The India Day Fair is an annual celebration of Indian independence held at Musgrave Park in West End, and it draws one of the most photogenic crowds of any event on Brisbane’s calendar. The combination of traditional dress, outdoor afternoon light, dance performances, and a crowd that spans multiple generations gives you something to photograph everywhere you look.
I have photographed this event several times. What I have learned is that the hardest thing is not finding images — it is choosing between them. The colour alone is enough to fill a card: saris in orange and green and gold, children in miniature versions of classical dance costumes, flags and bunting and the particular red of the Indian pavilion tents in late afternoon sun.
On the performances: The stage programme at the India Day Fair runs continuously, and the dance performances range from traditional classical forms to Bollywood-influenced group pieces. The classical dancer with her arms raised in extension is the kind of subject that rewards patience — the body passes through interesting positions continuously, and you have to be watching to catch the peak. I converted that image to black and white because the tonal contrast in the costume carried more information than the colour did.
On the crowd: A culturally specific event like this changes the crowd photographs completely. The India Day Fair draws people who have dressed for the occasion — not in the performative sense of a costume parade, but in the ordinary sense of wearing what you wear when your community gathers. The woman in the pink shawl, the father holding his daughter and an Indian flag, the elderly woman watching the stage — these are images about belonging.
On children: Events with children as performers are technically demanding because children are unpredictable, fast, and operate on their own timeline. The two girls in the blue and pink dance costumes were mid-routine when I photographed them. The older girl was already conscious of her form; the younger one was still just moving.
On working the edges: The stage area was crowded with photographers. I spent most of the afternoon moving through the rest of the park — the food stalls, the seating areas, the paths where families were just enjoying the afternoon — and found the most interesting images away from the main performance.