Christmas

I don't go seeking the "picturesque poverty" shots.  I usually avoid them. I don't want to invade the privacy of people who have so little of it to start with.  This was an accidental picture, I was trying to capture only the line of Christmas tat on sale but sometimes life just jumps up and slaps you in the face.

Waiting zones

Mumbai is a crazy city and I love it.  I like the bustle and hustle and the noise and the smells, well almost all the smells.  I've got very comfortable weaving my way through the people and traffic and enjoying watching and joining in with the masses of people getting on with their lives. 

Recently my eye has been drawn away from the action the business and the activities to the quiet waiting that happens everywhere.  People, entirely comfortable in their spaces just waiting.  I do a lot of waiting too, just standing and watching and waiting to see what happens.  Here are two fellow waiters I watched recently:

Well, it's Mumbai, if  you wait long enough something's going to happen.

Moving Mumbaikers

Mumbai traffic is justly famous.  Mostly it's just an obstacle between where you are and where you want to get to but recently I've been trying to capture the people who drive, pedal or push their way through the noisy scrum.

Some people are aware of me, some pleased, some not so pleased and some are in their own worlds.  I haven't quite mastered the art of capturing people just as I'd like to but I'm sharing some early attempts.

 This chap is rather delighted to be snapped spinning through the city.

 The gentleman driver is oblivious or perhaps only seems so due to his shades. I like to think that in his mind he's in the opening credits of some blockbuster movie.  The lady passenger on the other hand looks mildly annoyed.

 The passenger is decidedly put out.  The driver seems quite pleased with the attention or at least happily bemused.

 This is closer to what I originally set out to capture. Deep in his own world and entirely oblivious to me.  I want to know what's worrying him.

So participation, recording or just being another annoying or puzzling factor in the transport of Mumbai.  I'm not really sure where this will take me but I'm up for the journey.

Moving portraits

Standing at the side of the road pointing a camera at people on motorbikes results in some interesting reactions. It's something I'm definitely going to do again now that I'm back in India until Christmas. Meanwhile here are some Vietnamese moving portraits:

Not best pleased



I'm ignoring you


Front seat passenger

Vietnamese Wedding Photographer

In Vietnam wedding pictures are taken before the wedding. It's a fairly lengthy process usually requiring at least three costume and related hairstyle and make-up changes. What adds to the overall hard work of the day is that the pictures are taken on location, usually several locations.

There are some tried and tested favourites,the central Post Office, Notre Dame Cathedral irrespective of what your religious persuasion is, on the steps of the Opera House are all popular. More prosaic choices might be on a busy traffic bridge or posing inside giant rusting pipes or buying fruit at a market in full bridal regalia. There are props to handle too, violins, basketballs, teddy bears, and stepladders, I've seen them all employed to various effects.

The average wedding photographer has a team of helpers to variously wrangle the cameras, the props, the costumes and the makeup touch ups but ultimately it's down to him to snap the pictures. It's his, and the photoshop editor's job, to capture the glamour and it's not always easy.

If you fancy giving it a go, here is some advice from a Vietnamese wedding photographer "Wear Crocs; easy off, happy in water, solid floor, no smell"

Violet times in Ho Chi Minh City

I lived in Vietnam for four years before moving to India so it was great to go back to somewhere I was so familiar with and where I still have a lot of friends.

Sometimes, especially when I'm taking pictures somewhere I know well, I'll choose a colour and seek out things to snap that match it. The process is to have a quick scan about and the first photo worthy thing you see, that's the colour. In HCMC it turned out to be purple. Vietnam loves purple in all it's shades and flavours.

When you think of Vietnam or Saigon (aka Ho Chi Minh City) it's likely that rice fields and conical hats come to mind and there are lots and lots of these:

Right there, keeping her Non La or conical hat on - purple. Now you will find lots of ladies in traditional dress but HCMC is a fast developing city. It's a great mix of new and old, foreign and local influences and like most cities it has a fancy shopping street. The start of this area is marked by the Louis Vuitton store on Le Loi Street. Here we have the Four Legged Lady of Le Loi and a purple dominated LV window:

Part of the tradition in Vietnam in general is the preponderance of public information propaganda posters, another is that everyone rides motorbikes:

If everyone rides motorbikes then you want yours to stand out from the crowd, if only to find it easier in the parking lots and in HCMC you can do that with style. Anything and everything can be personalised and here are two reconditioned Vespas demonstrating that:

Even the airport has purple seats, some people dress to match...

and some to blend in.

