Photographic Encounter
Laughter at Work
Beneath the roof of an open-sided building in Hassan, Karnataka, men and women sat among great piles of green betel nuts, preparing the harvest by hand.
I stopped to photograph their work and soon found myself making portraits of the people gathered there.
There were moments of concentration, curious glances toward my camera, smiles and laughter. One woman in particular seemed thoroughly amused by our encounter.
The photographs bring back the people as much as the activity: their expressions, the colours of their clothing, and the extraordinary quantities of betel nuts surrounding them.
