About Neville Bulsara's Photography Workshops, Photo Tours & Expeditions to India for The Discerning Photographer
All photographs and original text copyright Neville Bulsara Photography, 2008. All rights reserved.
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India fascinates!
From the mighty snow-swept ranges of the Indian Himalayas with their innumerable shrines and monasteries, to the amazing riverside Ghats of Varanasi. From the colorful turbans, saris and majestic forts and desert towns of Rajasthan to the majestic himalayan landscapes of Ladakh - India, is one never-ending kaleidoscope of photographic opportunities in the making.
Whatever your photographic interests be - landscape, portraiture, travel, cultural, documentary, or wildlife, you'll find that India caters to all of them. At Neville Bulsara's Photography Workshops, Photo Tours & Expeditions for the Discerning Photographer, we believe that India is home to the largest range of photo-ops that exist on the planet, and it would be our pleasure to help you discover them.
Spend your time on this site discovering the wide range of photographic opportunities that abound in India. As a specialized operator of photography workshops and photo tours in India, we'd be delighted to have you join us on one of our photography workshops or photo tours to India.
From the mighty snow-swept ranges of the Indian Himalayas with their innumerable shrines and monasteries, to the amazing riverside Ghats of Varanasi. From the colorful turbans, saris and majestic forts and desert towns of Rajasthan to the majestic himalayan landscapes of Ladakh - India, is one never-ending kaleidoscope of photographic opportunities in the making.
Whatever your photographic interests be - landscape, portraiture, travel, cultural, documentary, or wildlife, you'll find that India caters to all of them. At Neville Bulsara's Photography Workshops, Photo Tours & Expeditions for the Discerning Photographer, we believe that India is home to the largest range of photo-ops that exist on the planet, and it would be our pleasure to help you discover them.
Spend your time on this site discovering the wide range of photographic opportunities that abound in India. As a specialized operator of photography workshops and photo tours in India, we'd be delighted to have you join us on one of our photography workshops or photo tours to India.
Broadly speaking, we offer two types of photography tours - (a) private, customized photography workshops & tours, and, (b) group departures. Group photo trips have a preset itinerary, and need a minimum number of participants to run. Our customized private photography workshops, tours & expeditions can run with as little as one participant; you let us know your preferred destinations, photography interests, preferred dates etc., and we build a custom itinerary for you. To know more about our group photo trips departures for 2008, please visit the Workshops & Tours Calender section of this website. You could also use this section as a starting point to help us put together a custom itinerary for you. A reading up of the various destinations we operate our photography workshops and photo tours to would also help you familiarize you with the types of photo-ops that await you there. Combine this with with our Photography Workshops & Photo Tours by Genre section, and you'll be well on the way to helping us put together a tour for you.
For the editors & fine art collectors amongst you, we also have a large collection of stock photos of India and fine-art prints from our travels to various parts of India up on this site.
Should you have any feedback about this site, or, inquire about any of our photo tours and workshops in India, do feel free to contact us.
OUR PHILOSOPHY
The core philosophy of Neville Bulsara's Photography Workshops, Photo Tours & Expeditions for the Discerning Photographer is to combine excellent photographic instruction with the most beautiful locations of India so as to enable participants to come back with those evocative images they've always wanted to make. For us to deliver on this premise, we obviously need to :
For the editors & fine art collectors amongst you, we also have a large collection of stock photos of India and fine-art prints from our travels to various parts of India up on this site.
Should you have any feedback about this site, or, inquire about any of our photo tours and workshops in India, do feel free to contact us.
