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Marco Polo Expeditions
Varanasi
A Photography & Food Expedition
4
THEMS
PER DAY
×
3
DAYS OF
PHOTOGRAPHY
=
12
FRAMES.
ONE STORY
4 Days · Winter Season · Small Group
...Where Light Finds Eternity
16-19 JANUARY 2027
WAY ONE
The River
Landscape, light, and atmosphere.
WAY TWO
The City
Gallis, architecture, everyday life.
WAY THREE
The People
Portraits, tradition, human stories.
WAY FOUR
The Plate
Food, culture, the flavours of Banaras.
THE CITY
Varanasi is not a city you simply photograph. It is a city you slowly learn to see.
From first light over the Ganga to the narrow gallis of the old city, from a weaver's hands to the taste of a morning kachori every corner holds another layer of the story. Over four days, we photograph, taste, and edit our way through Banaras, working the entire time toward one continuous challenge: four themes a day, three days of shooting, twelve photographs, one personal story.
THE JOURNEY
Four Days, Twelve Frames
The River Of Light — The City Behind The Ghats — The Soul Of Banaras — One Last Morning
DAY ONE
The River Of Light
Themes 01–04
We begin with the river. As afternoon light softens, we make our way to the ghats and watch the Ganga's rhythm boats crossing the frame, old stone meeting evening colour, reflections slowly forming on the water.
As daylight fades, Banaras transforms. The evening Ganga Aarti becomes our first major photographic encounter light, movement, layers, silhouette, and human moment, looking past the obvious frame.
The day closes with our first taste of the city an introduction to the food that will travel with us for the next four days.
DAY TWO
The City Behind The Ghats
Themes 05–08
We wake before the city does. Morning finds us back on the Ganga as the ghats change completely under first light then breakfast, and Banaras through its flavours: chai, kachori, jalebi, and the small details that make food part of the city's identity.
Then we leave the river behind and enter the old city narrow gallis, architecture, people, shadow, and the everyday life that fills them.
Later, the world of Banarasi silk gives us an entirely different photographic language: threads, colour, hands, faces, patience, tradition. By evening we return to the ghats once more, now seeing them with everything the day has taught us.
DAY THREE
The Soul Of Banaras
Themes 09–12
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The morning takes us deeper into an akhara, a local neighbourhood, or another carefully chosen corner of daily life beyond the postcard view of Varanasi. Documentary photography, movement, environmental portraits.
By evening, we return once more to the Ganga Aarti but this time, we see it differently. Three days of watching have become intention.
Between The Themes — The Editing Room
Hundreds Of Photographs Become Possibilities
In the afternoon, we step back from shooting and begin turning those possibilities into a story selection, culling, sequencing, colour, crop, visual rhythm. The question stops being "which photograph is my best" and becomes something else entirely.
DAY FOUR
One Last Morning
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One final morning with our cameras — no new assignment today. Instead, we look for the missing photograph: the image that completes the story, the quiet moment, the frame we didn't know we were looking for.
After breakfast, we return to our final selections and complete the expedition's central work: My Banaras twelve photographs, one story, entirely our own.
IS THIS FOR YOU
Who Belongs On This Journey
Documentary
Photographers
Portrait &
Street Shooters
Food &
Culture Lovers
Photographers
Wanting To Edit
Seekers Of
Silence
My Banaras
There is no single way to photograph Banaras. There is only your way of seeing it twelve frames that belong together, and hopefully, a city that stays with you a little longer.
Meet Your Expedition Leader
Leading this expedition is Ganesh Bagal, a professional landscape photographer and photography educator with over 15 years of experience.
Varanasi rewards those who learn its rhythm. Ganesh’s experience photographing the city brings an understanding of its changing light, river, streets, rituals, people and food. Together, we move beyond the familiar frames to discover the quieter moments and unexpected stories that make Banaras what it is.
His work has been recognized with Tamron Photographer of the Year (2015) and published in National Geographic, Sanctuary Asia, and several other publications. He has also served as a jury member for photography competitions, including contests organized by India's Ministry of Culture.
Ganesh proudly represents Sony Alpha, Peak Design, Haida Filters, Think Tank Photo, Godox, and Google Pixel, combining years of field experience with practical guidance to help participants create meaningful images .
THE DETAILS
What's Included
I n c l u d e d
N o t I n c l u d e d
✓ 3 nights accommodation in Varanasi
✓ Local transport & boat sessions throughout
✓ Breakfast & Dinner during the workshop
✓ One dedicated editing session
✓ Access to curated cultural experiences (akhara, silk weaving)
✗ Flights or transport to/from Varanasi
✗ Camera gear
✗ Personal travel insurance
✗ Tips for guide and local contacts
R E S E R V E Y O U R P L A C E
Join The Workshop