chez
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John Caldwell wrote:
Such a fine photograph of the human condition here. Is it reasonable to imagine that the same ritual, photographed decades ago, would be quite similar, aside from individuals shown?
Subjects were pleased to be photographed, mixed feelings? How, if I may ask, were you granted *credibility* to photograph a ritual of this importance?
A memorable image, Chez.
John Caldwell
Pittsburgh, PA
I'd say the same ritual was around many hundreds of years ago...not just decades.
I had a guide that helped me through the details of what can be photographed and what is off limits. I was surprised by the openness of the holy people with respect to be photographed. They at times went out of their way to accommodate me. I always gave some some small amount of money as they live a life where they rely on others for their survival, some of them living isolated for the majority of their lives.
For this photograph, I waited ( along with other photographers ) about 1.5 hours in the freezing Ganges river while the procession of holy people paraded towards the river. This image was taken somewhere around 6:00am just before they all stormed the water. To be at this site at 6:00am, you either had to stay up all night waiting on the festival grounds ( I actually spent the night with a group of disciples and a holy man, sleeping around their fire ), or you would have to get up very early and walk in the 12km or so which with the crowds would take most likely 4 to 5 hours.
I spent a total of 5 days at the festival and can't wait until this damn Covid virus is controlled so I can go back to other festivals and spend more time. I'm totally fascinated in the culture, customs and history.
Here is an image that I got walking in the Ganges amongst the holy men during their rituals. They are so focused on their ritual, they don't even see anything else around them.
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