A Few Photos From a Recent Mumbai Street Photography Workshop

I recently ran a street photography workshop in Mumbai on August 13, 2023, taking in three different locations: Sassoon Docks, Chor Bazaar, and Kumbharwada. The following are some of the images I’ve already shared on social media along with the captions.

An old favorite of mine in Mumbai for photography is Sassoon Docks. And within that space, I tend to gravitate away from the actual dock and more toward the perimeter and beyond to where there's even more action that's usually more productive for me in terms of hit rate and overall interest. Visitors may not know that there's another dock just opposite of Sassoon Dock where you have a great vantage point of the auction area at the very end of Sassoon. And further south from there is another docking area, where you can see fishermen offloading and re-stocking their supplies, especially ice.

Sassoon Docks is the first stop of my Mumbai Street Photography Workshop.

I don't do a lot of street portraiture these days. I've definitely lost my interest in this type of photography although I do take many pictures of individuals throughout the course of the year in my street photography, especially during my workshops.

I've seen this gentleman as Sassoon Dock several times now. He always stands out on the count of his flamboyant, green hat and yellow shirt. He never remembers me, which is typical as it can be a year or more between meetings, as brief as they are. So pictures like these become my memories, snapshots of people that I encounter along the way. Had this been the Era of the Polaroid, I'm sure there would be a bright, colorful picture of him tacked or taped somewhere on the wall of a 1970s office, or tucked within the pages of a giant photo album.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is that pictures serve many purposes. They don't all have to be contenders for one's portfolio.

I like exploring the fringes of popular locales because more of than not, I find interesting things going on that tend to go unnoticed by the greater photography community.

One such place stretches down a narrow lane just north of Chor Bazaar. There are dozens of small rooms such as this with small teams of men (and sometimes a few women) working the sewing machines and performing various tasks. The landmark I use to locate it is a little restaurant on the left side of the alley with a sign that simply says "Burgers". I discovered the place during one of my workshops and I've returned to it whenever I visit Chor Bazaar.

The reason why I like it, and sometimes more so than the overall experience of classic Chor Bazaar on any given visit, is because of the general camaraderie on display among workers there and the overall friendliness of the people, not to mention the willingness to be photographed. This makes it difficult to capture subjects working because they tend to check out anyone passing by their nooks. What you get in return though are potentially wonderful images of a work culture that largely goes unnoticed in Mumbai by street photographers who normally flock to Chor Bazaar for the usual fare.

If you're interested in visiting with me, check out my street photography workshops in my bio.

'Working the scene' typically refers to a single location where a subject(s) is present and interacting within a space. The photographer takes as many pictures as possible (at different angles, perspectives, frame orientations, etc.) and increases the chances of getting a good shot or a series. There's another situation that arises in street photography and in other genres too, and that's when the subject is on the move.

The boy with bread knew I was taking pictures there at Chor Bazaar but I don't suspect he knew I was taking his picture as we walked along. Once in a while, kids will follow me around and see what I'm taking pictures of, sometimes approaching and asking to see the back of my camera. This boy was sort of doing the same thing by shadowing us but was torn between the task of his bread delivery. The classic Jack and the Beanstock dilemma. Whenever my friend and I would stop, he would slow down and meander. I probably had about 5 minutes of erratic shooting with him to capture the perfect moment, or at least the best I could come up with.

What's great for me about conducting street photography workshops is that I get the chance to revisit places like Chor Bazaar and do what I love most. Because for me, my foray into art is directly related to my street photography sessions. That's to say that I source most of my artistic work from my street and public outings. At the very least, I'll get a nice sepia image out of the deal. And when I'm lucky, I can transform these images into art, ala the Aksa Collection (see my website under Prints).

For those who are interested in turning their street photography into art, I'm offering three-day photography workshops in Goa coming up in September (registration closing soon). I'll also be taking the same format on the road to Europe and Japan in early 2024. Links in the bio.

What makes a good photo? It's a question that's asked often and to which there is no one definitive answer. But that doesn't stop every photographer from trying. Let's go there for a moment.

I appreciate the concept of Occam's Razor and other minimalist-spun hijinx for one simple reason: you can come up with a simple answer to a seemingly loaded question.

So what makes a good photo for me? Simple. One that I want to hold in my hands.

Maybe that's too simple. But it's not really. The problem is with the question itself: what makes a good... is really setting one's self up for failure. Because the only clue we have to go by is the word "good", which is a lazy, bullshit adjective that has no business in the critical analysis of describing photographic imagery.

"He's a good guy."

"Looks like a good day for photography."

"Say, that lasagna is good!"

See the problem with this kind of query? These are time-passers and throwaway sentences that may be understood more specifically between speakers in a conversation. But they hold no value whatsoever when it comes to critiquing.

So just for the sake of discussion, I've included here a photo that I think is good. Because if I did print it, I wouldn't mind holding it in my hand and appreciating it. But is it an epic photo? No. Is it a legendary photo? No. Is it a memorable photo? I'd argue, no, not really. But is it a good photo? Sure, why not. At least, I think so. And I could go on to describe why I think it's good: Maybe I like the contrast, the texture, the fact that I can't identify the men working the clay. Maybe I like the post-processing. Maybe I simply enjoy sharing some of the photos that I take in fascinating places like Kumbharwada in Dharavi.

What's great is that over time, your good photos will emerge and beg for attention. This brings up my second definition of what makes a good photo: a good photo will always speak to you.

If you want to take similar photos on your visit to Mumbai, check out the details of this particular workshop below.