Jun
26

Faces of India in photos.

“IN PHOTOS” is a series I will use to share many of the hundreds of photos I have taken during my travels. It is a series I have thought about for a while now, but did not want to start until I got back home from my trip. However after spending a week in Chefchaouen, Morocco I couldn’t wait any longer. “IN PHOTOS” will not have a set schedule like my “MUSIC MONDAY” or “PHOTO ROUND UP” series. “IN PHOTOS” will be a post with several photos with no limit. The only restriction this series will have is that it must be about a certain subject or theme. I will write a brief paragraph or sentence describing the subject or theme of the photos and then post the photos. I will not caption the photos like I do on my “PHOTO ROUND UP” with my thoughts. I want to use “IN PHOTOS” to share my photos and let you come up with your own thoughts about the images and hope you share them with me. I have also numbered them in case you want to leave a comment about a specific photo.

India a country with over 1 BILLION faces… and a country I may never understand. I spent 3 months in India and during my time there I noticed that the people of India love to be photographed by foreigners. You can be walking around anywhere and many times one will come up to you and say “photo” point at your camera and then their face. Yup, they just want you to have a photo of them and walk away. Sometimes they will even ask if they can take a photo with you or of you, okay not sometimes a lot of times. I’ve mentioned on several occasions that I have never been good at photographing peoples faces. It’s something I wish I was good at because I am always intrigued by faces. The eyes… the wrinkles… the nose… the smile… the look… the hair… the skin… it  always makes me wonder “what is their story?”. Lucky for me in India I didn’t have a problem. I have never been able to capture so many faces from any country like I have in India. They just stand there and let you snap away. After I got over my fear of putting my camera in peoples faces it got easier and I was able to capture many intriguing faces. I went the through all the head shots I captured and selected the best ones. The first 5 may look familier they are some of my favorite and have been posted on my Photo Round Ups or Facebook. The other 25 faces are new and some of the most intriguing faces I have ever been able to capture. So of  the 1 BILLION+ faces in India here are 30 of them.

Faces of India

—1—

Faces of India

—2—

Faces of India

—3—

Faces of India

—4—

Faces of India

—5—

Faces of India

—6—

Faces of India

—7—

Faces of India

—8—

Faces of India

—9—

Faces of India

—10—

Faces of India

—11—

Faces of India

—12—

Faces of India

—13—

Faces of India

—14—

Faces of India

—15—

Faces of India

—16—

Faces of India

—17—

Faces of India

—18—

Faces of India

—19—

Faces of India

—20—

Faces of India

—21—

Faces of India

—22—

Faces of India

—23—

Faces of India

—24—

Faces of India

—25—

Faces of India

—26—

Faces of India

—27—

Faces of India

—28—

Faces of India

—29—

Faces of India

—30—

Whose story would you like to know???

PREVIOUS IN PHOTOS

Related Posts with Thumbnails

Comments

  1. JAIME! These are ALL so beautiful! Stunning! I want to know everyone’s stories.
    Sheryll recently posted..Attack of the Middle School Zombie Killers

    • Jaime Davila says:

      Thank you so much Sheryll! I’m so happy I was finally able to capture some amazing head shots.

  2. So many beautiful faces! Faves? 16, 21, 28.

  3. LoveloveLOVE this! People always make the best photo subjects in my opinion – everyone is so diverse with their own story to tell. Can’t wait to see more photos in this series – an Egypt installment, perhaps?
    Waegook Tom recently posted..5 European Cities I’d Love to Visit

    • Jaime Davila says:

      Thanks WT, I agree people always make the best photo subjects. I hate that for me it’s always so hard to get them, but in India it was so easy. I don’t think I can get one of Egypt. The people of Egypt really don’t like the camera.

  4. Number 15 is my absolute favorite. What’s his story?
    Allison recently posted..Do I have what it takes, I sure have the patience to see

    • Jaime Davila says:

      I wonder too Allison. I took that photo of him while I was a lil desert village in the middle of know where. They were so amazed we were there & that we had cameras. It was an interesting moment of my time in India that is for sure.

    • Hi.. The no 15 photo of the boy right?? I am from India and i can only make a guess, From the looks of it i think he is either a tribal boy or a boy from the lower caste (I would say 75% lower caste. If my guess is true then the boy has a hard life. Since you mentioned desert i presume you took the photo from Rajasthan or Gujrat. Caste system is very rigid in those parts and caste violence is common.

  5. Number 10! that story bro! He looks like exactly the kinda guy u want at ur weekend BBQ!!!
    Ash | The Most Alive recently posted..Uganda: Making A Difference Without A Viral Video (Interview With Leonie Quayle)

  6. #25 owns my heart
    Elle recently posted..Heifer at Large!

