Olivia Arthur India. 2017.
“I had intended to make a portrait of Loren on her own, but she took me to a house she shares with other members of the hijra society–India’s ancient transgender community¬–and it was
(...) buzzing with people. They were all quite enthusiastic about having a photographer there, and after I had done the portrait, they started dancing and we all sat around talking a little. It was at that time that Loren, sitting in this embrace with Sheshan, caught my eye, and I took my camera back out again to take this image. It’s a situation that I feel has happened to me often: in the moment when the formality of the photoshoot is over, everyone feels a bit more relaxed. It’s as though I need to finish taking pictures in order to really start taking pictures. It’s not that I was so close to them in this moment, as I was only there for a relatively short time, but that I got to a point when they could let their barriers down and share their own closeness with the camera.”
— Olivia Arthur © Olivia Arthur | Magnum Photos
