In 2018, I visited the Land of High Passes. Ladakh, a barren yet beautiful region located in the north Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.
It was my very first photography expedition in life as well as with
Impressions Photography. Learning the art of capturing time at a
destination with an abundance of culture and scenery from enormously talented
photographers and mentors, Mr. Lalit Deshmukh and Mr. Sarang Mhaskar, it felt like I hit jackpot! It was a 10 to 12 days journey and each
day still remains fresh in my memories.
It was the last destination of our trip, Turtuk. A small yet
beautiful village situated on the border of India and Pakistan. It was a part of
Pakistan until the war of 1971 when the Indian Army occupied the village. It is
one of the very few places where you can experience the Balti culture.
With cameras in our hands, we set off to explore this fascinating
place. Everywhere we saw, we could find something to capture. While observing
someone in the group noticed a little girl peeping through the window. The
moment we saw her, she immediately hid behind the curtains... One of us
waved at her and started a conversation. She only replied in yes and no head
nods. In no time this little girl became friends with the person conversing
with her. The moment we asked her "Can we click your pictures?" She
nodded in excitement... She came down to us running and stood in front of us.
Her hair was a mess and she had dirt all over her face but she looked so
beautiful. She went straight to the brand-new friend she had just made. They talked for a few seconds and all of a sudden ran back inside her
home. We all looked at each other cluelessly. "Is she coming back? Did we
do or say something? Why did she go back inside so suddenly and
hurriedly?"
After a few minutes, she came back outside. She looked different. The dirt on her adorable little cheeks wasn't
there anymore. She had a scarf over her messy hair and her clothes seemed cleaner than before. She looked radiant. Apparently,
she had cleaned up for the photoshoot.
It was surprising that she wasn't even a bit scared of us
or our cameras. She stood in front of a wall and everyone was taking pictures.
Looking into every camera, smiling and posing as per the instructions given to
her, she patiently waited for everyone and let us capture her beauty. Every
time someone called her, her eyes looked straight into their lens and her
little lips curved into an innocent smile.
I moved a little away from the crowd hoping to get a candid shot. I wanted to capture what my eyes were witnessing at that very moment. For the first few minutes, I didn't click any pictures as my mind was captivated by her grace. Her golden eyes, her little nose, her rosy cheeks, and her innocent smile; everything about her was so, so beautiful! Especially her smile!
Eventually, we decided to let her go and move ahead. She didn't seem happy with the thought of ending her photoshoot. She was barely 5 or 6 years old but she was more patient than any adult. We could see how much she loved the attention which she very well deserved. But we had to say goodbye as we had a long way to go.
On my way back home on the flight, I took my camera out to check out all the photos I captured. I stopped at her picture and starred at it. Her gentle little smile made me happy. It was pure and blissful. And it has been stuck on my mind ever since.
I don't think I will ever get over her cute little smile. It will forever be a smile to remember!
I hope you enjoyed reading my post! Please leave your opinions in the comment section!
