A Photograph, A Story: "Bohémienne du Rajasthan 3"

Passionate about photography since its childhood, Emmanuel Lhoste experimented photography in his youth by capturing magical instants during his travels around the world. In 2012, he decides to become a professional photographer and specializes in reportage photography.

Bohemian of Rajasthan 3 — "*Gypsy of Rajasthan 2004.*" **Emmanuel Lhoste**

Interview Emmanuel Lhoste

Photograph Bohémienne du Rajasthan 3

ArtPhotoLimited : Tell us more about the context of this photo?

   In my youth, I traveled a lot, without any particular reason. I wanted to see the country, discover the world and the different customs of each people. The learning of life was, for me, largely in the travels. We find ourselves, therefore, through this photo in the desert at 50km west of Jaisalmer in Rajasthan. This state of India is culturally very rich because of its colorful art including Kathputli, majestic forts and Rajput paintings. The traditions reflect the lifestyle of ancient India. This is what I was looking for during my travels, discovering remote lands, meeting ancestral tribes and sharing our respective cultures.

For you, what is particularly attracted to this model ? Tell us more about her

The girl on the photograph is a gypsy from Rajasthan. I met her during my trip to the Thar Desert in 2004. The color of her eyes immediately mesmerized me. I rarely saw such depth in a look, he seems to want to tell us a story, the story of his life and his country. It reminded me why I loved so much traveling the world, for these unusual and unique meetings reflecting the simplicity of the inhabitants. Of course, I had in mind the famous picture of the Afghan girl with green eyes, Sharbat Gula, Steve McCurry on the cover of National Geographic magazine.

  Was this photo premeditated? Or was it an idea at the moment?

In the Thar Desert, also called the Great Indian Desert, I met many nomadic Bohemian peoples such as the Banjaras or Lamanis tribes. I was fascinated by their magical eyes, which is why I did a lot of testing before falling on this girl. When I saw her, adorned with her costume and her traditional jewels, I did not have the choice, I had to photograph her, that I immortalize her authenticity, otherwise I would have been very frustrated. This photo was totally spontaneous, I didn’t think two minutes seeing her.

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