As part of our ongoing series, we’re going behind the photograph once again to discover how photographers capture those special moments. This month, we’re taking a look at this wonderful shot from travel photographer and Loxley Colour Ambassador Hamish Scott-Brown.
Tell us about this image
Hamish captured this candid moment on his trip to the Kashmir region of India. He was lucky enough to meet a fascinating group of people on the route between Srinagar and Leh:
“These are Bakarwal nomads, or Gujars, who live in and around the Himalayan foothills rearing their sheep and goats in a very simple and basic routine. Tents are their basic home which moves as the animals move to new pasture ground.”
He spent the day meeting and photographing the people in this group, gaining an understanding of their unique way of life and coming across the subject in this image:
“She is the wife of a Gujar nomad, we found their camp and stopped for tea on the road south from Kargil, one of the world’s coldest places in winter. My Ladakhi guide was able to translate for me, but it was quite strange meeting as we shared freshly brewed tea and ate flat breads with little or no conversation other than the international sign language.”
And what brought on her giggles? Hamish believes she just found the whole situation surreal:
“I’m guessing that she found our whole experience a bit strange and with her shy and yet curious nature, she would have been timid at the camera but curious to know what and why we found the camp so interesting.”
Life untethered
Hamish was fascinated by the Gujars. Their minimalist lifestyle in such harsh conditions is something many of us would struggle to imagine. Hamish describes how they are on the move constantly and are seldom ever tied down to one location:
“Held together with ropes and protection provided by rugs, plastic and tarpaulin, this whole camp is on the move constantly.”
Although completely different to the Gujars, Hamish also travels frequently as it has been his passion since he was as young as 15. He set up Photographic Journeys so he and other photographers with a sense of wanderlust can travel together on spectacular trips to capture stunning images:
“Nowadays, with the world being such a small place and easy to travel to even the most remote spots, there is nothing to intimidate me and those other ardent ‘travel junkies’ who enjoy photography, travel and adventure.”
He’s always got his next trip in mind and he plans on returning to India for his next project. He’ll be returning to Kashmir with six other photographers in early 2020 to capture beautiful shots of Dal Lake frozen over. After this, he goes on the next leg of his adventure:
“We then leave the deeply cultural and spiritual area of the Vale of Kashmir and head south, then west by train to the heat of Varanasi and the river Ganges where it’s the Hindu city and the oldest city in India.”
Visiting these two incredibly different yet culturally significant areas of India would be the trip of a lifetime for many, but we’re sure this won’t be Hamish’s last epic adventure. We cannot wait to see where else he ends up!
Your travels immortalised
You’ve got your amazing memories and your amazing photography, now encapsulate them with a professionally crafted product by Loxley Colour. A few years ago, Hamish wanted to create the perfect product for displaying a portfolio of work from an expedition. With his help, we created the Fine Art Book:
“I’m biased here, but I do have a personal preference for the Fine Art Book made with quality cotton Mohawk paper and the tactile covers. They are special and really help such projects reserved for heavyweight coffee table books.”
Got wanderlust?
If you’ve caught the travel bug, check out Hamish’s Photographic Journeys group and discover the next available trip to join him.