I spent a month in Kolkata, India in August-September 2026. Lived at 5$ hostels with the kitchen, cooked all the way - dalia (broken wheat grains) with cheese, eggs, veggies, etc - was trying to follow my slow carb diet. And almost daily had a photo walk with a focus on cats.
But, of course, I didn't miss opportunities to shoot street photography too.
I was amazed by this colorful group of people, who, perhaps, traveling in this truck. Guess they were sort of pilgrims considering I spotted them near Kalighat Temple. I liked that so much that couldn't help asking their consent; they silently looked back and I considered that "yes".
More people in colorful garments... Sleeping ladies, also in the vicinity of the Kalighat Temple.
Yours truly:
Again Kalighat because I normally didn't travel far from the area my hostel (Bubble Beds Hostel) was located. I chose this area as it was perfect for photography and enjoyed walking around it.
Colors and art are everywhere in Kolkata as well as discturbing scenes:
Decay is everywhere:
But that's one of the reasons I like Kolkata - it knows how to amaze.
More guys in orange:
They stopped curious about me and I photographed them immediately which made them happy.
Quite a wild-looking guy, and even more impressing religious art:
Kolkata inhabinants usually are glad to be photographed but don't normally disturb a photographer as it happened to me in Rajasthan where too many people wanted to shake my hand and ask standard questions - I just had too little time for photography and felt drained with constant attention and boring questions.
Quite a balanced place for street phorography, Kolkata is, with a nice public transportation system. Though, the city is incovenient in too many ways: super dirty street food options, awful retail, everything is so inefficient that you can't stay sane if you are in Kolkata for a long while...
My advice: do as much photography as you can (with as little computer work as possible) - hurry to do maximum before your spirit turns low - first, you don't know that but it always ends this way.
More images from legendary Kolkata is ahead, stay tuned, dear reader! 馃槑
The photos were taken with a Nikkor 24mm f/2.8D on a full-frame DSLR Nikon D750 in August-September 2026 in Kolkata, India