India is a rare society that seems to welcome the intrusion of privacy that a camera lens brings. But photographing Muslim women in traditional dress had always felt different to me- off limits.
Mesmerizing in appearance, for years I interpreted their traditional dress as taboo territory. A western woman in India photographing a woman in a hijab or niqab seemed disrespectful and even felt intimidating at times.
Yet, in the flooded sea of images that describes any street in India, my eye would always instinctively be drawn there. Mysterious figures in flowing black, women wrapped in white revealing eyes that spoke to the sense of the forbidden, captivated me.
In 2018, though, the axis appeared to shift. I was suddenly seeing far more Muslim women in traditional dress, a greater number being younger women walking with strength and pride and ease throughout Rajasthan.
Their palpable enthusiasm and welcoming openness was enabling and I began to capture images I had so often longed to take. For the first time, I felt embraced and even welcomed by these powerful women of all ages.
The precise clothing that for Muslim women was culturally meant to instill modesty had become their banner. So startling in it’s dramatic affect , this very revealing concealment appears to proudly declare their identity at this time in history when their dress is the subject of great controversy in many other countries around the world.
A tender and frolicking view of young Indian girls washing in the Ganges River during the festive days of Dev Diwali. These simple acts of shampooing their hair, primping or splashing together while wearing their finest holiday dress are both intimate and heartwarming. As is often the case in photographing India, I regret not spending more time photographing this beautiful innocence.
This series was photographed from a car window during a road trip from Mukundgarh, Shekawatki to the city of Chandigarh, India in 2015. Irresistible to me were the many shapes and moving parts that were often oversized and cumbersome but nonetheless purposeful. There are infinite moments of fascination that one hopes to capture while spending long hours on the road. In focus or not. This is a series I look forward to expanding.
One of my favorite places to be is Varanasi during Dev Diwali, the Festival of Lights of the Gods. In the days leading up to this spectacular festival, thousands of devotees flock to Varanasi from all parts of India to celebrate this symbolic victory of light over darkness.
Over 100,000 pilgrims line the tiny winding alley ways of Varanasi, sometimes waiting for hours in tight crowds , offerings in hand , to enter the main temples of the city. They arrive by boat with the excitement of children at Christmas.
The devotees come together to bathe themselves in the sacred water of the Ganga River, believed to be life changing and spiritually healing. It is considered the holiest river in India and pilgrims dip themselves during Dev Diwali to purify themselves for the new year.
These images focus on the day of Dev Diwali hours before the festivities at sunset.
In this series, photographed in Varanasi, I hope to portray life along the Ganges almost as a mosaic. Wide angle views from a distance capturing a myriad of people, color, gestures and form like pieces of a puzzle.
The Horse Dance Competition is the culmination of an intense week of passionate efforts by horsemen from across India to engage in serious horse trading.
Under a burning midday sun, these Marwari horses are asked to perform to trumpets, drums and a chanting crowd of onlookers who have gathered in a circle threefold deep to applaud them.
The following series of images were initially only an afterthought. My nine -year ongoing essay on the Marwari horse has always been my main photographic focus in India.
To capture my Breaking Dust images I found myself spending brief but enjoyable moments with these fascinating horsemen who inevitably welcomed me to share a seat and a chai.
And the one thing I always took from these momentary encounters was great pride and love of their horses.
The Clocktower Market in Jodphur, India, is a wonderfully chaotic square which sways to the moving sea of local shoppers. Unlike Varanasi, which compels you to walk along the riverbank from Ghat to Ghat, this well known hustle bustle destination anchored by a looming old clocktower is an orderly maze of endless market streets, extending out like branches from a tree.
I quickly surveyed this Jodphur market scene with great longing. I was leading my 2018 Photo tour with a full schedule and busy days ahead . But early one morning with a free hour to myself, I made a mad dash to the square and was quickly rewarded.
With such little time and so much to capture, I parked myself at an intriguing alley way entrance. The tiny winding street was covered in tarps as far as my eye could see and the overhead light dramatic. I then allowed the magic of the market and its movements to fill each frame.
Jodhpur..…the blue city.
I don’t know that there is a place more magical in the world than Mukund Haveli. This beautiful mansion, an exquisite blend of old and new, is a remote oasis in the small village of Mukundgarh in the region of Shekawatki.
It is the realization of a dream by a visionary , who with great care to detail, shined an abandoned, bat ridden gem back to its original brilliance.
It is a romantic cocoon of candlelight and rose petals, incense and classical Indian music, passageways that ask you to bend your head and smooth lime walls illuminated by antique glass chandeliers.
There is no place that I would rather be.