Wanderer, India is submitted to ‘Take a Walk’ on National Geographic.
See the National Geographic photo assignments that Kristian Bertel has participated in – Read the story about his photographs here…
Kristian Bertel has contributed to the National Geographic Your Shot community with an assignment called ‘Take a Walk’. Curated by David Guttenfelder, a National Geographic photographer, he is looking for us to capture moments, light, people, cityscapes, anything that interest us as we make our way across our city or town.
We should also make sure to include in our caption the location of where the image was made. Wherever we are with your camera, we should put on our most comfortable, durable shoes and take a walk.
As David is saying it: ”- Photography has taken me all over the world to cover global events and everyday life. Whether I’m in a faraway land like Timbuktu or in my own hometown of Minneapolis, my approach is always the same: Pack light, grab one camera I love, wear the right shoes, and start walking. Photographers don’t usually walk in a straight line. We zigzag, double back, stop and stand by a pool of perfect light, explore, wander, and sometimes get completely and totally lost”, he says.
To understand a new place by walking
Walking is the best way for him to begin to understand a new place. It allows him to enter intimate spaces, have meaningful encounters with gracious people, and capture serendipitous moments that he hopes will transport others to that same space, inviting them to walk in his shoes and share his experiences.
Walking as a topic in India
Human walking is accomplished with a strategy called the double pendulum. During forward motion, the leg that leaves the ground swings forward from the hip. This sweep is the first pendulum. Then the leg strikes the ground with the heel and rolls through to the toe in a motion described as an inverted pendulum. The motion of the two legs is coordinated so that one foot or the other is always in contact with the ground.
There is an absolute limit on an individual’s speed of walking without special techniques such as those employed in speed walking due to the upwards acceleration of the centre of mass during a stride – if it’s greater than the acceleration due to gravity the person will become airborne as they vault over the leg on the ground. Typically however, animals switch to a run at a lower speed than this due to energy efficiencies.
Roads in India
The main roads in India are under huge pressure and in great need of modernisation in order to handle the increased requirements of the Indian economy. ”- In addition to maintenance, the expansion of the network and widening of existing roads is becoming increasingly important. This would then enable the roads to handle increased traffic, and also allow for a corresponding increase in the average movement speed on India’s roads”, the photographer Kristian Bertel says.
You might also like:
Assignments and Stories — National Geographic Your Shot »
A Visual Diary on Nation Geographic: On April 1, I… »
Your Shot Photo Community — National Geographic »
Kristian Bertel’s entire gallery on Your Shot »
Showcase of Kristian Bertel’s Your Shot »
Kristian Bertel’s website »
Kristian Bertel 