Client Area

Client Area

Basket

Menu

Light & Land

Call us on 01747 352045

Varanasi and Kolkata: Layers of Everyday Life

  • 16th - 25th November, 2026

  • £5,499.00 / £750.00 Deposit

  • Approximately - Loading...

Our Varanasi and Kolkata Layers of Everyday Life photography tour is a two-stage, ten-day street photography course led by Mark Seymour, working in two cities that reward photographers who slow down, pay attention, and work with intent. Kolkata and Varanasi are not chosen for ease or novelty, but for the way they encourage a deeper understanding of place, people, and photographic practice. Together, they offer a thoughtful and immersive experience, shaped by observation, patience, and time spent working in the streets.

Tags: Kolkata Photography Tour | Varanasi Photography Holiday | Varanasi & Kolkata Street Photography Tour

Varanasi and Kolkata: Layers of Everyday Life

Varanasi and Kolkata Street Photography Tour - Layers of Everyday Life
Kolkata, the former capital of British India until 1911, still carries that layered inheritance. Colonial architecture sits alongside crumbling mansions, dense neighbourhoods, markets, factories, and a long-established intellectual life rooted in political resistance, literature, and social debate. It is a city that thinks, argues, and remembers. For photographers, Kolkata rewards patience. It is less performative and more conversational, a place where the streets unfold slowly and images emerge through waiting and attention. Here, themes of class, labour, family, decay, and resilience reveal themselves quietly, often through posture, gesture, and the way people occupy space.

Kolkata Photography Tour
Varanasi Photography Tour

Varanasi offers a contrasting but equally rich environment. One of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on Earth, it has been a centre of Hindu belief, ritual, learning, and death for over three thousand years. The Ganges here is not scenery, but part of everyday life, where spiritual, social, and practical activities share the same steps. Life is lived openly, with devotion, labour, ageing, grief, and routine unfolding side by side in the same light, day after day.

For photographers, Varanasi has a unique way of collapsing time. Ancient rituals exist alongside modern life, with pilgrims, labourers, priests, tourists, and families all sharing the same spaces. Life and death often sit within the same frame, without emphasis or drama. The course coincides with Dev Deepawali, the “Diwali of the Gods,” when the ghats are illuminated with countless earthen lamps and the river becomes a moving field of light. Experienced from the water, this provides a distinctive opportunity to photograph the atmosphere, scale, and collective response to this significant event.

Kolkata Photography Holiday

Together, Kolkata and Varanasi offer something many modern cities have lost: a sense of friction between old and new, sacred and mundane, stillness and noise. It is within this tension that photographs gain depth and meaning. Guided throughout by Mark Seymour, this course places the emphasis on observation, judgement, and long-form photographic thinking. It is not about collecting images, but about developing a way of seeing that continues to inform your photography long after the journey has ended.

  • Included

    • Accommodation - single occupancy

    • Breakfasts

    • Airport transfers by taxi

    • Transport during the tour

    • Tuition from Mark Seymour

  • Excluded

    • International flights and one internal flight between Kolkata and Varanasi

    • Meals not mentioned

    • Insurance

Tutored By

Tutored by Mark Seymour

Mark Seymour
×

Luxury Editions

Essentially, a Luxury Editions tour is an exclusive micro learning group with five star tuition and treatment in all aspects of the tour. Each year a small number of ‘Luxury Editions’ tours will run where the group numbers no more than four photographers per tutor. Here the learning approach is more intensive where the leader is able to offer constant ‘hands-on guidance’ allowing them an opportunity to work in depth with each individual photographer in addition to working with the group on a collective basis. In addition to this, the accommodation will be of a high standard and special extras will be included. These tours are only taught by our long standing leaders who have years of experience and are highly sought after. If you would like to join a Luxury Edition tour, then the requirement would simply be a complete understanding of the workings of the camera and the desire and commitment needed to attend the workshop.

