the many towers of this mosque, the largest in...
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At rest, Jama Mosque, Old Delhi Hundreds of worshippers rest in the shade of the arcades surrounding the huge...
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Asleep, Jama Mosque, Old Delhi The marble floor below this slumbering worshipper makes a hard bed, but its...
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Remembering Gandhi, Delhi On this spot, known as the Raj Ghat, Mahatma Gandhi, father of modern...
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Quthub Minaret, Delhi This 240 foot high minaret, dating to 1193, marks the advent of India's...
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The First Mosque, Delhi The Might of Islam Mosque was India's first, built in 1193. Today,...
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Raisina Hill, Delhi This hill was selected by the British as the site of India's new capital....
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Gridlock on the Delhi-Jaipur Highway India's 1.13 billion people tax its highway system, particularly those...
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Pilgrims bound for Jaipur India's flag bearing religious devotees walk long distances to...
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Schoolroom chase, Simode Our bus was passing through the village of Simode, between Delhi and Jaipur,...
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Sari, Jaipur Sari's come in all colors and styles. In Rajasthan, the colors are...
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Surrounded, Jaipur An Islamic woman seems lost in a sea of men on this Jaipur street corner. I...
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Painted elephant, Amber Fort, Jaipur Dozens of elephants still walk the walls of this historic 16th century...
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The spy, Amber Fort and Palace, Jaipur The three story gateway to the palace features a sole window for women of the...
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Walls and time, Amber Palace, Jaipur The Fort and Palace of Amber, just outside of Jaipur, was built in...
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Red marks the spot, Amber Fort, Jaipur A intimate view of one of the many elephants that carry tourists around the...
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Bus stop, Jaipur Travelers of every age crowd the dilapidated buses that form the backbone of...
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Cow, City Palace, Jaipur Cows are sacred to India's Hindus. They have an honored place in society,...
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Territorial claims, Jaipur A cow faces down a flock of local pigeons in Jaipur's Old City....
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Holi Bonfire, Jaipur I made this photograph from a moving bus while rolling through one of...
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Man of many colors, Jaipur Holi is a wild holiday in India, celebrating the triumph of good over evil....
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Road Risk in Rajasthan Big trucks rule the rural roads of India -- people are somehow able to...
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Ashram elder, Rajasthan We stopped briefly at an Ashram, a community formed for the spiritual...
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Wedding procession, Sawai Madhopur As we were driving through the city of Sawai Madhopur, traffic came to...
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Overload, Sawai Madopur Indian trucks make the most of every load of produce. Not only is the...
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article published 4/18/2008
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