Once again I’m ending a superb photography tour in Bangladesh. And yes, Bangladesh is still the best country on earth for people photography!!!!
Instead of doing the usual and having a day-by-day recap of the 2022 tour (after all you can find that in the previous tours’ blog posts), let me tell you why you should really come and photograph with me in this incredible country. But of course, I am using images taken on this year’s trip 🙂
My photography tour in Bangladesh: all about people photography
There are a lot of people living in Bangladesh (about 180 million!) and it is not a big country! The streets are always busy, the markets are crowded and the traffic is… well it’s a whole experience!
This means that Bangladesh offers many fantastic photo opportunities, everywhere we go. Yes, there is never a dull moment in Bangladesh!
We begin our photography tour in the capital city of Dhaka. For a couple of hectic days, we go and photograph some of the busiest and prettiest sights in the city. And no, these are not monuments or old buildings. I am still talking about people photography!
Later on, we fly to various locations throughout the country, bringing a more quiet and relaxed pace to the tour. We visit lots of stunning countryside locations, ideal for travel and people photography. You can find more details about the locations on the actual tour page.
Whether you are into portrait photography, street, or more general travel photography, this is an ideal place to come and perfect your people photography skills.
Bangladesh photography tour: travel and street photography.
People photography is a very wide genre of photography. And all are available in Bangladesh.
We visit the best locations in the country for travel photography: from busy markets to quiet riverside villages. And of course, always at the best time of the day. Capture fishermen on the river early morning, or a busy market with the sunset light hitting people’s faces, Bangladesh has it all!
Bangladesh has some of the friendliest people I’ve ever met
If you’re asking yourself how safe Bangladesh is, my answer to you is: very safe! The people are extremely friendly and constantly come and meet us for a chat, mostly wanting to know where we see from.
Everyone is smiley and full of positive energy, even when we meet people who are working in tough conditions.
And this makes it extremely easy to photograph people. They often come to us and ask us to take their pictures. They love the camera, they love to pose, and always display a lot of energy in front of the lens!
For people photography, Bangladesh is a dream destination.
Imagine a place where you can photograph every person you see. Yes, it does sound like heaven to me, and Bangladesh is pretty much heaven for photography!
Of course, it is not as easy to photograph women as they are much shyer. Some do not like to be photographed, but many will come for a chat and be happy to be photographed, mostly in rural areas.
Bangladesh photography tour 2022 highlights
We have experienced so many memorable moments this year on the photo tour. Here are my own personal favorite moments of this year’s tour:
I went to explore the Barisal district before the tour began
Yes I know, it’s not the actual tour, but I did spend a week by myself scouting new areas. This time I headed down the river South of Dhaka. I talk about my experience in this blog post.
Old Dhaka market along the river
On our second day, we spent part of the afternoon in a very busy market along the river in Dhaka. There I discovered a very special area where people sell sugar cane. This spot offers terrific backgrounds and is always busy with activities.
The magic pee stop
Yes, you heard me well. When I tell you that there is never a dull moment in Bangladesh, believe me. When we were driving between Rashjahi and Bogra, we stopped for a toilet break. When entering the restaurant, I saw some smoke coming out of the back room. And as I am as curious as a monkey I checked it out. Bingo! We discovered an incredible kitchen with smoke and light beams.
And yes, this restaurant is now on my map and we’ll surely have a toilet break on the Bangladesh photo tour in 2023!
Field workers around Bogra
After an incredible afternoon in the rice fields, where we got invited to people’s houses to have tea and biscuits, we saw a group of men and women in another field. We went to say hi and the sun was going down beautifully. We hung around the people for a while, chatting and taking photos, and took some fantastic shots!
Hindu festival in Kantaji temple
We were very lucky that our visit coincided with a very special Hindu festival happening in the Kantaji temple. Honestly, it just felt like being in India. The indigenous people there look different, a little more East Asian, and they wear very colorful clothes. A great local experience for the whole group!
Misty morning in Dinajpur
On our last morning in the North Western part of the country, we woke up early to capture the morning mist in the fields. After a while, when we were busy taking photos of a man harvesting rice, I saw someone walk on the other side of the river. The reflection was beautiful and the mist added a special mood to this image.
Chasing the tea workers in Sreemongol
After having traveled many times to Sreemongol, I know where it is easier for us to find human activity in the beautiful tea fields. When I spotted a group of tea workers walking, I went and said hi. We then followed them for a while, not knowing where they were going.
After about 10 minutes of chasing them (they were walking pretty fast!) we discovered an incredible area where many people were working. Over there I met many friends, took some photos of course, and got bitten by a massive angry ant (bonus memory for me!) when I went to help workers take fruits down from a tree.
Definitely a great memory for me!
Crossing the river in Jaflong
After a great afternoon in a local village along the river in Jaflong, it was time to head back to our hotel. We crossed the river on a small ferry boat, operated by 2 kids. I remember studying them as they seemed to have a lot of fun operating their small business. One was driving, the other one was taking money from the passengers. They seemed so professional for their age, I was quite impressed by their adult-like behaviors.
Of course, there were many, many more memorable moments! But I don’t want to spoil the whole itinerary for you! Words would not even help describe this incredible photo tour (and you know by now, one of my favorites!). I hope the images below will say thousands of words.
If you’re still unsure check out the most recent reviews I received from the participants!
Now I have to go home and lose the few kilos I gained! No, don’t get me started about the amazing food we find everywhere in Bangladesh, this would take too much time!
