I’m back in India – this time in Chennai (formally Madras). Even though I’m here for work, India is far too photogenic to leave my camera gear at home.
I spent the afternoon fending off jetlag and wandering around temples – hoping for a few decent images to get the cobwebs out. How fortunate I felt when I walked into Kapaleashwarar Temple, home of the Hindu god Shiva. This afternoon the temple had a ceremony where Shiva is paraded out of the temple and through the surrounding neighborhood. Good light, great colors, passionate people – it just doesn’t get better than this.
As colorful as Shiva being carried on devotees shoulders was, my favorite image from this afternoon is this one – graffiti in Hindi and English on the window of a church. I’ve no idea why I like it – maybe it’s the color, maybe it’s the implied social commentary, maybe it’s just because I’m back in India with a camera again!
I liked it to.
When I look at it the first thing I say is “What is this” and that’s good, it’s not totally unrecognizable, which is good to.
My eye pops back and forth between the figure which is outlined in light, and the words, some are sharp, some are not.
I then see the figure as a figure vs. a person, which was my first impression, so there is a bit of discovery here do I search for meaning in the words for a clue.
Overall it is still a bit of a mystery image with light/dark and soft/focused contrast, keeps you engaged.
I don’t think I would have seen this, not obvious enough, nicely done.