How I Worked on India Travel Photos

There is a world of difference between where I used to be on the social media and where I am now. While doing travel photography, I always wondered that despite having good photos of great locations, why am I not able to attract audience on Instagram and Facebook? I got the answer during a travelers’ conclave in Delhi where I got an opportunity to meet dozens of travel bloggers, many of whom were doing great in their field. Let me share what I gained from the kind bloggers during that meeting.

Don’t underestimate India

A blogger very rightly said that I must never underestimate India for the photo opportunities. There are millions of places and people whom I can click, edit, and publish. It dawned on me that day that even though I stay in a developing country, I still have a lot to see in my country. I had, by then, traveled to a few foreign countries, and was still not satisfied. One more thing is that it takes a lot of money to travel abroad, while I can suffice with relatively less money in India. I decided to expand my photography in my home country, and the results were awesome. Since then, I have traveled to at least 30+ cities in India, and I still have a long list of places to visit.

The time of the day

I had always been lazy about waking up early in the morning, but my fellow bloggers told me not to be a lazy bum and wake up as soon as possible to explore Delhi. They told me to go to Old Fort, Pragati Maidan, Connaught Place, etc. I must confess that these places were awesome after sunset and before sunrise. Just by waking up early and reaching my photo destination an hour before the perfect time, I could plan my photo shoot. I shot the Char Minar when I was working for shooting Car Rentals in Hyderabad. There is a lot to learn about a place when you shed the laziness.

The tripod

A good quality tripod was a great investment for my work. I could do the twilight shoots at ease without having to worry about a blurred shot. The landscape shoots on my Instagram page are a hit just because of that tripod that I now carry everywhere. I has helped me to escape the deadly trend of clicking selfies as well. I don’t like to click a picture with my nose protruding into it, and now I just tell someone to stand with me when I set up my phone on the tripod.

Funny scenes

India is full of funny scenes and people doing humorous acts, especially in the small cities and villages. The western audience is particularly fond of seeing that side of India that amuses them. I don’t mean to disgrace my country, so I try to show the beautiful, as well as, the humorous side of it in the photos.

I give all the credit in the enhancement of my work to my fellow bloggers and photographers. I still look forward to upscale my work even more in the years to come.

Why I Don’t Like to Come Back from Vacations

Why would I? I can bet on anyone to give me just one reason to return to life from a beautiful vacation. If I had unlimited money, I would have never returned home. Many other social obligations push me to return home, but I would never do that if I had a choice. Nonetheless, there is no use living a fictional life and I have to join back regular things as soon as I come back. The worst thing about coming from a fantastic vacation is the fatigue that I cannot bear. However, I have learned techniques to bear the exhaustion over time.

Sleep, sleep, and sleep

I just love sleeping. I can sleep for many days with minimal eating without bothering anyone, but it bothers other people that I sleep so much. My family would keep asking me if I want to eat some food. Initially, it would irritate me that they poke me so much, but now I understand their concern. Over time, they have also understood that I just need to sleep as much as I want after a vacation. Things do become tiring when you are out of the town with or without family. Mom and dad have a habit of sleeping for only an hour extra if they feel tired of traveling too much, but they let me take a long slumber now.

A great siesta works for almost every ailment in my body. If I feel feverish, I sleep. If I feel low on energy, I sleep. If my stomach is upset, I just sleep. Perfect cure for every minor ailment. I always tell my parents that I can cure myself without any money. Just give me a bed and a cozy blanket, and I am good to go. So I just take an extra day from my holidays for travel, return a day before joining office, and just die for the world. No wonder I wake up refreshed the next day, even though it feels frustrating to go to office.

Eat light

Homemade light food is the best when it comes to curing my heavily loaded stomach. Usually when I travel, I eat a lot of junk food, unintentionally most of the times. I cannot help but eat whatever comes my way, of course because I cannot expect too much of healthy food on the go. That is why; when I come home, I prepares soups and lentils for myself and have them for a day or two.

On my last trip, I was there with my friends and we had hired best Self-Drive Cars in Hyderabad for our road trip. We ate as much of junk food as we could while taking stops on the highway for local food. Although I could not find the chicken biryani I was looking for, I did taste a lot of other heavy non-vegetarian foods. And when I came home, all I ate was porridge and khichdi and they rejuvenated me like anything.

Nonetheless, vacations are awesome, but they give a huge setback when it comes to getting back to routine. I still bear the pain bravely! Wink!

Why Traveling Makes You More Appreciative

Travel makes you more indebted to whatever you have got in your life; at least I have experienced it for sure. Until I was in school, I had never thought that I have got a lot of things in life, which are way more than what people have in half of the world. I never knew that just a roof on my head makes me a wealthier person than millions of others. When I started traveling on my own, I discovered what it meant to possess things in this materialistic world.

The home cooked food

No doubt travel is a humbling experience and I love each moment of it. However, there have been times when I have literally craved for the basic homemade meal. I hail from Hyderabad; I start missing my staple food even when I am just a few hundred kilometers away from home. It does not mean that I want to return home as soon as possible, but it makes me realize the importance of a healthy meal. If I try to eat the authentic local foods in foreign countries, I am on the verge of killing my budget. And it becomes too difficult to survive on McDonalds for weeks, even though it is the most economical food available anywhere in the world.

I miss the bed

Over the years, I have made my room such that I can find out everything in dark without even opening my eyes. I know my room inside out, each wall of it, and every single thing that lies on the floor. I love to keep it messy and I even tell my mom to never clean it. I find peace in the things that I own. However, when I am away from home for a few weeks or months, I start hating the hotel beds. Even the hostel dorms do not appeal me anymore, and I just want to go home as soon as possible. And when I reach back into my room, I feel like hugging everything even though I can’t. Nevertheless, I can hug my pillows and have a sound sleep.

I miss my family

I hate to confess this, but I had started neglecting my family after years of staying with them. I should have appreciated their efforts in bringing me up, but I was doing the exact opposite. However, when I started being out of the home for studies in a different city, I learned their value. I would crave to hug my mom and they would obviously miss me too. Then, on their anniversary, I looked for the best Self-Drive Cars in Hyderabad and sent them on a romantic drive.

They still remember that day and praise me for what I did for them, but I refuse to take the credit. After all, it was just a small token of love for everything that they had done for me. Is it wrong to say that staying out of home made me more appreciative of everything I have in life? I don’t think so.