📸 Photo series #27: Stories at Yamuna Ghat

Street photographer: Chetan Verma

Dear subscribers,

There is nothing better than starting the week with an invigorating dose of inspiration from one of the world's most captivating destinations for travel and street photography: India.

Today, we’ll let ourselves drift along the rhythmic flow of the sacred river of Yamuna in Delhi. This captivating photo series captures the essence of life unfolding against the backdrop of ancient ghats, where vibrant hues, reflective waters, and the timeless rituals of the locals converge in a mesmerizing dance.

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Make yourself comfortable with a good coffee and enjoy the photos! ☕️

Yamuna Ghat - One place, many stories by Chetan Verma

⏱️ Reading time: 5 min

All photos are candid and taken at Yamuna Ghat in Delhi. The word 'Ghat' means the flight of steps leading down to a river. Yamuna is considered a sacred river, and so people from all over Delhi and nearby places visit that ghat to offer prayers and receive blessings. During winters, thousands of seagulls from as far as Siberia make this place their home for a couple of months.

Written and shot by Chetan Verma.

Who’s behind the lens?

Describe yourself as a photographer and where you are based

I am a photographer at heart, and a software engineer by profession. I initially started experimenting with my camera at home - practicing the controls, playing with light and taking pictures of my new born daughter.
But it was when I took the camera out on the streets, I discovered this whole new love for photography. The fact that the moment on the street cannot be recreated gives me that challenge that makes me go out and click even more.

Your favorite camera and lens

I strongly believe that it's the person behind the camera that matters much more than the camera itself. I would shoot mostly on Nikon D750 using the 24-120 mm kit lens until very recently. Lately, I have been shooting on Fujifilm XE-4 with XC 15-45mm lens.

Your favorite places to shoot

The beauty of street photography is that the place does not matter so much. I am based out of Delhi so it's also the city where I shoot most.

According to you, what makes a good picture

I think there are many factors - light, emotions, story, composition, humor, layers. A good photograph to me is the one that makes the viewer stop which is generally accomplished by one or many of the aforementioned factors.

Your favorite photographers and where you get inspired.

I frequently view pictures by some great names in street photography - Henri Cartier-Bresson, Bruce Gilden and many others. Among the contemporary street photographers from India, I love photographs by Navin Vatsa and Vineet Vohra. I regularly follow their work on Instagram.

I also love reading books on photography - I really admire books that not only show the photographs, but also talk about photography, the story behind the photographs etc.

Portfolio and/or social media links

Instagram : @chetanclicks

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