I wonder what’s on his mind

The thing I love about candid portraits is one can actually project what’s going through the subject’s mind if done correctly. I’m not talking about make-believe candids, proper candids of people who never saw it coming at them. The expressions caught at a candid moment, combined with the environment around the subject can actually convey a story.

I shot this in my ancestral village called Banganapalli. It was a village 10 years ago, by now it’s a thriving town that makes a living primarily from its stone quarries and manufacturing other construction materials such as asbestos sheets, bricks, wood, etc… It has come a long way and the place has its own history to it.

During the 10th day of Muharram, I positioned my self at the top of the open terrace of my ancestors house to get a few clicks of the Muharram procession.

Note: You can click here to check in a brief write-up I did on the month of Muharram. This post has an image that is…I don’t know…A bit gory. It’s not that bad though. I’m sure. Anyway if you don’t mind seeing a not so bloody picture, you can definitely go visit this link to read a brief extract about muharram. A some people curled up in a ball and cried when i showed it to them, some people liked it because they understood the kind of impact i wanted my image to create on my audience. I like both the kinds of people because this is what is the reaction that i expected my audience to give me.

So there I was on the terrace, taking some clicks of the procession and that’s when I noticed this kid. Probably the atmosphere that the Muharram procession had created had set in on him and got him thinking some thing serious about Muharram and Islaam. Or may be he was just trying to figure out what was actually going on in the procession. Don’t know what exactly, but something got him into thinking so seriously. He’s actually a naughty and a very active kid. You would hardly see him sitting in one place. But this time he was just still. I had pretty much time on my hands to plan this shot and click. Oh, BTW, his name is Hussain.