How to photograph Durga Puja on a phone or camera: pandal lighting, the goddess's face, crowds, dhunuchi at night, Kumartuli workshops, and photo etiquette.
Sindoor khela in black and white. Photo: Abhinaba Basu from Redmond, United States, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons.
Pandal interiors mix spotlights on the idol, coloured LEDs, chandeliers and deep shadow.
Lanterns and lights over a Behala street during the pujas. Photo: Goutam1962, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.
The mukh (face) of the protima, with its large eyes and third eye, is what most people want to capture.
Sindoor khela in black and white. Photo: Abhinaba Basu from Redmond, United States, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons.
Dhunuchi naach, the dance with clay incense burners to the beat of the dhak, usually happens during the evening aarti, especially on Ashtami and Navami.
Dhunuchi dance: clay burners of smoking coconut husk and incense, held aloft to the dhak. Photo: Bhuppigraphy, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.
In the weeks before the puja, the idol-makers' quarter of Kumartuli in north Kolkata is full of half-finished idols, straw frames and clay faces drying in the lanes.
Idols take shape in a workshop lane at Kumartuli, north Kolkata. Photo: Pinakpani, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.
Photography should never come at the cost of someone's worship.
Sindoor khela in black and white. Photo: Abhinaba Basu from Redmond, United States, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons.
Drones are generally restricted in crowded public spaces, and Kolkata Police often issue puja-time restrictions.
Night crowds on the pandal trail in Behala. Photo: Snehangshu36, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.
Want to know what you're photographing? Read about how pandals are made and the Kolkata trip guide.
Sindoor khela in black and white. Photo: Abhinaba Basu from Redmond, United States, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons.
How to photograph Durga Puja on a phone or camera: pandal lighting, the goddess's face, crowds, dhunuchi at night, Kumartuli workshops, and photo etiquette.
Photographing Durga Puja → Next story: Pujo VIP passes 2026: Porikroma Map Invitee Card or Pujor Passport? All photo storiesMusic: Rhythm of Dhak a huge membranophone instrument from Bengal and Assam, used in Hindu religious festivals, especially Durga Puja, Sumita Roy Dutta, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.