The Azilai
Mali, Araouane 2002
A Touareg man leads his caravan loaded with salt toward Tombouctou (Timbuktu). You might wonder where the Touareg’s indigo robes are. He is wearing a short tunic of indigo dyed fabric under the khaki colored gown. He also wears a chech (head covering) of indigo. He covers his face partly for protection from the blowing sands and the burning sun, but also because it is tradition for his tribe.
Each camel carries four slabs of salt. The slabs weigh 60 lbs. each. The camels are female as they are easier to handle although they do object to being saddled with the weight of the salt. The sounds of the caravan are the yips of the men as they encourage the camels to keep going, the soft shuffle of padded feet on sand, and the moaning of the camels objecting to the march.
The credit for this photo goes partly to Alberto Nicheli who got the Touareg to curve his caravan of camels so we could get this shot. I got down low to shoot up and emphasize the importance of the man and his animals. Shooting from a low angle makes the subject seem powerful. Remember this if you ever shoot a man in his office. Or a woman.