India

Pushkar lies in Northwest part of Rajasthan. This sacred town of the Hindus, also known as the Lourdes of the East, and takes pride for being a site to the only temple of the God of Creation, Brahma.

The Pushkar Camel Fair is held each Fall and lasts five days. It is famous for its mass trading of camels, horses, cows, goats, and sheep, but among them camels are the most important. The camels are washed and adorned with various cloths to form interesting patterns. Stalls selling jewelry and other finery for camels and horses are everywhere. Silver bells and bangles around their hoofs jingle when they walk.  A ritual involves piercing the camel's nose. With over 25,000 camels exchanged, Pushkar is arguably the world's largest camel fair.

We arrived several days before the fair actually began.  Much of the real trading occurs before the fair begins, and we wanted to beat the hordes of tourists that arrive.  We stayed in a tent hotel and visited the site at sunrise and sunset each day.  Pushkar is in the desert and temperatures exceed 100 degrees each afternoon.  Shooting at dawn and at sunset offered its own challenges, but gave us the best opportunity for creative use of light and to capture the fair.

On our last day, we took a hot air balloon ride over the fair.  It gave us the perspective that we badly needed after spending 3 days up close and personal with all the camels and horses.