OUR PHILOSOPHY
The core philosophy of Neville Bulsara's Photography Workshops, Photo Tours & Expeditions for the Discerning Photographer is to combine excellent photographic instruction with the most beautiful locations of India so as to enable participants to come back with those evocative images they've always wanted to make. For us to deliver on this premise, we obviously need to :
| 1. | Know Photography : we do, our program leaders are experienced professional photographers who know their job, and know how to communicate their knowledge. |
| 2. | Know our locations : We do; and boy, we're glad we do! Let's face it, photography is all about painting with light. Getting you to the right location, at the right time, in the right light is crucial for making good photographs. It makes no sense for us to get you to a monastery in Ladakh AFTER the main ceremony is over. Or, land up at a place when the light is all wrong! The locations we conduct our Workshops & Tours to in India are chosen not only for their wealth of photographic opportunities, but also because of our intimate, firsthand knowledge of the place. Our photographic workshops and photo tours in India emphasize on-location shooting during the 'golden hours'. Our tour leaders are experts in the field, and know the locales like the back of their hand. Being photographers ourselves, we know the importance of having 'been there, done things, got the tee-shirt' (or, should we say 'been there done things, got the shots - and sometimes the scars - to prove it !) |
| 3. | Be honest about who we are and what we do : We are; we're photographers operating a specialized photography workshop and photo tours outfit, not a travel outfit attempting to cash in on the photo-tourism boom! As photographers, we understand your needs, and cater to them. We know the importance of spending enough, quality time on location, getting the shots you want, compared to landing up at a place, taking a few hurried shots before moving on. To cut a long story short, we offer photography tours - not tours with photography thrown in. |
| 4. | Seek - and value - social interactions : We do; as experienced travel photographers we understand the value of social interaction with our subjects. We frown on the act of pointing a lens in someone's face, taking a shot and scurrying away. We value the need for social interaction of the people we photograph, while being aware of their need for space and privacy. We delight in our interactions with the locals we choose to photograph on location - it makes for so much cultural exchange of viewpoints and knowledge. In our experience, not only does this lead to a better travel experience, but results in far better intimate, portraits of our subjects with their full and hearty cooperation! |
| 5. | Respect tradition, culture, people, and the landscape : We do; we believe that if we cannot leave a place in a condition better than we found it, the least we can do is not leave it in worse shape. That, for us, spells being respectful to tradition, culture, people and the good earth. While we always strive to support the local economy of the places we operate our Photo Tours and Photography Workshops to, we frown on activities that are exploitative in nature; for example, we as a rule do not advocate tipping for portraits of locals, as we believe that in some ways it encourages begging - as already mentioned we advocate social interaction that leads to voluntary, joyous portraits. |
Whatever your photographic interests be - landscape, portraiture, travel, cultural, documentary, or, wildlife, you'll find that India caters to all of them. At Neville Bulsara's Photography Workshops, Photo Tours & Expeditions for the Discerning Photographer, we believe that India is home to the largest range of photo-ops that exist on the planet, and it would be our pleasure to help you discover them.
Whether choosing a photography workshop, photo tour, or, expedition, we strongly advocate that all participants carry a film or digital SLR with them, so as to maximize their photo taking opportunities. Point and shoot cameras, as a rule, lack the full range of functionalities needed to maximize the picture making opportunities available on our outings.
DEFINITIONS OF THE TERMS "PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS", "PHOTO TOURS" & "PHOTOGRAPHY EXPEDITIONS"
Our photography workshops emphasize learning on location, and are geared towards intense learning and photography. Our workshops are geared towards those who wish to get started with digital or film photography, or, need special instruction in some areas such as travel photography, event photography etc. You can expect the full attention of the program leader on workshops, as well as comprehensive lectures, image reviews etc. to monitor and further your progress. Subjects covered on our workshops include, but are not limited to:
Whether choosing a photography workshop, photo tour, or, expedition, we strongly advocate that all participants carry a film or digital SLR with them, so as to maximize their photo taking opportunities. Point and shoot cameras, as a rule, lack the full range of functionalities needed to maximize the picture making opportunities available on our outings.
DEFINITIONS OF THE TERMS "PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS", "PHOTO TOURS" & "PHOTOGRAPHY EXPEDITIONS"
Our photography workshops emphasize learning on location, and are geared towards intense learning and photography. Our workshops are geared towards those who wish to get started with digital or film photography, or, need special instruction in some areas such as travel photography, event photography etc. You can expect the full attention of the program leader on workshops, as well as comprehensive lectures, image reviews etc. to monitor and further your progress. Subjects covered on our workshops include, but are not limited to:
| · | Understanding exposure and the zone system |
| · | When and why your camera's meter may not be as smart as claimed by the manufacturer |
| · | When and how to use the metering modes of your camera (Evaluative / Matrix , Partial / Spot) |
| · | How to expose correctly for difficult subjects and conditions |
| · | Understanding and controlling color balance |
| · | What filters you need to use and when to use them |
| · | How to see and compose images |
| · | Photographic checklists - being prepared for the shot before you shoot it |
| · | Capturing a sense of place - thinking and shooting like a travel photographer |
| · | The benefits of shooting RAW |
| · | Digital Processing |
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Our photo tours, while geared towards photographers at all levels, differ from workshops in the amount of time devoted to theory and image reviews. Workshops emphasize learning, while tours emphasize location. While the tour leader will do his or her best to provide instruction if needed, the very nature of photography tours restricts the time on hand for image reviews etc.
