Spotlight #22 - Lost

It's almost been a year since I took that incredible trip to Ladakh. 

I remember prior to setting off, having butterflies flutter around like a whirlwind in my tummy. It was my first real road trip in ages, and I hadn't prepared myself nearly as much as I wanted to. 

Eventually once I got on the road, time seemed to fly back, and out of nowhere what was supposed to be a 14 day trip seemed like a weekend. 

This picture was taken sometime into the trip - the day after an 18 hour drive day.

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We had spent the night at a tiny little village set in between two extremely nauseating mountains. When we got in, the temperature had dropped perilously close to freezing (it was mid summer, by the way), and the altitude (over 5000m) had started to take it's toll on a couple of us. 

Needless to say, the night turned out to be a restless one - me, with a migraine so painful it felt as if my brain was imploding. 

We were quick to get up and leave the next day, just after sunrise. This picture was taken a kilometer or two outside of the village where after one of the most traumatic nights, the surreal landscape blew us away. 

Spotlight #21 - Down in the Streets

It's been a long time since I've hit the streets with the intention of getting shots. There's a couple of projects I'm working on that are in progress that are very much street related, and I can't wait to start sharing those photos. 

In the meantime, this is a shot i took ages back when i went over to Chandni Chowk around Eid time. 

The streets were in a frenzy with folks celebrating and paradoxically also those who weren't in much of a holiday spirit. These were the folks doing whatever they could to get on with their lives, working day in and day out. 

One of those chaps was this guy, standing over a searing hot barbecue contraption, cooking up sizzling kebabs in an ocean of butter. 

I had done a fair bit of walking already and being that it was the throngs of the Delhi mid-day heat, I was knackered. 

Having met up with some friends, we decided to stop off and grab some grub. 

This was probably the most satisfying meal that had remnants of nostalgia and bliss. Nostalgia because, once again I was reminded about why I love this city so much - raw emotion and energy; depth and personality to every narrow street. Bliss was the unintended emotion response to a meal that hit every pleasure point in my brain and body. 

Check out more of my stuff here - https://www.instagram.com/amansridhar/

Spotlight #20 - Pondicherry

Bringing back Spotlight this week with a stunning shot taking by Rohan during his time in Pondicherry. 

Rohan has been featured on here before. He specializes in landscape shots, and with good reason. Check out his picture below and see what he has to say about it. 

"Pondicherry is one of my favorite places to be in South India. ALong with it’s beautiful french architecture that dates back to 100s of years, it is also home to Rocky Beach and that is what you see in this image. Rocks lined along the coast, lighthouse right behind you, tourists walking, eating and enjoying, locals walking their dogs or running. Diversity is my favorite element at Rocky Beach.  

This shot was taken right before sunset and there was ample light in the sky. I wanted the waves to look dynamic in the pictures and went for a nice long exposure at a low aperture as I had forgotten to pack my ND filter (Stupid, I know). After multiple attempts, this is the shot I captured and I am glad you get to see it here."

Follow Rohan here - https://www.instagram.com/rohanrath/

Spotlight #15 - Floating the Golden Gate

This week's Spotlight features Marshall Chen (again). 

I had Marshall on a few weeks back where he talked about a picture that I really loved. You can find that here. 

This week, Marshall pulls out another rabbit out of his hat with this incredible picture. Check it out below and read on to see what he has to say about it. 

My friends and I hiked Yosemite, toured San Francisco, and even had lunch in Google’s dining hall on Google Campus.

And my friend John here trying to be Magneto is just a piece of happy memory from that spring break.

“You remember that scene from X-Men where Magneto destroys the Golden Gate Bridge?” I asked John.

“Yeah.”

“Cool let’s recreate that!”

That was a wonderful vacation.

Check out more of Marshall's stuff here - https://www.instagram.com/marshallthesavage/

and here - http://www.marshallturbochen.com/

Cheers :)

Uber stories - "Somnath"

Note - Most of the conversation is translated from Hindi. Also, the name has been changed for privacy purposes. Curiously though, he didn't mind his picture being taken.

The first Uber story I have hit me randomly. 

I was on my way to a mates place and got stuck in a massive jam. I usually use this as an opportunity to start chatting with them because nothing gets someone from Delhi going than bitching about the traffic. 

Sure enough, as soon as I used the words "fuck this traffic," and "fuck that guy" (a bike just cut ahead of us almost crashing into the driver's door), Somnath opened right up. 

He told me that he was from Calcutta, and how moving to Delhi was a change because of the people. 

"Most folks here are easy to gauge, but I couldn't really tell much about you." he said to me. 

When I asked him why, he was emphatic in his response. 

"Because you live in Nehru Place, but you're not an asshole. Most people who live in these areas are flashy and in your face - like most Delhiites."

We chatted a bit more and I told him I was originally from the south. He smiled and nodded.

"That makes sense. Delhi guys are flashy, but you're just wearing a t-shirt and jeans. If you were from Delhi, you would be different."

I tell him how I grew up here, and I still identify with Delhi a lot more than my South Indian roots.

Changing the subject I asked him about his worst ride. He told me about this time he was stuck with one overly demanding customer for almost 3 hours literally driving from one end of the city to the other. 

He then went on another rant about how much he hates Delhiites. 

"She was a fat bitch who just wouldn't shut up."

As I got off at my stop, I heard him pick up the phone and talk to his friend, amused at the fact that he had someone in the cab with whom he could bitch about the city he now lives in.