Why Wasn’t I Thrilled With Holi? Why No Fuji X Pro1? |
Tewfic El-Sawy
On my return from The Sacred Cities Photo Expedition-Workshop last week, a handful of readers asked me these questions:
1. Why wasn’t I more thrilled with photographing the Holi festivities in Vrindavan and Mathura?
2. Why haven’t I used the Fuji X-Pro1 more often (only an estimated 10% of the time)?
Well, I certainly was excited to photograph Holi, particularly as the pink/fuschia, yellow and neon green powders being thrown in the air, smeared on people’s clothes and faces made for compelling color (and possibly monochrome) photography. However, something was missing….and I knew that that something would be missing much before traveling to India. The large majority of my photo expeditions are event-specific; whether it’s to photograph the mind-blowing annual death commemoration of Sufi saint Moin’uddin Chisti in Ajmer, the bloody rituals of Velichapadus in Kerala or large Ngaben (cremations) in Bali. These events are usually religious and spiritual, and masses of people attend them to express their devotion and faith…….