Stuck In Customs » Delhi

Hindu Daily Offerings

tratcliff — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 01:43:28 +0000

I was at a small temple between Agra and Delhi, and spent some time there, walking around and enjoying the sights and the people. Soon, some of these elders came along to make their daily offerings. I nodded to them with the camera, and I got a happy bobble back, so I followed them around a bit with the camera as they glided around the temple.

Golden Light at the Hour of Death

tratcliff — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 05:23:33 +0000

The Moghuls really knew how to bury their dead. They never seemed to build anything out of rubber or have nice cushy bean-bag chairs… it was all sharp angles and stone… it reminds me of all the sharp-cornered coffee tables where two-year-olds bump their heads until their parents figure out that it is better to have a round coffee table… okay that has nothing to do with anything in this photo any more…

The Temple Roof in Delhi

tratcliff — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 04:00:47 +0000

I went up a narrow passageway to get up here to the roof. The stairway was clearly not meant for a tripod like mine… although I suppose I could have collapsed it before wrestling it the narrow twisting corridors. It reminded me of moving my friend’s stupid sleeper-sofa up a curved stairway in college.

The Inner Sanctum

tratcliff — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 04:48:27 +0000

This was found deep inside one of the recesses on the outer periphery of Humayun’s tomb in Delhi. The deep reds and stained walks gave the place an unearthly feeling.

The Entrance from which the Old Hindu priest disappeared

tratcliff — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:40:12 +0000

Deep inside one of the temples, I found this secret tiny doorway and arch, stained with a deep red dye.

The Afternoon Glowing Temple

tratcliff — Mon, 05 May 2008 18:38:06 +0000

Here we have another beautiful and exotic temple in Delhi in the height of the afternoon, shot from another nearby beautiful and exotic temple.

Carrying 100 Bags of Grain in Delhi

tratcliff — Sat, 03 May 2008 06:00:00 +0000

While walking through the streets of Delhi, I spotted this guy soldiering on, carrying just a small load through the packed streets.

The Secret Chambers of Beautiful India

tratcliff — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 06:56:34 +0000

I am thankful to my host Anil who was able to set me up with some amazing guides that took me to the most unusual and seemingly secret places. It was just amazing… the only downside is that I am sworn to secrecy on the location. In case anyone else has ever been there, then there is more than one iota of a chance that this crazy place called the internet will soon tell you where this place is. The internet has a habit of finding out such things.

Doesn’t this want to make you pack your bags for a week’s adventure? What’s stoppin’ ya?!! (I mean, other than excuses)

The India Gate

tratcliff — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 12:45:26 +0000

This is the famous India Gate in Delhi.Â It was a bitter hot and humid day and the water nearby somehow seemed to make everything hotter!

Saree Emporium

tratcliff — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 11:42:29 +0000

Found in the streets of Delhi…

Downtown Delhi on a Seasonably Hot Day

tratcliff — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 05:28:49 +0000

Cindy and I had an hour between meetings in Delhi.Â We ended up going off through the random streets here and there to see what we could find.Â She was looking for rugs and I was looking for antique chess sets.Â We found neither, but we did find a lot of interesting and chaotic activity…

I textured this, as part of my upcoming textures tutorial.Â This thing is so overdue that I am SURE you guys think I am TEASING you now about it.. but it really is coming.Â The video tutorial and the textures are huge - it will be almost a 1 gigabyte download, so it takes awhile to set up all the logistics.Â Actually I am not doing anything - Ken is helping me out over at FastSpring.Â I just made the video and he is doing all the hard work of setting up the download processes!

Stonework of the Mughals - Humayun’s Tomb

tratcliff — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 15:02:25 +0000

Humayun’s Tomb which was built in 1570. Humayun kept busy conquering Kabul and Delhi for the Mughals.

This tomb, built by his wife after he died, served as an early architectural influence of the Taj Mahal. He probably left her some cash and paid off her Nordstrom’s account, so the least she could do was build him a nice tomb.

New Delhi Family

tratcliff — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 17:07:00 +0000

I took over a hundred pictures of thousands of poor and destitute around India. I usually gave 100 rupees after I took the shot, but the tough part is was when dozens of kids descended on me whenever I pulled out the money.

The Guards at the Door

tratcliff — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 12:49:31 +0000

Two Sari-laden beggars guard the door at Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi.

Later, while I was walking around Delhi, I was photographed by another Indian photographer that recognized me. He sent them along and it was kind of strange to see myself like that… but not as strange as when I was listening to Pink Floyd on 11 on my iPod while inside the tomb.

Stuck in India - Humayun’s Tomb

tratcliff — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 02:23:03 +0000

I finally made it to India, a place I have always wanted to come visit. We are here to set up customer service with iEnergizer for WebWars, which by the way got a nice preview from a writer for the New York Times over at John Quain’s site.

This is a picture of the Tomb of Humayun in Delhi. I arrived during Diwali, the biggest annual festival that involves a burning a lot of things. Most of the tombs, mausoleums, temples, and the like were surprisingly empty, giving me clean access to cool places like this without dopey tourists getting in the way of sweet photography.

The news broadcasts are filled with showing families celebrating Diwali along with non-stop live on-the-scene action reporting from the grand opening of Om Shanti Om, the Bollywood film of the year starring the unconquerable Shahrukh Khan. From the previews I have seen, the movie seems to involve a lot of Shahkrukh with his shirt off in huge musical numbers and copious amounts of slow-mo water exploding off his coppered abs.

It is the next morning now and the air in Delhi is covered with the smoke from last night’s festivities… There is this acrid smell of stale carbon and it’s not exactly like a trip to Sedona. Luckily, I am getting out of the city today because my hosts have been kind enough to give me a ride up to Agra to visit the fort and Taj Mahal… more pictures coming soon, so stay tuned!