Varanasi is one of the most photogenic tourist destinations in India. The destination is a paradise for all kinds of photographers like landscapes, portraits, photojournalism, travel, street and candid, colors and forms, nature, art, culture & heritage. It provides a tremendous opportunity for salon photographers.
“Dev Deepawali” as the name suggests, is the festival of lights celebrated for all gods who are believed to be present at the bank of Ganges on the auspicious day and muhurt of Kartik Purnima falling after a fortnight of Deepawali. On this day, all Ghats are decorated with millions of oil lamps and buildings with electric lights. The view is so mesmerizing that no one wants to take their eyes away. The view gets complemented with the rise of full moon from the opposite bank at East, leaving beautiful reflection in Ganges. The whole event is so well coordinated and synchronized that all 84 ghats spread over 5 kms distance, light up around the same time. Thousands of local residents divide small portions of oil lamps to light the lamps together. The whole lot of activities are unbelievable. Tourists from all over the world visit in big numbers to witness the occasion drying up all hotel accommodations and availability of boats.
Workshop Format:
The format of workshop was carefully designed to give maximum practical and minimum theoretical sessions. The four-day workshop comprised of 6 outdoor sessions of 5 hours each and three expert sessions of 1 hour each. Every outdoor session was also split into travel, street, candid, portraiture and arranged model shoots. All arranged shoots were conceived to reflect art and culture
Mentors of the workshop:
Mr. B K Agrawal from Vishakhapatnam, a renowned portrait, fashion and glamour photographer with over 40 years of photography experience, mentored the workshop. He has a vast experience of organizing and mentoring photography workshops and judging national and international salons and Mr.Amitabh Agarwal, a senior photographer from Varanasi who knows the city like the back of
Delegates from all over India, registered in the workshop.
Andhra Pradesh: 8
Maharashtra: 2
Gujrat: 4
Karnataka: 3
Kerala: 1
Tamilnadu: 2
West Bengal: 2
Expert Session:
Topic: “Dev Deepawali - Festival of Divine Lights”
Expert: Prof. Rana P. B. Singh B.H.U. Varanasi
Food and Local Delicacies:
Carefully menu was prepared to include most of the local delicacies while being health and hygiene conscious. A nice blend of in-hotel dining and outdoor-dining was done to give a good food experience of the city.
Valedictory and Feedback Session:
Valedictory session was addressed by Chief Mentor. Delegates were distributed participation certificates.
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