I just got back from leading a Within the Frame Workshop to India. We went to some of my favorite places–Old Delhi, Jodhpur, Bundi, but, a personal highlight was returning to the sacred and ancient city of Varanasi.

I had been to Varanasi back in 2006. I loved it then, spent 6 days and felt like there is so much more to see and to photograph. This time we only spent 3 days in the city, but, that was enough to remind me of why the place is so special, so magical.

Leading a workshop means not really shooting yourself. It’s about being there for the participants, so, that’s what I tried to do, as much as possible. I showed some around and gave others advice, while we were on the go. Varanasi was towards the end of the trip, folks felt more comfortable, so we all just wondered around the ghats, shot from the boat or got lost in the labyrinth of narrow backstreets. I finallygot a chance to “let loose” for a bit. These images are the result.

I’ll note yet again that I used the Fuji x100s for all the images except for one. I didn’t even take my DSLRs. I don’t want to sound like an obsessed fan-boy, but, I love the camera more and more. There is something so pure about wandering the streets with something so small and the fixed 35 mm equivalent lens.