Our photography expeditions, aimed at photographers who are reasonably comfortable with the photo making process, are primarily explorative in nature. Be ready for surprises on such trips. Such trips are designed to actually seek out, and document far-flung places, people and events.
PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS, PHOTO TOURS & EXPEDITIONS BY GENRE
Our photo tours, workshops and expeditions are designed to enable participants to indulge in the type of photography that best suits their interest.
TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY
Travel Photography - as we view it - is the art of capturing and conveying a sense of place in one's images; that sense of place that transports the viewer to the location where the photo was made, and experience that location through the photographer's senses.
Unlike the dedicated wildlife / portrait / landscape photographer, the travel photographer finds himself / herself face-to-face with a wide range of photographic opportunities and challenges. He or she has to do as much justice to a landscape, as he has to do with photographing a procession or people. In that, true travel photography provides the ultimate challenge for a photographer wishing to develop skills that encompass a wide variety of photo-ops.
It goes without saying that opportunities for great travel photography abound in India. Whether it be a procession of camels vending their way through the sand dunes of the Rajasthan desert, pilgrims taking a dip in the holy waters of the Ganges at Varanasi, ancient masked dances in the himalayan region of Ladakh, or, the breathtaking himalayan landscapes of Ladakh - India is THE place to make great evocative travel images.
The destinations we operate our photo tours, workshops & tours to are carefully handpicked for the wealth of photo-ops that abound there. All of them (except wildlife destinations) fit into the category of Travel Imagery. We encourage you to spend some time studying the images spread accross this site in order to acquaint yourself with the various locales we run our photography workshops & photo tours to and the wealth of travel imagery that abounds there.
CULTURAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Ever wondered what it's really like to 'get behind the scenes'? And we mean REALLY get behind the scenes! We're not talking about just going beyond the standard, cliché shots (shudder! we don't get those even on our 'normal' trips!) that everybody shoots; what we're talking of here is Cultural Photography in the truest sense of the word.
What is 'culture'? It is that which unites a people. It is that which gives them a sense of collective identity. It is that set of beliefs, practices, occasions & customs which unties them under a common banner.
On all the travel & documentary photo tours, workshops & expeditions that we operate in India, we strive to maximize interaction with the people on location in order to foster cross-cultural exchange of viewpoints, as well as to maximize the potential for our participants to get the best photographs possible. This obviously means taking them 'behind the scenes' , whenever possible.
Ever wondered what Ladakh would look like in the winter when the tourists that flock here in summer have long departed? Would the people act, and behave differently? Ever wondered what it's like step into a traditional Ladakhi home - and observe - their day to day activities? Or, step into the chambers of the Rimpoche (recognized reincarnate lama) in charge of a monastery and watch other monks & laymen interact with him? Ever wondered what it would be like to eat with the monks in the dark interiors of the monastery kitchen, while the vapors rising from steaming utensils condenses in the crispy, cold breeze of a Ladakhi winter? Ever wondered about just how they ring in Losar - the Tibetan New Year? Or, ever wondered what it would be like to be amongst a handful of observers during their winter monastic festivals? Ever wondered....
In addition to our 'normal' range of travel & documentary photo tours, we also operate specialized cultural photo tours to select locations in India; the difference between these cultural photo tours & our 'normal' tours being the degree of interaction with locals, participation in key events, and an opportunity to 'see things as they really are' in order to understand - and document via images - 'that' which unites a people.
Whether it be our December 2008 sojourn to document Losar in Ladakh, or, our Feb-March expedition to seek out the blindfolded acrobatic oracle monks of Matho, you'll find that our cultural photo tours in India get you behind the scenes in order to help you experience, understand, and document unique lifestyles and cultures.
LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY
With an emphasis on breathtaking Himalayan landscape photography being one of their key highlights, our photography tours to Ladakh are ideal for the landscape photographer. Cradled by the Karakoram and the Great Himalayan ranges, La-dags (Ladakh - Land of High Mountain Passes) - at an average altitude of 15000 feet above sea level - is primararily a high altitude desert, punctuated by several inland seas that are home to several species of migratory birds. Bordering western Tibet, Ladakh offers a wealth of landscape (and other!) photo-ops for the particiapnts of our photography workshops, tours & expeditions to this region of India.
If landscape photography in sparesely populated, high altitude regions get your creative juices churning, consider signing up for one of our custom photography expedition to the Kailash-Manasoravar region of Tibet. A spectacular wealth of landscape - and cultural & documentary - photo-ops await photographers on this trip; check out our Tibet photo gallery for some examples.
