Been there. Clicked that. It is often billed as ‘the festival of festivals’. And after attending my first Hornbill Festival in Kisama Heritage Village near Kohima, Nagaland in December 2017, I was finally privy to what all the hoo-hah was among photographers and Instagrammers alike to rush to this festival.
Since 2000, the Hornbill Festival has been an integral part of the Government of Nagaland’s tourism drive. Named after the colorful hornbill bird, the festival happens every year between December 1st to 10th and brings together all the tribes of Nagaland to create a mega-event. The festival has also played a huge part in encouraging the other Northeastern states nearby to come up with their own 10-day cultural festivals.
If you are a click-happy shutterbug like me, the reasons you have for visiting this festival can be summed up in 2 words: beautiful pictures. The Hornbill Festival does leave a long-lasting memory of colors, music and culture, and one of the best ways to immortalize this, is by taking pictures at the festival.
So, if you are heading to the next Hornbill Festival, here are my top tips for you come away with the best pictures of your life!
1) Start at the Amphitheater
The Hornbill Festival happens over a massive expanse called the Kisama heritage village, and there are multiple things happening at any time inside the village. But one of the best experiences in the village happens in the central amphitheater where the cultural events are held twice every day during the 10-day period. The first event is between 10 AM to 11.30. And the next event is at 2 PM. While the activities here are a little staged for the audience, they are always the best place to start clicking around.
Since 2000, the Hornbill Festival has been an integral part of the Government of Nagaland’s tourism drive. Named after the colorful hornbill bird, the festival happens every year between December 1st to 10th and brings together all the tribes of Nagaland to create a mega-event. The festival has also played a huge part in encouraging the other Northeastern states nearby to come up with their own 10-day cultural festivals.
If you are a click-happy shutterbug like me, the reasons you have for visiting this festival can be summed up in 2 words: beautiful pictures. The Hornbill Festival does leave a long-lasting memory of colors, music and culture, and one of the best ways to immortalize this, is by taking pictures at the festival.
The Hornbill Festival happens over a massive expanse called the Kisama heritage village, and there are multiple things happening at any time inside the village. But one of the best experiences in the village happens in the central amphitheater where the cultural events are held twice every day during the 10-day period. The first event is between 10 AM to 11.30. And the next event is at 2 PM. While the activities here are a little staged for the audience, they are always the best place to start clicking around.
2) Go early for the best seats
Of course, you are eager to take pictures of the Hornbill Festival. But so are hundreds of other photographers – both amateur and professional. So the key to getting good pictures is ensuring that you have the best seats in the house for the amphitheater events. In my opinion, this would be the center of the red carpet that surrounds the edge of the amphitheater, just below the VIP pavilion. If you manage to make it a little earlier than the 10 AM start time for the cultural events, you can grab a spot on this carpet too!
Of course, you are eager to take pictures of the Hornbill Festival. But so are hundreds of other photographers – both amateur and professional. So the key to getting good pictures is ensuring that you have the best seats in the house for the amphitheater events. In my opinion, this would be the center of the red carpet that surrounds the edge of the amphitheater, just below the VIP pavilion. If you manage to make it a little earlier than the 10 AM start time for the cultural events, you can grab a spot on this carpet too!
3) Carry a good zoom lens
Even if you find a spot on the ‘red carpet’ I mentioned above, note that most of the action in the amphitheater is still happening a good distance away. You can capture the colours and the intricate details a lot better if you have a good zoom lens at your disposal.
Even if you find a spot on the ‘red carpet’ I mentioned above, note that most of the action in the amphitheater is still happening a good distance away. You can capture the colours and the intricate details a lot better if you have a good zoom lens at your disposal.
4) Watch the crowds
If you thought that tourists make up the biggest audience during the Hornbill Festival, you couldn’t be more wrong. Whenever a Naga tribal group performs at the Hornbill Festival, the audience is mostly composed of OTHER Nagas. This could be people from the same tribe supporting their artists, or from other tribes who want to see how their competitor tribes (if you can call them that) perform.
