Ready, Fire, Aim.

Double decker chaiwala kiosk in Khari Baoli Market, Delhi. Leica M9 w/ 35mm Summilux FLE

Khari Baoli Spice Market, Delhi. Leica M9 w/ 35mm Summilux FLE

Since returning from a ten day trip to India nearly six weeks ago, I have struggled with figuring out how to present the images and stories I collected along the way. I could break them up into day-by-day accounts. Or perhaps, smaller stories about what's going on in a group of related images. Maybe bigger ideas and takeaways from travel in general.

Main Bazar Road, Delhi. Leica M11 w/50mm Apo-Summicron

Besides a flurry of work I had when I returned, that very uncertainty in how to move forward with these blog posts has prevented me from doing anything at all. Typical for me, I can become paralyzed in the search for some sort of perfection - even if it's not "perfection" I'm after in regard to these posts; but rather "the best" way to handle it. I have started, stopped and restarted several times. I have tried giving myself time to let the more important aspects of my trip float to the surface for skimming. By now, it's either all tangled at the surface in a jumble, or waterlogged in the mud and need of dredging.

Chai stop, Delhi. Leica M11 w/50mm Apo-Summicron

I am fond of the saying, "ready, fire, aim." It's a poetic reminder to not get hung up in trying so hard to hit the bullseye, that you don't shoot at all. Sometimes, missing the mark is what encourages and informs the next attempt - and really, life and art are both just a series of repeated attempts at being better than the day before. Sometimes, reminding myself of this saying can push me to just make a move. I think at some level, this same search for an ideal sabotaged my initial perception of the photos I took.

Chandi Chowk, Delhi. Delhi Leica M11 w/50mm Apo-Summicron

Delhi was 103F (39.5C) the day following my late night arrival after twenty two hours of travel. Despite the heat, poor air quality and jet lag, I was determined to make the most of my only unstructured day on this trip. I spent nearly all of it on my feet, searching for images. I had mapped out a couple tourist sites as general guide posts to orient towards, but my plan was simply to walk. I find that more often than not, the images I love most are not taken at a destination, but rather on the road to or from it. In much of the world, life takes place on the streets and the best way to see it is as a pedestrian walking through.

With travel photography, you can only do so much to make things happen. It's more of a matter of getting yourself in the right physical and mental spaces. Luck is a big part of the equation, and the best way to ensure more, better photos is simply by spending more time out in the world, doing it. I think I put a lot of pressure on myself to make something happen in that one free day I had. I wanted to walk out of it with not just some great photos, but with meaningful stories.

Priya, Urdu Bazar, Delhi. Leica M11 w/ 35mm Summilux FLE

After initial review, I was disappointed with what I came back with. Nothing felt "right" when I was shooting it. The photos I was taking weren't feeling significant in any way, and I blamed it largely on not putting myself out there enough. I was being shy and not capturing the images I was observing happen before me. This is a character flaw I had spent a lot of my adult life pushing away, but the pandemic seemed to silently reposition back at my feet. It was through this lens I was looking at my images.

Seller argument, Jama Masjid, Delhi. Leica M11 w/35mm Summilux FLE

I have never considered myself a "street" photographer, whatever that means. I work within the travel and documentary fields, and even my advertising work, while often staged, pulls from the same well. I don't get in people's faces and I'm not willing to do anything to get "the shot." Staying out of the way, quietly observing and allowing things to unfold is my style. Sometimes, I have to remind myself of this. It's easier than ever to scroll through endless screens of other people's imagery and compare.

Side Street, Khari Baoli Spice Market, Delhi. Leica M9 w/ 35mm Summilux FLE

If I take a step away from all of these thoughts and just look at my work, I'm finding I'm much happier with it. Did I get any portfolio worthy, award winning photographs? No. But those are a rare breed anyway. What I did get was a series of shots that tell several little stories that I'll be telling in a variety of ways, as whatever gets dredged up or skimmed off while I keep firing. I may even check my aim.