this is india.
and this is caroline, jayden and whitney. they decided to put together something called photo field trip- a journey to experience the culture of india, dive into the hearts of the people living in the country and volunteer with an incredible non-profit called elephant landing.
and this- this is us. a group of 16 photographers (some not pictured above but they were there!) who decided to take a leap of faith and take this trip to india. and in this photo specifically- this is us knowing absolutely NOTHING that we were in for. and my dear friend krista said it best-
“many people go to india to find themselves. but us? we found others.”
the images below walk you through our days experiencing the culture of india (part one of the trip) and i shot to remember it exactly how i experienced it- chaotic, in your face and raw. i saw, i felt, i shot. these photos are dear to me and the people in them are too. there’s ups and there are downs, there’s poverty side by side with luxury, beauty sandwiched next to grit and that’s what i love so much about india- it’s teeming with the joy of life. after spending two weeks in this country i’ve realized i have a deep love for its people so i’m really excited to share that i’ll be going back to india again next fall!
i can’t wait to live more of these days. india is magic. i hope you enjoy these.
the street outside our first hotel.
it was called the pearl palace.
it had a peacock on the roof for shits and giggles. i love this place already.
our tuk tuk that macklemore rode in.
and our driver who had no idea what this t-shirt meant.
who also wanted us to ask him about being famous.
we got to see first hand how fabric is hand stamped.
and how the ornate indian wedding attire is hand beaded.
weird camel on street. he was weird. and on a the street. like parked. like a parked car.
this was one of the most amazing moments of the first half of the trip. we saw this mom and her daughter driving next to us and played catch up with our tuk tuks as we zoomed down the streets.
there were a good 6 people packed into the back too.
the next morning we took a train to agra to see the taj mahal.
the taj mahal security thought my instax camera was a bomb. no joke. wouldn’t let it come in with me. no taj instax for wyn.
as much as we took photos of indian people they were taking photos of us- especially aga- the blondest girl on the trip.
lol.
they wanted photos of “red” as in me. as in me the red head.
family picture time. i blend in well.
socks over our shoes to get inside the taj.
the intricate three hundred feet tall walls.
bad ass gma on a bike.
street portraits with a 100 year old camera.
through the viewfinder.
l.a. times famous.
our tuk tuk drivers were some of the best people we met on the trip.
we always got everyone to throw peace signs with us. well, more just like “i” got everyone to.
my portrait. the original instagram.
a day trip to a mountain temple.
amanda is money.
a rare spotting of a ginger in the wild. here he is attacking the camera.
work it beyonce.
our next stay was at a compound outside of jaipur.
trash center outside the city.
more photos with us. so many photoz.
life is sooooo good.
the lovely liz.
the breathtaking step well
a common lunch of curries.
and TONS of water bottles.
the next day at the camel festival in pushkar.
we gave out nerds to all the kids we could find. #america.
#casualcobra
the amazing jeshan who started the day pedaling us and turned into our tour guide and friend showing us all around the fair.
we got massages and our hair cut by baba the cosmic barber. it was an….experience.
the man himself.
the view from an amazing cafe hideaway.
reunited with our friend jeshan and his friend arbas!
jeshan even put his instax of krista in his wallet.
the cutest.
horse dances.
kiddos at the fair. they had a little energy.
showing our friends magic tricks.
saying goodbye one last time.
#cameltoe(s)
little buddy!
most importantly though- kfc.
in the evening we toured the fabric factory to see how fabric is died and then dried.
nightfall in the industrial district.
the next day we went on a walk around our compound where we were staying and visited our neighbors.
and even taught them some handshakes and they showed us around their land.
giving out instax photos was one of my favorite memories of the trip.
everyone was so appreciative of them.
every day after school got out we were swarmed by the school kids. we loved spending time with them. ENERGY.
#iamtan
cannot wait to share part two with you- volunteering with elephant landing and the orphanage! all the love and namaste.