Riding Double
Somewhere in the Mauritanian Sahara 2005
I left the shade of the acacia tree where we were eating lunch and ran toward these men who were herding camels through the desert. They rode double. The man in front sitting in a comfortable “butterfly” saddle and the man in back straddling a straw-stuffed cushion. They led another camel loaded with two fifty gallon metal drums filled with water. They paused when they saw me coming. I was a curiosity to them, a woman carrying a camera running toward them, wearing pants, her uncovered hair blowing in the wind. They wanted to get a good look at me and they didn’t mind if I got a good look at them.
It was noon when I shot this and when you shoot dark skin at noon you are bound to get those deep shadows. You need to use fill flash or take your subject into the shade.