A sunset crop-burn in Assam, India
28 May 2016
It had been a long day’s shooting, that late November day in Assam. We’d been up at dawn to catch the fishermen on the foggy Brahmaputra river. The morning and afternoon had been spent photographing monastic life and religious theatre. And now we were heading for an appointment with farmers, fire and sunset.
The previous evening, we’d seen the opportunity as we drove past the fields on the way back from the day’s shooting. The farmers had been out stubble-burning and sections of the field were ablaze, pouring smoke into the sky. I reckoned if we set it up properly, backlit it with a decent sunset and got out in the thick of it, we’d bag some scorchers.
So our tireless Shoot Director had stopped the car, introduced us all round, and popped the question: “Are you going to be doing more stubble-burning tomorrow? And may we shoot it?”
Bemusement, amusement, then big smiles and nods. So we upped the ante a little.
“That part of the field would be good,” we said, pointing to where we’d get the longest sunset backlight. “And could it be in full swing one hour before sunset?”
No problem, says our farmer, as good-natured as he was handsome. I thought I’d need the sunset app on my iPhone to lock in the shoot start time, but I was forgetting you never, ever need to tell a man who works the land what time the sun rises and sets.
I did wonder a bit over the ethics of shooting the burning. Back at our lodgings I piggybacked the iPad onto the Shoot Director’s cellular data link and read up about the environmental impact of crop burning. And although it was clear that the practice is increasingly being pushed out of farming fashion, no laws were being broken. It was an established local practice and he was going to burn his fields come hell or high water, as farmers across the world have done for centuries, and even if I were minded to I wasn’t in any position to try to change that.
Which is why we now found ourselves tramping past our new farmer friend’s collection of chickens and miscellaneous mongrels en route to his fields.
It was spectacular if hot work. No posing here: the farmers were constantly on the move, managing the fires. And you can’t choreograph smoke: it goes where it pleases, sometimes right up your nostrils and into your eyes, so it was a busy sixty minutes or so. As I shot I noticed that the auto white balance was uncharacteristically out: it was shooting the scenes a bit cold despite all the orange pyrotechnics and warm sunset. Didn’t matter too much as I was shooting RAW as usual and could tweak everything back home; but hey, it didn’t look right so I switched over to manual white balance for the rest of the shoot.
As it grew dark, we synced up a flash and a remote trigger, threw a ¼ CTO gel onto the speedlight and got an obliging farmhand to stand still for a minute or two. Great fun, good practice and a nice thank-you print to drop off next time we’re in the neighbourhood.
Shoot this with us:
More backstories and galleries…
Tea and tattoos
We stop for a cuppa with the Apatani of Arunachal Pradesh and talk about their fading facial adornment and customs.
18th February 2019
Firefall in Phuket
A fire-walk in a Phuket Chinese shrine goes wrong and a Masong celebrant feels the burn.
16th February 2019
At the sharp end in Phuket
The ultimate street photography experience unfolds every year on the streets of Phuket, Thailand.
14th February 2019
Photo Gallery: Varanasi and Agra
A collection of images and opportunities from two iconic Indian destinations.
16th December 2018
Fishing with the Mishing
Gone shootin': We join Majuli's Mishing fishermen on a foggy morning and return home with a splendid catch.
1st October 2018
A dark and magical place
On a shrinking river island in the Brahmaputra, the dark beauty of the the Vaishnavite monasteries keeps alive a centuries-old tradition of worship.
30th September 2018
What’s cooking?
We drop in on one of our favourite Rajasthan villages to meet old friends over supper. Just happened to have our cameras handy…
28th September 2018
Shrouded in time
As the ghunghat or veil becomes increasingly criticised across modern India as a vestige of an oppressive past, we look at its bright side.
25th September 2018
Medicine man
An amble through a Rajasthan desert hamlet unexpectedly gets us up close and personal with a faith-healer.
23rd September 2018
Shapeshifters
The Bahurupi people are the proverbial quick-change folk artists. Ironically, change is catching up with them.
11th September 2018
Taches and turbans
A face-to-face photo-romp through Rajasthan, India, where beards, mustaches and turbans are taken mighty seriously.
8th September 2018
No country for old men
In Nagaland's deep jungle, we meet warriors who were at the top of their game — until the game changed.
5th September 2018
Shooting Diwali in Rajasthan
As Pushkar Camel Fair becomes overloaded with photographers, timing is everything…
19th January 2018
Portraits of Myanmar
A Myanmar photography tour is not just about amazing places. It's also about the stunning faces.
27th June 2017
Gujarat encounters: Where I go, my radio goes
In Gujarat, India, we run into a radio-crazy Ahir farmer with a shrewd grasp of world affairs.
19th May 2017
Angry birds: India’s bloody cockfighting business
Revered by many and reviled by others, cockfighting thrives in India.
5th May 2017
Paydirt: Shooting India’s Kushti wrestlers
There's photographic gold in India's dirt wrestling tradition – Kushti.
1st May 2017
Photo Gallery: Ladakh in Summer
A collection of images and opportunities from Ladakh in summer, amidst the Himalayan and Karakoram mountain ranges.
22nd February 2017
India’s chai: The cup that cheers
India's roadside tea stalls are an eye-opening experience for photographers and tea-lovers.
7th January 2017
Ladakh: A study in contrasts
A photograph from our Ladakh photo tour prompts thoughts on contrast, photographic and otherwise.
26th November 2016
Burma – a changing landscape
Burma's opening-up brings massive change — and some of it means changing opportunities for photographers.
19th October 2016
In God’s name: India’s Ramnami
Devotion, defiance and full-body tattoos… the vanishing way of life of this Hindu sect in India.
22nd May 2016
Varanasi: A matter of life and death
Varanasi's photography tour opportunities are extraordinary — and occasionally overwhelming…
15th April 2016
Visiting old friends in Ladakh
Shoot Director Sridhar reflects on shared moments with an old friend in Ladakh, India.
22nd March 2016
The dying art of nose flute playing
In a remote village in Burma's Chin State, we find the art of the nose flute player is alive, but hardly well.
20th March 2016
Sub-zero shooting adventures in Ladakh’s winter
It's cold but it's really hot: stunning opportunities on our new Ladakh Winter Photography Tour.
11th March 2016
Bleary-eyed sessions in a Nagaland dope den
We join in with the locals in a rum-and-opium party in Nagaland. High times in low light.
23rd February 2016
Village encounters in deep Rajasthan
On the road to Pushkar Camel Fair, we find a Rajasthan desert hamlet with pleasant photographic surprises on every corner…
13th February 2016