×

Off the Beaten Track

Our 'Off the Beaten Track' tours cater for those more adventurous photographers who would like to get off the beaten track and explore roads untrodden or delve into the culture of a place. Groups are small and you can be assured that although the tour leader will have an in-depth knowledge of the location, you may veer off track if an unplanned photography opportunity presents itself! The tuition is five star on these tours. The accommodation varies on these tours from mid range hotels, shared cabins on a ship to basic and clean camps. Our priority is to get you to the best locations in time for the best shot and if this means camping half way up a mountain then so be it! Our 'Off the Beaten Track' tutors will have experience and knowledge of the area, so you can be assured that you will be completely taken care off to allow you to concentrate on that award winning image. If you would like to join an ‘Off the Beaten Track’ tour, then a good knowledge of your camera would be an advantage, but not essential, and the desire and commitment needed to attend the workshop. We do also ask that you have a good level of fitness as these tours could involve a large amount of walking. Check each tours description for requirements.

×

Classic

Our Classic tours are aimed at those who wish to discover unique locations, but at a more leisurely pace than the Off the Beaten Track tours. There will be ample time to immerse yourself in the location and spend time on your photography. Classic tours also focus on sunrise and sunset (which are optional for those who like to sleep in!) and have a slightly larger group size (max 8 per tutor) to allow the social side of photography to be appreciated. Tuition is five star and hotels are mid-high range depending on the tour. Every classic tour is different so do refer to the tour description for details of accommodation and locations visited. If you would like to join a ‘Classic’ tour, then a good knowledge of your camera would be an advantage, but not essential, and the desire and commitment needed to attend the workshop. Fitness levels required vary depending on the tour so do check the exertion level under the description tab.

×

City Tours

Interested in architectural photography or street photography? Do you get a buzz from photographing city life? Then a city tour is for you. We have a range of tours catering to various styles of photography including People/Street, Intentional Camera Movement, Iphoneography or Architectural photography. Tours range in length from weekend breaks, ideal for those who don’t have may days holiday left, or longer tours to allow yourself to truly explore the city. Our tutors have an in-depth knowledge of the location and will take you to undiscovered spots to ensure you come away with a varied selection of images that you are proud of. If you would like to join a ‘City’ tour, the requirement would simply be a complete understanding of the workings of the camera and the desire and commitment needed to attend the workshop. Fitness levels required vary depending on the tour so do check the exertion level under the description tab.

×

In a Day

Only got one day to spare or have already used up your ‘holiday’ budget? Join one of our ‘In a Day’ photography workshops and we will provide you with the knowledge, the views and the techniques for making the most of the light. You will go away not only having met some like minded people but most importantly having learnt something new and exciting about photography. You only need to bring a camera and an open mind! Our photography workshops are ideal for all levels of photographer from beginner to advanced. Please note these one day workshops are exclusive of VAT, this will be applied at the rate of 20% at the checkout.

×

Easy - most locations are arrived at by vehicle, and most subjects and viewpoints are within easy reach. No particular level of fitness is required.

Moderate - these tours involve some walking, perhaps sometimes in towns, or on well developed trails. There may be a limited amount of uphill walking. Please advise if you have any fitness concerns.

Strenuous - these are tours which may include demanding levels of walking, including some prolonged or steep ascents and descents. Rough terrain (off the beaten track) may well be encountered. A reasonable level of fitness is required for these trips.

×

To add yourself to the waiting list, please first log in. You'll be redirected back to the tour/workshop, where you can then 'join the waiting list'.

Not yet a member? Click here to register

More Tours & Workshops

Scroll

Light and Land

Javascript Required

Sorry, but our site doesn't work without Javascript enabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser, or click here to learn more.

×

Sign Up For Our Free Newsletter

Love Photography?

Sign up for our free newsletter and keep up with all our latest news and offers. Be the first to find out about new tour destinations as well as news from our tour leaders.

View our Privacy Policy