Creating a travel diary is a great pleasure.
So imagine creating a travel diary with four hands.
THE LOUISE CARMEN LOVERS' DIARY.
But giving yourself permission to keep a travel diary is not an easy thing.
For a long time, I was afraid to start.
I thought it was reserved only for insiders who know how to draw.
I have met so many people who would love to make their own travel diaries but who don't dare to get started!
What a shame!
A travel diary is a precious object, because it is irreplaceable.
It is unique.
It is yours.
And you will be able to leaf through it again and again in 20 years.
What will become of all the photo and video files we store?
We left for India with 18.7 kg of Louise Carmen leather journals.
Our goal: to photograph them in a whole bunch of exotic settings.
In Jaipur, we were tired of the noise, the (huge) pollution, the traffic, and the dust.
That is where we crossed paths with the last street photographer in the city: Tikam Chand.
His camera was a true antique.
It only held together thanks to adhesive tape and string.
He had inherited it from his grandfather and his father.
They were also portrait photographers.
Most certainly in the same spot.
On the same sidewalk.
Go to Instagram @louisecarmenparis, you will see the stories of this fabulous experience on this sidewalk in Jaipur.
Look in the "En voyage" tab of the Instagram account, all the stories about India are archived there.
It was so incongruous!
We couldn't miss this experience: having our portraits taken.
Imagine, the sound of horns, the cars, the sacred cows, the Indians (always as numerous as ever).
And us...
Sitting on a makeshift bench.
In front of a black curtain.
Eyes fixed on the portrait of Shiva whom we had to smile at :).
Facing us, a camera over 150 years old.
And Tikam who was talking to us, and we didn't understand much of anything.
It was surreal!
For a few hundred Indian rupees, we had 5 portraits of the two of us taken.
The development was done on the spot.
It was fascinating to watch him do it.
It was new, improvised, and very nice.
These photos absolutely had to be part of the pages of my travel diary in India.
We made a "lovers" double-page spread.
Here is the story in video. [3 min]
The goal is not to create a masterpiece.
But to treat yourself to a beautiful gift in your Louise Carmen leather journal.
The memory of a complicit moment with your loved one.
An unforgettable trip that will remain in your Louise Carmen leather journal.
Some info:
The street photographer in Jaipur, Tikam Chand
- address: 120 Hawa Mahal road
- hours: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. even during the monsoon
- Mobile phone: 9828072800 and 9024715885
- price between 200 and 400 rupees per photo
The Louise Carmen journal:
- It is a Roadbook in chestnut-colored vegetable-tanned leather. I've been taking it with me for a little over a year, so it has already developed quite a bit of patina. I personalized the cover by hot-embossing the names of the countries I've visited.
I invite you to download my mini-workshop for free: "5 tips for creating your travel diary, even if you can't draw"
To receive it in French, click here
Here is the link in English to upload the mini workshop "5 easy tips to make your travel diary, even if you can't draw