8 Comments
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moghul's avatar

Getting closer emotionally is a key separator in capturing that true moment/emotion. Great read!

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Gajan Balan's avatar

Couldn’t agree more 👌🏾

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Mauro Raunich's avatar

I fully agree, I had to push myself to overcome a bit of shyness ar first but eventually it’s doable and worth the effort

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Gajan Balan's avatar

Absolutely, thanks for sharing. Love hearing this.

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Jared Weinstock's avatar

Great post gajan

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Gajan Balan's avatar

Thank you brother ✌🏾

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Alan Greenberg's avatar

I need to think on this for a while. My street photography has no parallel with what you are doing in South Asia. But getting closer physically and mentally to your subject is key. Good post Gajan. You keep me thinking

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Robots and Chips's avatar

The Sony Godox iT30 at quarter power paired with that half second shutter really nails the balance between freezing your subject and capturing the ambient chaos of the festival around them. Your point about emotional closeness being what separated fulfilled photographers from frustrated ones resonates so deeply, especially when you consider how many people chase technical perfection while missing the story entirely. That journey from being a disinterested teenager at these festivals to now actively working through those early judgments through photography is such a powerful driver for authenticity. The fact that you're willing to get shoved around in smoke and heat for a single frame that carries real weight is exactly what Capa meant when he talked about getting clse.

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