SoFoBoMo is done. Completed on 7th June. The excitement and fun of  doing the project have been savoured and enjoyed. So, what does one do now? I re-look at the book critically and want to change a bunch of things. Remove some images, switch a few, add a few, change the layout and book design….
I cant go back and “tweak” my book, can I? Would that be sort of “cheating” the SoFoBoMo rule? Maybe not. I do still have until the  end of June if I count the full 31 days allowed from start to finish…

Maybe one could [should] do another book? Naah! I’d have to think up another “theme” – all over again. Too much hard work, that.

Back to enjoying looking at other SoFoBoMo books of ‘09… there are so many fantastic ones out there. Systematically need to download all the PDF’s onto a DVD and view them at leisure.

Ujwala and I photographed together for our respective SoFoBoMo projects at the same locations over 4 mornings, and looking at many of the common scenes and people we photographed, it is interesting to see how we approached [saw?] each one quite differently. I like the ‘common thread’  of both our SoFoBoMo books, though our images speak quite differently. Take a look at Ujwala’s image of this guy sleeping on his cycle-cart. It is a superb B&W one. and I like the way she got that kid in the background, watching. Ujwala took her SoFoBoMo project  a big step further and shot a whole nice series on the streets of Dhaka AND Kolkata [Calcutta] too.

Shooting together has a big advantage  [at least for me], Ujwala would help distract attention and I could then get some “candids” as well which otherwise would have been the run of the mill stiff and stare-into-the-lens ones.
The other advantage being, with Ujwala alongside, I could shoot women on the street without fear of being stopped or asked why and what I was up to!

Photography, SoFoBoMo SoFoBoMo, SoFoBoMo 2009

Looking at the hits stats at my SoFoBoMo blog – the most hits are for the posts that contain phrases like “failure”, “quits”, “SoFoBoMo no-go”, “halt”, “nada” and not for “completed”, “hurray” etc…

People look at things differently hmmm….

I guess.

Black and White, Photography, SoFoBoMo black and white, SoFoBoMo, SoFoBoMo 2009

• Here at Issuu
• Or here at sofobomo.org
• A quick preview of the book is the bottom of this page.
• Or download the PDF fileand view it at leisure…[right click the link at left, and "save to" your PC]
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A small slice of life from Dhaka, Bangladesh.

 

The photos are from….

The Whole-sale Market at Karwan Bazar at early morning . Slushy and smelly. Buzzing with activity. The fish traders, buyers, helpers, hanger-ons, innocent bystanders, trucks, rickshaws, three-wheelers and the crowd… Fish, veggies, fruit, chicken, goats…. and probably some other items too.  Vendors crushing fresh sugarcane and the sherbet-sellers doing brisk early morning business. ‘Paan’ (betel leaf) and cigarette vendors carrying trays of their wares slung from straps around their necks. The chicken butchers doing their job right there out on the street with blood, feathers and innards all over the place.

 

A commonly used  ‘by-pass’ or shortcut to the airport from the city, passes along the rail tracks where many old rusting rail wagons have been used as temporary housing by the homeless… and small ‘bastis’ or make-shift homes made from bamboo, plastic sheeting and thatch had sprung up years ago. The kids play along the tracks, and the adults bring  back drinking water in discarded plastic bottles from nearby facilities. Local trains carrying commuters and villagers bring in farm produce to sell in the city markets…. People ride atop the trains, sometimes because there is no space inside, sometimes because its cooler on top, its free on top and because its just cool - for the kids – to be riding on top and running on the roof and jumping from coach to coach. The children wanted their photos taken. They kept poking their heads into the frame when I tried to photograph something else. Had to shoo them away. They’d come back. We decided to move on elsewhere. The kids wanted ‘some money please’. I said NO. They insisted. I asked them what they would do with the money, the youngest said he’d buy lolly-pops. The older girl almost whacked him over the head, and said no it was so they could buy some food. We gave them some money as we got into the car and I guess they went running off to the nearest shop for some candy.

 

Then, another day. A wild goose chase to find the place where local Sarees are dyed in brilliant colors. Drove for hours looking for Sarees in brightly dyed colors being hung out to dry. I’ve seen these before too and the image in my minds-eye was clear. …rainbows of fabrics. We drove and drove… but there was no sign of any such place. Industrialization has wiped out or driven these local dyeing units further away…. who knows. or …maybe I just took the wrong back-road. We turned back, parked below the Jatrabari bridge on the Buriganga and walked to the top. Another slice of life here. Sand-boats being unloaded by laborers carrying the sand in wicker baskets, long-tailed house-boats, barges, vendors carrying aluminum pots and pans on a bamboo pole, a guy selling deer-skin, snake-skin, tortoise shell, horns, dried intestines, dried sinews, claws and teeth – for medicinal purposes and as aphrodisiacs with a crowd of curious onlookers [including some small kids!]… watched this from a high vantage point on the bridge, looking down at the going-ons.

 

These images are just small bits of time.

 

The real chunks need to be experienced, in large slices.

