India will overwhelm your senses with sights, sounds and smells, which makes it an incredible experience. I traveled to India in September 2014 to document work that was being done by Eagle Projects International (www.eagleprojects.com). I spent three days in New Delhi and Agra as a tourist and then traveled on to Ahmedabad to document medical clinics and pastor training.
I spent a day touring around Delhi photographing the city and seeing some amazing sights, but nothing measured up to seeing the Taj Mahal. The Taj had always been on my list of must see sights in the world, but actually being there in person and seeing the craftsmanship and artistry that went into this building surpassed all my expectations. I highly recommend it if you are in that part of the world.
The majority of my trip was spent in Ahmedabad, which is a city of 5.8 million that most people have never heard of. It was great to travel around the city in an auto rickshaw and see everything from elephants and camels to a huge flower market. One of my most memorable days of photographing the medical clinics was a day spent in the slums. There was a nearby gypsy camp nearby and the people had so much character. Their living conditions were as basic as could be and it is hard to imagine living like that, but they all had smiles on their faces. It was a great lesson that we don’t need “things” to be happy. They were very welcoming and I thoroughly enjoyed interacting with them and getting pictures.
I pride myself on my portraits as a photographer and with all the colors and cast of characters in India, it was overwhelming trying to capture it all. It was definitely one of my most successful trips as a photographer and I hope that I will get a chance to return some day! – McCory
