A LITTLE HELP FROM THE VILLAGE PEOPLE

I'm back in Delhi now from a grueling advertising shoot in a remote location in the state of Rajasthan. The spot was about five hours by road from Delhi and the heat was almost unbearable. We've been trying to get this campaign shot since my arrival. We've scouted numerous locations and have had to postpone a number of shooting days due to weather.

We passed dirty little villages where fat hogs ate out of garbage heaps, crowds of monkeys fighting over fruit, women in bright colored saris carrying large bulbous pots on their heads, and carts carrying peasants pulled by camels. It was the India that I’ve been anxiously waiting to see, although the terrain was a little different than expected.

These shots were taken from the car...










We arrived at our hotel in the middle of nowhere (the REAL middle of nowhere) around sundown on the evening before the shoot. I'm getting better and better at sharing my bed with bugs. I actually prefer the ones that you can see...at least you can flick them onto the floor.



We woke before sunrise and began loading the cars full of gear. I snapped off a few shots of the sunrise from behind the hotel then we loaded up and moved out.



The location was about a half an hour from the place where we stayed. It was located in a small village built around a rock quarry. We were spied on by curious monkeys as we hiked up a rocky path passed grazing goats to the spot where we were going to be shooting.



Here’s where it gets good. Before the day of the shoot, the production director went in and spoke with the people of the village about securing the spot. We were going to be shooting in a place where these people work to earn their livelihood.





For a price that amounted to chicken feed in an advertising budget, they doubled the amount of money that entire village would make in a day and told the villagers that they would work for us. So we had an entire village doing the work that the assistants would normally do. For that I am very lucky because the actual spot that we were working was quite a hike and by 8:00 am the sun was intolerable. By 10:00 I was worried about heat stroke.





By noon, we had a whole village of spectators.



The location was amazing and people were beautiful. I felt very lucky to be in this place despite the heat. I don’t think these people had ever seen anything like this. No, I’m certain they hadn’t. We may as well have been Michael Jackson and his entourage. As for me, the only westerner around for miles, the people fixated on me as if I were a talking dog.













The shoot took about eleven hours from set up to break down. All in all, it was a terrific experience but I was so glad to be back in the car when we were finally done.

TOMB RAIDER

The studio was closed on Sunday so I had a chance to cruise around Delhi and check out some of the local sights. Here are a few random images.





...these photos were taken outside of the city...





India has a vast history of different rulers over many time periods. This history is apparent in the architecture. These photos were taken at the tomb of the great Mughal Emperor Humayun. The tomb was built around 1570 and is said to be the inspiration behind the building of the Taj Mahal.



This is a masjid, or mosque, located on the grounds of the tomb. The area is like a huge park with several other tombs and sacred structures scattered throughout. Its really a great escape from the maddening streets of Delhi with all of its pollution and beggars. The above photo is a masjid, or mosque, that was built around 1545 (this info came from my guide, who was really not a guide at all, but one of the shady characters who hang around the ticket booth and tell you historical facts and then ask for money...I paid 45¢ for that date so I'm gonna stick to it).



This is the tomb of Isa Khan. Its an example of pre-Mughal Islamic architecture (again, I don't claim to be an archaeologist).



This is a dog.

This is the tomb itself. You can see the resemblance to the Taj Mahal.





It really is an amazing sight in person. You can go inside and see the actual tomb. I felt like Indiana Jones.

Just about the time I started to really cut loose on the photo-shooting, my camera battery died. You'd think after three years of photo school I'd remember to charge my battery every once in a while. Maybe this time I'll learn...anyway, I could have spent a few hours shooting around the grounds of the tomb. I'm definitely not done with this place.

TAKING ME FOR A RIDE?

This crazy contraption is an auto-rickshaw. Known simply as an "auto," its a three-wheeled vehicle with a driver up front and a seat for two in the back.





The auto is my main mode of transportation around town when we're not working in the studio. They can be really noisy but a lot of fun to cruise around in. You're guaranteed a few near-misses with oncoming traffic.



Autos have a meter like a cab but all of the drivers insist that the meter is broken so you have to negotiate a price based on your destination before you get in. They always try to set the price too high for Westerners, but my friends here taught me to say "Do you think I'm a F!@#ing Moron?" in Hindi. This usually brings the price down by about 50%. You're usually haggling over 20 or so Rupees, the equivalent of about 45¢ in U.S. dollars.

DELHI SCENES

We were supposed to shoot on location today but the shoot was postponed due to weather. I took the opportunity to do a little running around town. Here are a few shots taken around New Delhi...





This is Bahai Temple or Lotus Temple. It was built as a meditation center where people of all religions can come and worship together. I've seen many photos of Lotus Temple but pictures don't do it justice (I can't wait to see the Taj Mahal...they say its overwhelming). While exploring the grounds, I accidentally found myself in a line of people entering the temple. Not wanting to make a scene, I went in. The experience was very moving. So moving in fact, that I'm actually not going to try to describe it.









...one of India's famed sacred cows in the middle of busy Nehru Place Market...

MR. COB'S WILD RIDE or MOTORCYCLE DIARIES

I could have an entire separate blog dedicated to riding around on the back of this motorbike through the crazy streets of Delhi. There really is nothing like it. Theme park rides will never be the same again.

ADAPTATION

September 11, 2005

Ok, I've moved into a semi-permanent living situation and I'm beginning to adapt. I have to admit that I started to have a little bit of a freak out on the second and third day. This country is just very different from what I am used to...VERY different. These photos were taken at sunrise from the roof of my hotel.





Just after I shot them, noticed that I was being watched by a large monkey from the rooftop of the adjacent building. I didn't have a long enough lens to capture him though.



This bird was posing for me on the window ledge of my hotel room.