Our photography expeditions, aimed at photographers who are reasonably comfortable with the photo making process, are primarily explorative in nature. Be ready for surprises on such trips. Such trips are designed to actually seek out, and document far-flung places, people and events.
PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS, PHOTO TOURS & EXPEDITIONS BY GENRE
Our photo tours, workshops and expeditions are designed to enable participants to indulge in the type of photography that best suits their interest.
TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY
Travel Photography - as we view it - is the art of capturing and conveying a sense of place in one's images; that sense of place that transports the viewer to the location where the photo was made, and experience that location through the photographer's senses.
Unlike the dedicated wildlife / portrait / landscape photographer, the travel photographer finds himself / herself face-to-face with a wide range of photographic opportunities and challenges. He or she has to do as much justice to a landscape, as he has to do with photographing a procession or people. In that, true travel photography provides the ultimate challenge for a photographer wishing to develop skills that encompass a wide variety of photo-ops.
It goes without saying that opportunities for great travel photography abound in India. Whether it be a procession of camels vending their way through the sand dunes of the Rajasthan desert, pilgrims taking a dip in the holy waters of the Ganges at Varanasi, ancient masked dances in the himalayan region of Ladakh, or, the breathtaking himalayan landscapes of Ladakh - India is THE place to make great evocative travel images.
The destinations we operate our photo tours, workshops & tours to are carefully handpicked for the wealth of photo-ops that abound there. All of them (except wildlife destinations) fit into the category of Travel Imagery. We encourage you to spend some time studying the images spread accross this site in order to acquaint yourself with the various locales we run our photography workshops & photo tours to and the wealth of travel imagery that abounds there.
CULTURAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Ever wondered what it's really like to 'get behind the scenes'? And we mean REALLY get behind the scenes! We're not talking about just going beyond the standard, cliché shots (shudder! we don't get those even on our 'normal' trips!) that everybody shoots; what we're talking of here is Cultural Photography in the truest sense of the word.
What is 'culture'? It is that which unites a people. It is that which gives them a sense of collective identity. It is that set of beliefs, practices, occasions & customs which unties them under a common banner.
On all the travel & documentary photo tours, workshops & expeditions that we operate in India, we strive to maximize interaction with the people on location in order to foster cross-cultural exchange of viewpoints, as well as to maximize the potential for our participants to get the best photographs possible. This obviously means taking them 'behind the scenes' , whenever possible.
Ever wondered what Ladakh would look like in the winter when the tourists that flock here in summer have long departed? Would the people act, and behave differently? Ever wondered what it's like step into a traditional Ladakhi home - and observe - their day to day activities? Or, step into the chambers of the Rimpoche (recognized reincarnate lama) in charge of a monastery and watch other monks & laymen interact with him? Ever wondered what it would be like to eat with the monks in the dark interiors of the monastery kitchen, while the vapors rising from steaming utensils condenses in the crispy, cold breeze of a Ladakhi winter? Ever wondered about just how they ring in Losar - the Tibetan New Year? Or, ever wondered what it would be like to be amongst a handful of observers during their winter monastic festivals? Ever wondered....
In addition to our 'normal' range of travel & documentary photo tours, we also operate specialized cultural photo tours to select locations in India; the difference between these cultural photo tours & our 'normal' tours being the degree of interaction with locals, participation in key events, and an opportunity to 'see things as they really are' in order to understand - and document via images - 'that' which unites a people.
Whether it be our December 2008 sojourn to document Losar in Ladakh, or, our Feb-March expedition to seek out the blindfolded acrobatic oracle monks of Matho, you'll find that our cultural photo tours in India get you behind the scenes in order to help you experience, understand, and document unique lifestyles and cultures.
LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY
With an emphasis on breathtaking Himalayan landscape photography being one of their key highlights, our photography tours to Ladakh are ideal for the landscape photographer. Cradled by the Karakoram and the Great Himalayan ranges, La-dags (Ladakh - Land of High Mountain Passes) - at an average altitude of 15000 feet above sea level - is primararily a high altitude desert, punctuated by several inland seas that are home to several species of migratory birds. Bordering western Tibet, Ladakh offers a wealth of landscape (and other!) photo-ops for the particiapnts of our photography workshops, tours & expeditions to this region of India.
If landscape photography in sparesely populated, high altitude regions get your creative juices churning, consider signing up for one of our custom photography expedition to the Kailash-Manasoravar region of Tibet. A spectacular wealth of landscape - and cultural & documentary - photo-ops await photographers on this trip; check out our Tibet photo gallery for some examples.