I have been to India many times in the past but never to Varanasi, one of the holy cities of India on the Ganges. Many pilgrims visit the city to bathe in its waters and to cremate or scatter the ashes of the dead in the Ganges.

Before a shoot I always check, camera sensor clean, batteries charged, spare batteries charged and packed, spare Cf card packed, check the flash and triggers all charged and working. As much as I can try and pre visualise the shot in my mind, picture how I see it composed and lit. Of course, reality is always different, but visualising something is very important to me and I find it helps.

 

"When I know

I’m shooting in bright daylight, the Quadra system is a great bit of kit"

 

My idea for this trip was to make a film about Varanasi and to shoot portraits of the sadhus along the banks of the Ganges. I hadn't planned much before I went out, just my accommodation so it was all quite intuitive.

For travelling and when I know I’m shooting in bright daylight, the Quadra system is a great bit of kit. I know I can control the light in situations where Speedlight’s simply would not have enough guts to get the quality of light that I’m after in my images.