Why Visiting Inside Dhobi Ghat May Not Be Worth It if You’re a Photographer
Credit: Craig Boehman
I’m not advising you to avoid visiting Mumbai’s own Dhobi Ghat, the largest outdoor laundry in the world. This article only serves as a warning to photographers who may want to visit inside: be prepared to be let down by the experience.
I have visited Dhobi Ghat on my own and with clients for more than seven years. My visits as a photographer have been all over the board as far as the experiences go, ranging from excellent to absolutely atrocious. Let’s get into it.
The Guides Spoil the Experience
I’m not referring to the observation area at street level, where it’s free and the only inconveniences are street vendors and beggars. I’m specifically referring to the experience inside Dhobi Ghat. Street photographers and photography enthusiasts may be extremely disappointed by such a visit. Why?
The guides will attempt to stop anyone they see entering the place so that they can charge them for the price of admission. As of this writing, it’s INR 1,000 (by comparison, the Taj Mahal is INR 1,100 for a tourist) but they’ve quoted me as much as INR 2,000 in the past, naturally because I’m a “tourist.” Prior to Covid, I used to get in for around INR 300 after hard negotiating. Not Anymore. Don’t be surprised if your rate is completely different. As I said, their business model lacks consistency and probably legitimacy.
Now, some people write online that you don’t have to pay for the guides, and that you can go right in. This may be true but I’ve never read a definitive article on the subject one way or the other. The excuse the guides give you for the admission fee is that it all goes toward the hard workers who live and work at Dhobi Ghat, which I don’t believe for a second. The issue for me is that if I go down the hard route and argue and push, it’s not the experience that I want for my clients. I don’t want guides yelling throughout the photo session or harassing in any way. So I pay up.
The problem isn’t the money for me. The main problem is the rushing. Typically whichever guide you get will talk non-stop about the place and try to usher you through the place as quickly as possible. This doesn’t make for good photography or a good experience unless you’re a tourist who’s there to learn a little bit about the history and snap phone shots. Fair enough. But that’s not why I visit.
My Experiences Have Varied Widely
Credit: Craig Boehman. My Dhobit Ghat tour guides from a 2016 visit.
As I’ve mentioned, my experiences are all over the place and never seem consistent, even back-to-back within a short time frame between visits. Usually, I’m showing a client around as part of our itinerary, so I tend not to spend a lot of time bartering or arguing with the guides. I just pay the entrance and go in. But the problem is that they rush to give you the tour as they give you their spiel.
Normally, I play wingman. My job is to allow my client to get the shots. So I’ll run interference and play wingman to take the heat off my client to allow for uninterrupted shooting time. Now, here’s where the inconsistencies come into play.
Once in a while, I can talk the guides into just leaving us alone in the place so we can shoot. When this happens, fantastic. But other guides aren’t so flexible, not necessarily because they’re mean or anything but maybe because they don’t want to bother or think that they’ll get in trouble with their boss. The results are mixed. Sometimes, and it’s certainly less frequent now, I can get up to 45 minutes to shoot the interiors, which is plenty of time. But more often, the visit is cut to around 20-25 minutes, which isn’t enough time, in my opinion, because some time is necessary to let your subjects get used to your presence.
Money Talks
The point I want to make is that your experience may vary greatly toward the positive or negative, depending on the day. If you’re really into the place and you don’t care about blowing a few bucks, then consider making at least two visits to Dhobi Ghat while you’re in Mumbai, especially if you want to get a wide range of shots because the scenes at Dhobi Ghat may change depending whether you visit in the morning versus the afternoon. Insist each time that you want to spend more time taking pictures, that you appreciate the guide’s efforts at telling about the history, etc., but you just like to take photos for your Instagram feed (never say anything else that would make them want to charge you more).
They will pressure you for more money if they think you’re a photographer, and they almost always harass you for a tip at the end, which I find laughable. The bottom line, if you need the shots, make multiple visits. If money isn’t an issue, negotiate an hourly rate and get it done in one go.
My Dhobi Ghat Recommendations for Photographers
I have a “free” scenario for those who don’t have the budget or don’t want to pay up. Or if you don’t have any interest of viewing the interiors. The best overall view of the place is naturally from above at the observation deck at street level. Here you will likely find tourists snapping pictures with their phones and cameras. You can get great shots of the place from this vantage point.
You can get some great establishing shots of the place with 18-24mm focal lengths. I’d also recommend zooming in on the workers hanging the laundry and going about their business. If you’re patient, you’ll eventually see the potential once you settle in for a few minutes and let the chaos subside. You may want to experiment with slow shutter speeds too because if you can find an isolated subject, the possibilities open up for some intentional motion effects.
If you’re a little more adventurous and want to photograph workers carrying the clothes out of the place on their heads, you can go around to the official exit (refer to the below map), the same place where a guide would lead you to at the end of the tour. You can stand in the alley there, which isn’t on Dhobi Ghat grounds, and take photos. Guides might say something to you but stand your ground and remind them that this is a public space.
If you’re really, really adventurous, you can sneak in the exit and just start taking pictures inside. I’ve done this before and just played dumb when I was eventually caught. “Sorry, I got lost and don’t know where to go.” If you’re lucky, you’ll score some quality time inside without being harassed for a fee.
How to Navigate Dhobi Ghat
First things’ first. There’s more than one “Dhobi Ghat” in Mumbai. To be clear, the one I’m referring to, and the one you want, is right next to Mahalaxmi Station. Click the button to see a Google Map of the area.
The first red X on the left side marks the location of the observation area at street level. There’s a staircase there that leads down to a narrow road to the official entrance, which is marked by the second red X. Turn left there and you’ll find it if the guides don’t find you first.
The second area I’d like to point out is the road that I marked with yellow highlights and arrows. Around where the bottom arrow is lies the official exit for workers and tourists. I believe there are other ways in too, heading north along the road but don’t take this as scripture. I haven’t resorted to ducking in through these places yet.
Bear in mind that all the roads in grey are public spaces and you have the right to photograph from any of these streets.
