Family Photo Session during Grand Balcon Nord Hike

Booking a family photo session during Grand Balcon Nord hike in Chamonix is an experience you will never forget!

We started the day around 8:30 – 9:00 by taking the Aiguille du Midi cable car to its first stop. The views from there towards Chamonix and the mountains around are truly breathtaking. It is a great place to start the session while observing the rising sun picking from behind the mountain ridge.

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Best of: Adventures in Chamonix August 2019

Chamonix is by far my favourite place in the world. It is a small village situated to the north of Mont Blanc, and near the massive peaks of the Aiguilles Rouges and most notably the Aiguille du Midi, Chamonix is one of the oldest ski resorts in France. It’s regarded as well as the birthplace and one of the capitals of mountaineering and alpinism.

Traditional mountaineering was basically leading travellers over the mountain passes by the safest route. In 1760 the scientist Horace Bénédict de Saussure put up a prize for the first ascent of Mont Blanc. In those days the mountain lay in Savoy, an independent country that included Nice, Aosta, Piedmont and Sardinia. Not until 1860 was the territory definitively incorporated into France and Italy, with Mont Blanc marking the border.

De Saussure himself made several attempts, but the first successful ascent of Mont Blanc was on 8 Aug 1786 by Jean-Jacques Balmat and Dr Michel-Gabriel Paccard.

This years photo adventures there were a blast. We had great time and managed to take some awesome photos. Please enjoy a small selection and if you fell like joining a photo adventure in Chamonix, send me an email at: ivo.popov@gmail.com

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Kolkata, West Bengal, India

Kolkata also known as the “City of Joy” is the capital of the West Bengal state of India. It is a colourful and busy, dirty and overcrowded, but an absolute treasure for photography! Indian journalist Vir Sanghvi once said: “If you want a city with a soul, come to Kolkata“.

The city has earned the nickname ‘city of joy’ for its soulful embodiment of culture, love, mystery, respect and definitely some amazing sweet delicacies. Kolkata is a city that upholds a perfect juxtaposition between the old world and the modern one.

Every street and every corner in Kolkata has a story to tell. And as photographer it is our job and privilege to listen and document 🙂 It is also the last city in India where you can still see hand pulled rickshaws being used all the time.

I fell in love with this city from day one! I walked the streets every morning, enjoyed the sunrise from the ghats along the Hooghly river, walked the crazy busy flower market at Mullick ghat, took a ferry to cross the river from Howrah to Kolkata, rode a tram in the city centre, visited the busy book market on College street, mixed with the locals at Babughat to enjoy the sunset.

Please enjoy a few photos taken during the Photo Adventure in Kolkata.

Waiter directing clients to a table in the "Indian Coffee House" on College street in Kolkata.
Waiter directing clients to a table in the “Indian Coffee House” on College street in Kolkata.
People posing on a small street in Kolkata
People posing on a small street in Kolkata
Morning rituals at the Howrah side of the Hooghly river
Morning rituals at the Howrah side of the Hooghly river
Chaiwala on a street of Kolkata serving chai
Chaiwala on a street of Kolkata serving chai
Early morning in Kolkata. The famous yellow taxis are everywhere.
Early morning in Kolkata. The famous yellow taxis are everywhere.
Worker at the Kumartuli idol market in Kolkata taking a brake.
Worker at the Kumartuli idol market in Kolkata taking a brake.
Early morning on the Hooghly river with Kolkata in the background.
Early morning on the Hooghly river with Kolkata in the background.
Men fetching water from the Hooghly river for a restaurant near by.
Men fetching water from the Hooghly river for a restaurant near by.
Street scene in Kolkata close to the Nakhoda Masjid.
Street scene in Kolkata close to the Nakhoda Masjid.
Rickshaw puller taking a brake under the Howrah bridge in Kolkata.
Rickshaw puller taking a brake under the Howrah bridge in Kolkata.

Adventure in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India // February 2020

Varanasi is the India of your imagination. This is one of the world’s oldest continually inhabited cities, and one of the holiest in Hinduism. It is also a paradise for photographers.

Sonu, 28 years old works as a boat paddler and dreams of owning his own boat.

I love this city – it is busy, overcrowded and dirty, filled with tourists during the winter months, very hot during the summer, but also one of the most photogenic cities in India. The city is build along the river Ganga. She is a sacred river for the Hindus and you can see traditional religious rituals and bathing occurring at all times of the day. The western crescent-shaped bank of the River Ganga is flanked by a continuous stretch of 84 ghats, or series of steps leading down to the river, stretching for almost 7 kilometres. These ghats were built by Hindu kings who wanted to die along the Ganges, and they built lofty palaces along the river, to spend their final days there.

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Sunset over Jodhpur // Timelapse

Jodhpur is one of my favourite cities in India – it is beautiful, people are friendly and there is lots to explore and photograph – small streets, old buildings, city life, the fort overlooking the city – Jodhpur has it all.

Please enjoy a small timelapse / motionlapse at sunset from a spot over the town. If you like what you see, check my next photo adventures and if you have any questions do not hesitate to contact me at ivo.popov@gmail.com

Holi celebration in Bundi, Rajasthan // March 2019

I was very lucky to been able to attend and photograph one of the most colourful and interesting celebrations in India – Holi. I decided to travel to Bundi, a small village off the beaten path where few tourist go and enjoy the event there. It was a great decision – there were almost no tourists and the party was crazy!!

The History of Holi

Holi’s origins are linked with the coming of spring, good harvest and fertility of the land. Two stories are linked to Holi celebrations. The first is pretty romantic and explains why Holi is the exuberant colourful party it is today.

It celebrates the love story of Krishna and Radha. Krishna is traditionally depicted as having blue skin. He told his mother he was unhappy that his difference would come between him and fair-skinned Radha. His mother told him not to wish for fair skin but to playfully smear Radha with paint instead. Which he did and Radha fell in love with him.

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Adventure in Rajasthan, India // March 2019

Sunset over the Blue city of Rajasthan – Jodhpur

My first adventure in Rajasthan was a great success! We had amazing weather, visited some great cities and met so many interesting people. I have to say that we all fell in love with the blue city of Jodhpur and it’s calm and welcoming people, with the beautiful city of lakes – Udaipur and it’s numerous sunset points that attract locals and tourists every night, with the calm and off the beaten track Bundi where it seems the time have stopped.

Please enjoy a few photos from our trip and if you like what you see and what to join the next adventure in India (January – February 2020), contact me at: ivo.popov@gmail.com

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