BANGLADESH!

Photography, SoFoBoMo SoFoBoMo, SoFoBoMo 2009

The fun part is over – making images.

Processing was a minimal job –  converted the RAW files to TIFF in PhotoShop with a slight adjustment of contrast and levels, a bit of sharpening or softening depending on the image, resizing them. Making the final selections and stringing them together with the help of a few friends is done. A simple book layout in Scribus with all the images sequenced is also done.

The tough part is yet to come, and I’m procrastinating writing the accompanying text. groan…..

Else, I could have uploaded the final book to sofobomo.org today.

Photography, SoFoBoMo SoFoBoMo, SoFoBoMo 2009

Day 4:
The Jatrabari bridge across the Buriganga river.

Drove out to try locate an aea where, apparently, the local Sarees in brightly dyed colors are hung out to dry. I’ve seen these before too and the image in my minds-eye was clear. I was expecting to come across brilliant fabrics in all colors and was excited at the prospect of photographing these…. we drove and drove… but there was no sign of any such place.

Turned around, and parked below the Jatrabari bridge on the Buriganga. Sand-boats being unloaded by labourers carrying the sand in wicker baskets, long-tiled house-boats, barges, vendors carrying aluminium pots and pans on a bamboo pole, a guy selling [illegal!] deer-skin, snake-skin, tortoise shell, horns, dried intestines, dried sinews, claws and teeth -  for medicinal purposes and as aphrodisiacs with a crowd of curious onlookers [including some small kids!]… it was fun photographing from a high vantage point looking down at the going-ons.

Bangladesh, Buriganga, Dhaka, Photography, SoFoBoMo, boat, river, street photography Buriganga, SoFoBoMo, SoFoBoMo 2009, street photography

Day 3 [at the abandoned Rail Yard]:

A commonly used “by-pass” or short-cut to the airport from the city, passes along the rail tracks where many old rusting rail wagons have been used as temporary housing by the homeless… and small “bastis” or make-shift homes made from bamboo, plastic sheeting and thatch had sprung up years ago.

The kids play along the tracks, and the adults bring back drinking water in discarded plastic bottles from nearby facilities. 

We spent an hour or so photographing the going-ons and the trains passing by. Mostly local trains carrying commuters and villagers bring in farm produce to sell in the city markets.

People ride atop the trains, sometimes because there is no space inside, sometimes because its cooler on top and sometimes  because its just cool - for the kids – to be riding on top and running on the roof and jumping from coach to coach!

The kids wanted their photos taken, I probably did several dozen of them. They kept poking their heads into the frame when I tried to photograph something else. Had to shoo them away. They’d come back.

We decided to move on elsewhere. The kids wanted “some money please“. I said NO. They insisted. I asked them what they would do with the money, the youngest said he’d buy lolly-pops. The older girl almost whacked him over the head, and said no it was so they could buy some food. We gave them some money as we got into the car and I guess they went running off to the nearest shop for some candy.

Bangladesh, Dhaka, Photography, SoFoBoMo, street photography SoFoBoMo, SoFoBoMo 2009, street photography

Day 2:
The chicken market in Dhaka’s Karwan Bazar area. This market is wholesale veggies, fruit, chicken, goats…. and probably some spices… not sure. Vendors crushing fresh sugarcane for thirsty workers, the sherbet-sellers doing brisk business, “paan” and cigarette vendors carrying trays of their wares slung from straps around their necks. A busy place. And smelly. The chicken butchers doing their job right there out on the street with blood, feathers and innards all over the place. Yucky, but very colorful and photographic!

Bangladesh, Dhaka, Photography, SoFoBoMo, street photography market, SoFoBoMo, SoFoBoMo 2009, street photography

Switched my theme.

Came back to taking street photos and enjoyed SoFoBoMo day-one to the hilt. The Fish Market at Karwan Bazar opens early morning everyday. A but slushy and smelly but the activity and atmosphere were just great for a early morning photo outing…

The fish traders, buyers, helpers, hanger-ons, innocent bystanders, trucks, rickshaws, three-wheelers and the crowd offered nice images to be made.

All images made with natural light, no flash, no light-modifiers. D3 and 2 lenses.  A Nikkor 24-70 f/2.8 and a Nikkor 80-200 f/2.8 only.

Thanks, Ujwala for asking me to go out doing street/market photos again!

Bangladesh, Dhaka, Photography, SoFoBoMo, street photography market, SoFoBoMo, SoFoBoMo 2009, street photography

Looking at a blank wall as far as SoFoBoMo goes.

No ideas. 

Tried.

Did not work.

Stuck in a rut again.

SoFoBoMo SoFoBoMo, SoFoBoMo 2009, storm

Day 7:

Sitting out on the balcony enjoying a late afternoon espresso and a ciggy, dozing a bit from indulgence at lunch [after-glow of the Stoli really] this Black-hooded Oriole comes and perches for a bit of evening sun….

SoFoBoMo mango tree diary, SoFoBoMo, SoFoBoMo 2009