Rajasthan, India

This photo, entitled ‘Gypsy Girl’ was taken at the 2017 Cattle and Camel Festival in Nagaur, India.

This fair is much less touristic than the Pushkar Festival and many farmers from rural areas of Rajasthan come to sell and buy animals, particularly camels.

I took this photo in the mid-morning, feeling taken by this young woman’s fresh beauty in the middle of a dusty field, filled with camels and cattle.  She was sitting next to her family’s truck with her mother.  I stopped and spoke to both she and her mother, and eventually, asked to take a photo.  Many of the people from Rajasthan are delighted to have their photograph taken and express deep gratitude for people’s interest in their way of life.

 Can you guess what this image is?  Take a moment, and look deeply.  What do you see?

The title of this photograph is ‘Camelback.’   Maybe that gives you a strong hint.   It is actually the body of a camel whose hair was shaved to reveal this artistic design.

At the Nagaur Camel Festival, camels win prizes for a variety of things, including beauty.