All photos taken using Leica M9 and Zeiss Planar 50mm ZM f/2 at Shivaji Nagar market in Bangalore, India during my June 2011 trip there. Enjoy the photos.

If nothing changes, I will be back in India next month. The plan has been changed few times, so I believe it when I touch down in Bangalore next month. Not sure if I will have time to shoot, but I’ll see. Photos here were taken when I went to Bangalore in 2006. It will be interesting to go back to these places again and if I can see the same persons I shot before. I always love to shoot in the market.

Enjoy the photos. Hope you all had a great weekend.

I have chosen Faith as my word of the year for 2011. It has meant so much to me in 2010 and I would like my life to revolve around it even more in 2011.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11).

And in case you ask, my camera of the year for 2011 will continue to be Canon. 

Taken in Bangalore, India in 2006, this portrait was made possible because of the little boy’s mother. I was shooting at one of the wet markets I visited in Bangalore when I saw this little boy with his mother who wanted him to look at my camera when I was shooting him.

She placed her hands around his head in order to keep him from moving and I took two shots. I like this one a lot. The other shot has his mom’s hands too close to the face.

A Wink and A Smile - Sri Krishnarajendra Market, Bangalore, India 2006

A quick post for tonight. Have you been practicing the travel portrait photography tips I shared before?

100 Strangers - Stranger No. 2 - Matteo and Daniela

My stranger no. 2 is a lovely couple. They are Matteo and Daniela from Italy whom I met in Bromo, Indonesia, in August 2010.

Matteo said that he had been to many other places but had never seen something like the one in Bromo. They loved it and they were looking forward to be picked up at 3am the next morning to ride the 4×4 jeep to Mount Pananjakan to watch the sun rises. The weather was good the next morning, so I bet they enjoyed the beautiful sunrise there. They spent one night in Bromo and moved on to Ijen Crater the next day.

By the way, when asked about volcanoes in Italy, Matteo mentioned about Mount Vesuvius whose eruption long time ago buried the ancient city of Pompeii.

Even though Italy does not have something like Bromo, I told them that I love seeing pictures of Tuscany with its beautiful landscape. Maybe I will meet them there one day. 

A Man at Banteay Kdei, Siem Reap, Cambodia, 2009

To make it different than what I have been doing in the past when shooting strangers on the street, I will impose the following two rules:

• I have to tell them that it is for my 100 Strangers project and get their approval before I shoot
• I have to talk to them and find out at least three things about them. Getting their name and where they are from is a must, but that’s not enough. I have to find out more about them, such as what they do for a living, their hobby, their likes and dislikes, their motto for life, our similarities, etc. The more the better.

Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia, 2009. Taken with Voigtlander Bessa R3A and Nokton Classic 40mm f/1.4 and Fuji Provia 400 (pushed 1 stop)

The idea to shoot strangers as a photography project is not new. A lot of people have done and have been doing this and it is something close to my heart in photography as I have been shooting strangers a lot, but giving it a little challenging twist above may make it more interesting and more challenging at the same time. Think about the thought of approaching a stranger on the street or somewhere to get to know them, for a good reason of course. Scary enough? To a lot of people, definitely. But in a more simplistic way if you are not doing this kind of photography project, this fear should not deter you from being friendly and kind to others. And we as the recipient should not think that stranger is kind and friendly to us because he/she wants something from us. Do not judge, as  you too will be judged.

Preah Khan, Siem Reap, Cambodia, 2009. Taken with Voigtlander Bessa R3A and Nokton Classic 40mm f/1.4 and Fuji Provia 400 (pushed 1 stop)

Mysore Market, Karnataka, India, 2006

Mysore Market, Karnataka, India, 2006

This will be a long project as I may get lots of rejections. I don’t set the end date for this even though I hope to complete it within a year before I start all over again.    So come back here to check the progress of this photography project and I hope it inspires you to always be friendly and kind to others.

How wonderful it is to live in a world without strangers, where smile and kindness are the only two things people know about how to interact with each other.