I love to take photos and my travels have taught me that, when it comes to portraits, Kolkata beauty is ageless.

Kolkata is a busy, noisy and densely populated city in West Bengal. Despite the hot and humid weather, I found the local Bengalis to be friendly, patient and welcoming. Better still, they were more than happy for me to take photos of them going about their daily life.

I met this lovely, elderly lady while exploring backstreets on a typically hot Kolkata day. She was sitting, on the shady side of the street, on a step near the front door of her home.

There's something really special about the way soft, gentle light brings a face to life. Likewise, I love how shadows bring out the structural elements of a face, adding character to a portrait.

These facts are key reasons why I love to take photos of people in open shade.

I sensed a quiet dignity in her demeanor, which is why I wanted to photograph her.

True to my approach, when taking street portraits in the documentary tradition, the whole process is undertaken within a minute or two.

Just a few photos, with the minimum of direction, and I’m gone.

I allow the gentle light of open shade to illuminate the subject and open myself up to the process and, by extension, to the person I’m photographing.

That relaxes them and, with barriers broken, taking photos becomes a very simple and straightforward process.

I mean, why complicate things through an approach based upon loads of fancy pants camera gear and an overly aggressive, bullish nature.

No, that’s not who I am. And I think you can see that in the photos I make.

The image is tone and detail rich.

There’s an expansive range of tones, from deep shadows, through to midtowns and fully textured highlights.

Likewise, the image is super sharp without being harsh, and displays an extraordinary amount of detail in her face, hair and shawl.

Of course the eyes, known as windows to the soul, are important in most portrait photos. Her eyes are well lit and show an interest in how things are proceeding.

After all, you’re at least as interesting and exotic to the person you’re taking photos of as they are to you.

Always remember this fact, and allow that knowledge to empower you whenever you approach a stranger to take photos.

Take Photos And Quickly Move On

In the case of this lovely, elderly lady it was simply a matter of approaching her and asking permission to take her photo.

I often find that most folks, particularly older ones, are flattered by the attention and quite enjoy the process.

However, I'm always careful to make my photos and move on without taking up too much of their time or making them feel nervous or self conscious.

My advice is to approach people directly and with confidence. But avoid do so in a way that draws too much attention to yourself or your fancy pants camera gear.

The last thing you want to do is to scare off your potential subject by being pushy or flouting technology in a way that highlights their less fortunate financial situation.

*Portrait of a man in a local market in Kolkata, India.*

To Take Photos of The Elderly Is A Revelation

I always feel a sense of euphoria after taking photos of an elderly citizen, particularly when I feel the image has the potential to become an important document in years to come.

I photographed this man in his little shop in a local market in Kolkata, India.

He was happy to be photographed and I did so by using the nature light, coming in through an open doorway, to illuminate his face.

It’s a simple photo, and I like how well his check shirt and the muted, sombre surroundings appear in the black and white version of this photo.

I also like how, by raising his right leg up in front of his arm, it appears that his upper body is larger and somewhat out of proportion with the rest of his body.

It’s not strange or unattractive, but it does add a subtle visual tension to the image which, once discovered, encourages further examination.

As a travel photographer, I’ve photographed many countries and people on the edge of change.

Many people in China, Myanmar and India dress and, in many cases, live very differently to how they did on my first visit to their country.

And of course, photos can outlive people.

But that’s not a bad thing, as one of the reasons we take photos is to preserve important memories for posterity.

I’m keenly aware of the fact that, when I photograph the elderly, I may be creating the best photo that’s been made of them in their long life.

On occasions, I’ve passed on my email details in the hope that there's a member of the family who might be interested in seeing, and retaining a copy of, the finished image.

Let’s not forget that photos have the potential of becoming time capsules and, as such, can be valuable to the subject’s family for generations to come.

*Group photo of kids in an alleyway in Kolkata, India.*

Taking Photos of Kids Is A Joyous Experience

It’s a lot fun to take photos of kids. In countries like India it’s often the case that, despite sometimes limited English, the kids enjoy interacting with well-meaning and polite foreigners.

If completed quickly, the process of taking photos can be a bit of a game. In fact, I often find that, by the time one child has had their photo taken, there's one or two more kids ready to be a part of the action.

And that's exactly how the above image was made.

I had just finished photographing one of the kids, when the rest of the group expressed an interest in becoming involved.

While I managed to make a few portraits of several of these kids, I very much like the sense of intimacy and connectedness that's depicted in this somewhat candid moment.

The very things that would be considered imperfect about this image, if it had been commissioned by the children’s parents, are what make it work as a documentary street photo.

Notice that little moment of blur, as one of the boys brushes his hand over the oldest girl’s dress, at the same time that another one of the children is looking down.

Those moments, added together, very much add to the authentic and candid nature of this photo.

How I Approach Taking Photos of Children

Given the fact that not all photographers have honourable or pure intentions, I'm always very careful about whom I approach.

I won't make contact with a child unless they're with a parent, guardian or, in some cases, a sibling or other children.

I go about the process of making the photo quickly and would rarely ask the child to move more than a few meters away from where I've met them before making the photo.

Of course, children begging for alms can follow you for miles before you shake them off, but that's another thing entirely.

Should Kolkata Be On The Tourist Trail?

The photos in this post were made on a self motivated photo walk through the backstreets of Kolkata.

As the light grew low a wide aperture and medium to high iso were required to make sharp images without the use of a tripod.

Given that this post is based around the concept of ageless beauty in Kolkata, I thought that this photo of a tea store in a Kolkata side street would be a good fit.

While not a portrait, it was made a short distance away from the other images in this post and I think the warm, sepia-like treatment with which I've imbued the photo brings out a lovely sense of nostalgia.

Actually I think that sense of nostalgia is very much in line with the title of this post and, to my mind, with Kolkata itself.

Kolkata is an old city that's full of charm and the echoes of times past. Indeed, the age of the city seems to hang down upon it, much like the weather.

Nonetheless, Kolkata is a fascinating city and the intrepid traveller will find lots to see and take photos of, as they wander the streets of this large and heavily populated metropolis.

I don’t believe an exploration of India is really complete without a visit to this historic, culturally rich and friendly city.

Glenn Guy, Travel Photography Guru

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