Walk around the Barkhor and you will see people being photographed in Tibetan dress, posed against whitewashed walls and temple doors by a photographer with a camera bag and a reflector. It is a small industry with dozens of studios in the old city, and it is worth knowing about whether or not you want to take part, because the costumes and the pictures tell you something about how the city presents itself now.
What a session involves
A booking covers the rental of an outfit, hair and jewellery, make-up, and a photographer who walks you to two or three locations in the old town. Costumes range from the everyday - a chuba, the long coat worn with one sleeve off the shoulder over a shirt and a woven belt - to festival dress in brocade with fur trim, silver ornaments, coral and turquoise headdresses, and the elaborate braided hairstyles worn by women in some regions of the plateau. Some studios keep a rail of clothing from different areas, which is genuinely informative: the dress of a Khampa herder is not the dress of a Lhasa household. A session takes an hour or two, and images are delivered digitally the same day or the next.
Photographing the city yourself
The same streets give the best material in Lhasa to anyone with their own camera. The light at four thousand metres is hard and clear, the walls are white and dark red, the doors and window frames are painted, and the pilgrims circling the Barkhor give you constant movement. The two hours after dawn are the best of the day, when the circuit is crowded, the butter lamps are being lit and the smoke hangs in the cold air. Ask before photographing anyone at prayer or in the middle of a prostration, and accept that a polite refusal is common and should be respected.
Practical notes
The studios stand in the lanes around the Barkhor and on the approach streets, and they work through the day. Prices depend on the outfit and the number of locations, are usually paid by mobile app, and can be agreed on the spot; in high season it is worth booking a day ahead. Bring your own thin under-layers for hygiene, since the costumes are worn by many people, and check that the price includes the edited digital files rather than only prints. Photography inside the Jokhang and other temple interiors is restricted or forbidden, and the rule is enforced.
