Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India / October 2014 –

I was travelling in India with my wife – Louise. We spent four nights here because she had been very sick with a stomach ailment. I was anxious to take some early morning photos. I headed out of the citadel-like fortress that is elevated and at the center of the city. Jaisalmer is surrounded by desert and sand dunes. It’s also within sixty miles of the Pakistan border. Hence the fighter jets that would fly low overhead once or twice a day.

As I was admiring this intricately carved archway, with a commanding shaft of early morning sunlight, (it was about 7am), this holy white cow walked into the light of the archway and stopped to take a gander up the narrow street. It was as if he was hoping that I’d take his photo. He appeared to hold his pose for me. I didn’t have time to play with settings. It was a photographic gift. So I took it, knowing it would be a fleeting moment.

In my mind, it was the culmination of a lot of places within India that I had already visited, but it was more mystical and timely. I had already been taking photos for well over an hour but this image was stuck in my memory bank long after downloading it onto my computer.

It was a productive morning with magical lighting and memorable images, one of which won me an honorable mention in a prestigious photo competition and exhibit. I will reveal that one another day.