As I sit here I've just noticed my toes, I got a pedicure in Saigon, trust me the best pedicures in the world are done in Vietnam. It's purple of course, I don't even like purple!

What I did on my summer holidays

First stop on the summer holidays was in Malacca, Malaysia. It's a pretty town, lots of shop houses and a lovely river walk. there are hotels and guest houses to suit all tastes and pockets.

It has a big Chinese and Indian community so good food is pretty much guaranteed and these two cuisines fight manfully with the more local Nonya cookery. Nonya food is delicious. It seems to be a mixture between Javanese and Indian cookery with the techniques of Java and the spices of India but I'm sure an expert could set me right on that.

There is a lot of history in Malacca and plenty to do and see but I've been before so didn't do much with the camera except take picturess of shops and things in shops on an afternoon stroll. So here, for your delectation are pictures of shops and things found in shops - exciting eh?

Shop sign, they sell motor oil and have been doing for some time by the look of things


Ikan Bilis, salty, dried anchovies, you can smell them before you see them but they are delicious in a salty, fishy, smelly sort of a way and an important part of many dishes.


In the Chinese area of town you can find shops which specialise in paper goods. These are made to be burned so the ancestors can have a comfortable afterlife. I've seen all sorts, the new iPad and DSLR cameras are popular as are fancy cars and designer clothing but I've never seen racy red underwear before, I wonder what kind of ancestor would appreciate these.


Fake goods are all over the place, these shoes are for surfing.


Another nice shop sign, a place where you can trade all your Fatt Tatt.


And here's someone whose been shopping.

Trading

I can't begin to understand how difficult it is to make a living from selling simple paper garlands.

Street Eaters

Dogs, cats, rats and cows are all fairly common eaters of things on the the street. I don't have any pictures of those at the moment so offer some alternatives:

Found everywhere but usually moving too fast for me to capture them.



Pigs were unexpected scavengers in Jaipur but they seem to do a pretty good job in clearing up the edible, and less obviously edible, junk.

Produce

The range and quality of fresh produce is a constant pleasure whether you just take pictures of it or actually get around to cooking the stuff.

Chili emporium



Farm goods on the way to market

The Big Balloons of Bombay

Giant Balloon Guy

Puzzled. Every city has its own brand of hawkers specialising in selling tat to tourists. In Vietnam it was photocopied books, anywhere there were tourists there were girls lugging tottering stacks of Lonely Planets and The Quiet American around. If they didn't have what you were looking for the would hop off to a central warehouse and be back with your Bill Bryson of choice in minutes. This is a practical and popular product ideally suited to the target market.

In Mumbai they sell giant balloons to tourists. I know you would buy an uninflated version but the questions are still begged...

Who buys them?
How much do they pay?
What do they do with them ?
How long do they take to blow up?
Why?

Bandra Thursday

I was caught up by a passing parade so I pulled out the camera and prepared to be be besieged by beggars, hawkers and other itinerate earners.

My guess is Durga but my Goddess-identification-skills need a lot of developing, as do my avoiding-McDonald's-signs skills.

Mumbai August

The skies are still grey so the weather is still cool but there have been a few hopeful signs of blue from time to time.

I've been heading into Mumbai proper more often but usually without either a camera or a charged battery. The latter is infinitly more frustrating!

Lots of people suggested a trip to Mohammed Ali street for the Muslim food stalls during Ramadan. It's the first time I got overwhelmed by India but it was mostly fun. we went, I got lost, I got punched in the kidneys by a child, we found our way out, I didn't manage to eat a bloody thing. Next time maybe.

Edinburgh extended stay

A quick week stop off has stretched out further as the work visas are taking longer than anticipated to get processed. No problem, time for more pictures, more oatcakes and more baked tatties and lots of time at the visa processing centre.

Vermin


There's a Spanish tourism promotion this week and appropriately themed buskers.


There are more traditional Scottish buskers


and traditional buskers with twists.

Otherwise I've been out and about getting arty-farty with the new lens.







Fingers crossed for the next pictures coming from India.

Edinburgh

Back in the old stamping grounds after four years in South East Asia. It's been a whirlwind of panic, frustration and tangled rules and regulations as we attempt to get travel, visas and banking all sorted out while still leaving some time to catch up and catch breath.

I've rediscovered how few people are out and about before 6am and still being on a Vietnamese waking schedule have found it a good time to get out and take some pictures. There's no doubt Edinburgh is a striking city.

Clouds

Palings

Lums

Lamposts

Castle

Cobbles and a rare personal appearance.

Anywhere in the world by DHL...

...anywhere else by bus.