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 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.

My Experience of being an Indian in Tokyo

Since I have lived all my life in Mumbai, Hyderabad, ad Delhi, I am habitual of limited space in such metropolitans.  However, being in Tokyo last year gave me a different perspective of congested spaces altogether. I was there in the city to eat out with friends because of obvious reasons of touring new places. It was astonishing for me to notice that the tables were placed so close that I could hear everything the adjacent people talked with each other, and vice-versa. The only relief was that they did not understand my language, and I understood only a bit of Japanese.

After a few minutes, we saw a group of 7-8 people entering the restaurant; they seemed to belong to the same office. Unlike India, the colleagues in japan often hang out with each other, more out of compulsion than their wish. All of them were native Japanese people, except two guys, who did not seem to be connected quite well with the rest of the people. Still, they were trying hard to gel up with them.

As the boss of the team introduced one Indian to the rest of the group, it became evident that even the two Indians had met for the first time. They applauded to welcome the new member in their team and started talking to them. We had already placed the order for snacks and drinks. As our order arrived, their table was also covered with a lot of food and glasses of alcohol.

Even though all of them were being too formal with each other in the beginning, they gradually started easing up as they gulped down more and more alcohol. Their occasional laughter and a few words in English would nonchalantly enter our ears and we could help but notice them often because of our proximity. We tried to ignore them and let them be, and concentrate on our food and conversation.

After about an hour, we heard a sudden yelp from their table. What I saw was truly hilarious; the two Indian guys were hugging each other and the rest of the group was smiling and laughing their heart out at them. They were happy that two people from one nation had bonded really well, and that the new member will soon be comfortable in office.

It became interesting when they started calling each other bhai, meaning brother in Hindi. And things became even more interesting when I heard the Japanese people calling each other bhai!

This encounter with that group was the best thing I had witnessed in Japan. When I returned to my city, I went to a road trip with my friends when we hired Self-Drive Cars in Hyderabad. I told them the incident and they had fits of laughter imagining the Japanese people calling each other as bhai. This was the time I actually noticed how it feels like being an Indian in a foreign nation. No matter where you belong, your nationality plays a notable role in your personality. Lesson learned well!