Visiting India for the first time was an unforgettable experience, and one of my early highlights was exploring the historic KR Flower Market in Bangalore. Flowers from Krishna Rajendra Market (KR Market) in Bangalore, India are used for garlands, pooja, and other floral arrangements. This bustling marketplace is a sensory overload, filled with the scent of fresh flowers, the hum of traders and early morning customers, and an explosion of colours, patterns and shapes.
I had the opportunity to visit this iconic location with a local photographer who had reached out to me through my Instagram account. KR Market is located in the Kalasipalya area of Bangalore, adjacent to the Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace, on Mysore Road, it is considered to be one of the biggest flower markets in Asia.
The market itself is huge, with no clear direction or order, you can quite easily get lost inside! So take your time, explore all the spaces and floors and look for some interesting angles and viewpoints. At the individual stores inside KR Market you can get some great portraits of the people at work. For the following image we climbed the stairs to one of the upstairs floors where we could look down and shoot from above. Seeing the market from this overhead perspective allowed me to capture the colours and patterns, the organised chaos, and the constant movement of people interacting below.
The Vibrant Chaos of KR Flower Market, Bangalore by Geraint Rowland
Capturing the Motion and Color
This travel street image showcases the energy of the KR Flower Market from above. Vendors meticulously arrange their flowers in intricate, circular formations, while buyers navigate the narrow paths, adding to the dynamic contrast between motion and stillness. The overhead perspective highlights the beauty of the market while also offering a sense of scale and depth.
Camera Settings & Technical Approach
To emphasize the movement of the people below, I used a narrower aperture, allowing for a longer exposure to create motion blur. It was still early morning, and of course indoors so strong sunlight isn’t much of an issue. I find slow shutter speed street photography is all about trial and error with a little bit of luck thrown it! It’s a case of trying different settings, waiting for some people and movement and taking the shot. Ideally I would have had a tripod, but I rarely do when visiting such places so had to rest the camera on some overhead beams and limit the length of the exposure time. I find that the slow shutter technique with some partially blurred movement helped convey the liveliness of the market while keeping the vibrant floral arrangements in sharp focus. My camera settings for the camera geeks are as follows:
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Lens: EF50mm f/1.4 USM
Aperture: ƒ/11.0
Focal Length: 50.0 mm
Shutter Speed: 0.6s
ISO: 100
Final Thoughts
The KR Flower Market is a must visit destination for any photographer or traveler looking to experience the heart of Bangalore’s cultural and commercial life. The combination of colours, movement, and tradition makes it an incredibly photogenic location that tells a deeper story about India’s vibrant markets and floral heritage. Head to the market early, ideally with a local who can show you around. Make sure you explore the surrounding area to pick up some interesting street photography images before heading into the market itself. One of my favourite Street Photographs from India was taken of the these three colourfully dressed women walking bare footed through the streets close to KR Market. You’ll also capture some excellent street portraits outside the market from the interesting and friendly people around at that time of the morning! Click through the slideshow below for some more of my images taken in and around the KR Market in Bangalore, India.
All of my travel and street photography from India is available to license via Getty Images here. You can also follow my latest adventures on Instagram and Twitter. Thanks for reading, send me a message if you would like more information.