Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

Capturing India: Travel photography tips from Singapore’s Instagram stars

Instagrammer Dzul Fadzli Bin Hassim (@zooliejoe_gf) captured this mechanic at sunset with his iPhone 6.

Instagrammer Dzul Fadzli Bin Hassim (@zooliejoe_gf) captured this mechanic at sunset with his iPhone 6.

With Instagram being the most popular platform to inspire a flight of #wanderlust, we got five Singaporean shutter bugs to showcase their top shots from a recent trip to Lucknow with TigerAir and share their travel photography tips.

Instagrammer Dzul Fadzli Bin Hassim (@zooliejoe_gf) captured this mechanic at sunset with his iPhone 6.

Photo: Mechanic at dusk

Taken with: iPhone 6

Why he chose this photo: I took this shot during one of our pit stops while travelling from Agra back to Lucknow. What I really like is that the bike mechanic is very focused on doing his task despite the busy surroundings. On top of that, the sunset golden hour gives the right mood that I want in the picture.

Travel photography tips: A good tip for travellers to shoot street photography, especially in India, is to anticipate the right moment before you shoot. For example, I waited for the sparks to light up before snapping for this photo. You can either shoot discreetly or go right up to them and ask if you can take a picture.

Where else would he love to visit in India: India has amazing landscapes. The highlight of our trip was actually experiencing Taj Mahal. It is a must-visit for anyone who travels to India. I would definitely return to see The Taj Mahal. I'd love to visit Jaipur and Goa as well.

Photo: The wedding band man

Taken with: Sony A7R II

Why he chose this photo: It was my first time gatecrashing an Indian wedding and it was an unforgettable experience. Weddings in India are very elaborate and grand affairs—they spend tens of thousands dollars on celebrating it with a band and light bearers who light up the wedding procession. One of the musicians caught my eye. I like how all the elements come together —the colourful uniform, how he held his tuba, his straight gaze into the camera as well as the presence of the light bearers and his band member in the background.

Travel photography tips: Travel light and shoot an entire trip just using your mobile phone. It is unobtrusive and you do not have to fiddle with many settings. Be mindful of the lighting condition, focus on the composition and press the shutter button at the perfect time. Shooting with a mobile phone also makes it easy to edit the photo on the go during long journeys or upload them in real time on Instagram.

What does he think of India: I have never heard of Lucknow or been to India prior to this trip but I have always wanted to visit after hearing so many stories about it. The people are so friendly and they do not mind photographers taking photos of them. I also enjoyed the food and beautiful sights that India has to offer. 

Nothing says India like an Indian wedding and Ivan Kuek (@phonenomenon) caught a rare moment of the celebrations with his Sony A7R II.
Shots with a quirky sense of humour? Check out Muhd Tarmidzi (@mijipxl) who snapped this with his iPhone 6s.

Photo: Hanging at Bara Imambara

Taken with: iPhone 6S

Why he chose this photo: I choose this photo because of the nice perspective of Bara Imambara’s structure. I also like it because I love to rotate pictures around to get a new perspective.

Travel photography tips: To me, it’d be best to check out the places you want to shoot at to see how it looks like first. From doing that, you will know the kind of shots you would go for.

What he loves about India: It’s my first time in India but I feel it is rich with street photography opportunities. Everywhere we turn, there are a lot of unique characters just walking around the streets doing their daily routine.  I’m surprised too that India have a lot of ‘Instagrammable’ places with nice big walls, huge wastelands and abandoned houses.

 

Julian Cheong (@julian_cheong) used his Canon 5DMark3 to snap this shot that exudes a sense of both mystery and playfulness.

Photo: Mystery Girl

Taken with: Canon 5DMark3

Why he chose this photo: It was tough choosing a favourite photo from this trip, but I would have to go with this particular one. I took this in Lucknow while waiting for some of the other travellers who were shopping. I feel it exudes a certain sense of mystery and playfulness. In a country where everything is out in the open, she keeps her identity a mystery; at the same time, she shows enough for her personality to come through.

Travel photography tips: Use your eyes before you use the lens. Instead of taking over 100 shots before settling on the best one, take a moment to observe what’s in front of you. It may lead to looking at things from new perspectives and the perfect composition will likely present itself on the first or second try. Speaking of composition, turn on the grid feature. Whether photographing with my iPhone or camera, I shoot with the grid turned on to aid my composition.

Where else would he like to go in India: I would love to explore the whole of India! But of course, there are some places I would like to visit more than others like the Ganges River in Varanasi and the mountain ranges of Ladakh.

Rushdi Jamari (@bearfangs) is drawn to the street portraits like this he took with his Fujifilm XE-2 camera.

Photo: Warming Up

Taken with: Fujifilm XE-2

Why he chose this photo: This was taken just outside the hotel in Agra. I love how the fire lit up the old man’s silhouette in the dark and the little details that make up his features.

Travel photography tips: If you are into taking street portraiture, a smile to your subject always breaks the ice. Once you get comfortable, you’ll gain more confidence to actually approach your subject to ask permission to take their photos and get to know them. Just be polite, ask for permission and take a snap!

Where else would he like to go in India: Kolkata. I would also like to see the Howrah Bridge and the River Ganges.

Read more of the latest in

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to get daily news updates, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.