Little India - I did not fight with the Indian man.

[sjackal]

Last time at Clarke Quay angmoh want to fight with me. This time round at Little India I practised more stealth, though still some subjects were a bit irritated.

In my humble opinion Little India attracts street photographers like no other for several reasons; there are lots, I mean LOTS of people, a very rich history, and a contrasting mix of old and modern cultures. Within the span of few hours, I spotted several snappers both local and foreign. Coincidentally me and CT 3833 were there on the same day. His thread is here. Anyway here goes.

Click on any of the pics to visit my blog for the full series.

Oh yah, all shots are from Nikon D80 on Sigma 30mm f1.4 lens

Om Namo NarayaNaya. Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple, a temple dedicated to the Hindu God Lord Vishnu. A statue of Lord Vishnu beside the main door.



A devotee washing his feet before entering the temple. It is common temple etiquettes to wash hands and feet and also removing footwear before entering the temple.



Young devotee talking to a Brahmin priest outside the temple.

 

[sjackal]

A young girl reading at the bus stop. She wears the uniform of a local Hindi school.



Here is an example of people practicing the traditional way of life. This old man is a devotee of Lord Vishnu, known as Vaisnavas. How do I tell? Look at the forehead, he had painted a Tilaka in the symbol of Lord Vishnu. Look closely at his neck too, there is another one.

In fact, there is a total of twelve, on the arms, chest and back; each representing a one of the twelve names of Lord Vishnu. The devotee chants a different mantra at each individual step. The painting of Tilaka is really a complex ritual by itself.



In just another few steps ahead, you'll see the scenes of modern living upfolding. A passing Indian lady in office dress.

 

[sjackal]

Day to day dudes moving around town doing their own thing.



The trishaw tour for tourists that is unique to Singapore. Although they are like passing clouds on the same old sky, tourists are a part of Little India, you always sees them, just different faces.



Indians are not the only ethnic community here. The Chinese had been making their living in the streets of Little India since history. This Chinese old man sells car tires. He is a daily sight along Serangoon Road and that old bathtub is his daily seat!

 

[sjackal]

And of course, the Indian community do businesses here.

Religious artifacts seller. Apparently a bit irritated to be photographed.



Tailor.



Clothing seller.

 

[sjackal]

Business is tough and competition is stiff. Sellers often need to watch each others' prices to stay competitive.



Food and beverages.



"Sir! Your bill! Your bill!" Sometimes some customers don't pay.

 

[catchlights]

nice captured.

but some of the images are over sharpen, very uncomfortable to look at it.

 

[sjackal]

Regular customers are more reliable it seems.



Flower sellers are such a common sight in Little India.



Antique seller.

 

[sjackal]

And some other trades.



Another subtle hint of traditional way of life here. Indian women often wear Jasmine flowers on her hair when visiting temples or during official Indian functions like weddings. The practice was brought over from South India and is very much alive here in the modern cosmopolitan city of Singapore, even though some already consider it as a 'rural practice'.



Thats all for today. I will post more pics tomorrow or later. Thanx for the read.

 

[sjackal]

nice captured.

but some of the images are over sharpen, very uncomfortable to look at it.

Thanx for the pointers. I appreciate.

 

[night86mare]

i think generally little india is quite photographer friendly - especially the shopkeepers, if you ask nicely they will even pose, etc.

some nice captures here, but at times there are unnecessary elements, and i prefer to be "closer up", which you can actually do in a more forgiving environment. i second catchlight's opinion on sharpening.. here and there, anyways.

 

[Noretta10]

great job capturing a part of our beautiful country mate!!

 

[sjackal]

i think generally little india is quite photographer friendly - especially the shopkeepers, if you ask nicely they will even pose, etc.

some nice captures here, but at times there are unnecessary elements, and i prefer to be "closer up", which you can actually do in a more forgiving environment. i second catchlight's opinion on sharpening.. here and there, anyways.

Thanx for the pointers. Will note the sharpening thingy. I guess its due to some photos not being sharp in the first place and I tried to fix it and overdone it. Maybe I should let it blur instead.

One thing I try to maintain is don't ask for street photos, posed photos becomes street portraits. Though sometimes I ask silently, like smiling, eye contact and bringing up the camera to get silent approval.

 

[sjackal]

great job capturing a part of our beautiful country mate!!

Thanx Noretta.

 

[night86mare]

Thanx for the pointers. Will note the sharpening thingy. I guess its due to some photos not being sharp in the first place and I tried to fix it and overdone it. Maybe I should let it blur instead.

One thing I try to maintain is don't ask for street photos, posed photos becomes street portraits. Though sometimes I ask silently, like smiling, eye contact and bringing up the camera to get silent approval.

yes, i agree.. street photography should not be posed. quite a bit different from travel, where posing is probably slightly more acceptable.

what sort of settings are you using in usm? :dunno:

 

[The Dry Box]

You have some nice shots. Most of your photos came across to me as more documentary than street, prolly because of the commentary and the series following a pattern of daily activities and routines, covering either a trade or a habit.

The last few photo has more things happening, and to me are closer to street photography.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3226/2808371800_bd994e3327_o.jpg
... is an example of one of those photo. The photo not necessary shows her as a florist, and there are enough elements in the picture to make it interesting, plus a touch of mystery. My favorite shot of the batch.

 

[cjtune]

I really like the Antique Seller shot. Somehow the pose and the arrangement of objects at that moment strike me as fine-artsy.. sorry this layman cannot explain any more than that.

 

[sjackal]

yes, i agree.. street photography should not be posed. quite a bit different from travel, where posing is probably slightly more acceptable.

what sort of settings are you using in usm? :dunno:

What do you mean by USM? Sorry I blur.

 

[night86mare]

What do you mean by USM? Sorry I blur.

don't you use unsharp mask (USM) to sharpen your photos? a large bulk of people do, anyways..

 

[sjackal]

You have some nice shots. Most of your photos came across to me as more documentary than street, prolly because of the commentary and the series following a pattern of daily activities and routines, covering either a trade or a habit.

The last few photo has more things happening, and to me are closer to street photography.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3226/2808371800_bd994e3327_o.jpg
... is an example of one of those photo. The photo not necessary shows her as a florist, and there are enough elements in the picture to make it interesting, plus a touch of mystery. My favorite shot of the batch.

Thank you sir, I appreciate your pointers very much! Especially so because I think you are one of really good street photographers of this forum. :thumbsup:

Yes, I agree its more documentary/journalistic than pure street. Pure street is more of a feeling the photo invokes, like magic, than something easily defined by words. Some street photography masters can cast magic spells onto the viewers with their pics and I am really intrigued by them. I am trying to learn and learn and see if I can do well in this area.

 

[sjackal]

don't you use unsharp mask (USM) to sharpen your photos? a large bulk of people do, anyways..

Oh, I am still using my old Arcsoft photostudio. The settings are preset and I can't adjust much.

I had gotten PS CS3, but looks complicated and I had'nt really start using it yet.