Streets Ahead

A Mud Hut In The Middle Of A City Thoroughfare

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

This was shot in Calcutta, India, in October 2006. It might look like a mud hut in the middle of a city street, but allow me to explain.

This was shot during the Pujas, the period of Hindu festivities that is a long celebration of colour and light. This is actually a re-creation of an Adivasi village hut and was merely erected as a temporary attraction in south Calcutta.

By shooting from this vantage point, I was able to shoot through the hut, proving a view of the street on the other side. The two figures in the first image are clay renderings - but if you look through the open doorway on the far side of the second image (below) you actually see real people in the distance.


For earlier posts in this series, check out The Doors Archive.

Let There Be Light

Maybe We Can String Something Together Here

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

I was in a hurry on a hot, humid morning in Calcutta, India, in October 2006 when I noticed something interesting. This unusual stack, part of what must have been hundreds of light bulbs, had just been taken down from the facade of a residential apartment block.

The lights had been used to illuminate the building during the festive Puja season, in an age-old tradition where lights and assorted decorations adorn homes of all descriptions. The Pujas are a prolonged holiday period during which Indian cities are transformed into havens of shimmering night-time light.

I composed this shot to emphasise the careful manner in which the bulbs had been arranged, but also to draw the eye towards the colour-coded wiring. Obviously the lights were removed in a certain sequence, and were about to be stored in a way in which they could easily be retrieved and replaced the next year.


Visit TNChick's Photo Hunt. Today's theme: "Electric''.

Think Pink

Spring Symphony Comes In Many Colours

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

As a child, I always wondered about the expression "as fresh as a daisy". Surely, I thought, there were other flowers that were bigger, taller, brighter, more infused with wonderful perfume …..

You see, I grew up in Calcutta, India, where we had a sprawling garden that was big enough for a badminton court near the driveway, a full-length cricket pitch near the back door, as well as an enclosed sanctuary where such missiles as soccer balls and cricket balls could not do any damage – and several long, broad garden beds.

So in my childish mind, there were many varieties that looked fresher than daisies, which I thought were probably a bit mundane.

Then I grew up (ostensibly) and married Mrs Authorblog and I became the designated gardener, teaching each of the Authorbloglets in turn everything I knew about horticulture. So when we built our own home and I had the great pleasure of designing and planning the garden, I planted some daisies that act as a beacon of the seasons.

There are huge mounds of golden-yellow daisies in winter, white daisies in late winter and now the scarlet daisies as spring loosens winter’s grip. And yes, I have finally realised that "fresh as a daisy" is entirely accurate and legitimate.


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