Behind the Image: Dawn on the Ganges

India, Reinvented
Nikon N09s with a 24-100mm lens at f5.6, exposed for 1/40 second on Fuji Velvia 50 ASA slide film
By Abrahn Lustgarten

Largely as a result of their own popularity, the international sites we tend to visit are often crowded with tourists—lots of tourists—all of them equally anxious to see the same fantastic sites that makes such destinations so popular. But just because you spot camera-toting tourists in every direction, all of them searching for that ever-elusive postcard-perfect shot, doesn't mean it's impossible to discover a new way of looking at such an overpopulated destination. Provided you're willing to step inside the world around you, rather than just wandering around, waiting for that world to invite you in, you can find that truly unique shot. This photo, taken while on a taxi boat in Varanasi, India, is an example of one such experience.

I started walking along the banks of the Ganges River as the sun rose and the morning light illuminated hundreds of devout Hindus bathing along the shores. The scene was a feast for the eyes of any photographer, and I wasn't the only one to think so—despite the early hour, at least a dozen camera-wielding westerners were scouting the same banks in search of that perfect shot. In the hopes of seeing something different, I forked over 20 rupees—about 45 cents—to the next boatman I came across and we headed out on the river.

Immediately we entered a different world, the morning quiet on the river broken only by the steady sounds of the boatman's oars striking the water. The din of crowded morning markets, touts, and worshipers all remained on shore and the river became a tangible, serene space, both physically and mentally. I wanted to capture that side of Varanasi, and so my attention turned to the boatman.

With a Nikon 24-120mm lens and my Nikon N90s I shot several frames of this man while he was engrossed in his movement across the river. I loaded Fuji Velvia 50 film, despite its slow exposure length, in an effort to fully capture the rich color and subtle hues of the morning light, and shot at about 1/40th of a second at f5.6. I zoomed in close to capture the rough lines of his expressive face, then pulled back into a wider frame to capture both his work and a bit of the river scene around us. The slow exposure allowed for deeper saturation and a softening of the water's surface, but still retained the man and his boat in sharp focus. The end result, a slice of a world removed from the hustle of Varanasi's shorelines that evokes the natural charm of India and the Ganges River.

Abrahm Lustgarten in an internationally published, award-winning photojournalist whose work has appeared in Sports Illustrated, Newsweek, and Men's Journal magazines. He most frequently covers social, travel and outdoor adventure subjects, and is a regular contributor to Away.com. You can see more of his work at www.abrahm.com