Beyond the Frame 75/
In this edition we travel from the hectic heart of Old Delhi to the dreamy expanses of the Tibetan Steppe. There are recommendations to inform and inspire plus new Oblique Strategies for Photographers
Girl at Chandni Chowk
The light in Delhi’s bustling Chandni Chowk bounces from brass pots and through coloured silks, softening the sunlit corners. Amidst the constant shuffle of people, I saw this young girl in a doorway, half in shade, half in the warm glow reflected from a maroon wall. Her expression hovered between curiosity and amusement, as if she was listening to an especially amusing joke.
There’s endless motion in Delhi’s Old Quarter but there are pauses too, moments when it’s possible to engage with a smile. I used a wide aperture to isolate the girl from the street, allowing the background to dissolve into a suggestion of colour.
Sometimes, the quietest portraits can be found in the noisiest places.
Dyal Thak by Kin Coedel
Travel photography is a curious genre to define. What does travel photography include other than any image made outside our own neighbourhood? And don’t our own neighbourhoods offer travel photography opportunities for anybody who isn’t our immediate neighbour?
The term has come to describe images which might often be found in the pages of a glossy brochure or a Lonely Planet guidebook – back when travel brochures and guidebooks were still a thing. Travel photography is aspirational and idyllic. It’s often selective, showing only the best of a location. In the traditional, commercial sense, travel photography depicts a world where the skies are always blue and everybody is always smiling.
But there is another strand of travel photography. It’s no less idyllic but it’s rooted more in a genuine experience. It’s less candy-coloured, more earthy and intimate.
If Kin Coedel’s images count as Travel Photography, they’re definitely of the latter variety.
I became familiar with Kin’s work in an edition of the British Journal of Photography’s 1854 magazine. The article explains how Kin travelled to Tibet in 2021, expecting to find the landscapes he’d seen “romanticised by the Western lens”.
Kin spent time with the Ritoma community, many of whom harvest and weave khullu, the highly prized yak yarn that’s as soft as cashmere and warmer than merino.
“This community really welcomed me – I woke up with them, ate lunch and dinner with them every day. When I was in Ritoma, that was the most intimate time”
Kin’s photographs are affectionate and made with a light touch. A woman’s long braids fly in the breeze; a young boy flies in a gravity-defying dive towards the sky.
Kin’s keen awareness of texture is apparent in every frame, from the lush, low grasses to soft felt hats and the spidery detail of a horse’s eyelashes.
I noticed that Kin’s images are a celebration of folds. The folds of a monk’s robes, sun-kissed blankets, fluttering prayer flags, cosy scarves, furrowed brows, rolling landscapes… folds are evident in almost every image – and I see that theme continued in the images on Kin’s website home page.
You can enjoy the full Dyal Thak collection on Kin’s website and follow him on Instagram.
You don’t make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.
– Ansel Adams
Beyond the Frame Recommendations
Articles, documentaries, exhibitions, podcasts and more.
◘ Read
Overfishing in Southeast Asia – An Ecological and Human Drama
Nicole Tung won this year’s Carmignac Photojournalism Award with her photo essay, which explores the human and environmental consequences of illegal fishing.
◉ Listen
Legend – The Bruce Springsteen Story
Springsteen’s story is a testament to an artist’s belief and perseverance. This excellent new BBC Radio documentary reveals the “life behind the legend”.
▶︎ Watch
A new National Geographic documentary about the life and work of war photographer Lynsey Addario. Complement with an insightful collection of interviews and galleries where Lynsey reflects on the five stories that defined her career.
❖ See
A major exhibition of the trailblazing photographer Lee Miller has opened at Tate Britain (London, UK).
The exhibition will showcase Miller’s extraordinary career, from her participation in French surrealism to her fashion and war photography. With around 250 vintage and modern prints, including those never previously displayed, the exhibition reveals Miller’s poetic vision and fearless spirit.
Read other editions featuring Lee Miller and the Lee biopic starring Kate Winslet.
✤ Create
A series of creative prompts, inspired by Brian Eno’s Oblique Strategies, and designed with photographers in mind.
Read more about the concept and learn how to use my Oblique Strategies for Photographers.
And finally…
In the list of occupations where you’d really hope staff aren’t overworked or underpaid, air traffic controllers must be near the top.
So I hope the shut down of the US federal government will be resolved before I fly to New York at the weekend!
If you’re in Manhattan next week and spot a middle-aged English photographer peering into a well-used Leica, come and say hello.
Until next time, go well.
Directory: Beyond the Frame newsletter archive.
Resources: Recommended books, films, gear, media etc.
Beyond the Frame 74/
A postcard from Patan. The Leica Oskar Barnack Award 2025 winner. A Magnum Exhibition. Special Edition competition.