If you thought that tourists make up the biggest audience during the Hornbill Festival, you couldn’t be more wrong. Whenever a Naga tribal group performs at the Hornbill Festival, the audience is mostly composed of OTHER Nagas. This could be people from the same tribe supporting their artists, or from other tribes who want to see how their competitor tribes (if you can call them that) perform.
5) Don’t miss the Morungs either
Outside the amphitheater, the Kisama heritage village also has 16 to 20 Morungs for each of the tribes. The Morung – or youth dormitory – is an important part of Naga education and culture. At the Kisama village, the Morungs are the places where the people of each tribe meet, eat, drink and generally get-together. Morungs are good for visiting tourists to explore the local food (and rice beer) of the specific tribe. But they are even better to catch up with the tribesmen and women in their own cultural setting, letting them relax.
Outside the amphitheater, the Kisama heritage village also has 16 to 20 Morungs for each of the tribes. The Morung – or youth dormitory – is an important part of Naga education and culture. At the Kisama village, the Morungs are the places where the people of each tribe meet, eat, drink and generally get-together. Morungs are good for visiting tourists to explore the local food (and rice beer) of the specific tribe. But they are even better to catch up with the tribesmen and women in their own cultural setting, letting them relax.
6) For portraits, Morungs are better than the amphitheater!
The amphitheater does have a large group of colorfully dressed Nagas at any point of time. But you will be jostling for space with the hundreds of other photographers to take a decent portrait. So, skip the mad race and go to the Morungs. The Nagas are usually happy to have their portraits taken here, as they are in a relaxed mood. Plus they appreciate the fact that you are interested in their culture enough to visit the tribal morung and ‘hang out’ with them.
The amphitheater does have a large group of colorfully dressed Nagas at any point of time. But you will be jostling for space with the hundreds of other photographers to take a decent portrait. So, skip the mad race and go to the Morungs. The Nagas are usually happy to have their portraits taken here, as they are in a relaxed mood. Plus they appreciate the fact that you are interested in their culture enough to visit the tribal morung and ‘hang out’ with them.
7) Focus on the little things instead of the face
I’ve seen many-a-wannabe-photographer who tends to aggressively poke their camera lenses straight into the face of a Naga tribesman. The Nagas don’t rebuke this or say anything because the whole point of the festival is to show the Naga culture to the rest of the world. But that doesn’t mean you have to join the bandwagon and just keep clicking portraits. Instead, focus on the small things that are part of their costumes. Their hand gestures during communal dances. The tips of their pointy hats. The ornaments they adorn. All of these make for much more compelling photo-stories than just facial mug shots.
8) Pro-tip. The afternoon light in the Morungs is dramatic.
Mornings in Kisama village can tend to be quite bright (if there is no rain), and you will notice that the pictures tend to be flat. It is a personal choice, but I prefer to take pictures around the 3 pm mark during the Hornbill Festival. The sun sets in this region of India by 4.30 PM, and an hour before that, the light is evened out and gives a dramatic tint to the whole atmosphere. Also, the Morungs start their community bonfires around this time, leading to some very interesting smoke trails and colour patterns.
I’ve seen many-a-wannabe-photographer who tends to aggressively poke their camera lenses straight into the face of a Naga tribesman. The Nagas don’t rebuke this or say anything because the whole point of the festival is to show the Naga culture to the rest of the world. But that doesn’t mean you have to join the bandwagon and just keep clicking portraits. Instead, focus on the small things that are part of their costumes. Their hand gestures during communal dances. The tips of their pointy hats. The ornaments they adorn. All of these make for much more compelling photo-stories than just facial mug shots.
Mornings in Kisama village can tend to be quite bright (if there is no rain), and you will notice that the pictures tend to be flat. It is a personal choice, but I prefer to take pictures around the 3 pm mark during the Hornbill Festival. The sun sets in this region of India by 4.30 PM, and an hour before that, the light is evened out and gives a dramatic tint to the whole atmosphere. Also, the Morungs start their community bonfires around this time, leading to some very interesting smoke trails and colour patterns.