    • Jaime Davila says:

      Awww Elle, she was one of the students I help teach English. She was so cute… I can see why she owns your heart!

  7. Great shots Jaime! Should I be surprised that one of them is blonde? I’d like to know how that happened…
    Laura recently posted..The Zip Code Man in Boulder

    • Jaime Davila says:

      I know right Laura… the blonde? I saw him and his brother both blondes outside of a temple we were visiting and I knew I had to get a shot because I wanted it for this post I already had in mind. I’m glad one of them came out good. So strange, I hadn’t seen a blonde Indian before.

      • Hi.. I think he has albino. People with albino in india have blonde hair and yellowish skin. That apart there are people who have genuine blondish hair. They are mostly the nomadic tribes like Banjaras. They are part of the various tribes that migrated from central asia to india. These nomadic tribes did not become part of society unlike others who settled down. so they retain most of the features of their ancestors.Other tribes lost their unique features due to inter-marriage. I dont have photo to give you an example so ill say google “nuristanis”. Nuristanis are afghans but have feature similar to the nomadic tribes i mentioned.

        @Laura. I can understand you are surprised :). You see india is very very very diverse nation. We have people who at first glance you’ll think is european, we have people who look like africans, people who look like chinese, mongolians etc and many more. Historically many people came and settled here. It is quite fascinating and to be honest even we indians dont know all about the different people in india bcoz like i said it is too diverse 🙂

  8. Not good at photographing people’s faces, eh? These are amazing, Jaime. #6 and 7 look right into your soul. Incredible.
    Christina recently posted..New Zealand: 5 museums you should visit

    • Jaime Davila says:

      Thank you so much Christina, I am working on it. I love that I was able to capture these so easily in India. In other countries I have trouble getting shots like this.

  9. Lush shots dude, good work.
    Picking a fave was hard though, think 25 is the winner!
    Chris recently posted..Bugs, Fish Heads and Pasties – Why I Love Travel and Food

  10. Beautiful portraits! And you surprised me with the blond! I admire your boldness in approaching people to photograph them, that’s something I’m still working on. 🙂
    Audrey | That Backpacker recently posted..The EngRish Edition: Loin Crepes

    • Jaime Davila says:

      Thanks Audrey, yeah the blond still surprises me. I’ll have to admit I am still working on that as well. For some reason though India is the only place I did not have a problem in. Practice makes perfect.

  11. Jaime, these are amazing pictures! I love them all – #27 is eyeing you up pretty good though – where did you take that?
    Jess | GlobetrotterGirls recently posted..Life on the water: A floating village on Lake Tonle Sap in Cambodia

  12. Brilliant, mate. Absolutely loved this.
    Jeremy recently posted..Rediscovering American Cuisine!

  13. Virginia says:

    Jaime!!! Preciosas las fotos, como siempre!! Gracias por hacer que estemos más cerca de tí a pesar de las distancias y mostrarnos el Mundo tal como es, sin adornos ni retoques…..
    Un abrazo enorme para mi backpacker preferido!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    • Jaime Davila says:

      Virginia… ah que gusto ver tu comment!!! De nada, a mi me da mucho gusto ensenirale a todos comes el mundo tal como esta! Un abrazo y beso. xoxo

  14. Loving the pictures, Jaime. I think my favorite is the expression of the little kid that looks like he’s praying, or something like that.
    Norbert recently posted..The Reality of Visiting Greece Now

    • Jaime Davila says:

      Thanks Norbert! Yes she is praying. I loved watching the students I was teaching pray at the end of the day. They would make the cutest faces ever.

  15. That first pic is SO cool!

  16. Carolin says:

    The man in #29 looks sad. Or perhaps comtemplative? #20 makes me smile – and the girl in the background is super cute!! And #1, #18 and #25 are the best shots I reckon, excellent photography and the background works really well in those as well (in some of the others the background is a little too bright/sharp/hectic). But there are some other stunning shots as well!
    I also loved taking portrait shots in India. People there are just naturally beautiful. And all the colours in the clothes & the jewellary are an extra bonus =)

    • Jaime Davila says:

      Carolin, yes I agree #29 looks sad, but is one of my favs. I feel like when I look at the photo I can see straight to his soul & it’s his story I would love to know about. Ahh #18 was an amazing women. She runs an entire desert village on her own. It was so interesting to learn a bit about her. Thanks for all the tips and advice now that you mention that I see what you mean. I’m working on getting better and better. I remember you showing me photos of the many head shots you took while you were an India and from that moment I knew I wanted to capture a few for my self. India really is a photographers heaven.

  17. 17 & 27 are my favorites. Great shots Jaime!

