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Biratnagar
October 15th, 2008
Got home yesterday from Biratnagar in the remote south of Nepal.
I was there for 48 hours and with the exception of one guy from the UN, I saw no other white faces. No tourists avoiding eye contact with me or behaving insensitively, no expats, not even an albino. Just one goofy photographer who drew stares like a magnet. Indians and Nepalis can stare like no other culture.
It was hot in the south, and distinctly different from Kathmandu – as we descended into the Biratnagar airfield, the ground below was first mountains so perfectly terraced it looked like gazing down on a topographic map, then fields of perfect patchwork in an impossible range of greens. Stunning.
The people were friendly and kind and my work was truly alot of fun. Challenging, but fun. I’m primarily working with children in child-labour situations, and as always it’s a little hard to wrap my mind around the seemingly contradictory realities of such happy, gorgeous, well-adjusted children living such hard lives. I spent an hour shooting in a brick kiln and was nearly spent for the day, they on the other hand work much longer and carry 60lbs of bricks on their heads. And all they really want is an education. Next time an 8 year old whines about going to school for the day ship him to the brick kilns for an hour.
Here’s one you won’t find elsewhere: Tips for working in the hot burning sun at a brick kiln
1. Keep your gear out of the way and in the shade.
2. Stay hydrated and covered up. A hat is a must. A wet bandana covering the neck is nice.
3. A large 5 in 1 lightdisc is always one of the most useful pieces of gear.
4. Go really wide to get the environment and the chimney into the shot.
5. Don’t forget to watch the light. Shadows are harsh here, but that’s ok, it visually reinforces the extremes of the environment. Use backlight and put the sun into the frame to really communicate how hot it is.
6. Don’t forget to shoot the details and the great faces.
Sorry this is short, I got up at 5am to write it and have to head out to the field. Thanks to all of you who’ve thought to send comments and emails – makes working so remotely feel a little more like home (when I can get online…) Cheers.
thanks david.
if i ever get the privilege to wind up in Biratnagar, ill definately recall your advice.
David,
I can empathise with the heat. I remember sweating my socks of in Biratnagar. I was going trekking around Kangchenjunga and had to stage through Biratnagar to catch a small plane to head up into the hills.
Because of the weight restrictions of the small plane (15kg), I had to lighten my hold bag and finished up wearing wear most of my trekking gear for the flight.
So I am at Biratnagar airport looking like a sumo wrestler complete with boots, fleece, outer coat, big rucksack etc. Talk about a walking sauna. And you think you got stared at!!
By the way, what’s a 5 in 1 lightdisc? I am assuming its a sort of reflector/sun shade?
Dave.
I am also assuming that the 5 in 1 is a reflector to toss light onto the subject your shooting. It will negate the harsh shadows.
David:
What are you doing for your white balance in these situations? Are you setting the custom white balance using an expo disc? I love mine. But as Dave notes in his comment above, you often have to lighten your load to the essentials.
Willy