India on a Film Set

On Set - Old Delhi

In 1998 I worked on the Feature Film ‘Holy Smoke’ with the director Jane Campion. It was a three month production and I was employed to do all ‘Specials’ as well as the production stills. My approach was to predominantely use Polaroid stocks-Type 55, Type 59, and 665 as well as shooting Colour transperancy Sheet Film on a 5x4 Linhof and using a Medium Format 645 for everything else. Promotional material for films in this era were sets of 35mm dupe film transperancies so I chose to shoot only formats larger than 35mm and therefore the dupe film promotional material would be of superior quality.

Kate Winslet - Pushkar

Porter ‘Old Delhi’

The last three weeks of the production were shot on location in Rajasthan firstly in Delhi and then the Holy City of Pushkar. Most of the pictures in this post are portraits I took ‘off set’. Shooting polaroid stocks and giving the print to the portrait sitter and I retaining the negative to print later in a dark room.

Here Are The Young Men…..‘Old Delhi’

Here Are The Young Men…. ‘Old Delhi’

A family who were living next to the Film Set of ‘Holy Smoke’ Old Delhi

Kate Winslet with Sam and the children of Old Delhi

In 1998 I worked on the Feature Film 'Holy Smoke' these pictures were taken from the train to Ajhmer

The train journery lasted seven hours.

Portrait in Ajhmer

In 1998 I worked on the Feature Film 'Holy Smoke' These pictures were taken on the train journey to Ajhmer

The woman of Pushkar

I shot a lot of street portraits with my Linhof Flat Bed Field Camera

On Set - Pushkar

Chandra - Pushkar

The Sadhu’s of Pushkar

Type 55 Polaroid - Print.

The Sadhu’s of Pushkar

My Last Session with Kate-Pushkar

With Jane Campion on the last day of filming

On the day of departure I went to a temple overlooking Pushkar at dawn with one of the local Sadhu’s.