Sadhu Portrait #2. Kumbh Mela, Hardiwar, India.

This was shot with my favorite 85mm f1.2. I was talking the other day with someone about the 85mm f1.2 and the 50mm f1.2 (that I recently bought). We were joking why they even have a focal length over f2.8 on those lenses? If you buy a super fast lens chances are you’ll never use it at a speed higher than that. At least I don’t.

While walking around Haridwar exploring the Kumbh Mela last week, Gavin Gough and I walked into a rather non-discript ashram. An ashram, for lack of a better description, is kind of like a Jewish Kibbutz. Travelers or “seekers of truth or enlightenment” might come and stay at an ashram while on their journey. They might give the visitors work or responsibilities to share in while they live there.  It can also be just a glorified guest house. This place we had stepped into was more like the latter than the former. There where dozens, if not hundreds of Sadhus house for their time at the Mela. As we walked around several asked for us to take their photos. The light was nice and the subjects colorful. This emerged.