The Little Seniorita
The villagers in this tiny village in northern Gujarat were not used to tourists. If it hadn’t been for our guide who spoke their language, we would never have been able to enter this family’s compound. Once inside, my friends and I immediately began scooping up the scene photographically, turning our camera on everything and everyone including the goats milling around the courtyard.
This child, maybe 5 years old, stood close to her grandmother. At the time I thought she was unfriendly. I took her photo because I didn’t want her to feel left out because she was the only one who was not photographed.
Once home, I ignored this photo until one day, I noticed the girl’s right hand. The way she is holding her fingers shows she was a bit afraid. Also, her right foot is turned on its side, again showing that she was uneasy. She places her hand on her hip, perhaps telling us to keep our distance. She faces us and wants her photo taken but she stays under the protection of Grandma. Sometimes body language really does tell the story. She was only a shy little girl.
I used Topaz Simplify here. It gives a Mexican feel to the photo. The grandmother in black, the girl in her colorful skirt and blouse. Only the Grandmother’s ivory bracelet says Gujarat, India.
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