I grew up in Kolkata, and after graduation I moved to London for work. Since then, I’ve gone back about once a year. Walking around the city with a camera around my neck is what some of my friends would call an NRI (non-resident Indian) thing to do – on par with asking for bottled water at restaurants. But the truth is I’ve always enjoyed walking around the city with a camera: a Minolta SLR as a teenager in the early 2000s, then a digital compact, then a DSLR… before returning to the Minolta about eight years ago, when I rediscovered the joys of analogue photography. This year, I had a Leica M3 – a birthday gift to end all birthday gifts, from my girlfriend and my parents.
The photos you see here were all taken with a Voigtländer 28mm f/1.9 Ultron. I already had a Summicron 50mm f2 and a Tele-Elmar 135mm f4 (more on those some other time, perhaps), and wanted a wide-angle lens to complete the line-up. With a self-imposed budget of £250, Leica lenses or the Zeiss Biogon 28mm were out of reach. In fact, for that price I think I was lucky to get even the Ultron; I just saw a good deal on eBay and went for it.
A wide-angle lens takes some getting used to, but I like the perspective it offers, and it has some distinct advantages in a city as crowded as Kolkata. Some of the most interesting lanes (as in the first photo) are also the narrowest; a ‘normal’ lens just couldn’t have contained the whole scene. And getting close to the subject (like in the last photo) is one way to avoid being interrupted by a constant stream of passers-by.
Thank you for reading, and hope you enjoyed the photos. If perchance they inspired you to visit Kolkata, drop me a line!
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Richard on 5 frames in Kolkata with a Leica M3 and Voigtländer 28mm f/1.9 – by Sroyon Mukherjee
Comment posted: 23/02/2019
The light you captured in the fruit market really helps communicate the atmosphere.
Comment posted: 23/02/2019
Javier Cañada on 5 frames in Kolkata with a Leica M3 and Voigtländer 28mm f/1.9 – by Sroyon Mukherjee
Comment posted: 23/02/2019
Comment posted: 23/02/2019
Danny on 5 frames in Kolkata with a Leica M3 and Voigtländer 28mm f/1.9 – by Sroyon Mukherjee
Comment posted: 23/02/2019
Comment posted: 23/02/2019
Peter Wright on 5 frames in Kolkata with a Leica M3 and Voigtländer 28mm f/1.9 – by Sroyon Mukherjee
Comment posted: 23/02/2019
Comment posted: 23/02/2019
J-Leman on 5 frames in Kolkata with a Leica M3 and Voigtländer 28mm f/1.9 – by Sroyon Mukherjee
Comment posted: 23/02/2019
Comment posted: 23/02/2019
Mike Hinkleman on 5 frames in Kolkata with a Leica M3 and Voigtländer 28mm f/1.9 – by Sroyon Mukherjee
Comment posted: 23/02/2019
Nice color ! on the set.
And not much vignette except maybe just a tad on the fruit market?. Small aperture?
Comment posted: 23/02/2019
Jess Lantz on 5 frames in Kolkata with a Leica M3 and Voigtländer 28mm f/1.9 – by Sroyon Mukherjee
Comment posted: 23/02/2019
Comment posted: 23/02/2019
Zach on 5 frames in Kolkata with a Leica M3 and Voigtländer 28mm f/1.9 – by Sroyon Mukherjee
Comment posted: 23/02/2019
Comment posted: 23/02/2019
James Northcote on 5 frames in Kolkata with a Leica M3 and Voigtländer 28mm f/1.9 – by Sroyon Mukherjee
Comment posted: 23/02/2019
Comment posted: 23/02/2019
Louis A. Sousa on 5 frames in Kolkata with a Leica M3 and Voigtländer 28mm f/1.9 – by Sroyon Mukherjee
Comment posted: 23/02/2019
Comment posted: 23/02/2019
Nick on 5 frames in Kolkata with a Leica M3 and Voigtländer 28mm f/1.9 – by Sroyon Mukherjee
Comment posted: 23/02/2019
I have almost the same set up for street, with an M2 and the VM version of the Ultron. Fantastic kit.
Comment posted: 23/02/2019
Scott Edwards on 5 frames in Kolkata with a Leica M3 and Voigtländer 28mm f/1.9 – by Sroyon Mukherjee
Comment posted: 23/02/2019
Comment posted: 23/02/2019
Dominique Pierre-Nina on 5 frames in Kolkata with a Leica M3 and Voigtländer 28mm f/1.9 – by Sroyon Mukherjee
Comment posted: 23/02/2019
Regards,
Dominique
Comment posted: 23/02/2019
Thomas Inman on 5 frames in Kolkata with a Leica M3 and Voigtländer 28mm f/1.9 – by Sroyon Mukherjee
Comment posted: 24/02/2019
Sroyon on 5 frames in Kolkata with a Leica M3 and Voigtländer 28mm f/1.9 – by Sroyon Mukherjee
Comment posted: 25/02/2019
Daniel Castelli on 5 frames in Kolkata with a Leica M3 and Voigtländer 28mm f/1.9 – by Sroyon Mukherjee
Comment posted: 25/02/2019
There is an intangible, wonderful look to your photos. I enjoyed your story.
The M3 & the 28mm lens make a nice kit. You seem to have natural feel for the 28mm.
Sroyon on 5 frames in Kolkata with a Leica M3 and Voigtländer 28mm f/1.9 – by Sroyon Mukherjee
Comment posted: 25/02/2019
Stephen Scarlett on 5 frames in Kolkata with a Leica M3 and Voigtländer 28mm f/1.9 – by Sroyon Mukherjee
Comment posted: 02/04/2020
Comment posted: 02/04/2020
Split Grade Printing – Darkroom Technique Part 4 – by Sroyon Mukherjee - 35mmc on 5 frames in Kolkata with a Leica M3 and Voigtländer 28mm f/1.9 – by Sroyon Mukherjee
Comment posted: 27/04/2020
3 Focal Lengths in Danish Marshland - by Sroyon Mukherjee - 35mmc on 5 frames in Kolkata with a Leica M3 and Voigtländer 28mm f/1.9 – by Sroyon Mukherjee
Comment posted: 16/06/2020