As we look forward to better weather in the UK, in Bombay, they look forward to a respite from the scorching weather with the Bombay Rains or monsoon, which usually arrives from May to June, but can be pretty unstoppable once they start.
This collection of photographs were taken in Bombay, these days known as Mumbai, a sort of cosmopolitan city in India. And they’re very used to rain. All sorts of rain…. From short sharp downpours to monsoon season where the city regularly floods. These are just showers. Lots of puddles but no flooding. The photographs capture the everyday life of the people in Mumbai and their varying climate. Nearly half of India’s fields and farms depend on this annual rain boom for their rice and cotton fields. So unlike us, where often we look up disapprovingly of the rainy days, the people of India celebrate these rains and this rainy season. Children enjoy the flooded rivers and make the most of the very welcome wet season.
Weather and photography are something that can truly capture the imagination of both the photographer and the viewer. These images hopefully transport the viewer to the location. Can you feel the rain, the wind, smell it or even hear it? The images awaken your senses to the moment and as you would hope with a travel photographer, take you to the place in the images.
It is not easy to photograph well in inclement weather; it presents so many more obstacles, but as a travel photographer this presents as an exciting challenge and as such, it’s always great to see when it works well! A water- resistant camera, bag and lens cap are of course essential for these rainy day images. Rain creates great atmosphere, mood and drama and can lift a setting to a new level of artistic interpretation. These images in ‘The Bombay Rain’ collection not only capture the weather but also, more importantly perhaps, the relationship between the people and their climate.
Hopefully, these images transport you to the beautiful land of India, the people of Mumbai and their rainy season – celebrated, welcomed and appreciated across the land.