    Photographing people can be hard at first, but once you overcome your fear of asking for permission, a whole new world of possibilities opens up.

    One of the first phrases I try to learn in the local language is: “With your permission, may I take your portrait?” You’ll usually get a more positive response this way.
    Matthew Karsten recently posted..Improve Your Laptop’s Wifi with an Alpha Antenna

    • Jaime Davila says:

      Thanks Matt ahh #17 was one of my students that I taught while volunteering & #27 was just a random man walking by & for some reason reminds me of Popeyes. I am realizing that it really is a whole new world once you over come the fear of asking people. I got over it in India because so many of them would say yes. Ahh I like the sentence you use. I will write that down and use that.

      • @Jaime Hi. How long have been to India??? :). You know even i have a habit of taking photos of people. I really liked all the pics…You see the rural folks in India are not much bothered by people taking their photos. You may face resistance from urban population .

        @Mathew… ha ha well if you are travelling to different parts of india then you would have to keep on learning locals languges LOL. India has hundreds of languages and when you move from one part to another you may think you ended up in a new country .. Different language, dressing etc 😉

        • Jaime Davila says:

          Prajod, I was in India for 3 months. I loved taking photos of people in India… it’s just amazing. Oh & yes I know it was easier in rural areas then urban. I could understand why.

  18. These are all fantastic, but #22 really stands out to me for some reason! I also have a hard time photographing people (I feel like such an annoying intruder), but when we were in India the kids LOVED having their photo taken! It was fun taking pictures and then having them all crowd around the screen to see. 🙂

    • Jaime Davila says:

      Christy #22 is an interesting one. It’s like he is just looking with no feelings. That is strange, but it just looks like that. Oh & yes that is how I feel when I take photos like this an intruder on the personal space. The kids are adorable and taking their photos is so much fun.

      • True. Did you take that pic in rajasthan??? His turban is the reason i asked. Rajathani men wear those turbans..

  19. Awesome. I know you’re enjoying every moment of it. I can only dream of being in all those places.

    Take care and keep sharing.

    • Jaime Davila says:

      Thanks Mario, yes I really am & I hope one day you get on the road to experience how amazing the world is!!!

  20. 28 please!!! OMG those eyes.
    Giulia recently posted..Presidential elections in Egypt: thoughts

  21. Yes, Ours is a country obsessed with foreigners!! People generally love to have snaps clicked with them. Loved the faces, the 7th one seems to be the most fascinating to me. Whats the story behind that one?
    Arti recently posted..My Yatra Diary Goes International!

    • Jaime Davila says:

      It’s very interesting Arti, how much they really are obsessed with foreigners. I think more than any other country. #7 I shot while in Hampi, I was walking back to the hotel and she was along the way so I asked her if I could please snap her photo. I don’t know her story, but I bet she is one strong women with a beautiful soul.

  22. Jaime, these are great! I think you’re so much better than you think you are at taking photographs, people included.
    Ali recently posted..Weekly Photo – Big Ben, London

    • Jaime Davila says:

      Thanks Ali so much, seriously means a lot to me. I know I am getting better, but just feel like I’m not as amazing as others I see on the web. I think I am ready for a DSLR very soon!!! Not that it’s the camera, cus these are all shot with a P&S, but think I’m ready for more options.

  23. As an Indian, I have never seen so many faces like that which is reflecting poverty by large extent! Clearly, you didn’t see entire India.It will take another two trips for you to cover the country. BTW those pictures are great. What kind of camera did you use? I had been to HAMPI last year. The architecture was wonderful and I think the chariot made of stone was simply outstanding. The king ,Sri Krishna Deva Raya,King of Vijayanagara,was actually famous for that kind of Architecture.Our history books generally refer that period as”GOLDEN AGE’ .I really feel very proud that we had that kind of advanced technology much before the rest of the world. The invasion Mughals is the darkest side of Indian History.You must have observed some kind of demolitions and re-constructions in Hampi.

    • Jaime Davila says:

      Oh Sys, I know I clearly didn’t see it all and know I couldn’t do that in a lifetime either. You should be proud of your heritage and everything that your people have made in the past. It must be amazing to belong to people who reached great feats in the past.

  24. Love this post! We just got back from India, we too went to Holi talk about a crazy festival!
    Hannah @Getting Stamped recently posted..Guide to India Visa on Arrival (TVoA)

    • Jaime Davila says:

      OMG how was it???? Ours was intense but amazing!!! It’s an amazing experience that is for sure.

  25. I don’t see any south indian / north east faces in this? Have you visited only north India?

    -Senthil
    A proud southerner 🙂

Leave a Reply to Jaime Davila Cancel reply

*