Travel photography, when it’s at its best, often blurs the line between documentary and theatre — and sometimes, as if by cosmic mischief, the street itself sets the stage.

Life Imitating Art: A Street Photography Moment in Iquitos

Street Photography taken in Iquitos, Peru

This shot was taken in the wild, sweaty chaos of Iquitos, Peru — a fascinating city deep in the Amazon jungle that cannot be reached by car or road. Yep, you heard right: no highways lead here. It’s boats or planes only, baby. A proper isolated Jungle City, bursting with life, madness, and charm.

I spent a week in Iquitos with a mate, soaking it all in — from the famous Belén Market and Belen Village, half floating, half crumbling into the river, to boat trips up the mighty Amazon itself. We even stayed a few days upriver, tucked away in the thick green. A strange and beautiful place — part frontier town, part jungle fever dream. Take a look at my black and white photography blog taken in Belen Village - click here.

But back to the photo. Right in the Centre of Iquitos, amongst the grand old colonial buildings and cracked pavements, I spotted this absolute gem of a moment: a man — drunk? asleep? lost in thought? — sprawled out beneath a Pacific War memorial statue. And above him, in bronze, another weary soul frozen forever in near-identical pose. Life copying art, or art copying life? Either way — street photography magic, click here to view the black and white edit on my Flickr Account.

I shot this on my trusted Canon EOS 5D Mark II with a 50mm f/1.4 lens — settings: ƒ/8.0, 50mm, 1/250 sec, ISO 250 — the perfect travel camera kit for wandering streets, catching moments like this where history and humanity meet in strange symmetry.

Bonus: The Varanasi Street Comedy Shot

For fans of unplanned street theatre, you’ll also enjoy the infamous Varanasi Street Comedy photo — another moment where real life took on an uncanny artistic pose. You can check that image out and a blog on Varanasi by clicking here.

Slideshow: Iquitos & The Amazon

Here's a little slideshow of some more snaps from my Iquitos & Amazon adventures — market life, jungle river scenes, and those little visual stories that make travel worthwhile. Click through the images below and enjoy:

Setting Sun, Down by the River - Iquitos Photography for Sale

Life in Belen Market, Iquitos by Geraint Rowland

The Colours of Nature, Peru Travel Photography by Geraint Rowland

Iquitos Peru and the Amazon River Photography

Peruvian Portraits, the Amazon by Geraint Rowland

Peruvian Sloth Portrait Image

Iquitos River Abstract Art Image by Geraint Rowland Photography

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Oh, I travel boy!

#Iquitos, #Peru, #StreetPhotography, #DocumentaryPhotography, #TravelPhotographer, #BlackAndWhitePhotography, #AmazonJungle, #Canon5DMarkII, #ArtImitatingLife, #Photojournalism

I am a photographer from the United Kingdom who loves to travel. Last year I spent over six months travelling around India. I started in Bangalore before making my way down the west coast to the southern tip of India before making my way up the east coast to Calcutta. After some time in Bangladesh I returned to explore the north of India visiting Varanasi and the state of Rajasthan as well as the Capital of New Delhi. There weren't many days during the trip that I didn't head out with my camera to document my experiences. As well as capturing the iconic sights such as the Taj Mahal, and beautiful nature images on the coastline of Kerala and in the immense Thar Desert, some of my favourite photographs from the trip were ones I took on the streets, capturing everyday life in India. This blog includes some of the many street photographs I took whilst travelling through India.

What is Street Photography?

Street photography is a genre that has become very popular in recent times with the popularity of Instagram, and the ability to take good quality photos on a mobile phone. There is some debate as to what actually defines street photography and what it should and should not include. My understanding of street photography is the documentation of people living their everyday lives in a public space. Street photography nearly always contains people and is taken in a candid, unstaged way, normally without the knowledge or consent of the people captured. I don't personally believe that street photography has to necessarily be taken in a street or even an urban environment as not everyone in the World lives in a City. Street photography involves the observation of humanity, and when done well becomes an art form in itself. A well taken street photo will evoke some kind of emotion in the viewer, over and above that of a standard snapshot. The resulting image provides a single moment in time that tells a particular story, often in an amusing or ironic way. Some documentary and street photographers insist on their photos being black & white but I personally feel this to be a shame particularly if the image was taken in a colourful setting as is often the case in India. Aside from the possible conversion to black and white it is generally agreed that street photographs should not be overly edited and should be presented in a natural and realistic way. I am a member of a Facebook group called 'Urban Street Photography' which has some fantastic examples of the different styles of street photography taken around the World. It is a perfect place to look at the work of great street photographers with differing styles for some urban inspiration!

Examples of my Street Photography taken in India

India is a brilliant place for every type of photography, street photography included. The Cities and towns are full of colour and are bustling with life throughout the day. What can seem hectic and overbearing to many people can be a street photographers dream. As a street photographer you often just have to be patient, and something interesting will eventually happen. In addition, Indian people are very friendly, who in the majority of cases do not mind having their photo taken. It is also a safe place to travel around with a camera so long as you take the obvious precautions. My normal plan when travelling is to meet up with local people, often photographers from Flickr or Instagram to go and take photos with. This provides me with some valuable local knowledge as well as making the experience more enjoyable resulting in some better travel and street photographs for my portfolio. Click on the photo below to view a slideshow of ten street photos I captured on my journey around India.

Street Photograph of colourfully dressed women in Bangalore.

A candid street photo taken in Pushkar, Rajasthan, India. A cow stares towards the camera while a local man walks past.

An amusing candid street photograph of a Holy Man speaking on a mobile phone in Varanasi, India.

Street photography in Varanasi by Geraint Rowland.

Two cyclists cross each other on a bridge across a river in Madurai, India.

A girl passes a cow on some stairs in this street image taken in Varanasi.

Colourful street image of a fruit seller and his girlfriend, taken in Pushkar in Rajasthan, India.

Street photographs often evoke an emotion such as humour in this image of children on their mobile phones behind a large chicken on the streets of Madurai.

A colourful candid street portrait taken on the outskirts of Bengaluru, India.

The streets full of life (and rubbish) on a Sunday morning in central Bengaluru.

I highly recommend India for a photographic and travel experience, you will not be disappointed, it really is a unique part of the World. I have written several photographic travel blogs about my time in India including: Travel photography in Varanasi, Sunset silhouette photography in Fort Kochi, and one on the birds at Marina beach at sunrise in Chennai. I have always enjoyed taking street photographs on my travels, here is a blog I wrote combining two of my interests: street photography and street art. More of my street photographs from India and around can be found on my website, my Instagram, my Facebook and my Flickr account. I have a large selection of my travel photographs from India available to licence via Getty Images. If you are interested in purchasing a print direct, writing a guest blog or collaborating in another way please send an email to: geraintrowlandphotography@gmail.com.

Life Imitating Art: A Moment in Iquitos,