In Rajasthan, on a photography tour…

Kishan Harwalkar, a regular on our photography tours, recalls his experiences of travelling across Rajasthan on a photography tour with Darter and shares the images he made during the visit. All text and images by Kishan.

Also: join us on the upcoming edition of  Forts & Dunes of Rajasthan, A Photography Tour

From the pink shades of Jaipur to the blues of Jodhpur, from the Havelis of Bikaner to the dunes of Thar at Jaisalmer, was our itinerary for Rajasthan Photography Tour. A vacation that would take you back in time, into the rich history, heritage and the culture of Rajasthan. Add to that the mentoring of Arun Bhat from Darter, providing us with lots tips and tricks of Photography, was certainly a mouthwatering photography tour for any budding photographer!!

Jaipur was our first stop – a city founded in 1727 by Jai Singh II, the Raja of Amer, who built several palaces and forts. Jaipur, a city that got painted in pink to welcome the Prince of Wales in 1876 during the rule of Sawai Ram Singh and that’s how it became “Pink City!”

The best part of Jaipur was not the splendors of the Palaces and Forts. But the hours spent with the vendors on the street, listening to their versions of Jaipur.

An interesting aspect of this tour was the surprise visit to some offbeat places along our way. Stopping by some random villages, visiting Havelis turned to homes, interacting with villagers and sometimes even ending up with an invitation to visit their homes.

Bikaner, one of the coldest place in Rajasthan, is known for the majestic Junagadh fort. A visit to the beautiful Havelis of this old town, followed by Junagarh post lunch and a pleasant evening at Devikund makes your day! Devikund is a royal crematorium, which houses many beautiful Chhattris, which are actually the tombs of royal lineage. Come sunset, the orange sky, against the Chattris and a bunch of pigeon flying all over, make it a great time for photography.

A visit to Bikaner isn’t complete without a visit to KEM Street, a place to experience authentic Rajasthani street food! The place is full of shops and street vendors, selling a variety of mouth-watering chats and the famous Rajasthani sweets.

Jaisalmer, the Golden City, was the icing on the cake during this trip. Walking through the narrow alleys of this old town, interacting with warm and welcoming people of this town is a wonderful experience.

The penultimate part of the tour was a visit sand dunes of Thar Desert. The day we were all waiting for! The first place was Sam, a tiny village around 40 kms from Jaisalmer and a great a place to experience Thar, especially for Photography. Come evening the place gets overcrowded with thousands of tourists, vendors and camel herdsmen insisting the tourists on taking a camel ride. The whole scene is so chaotic, with all the people and camels that it can overwhelm anyone and more so if your purpose is photography. The trick is to scout the whole area walking around kicking up sand, to find a sweet spot and wait patiently. Your patience eventually pays off and you find many opportunities presenting themselves like the one below.

Most people visit the dunes of Jaisalmer to experience Sunset. But a visit to these places to experience sunrise is even more special. You to get up very early in the morning, struggle your way walking up the dunes in darkness, get to the top and keep waiting for the first rays of the sun. The moment the first rays of the sun land on the sand, the entire desert starts shining like a sea of gold!

The whole tour was a rich photography experience with lots of tips, tricks and feedback not just from Arun, but also from the other participants. The days started on the breakfast table, with some tips on the photo opportunities for the day and ended with photo reviews, plus feedback over a drink on the dinner table.

Rajasthan was not just my first Photography trip with Darter, but a beginning of a lasting relationship with Darter and its community!!

Interested in joining us on the next edition of this tour? Find out more:  Forts & Dunes of Rajasthan, A Photography Tour