Beyond the Frame 6/

Pushkar Camel Fair & a Guide to Lightroom Imports

On assignment in Rajasthan, northern India, documenting the annual Pushkar Camel Fair (Kartik Mela), I was looking for images of Camel Traders for a travel magazine article.

Ambient sound recorded on the Pushkar Camel Fair camp ground.

Camel Trader, Pushkar, India — 85mm, 1/100, f/1.2, ISO160

A Travel Writer colleague compiled the words, leaving me free to make images. This division of labour between writer and photographer is a lot less common these days. Travel journalists are often asked to provide words and pictures, although I notice that pay rates have not doubled!

The Pushkar Camel Fair is one of the largest animal trading fairs in the world. Camel owners travel great distances during the full moon month of Kartik with their stock, set up camp and spend days trading back and forth.

It’s also a religious festival with pilgrims taking a dip in the holy Pushkar Lake, with many religious rituals and performances. It’s not the place to go if you’re looking for a quiet retreat.

My contact sheet reveals that I was carrying, as is often the case, two cameras. A wide angle 16–35mm f/2.8 on one and the second with an 85mm f/1.2 attached. The first for scene-setting images to provide context. The second for portraits and close-ups, such as the camel trader’s hands and walking stick.

An early-morning hot air balloon ride above the camp grounds provided some unusual perspectives.

I’ve documented the Pushkar Camel Fair several times and it’s always been a memorable experience. This year the Fair will take place between the 9th & 16th November but if you’re thinking about visiting, I’d recommend going the week before the official dates.

You can find more information on the Vacation India website.

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Lightroom Workflow Guide — Ingesting/Importing

I’ve been using Lightroom since v1.0 appeared in 2007. Since then I’ve built and fine-tuned a workflow that allows me to process and edit images in an efficient and consistent way.

In the coming weeks, I’ll break-down my workflow and explain how I use Lightroom’s functionality to achieve a consistent approach.

Importing

It’s worth pointing out a golden rule. When image files have been imported into Lightroom, the actual files exist in the locations you specify. Lightroom simply creates a reference to each file. The image files do not exist within Lightroom.

For that reason, it’s really important that we only use Lightroom to manage image files that Lightroom has referenced. We can use Lightroom to edit, rename and manage files so it provides all the management tools we might require.

If we move, delete or rename files outside of Lightroom, the database link will be broken and we’ll see error messages saying, “This file cannot be located.”

So remember, after importing, only use Lightroom to manage image files.

(There are some caveats, e.g. you might edit metadata in another application, such as Photo Mechanic, but changes must be synchronised between applications. Generally speaking, sticking exclusively to Lightroom is a good practice.)

The Import Window

This is where a consistent approach begins. There are several options to set up. Fortunately, Lightroom has templates, which allow us to store settings for future use. So once set up, importing can be pretty much a one-click process (Literally two or three clicks but you get the point).

Preferences

In Preferences > General, you will find an option to automatically show the import window when a memory card is detected

The Import Dialogue

The Import window shows sources in the left panel. Typically, memory cards appear here but other drives will also be shown. Thumbnails in the centre so you can see what’s being imported. Settings including destinations are on the right. Right at the bottom of the window you’ll see Import Presets, where you can choose presets that you’ve previously saved.