Elephantine Island - Egypt

Elephantine is an island in the Nile River in northern Nubia. It is a part of the modern city of Aswan, in southern Egypt. There are archaeological sites on the island.

Between 2005 and 2009 I led five groups of photographers on cultural, historic and photographic tours of Egypt before the revolution.

We lived on one of the hundreds of cruise ships while navigating the Nile. In some ways, the Nile cruises were the highlight of the tour. We got to observe ordinary, everyday, non-touristy life on the banks of the Nile. Women washing clothes, men tending goats, children playing, crops being harvested. In my imagination I could so easily transpose the scenes to a hundred or a thousand years beforehand. I had the rather presumptuous advantage of sitting on board a boat with a tripod and long lens. However, I did feel that I was not intruding on life.

We often rented a felucca (beautiful traditional Egyptian sailing boat) for an afternoon, sailing the Nile and visiting Elephantine Island which is populated mainly by Nubians. Here, the Nubians live their traditional lives without pretence or pandering to tourists. Vibrant colours adorn the buildings and the fences. Unpaved streets wind aimlessly between houses, shops and yards of sheep and goats

My number one photographic goal on each of the five tours was to capture a close-up of a Muslim woman in a full burka. Its not easy. Being an older white Caucasian makes it even more difficult. I got close many times in my negotiations and had some partial success but never achieved a 'keeper'.

T spotted the women in this shot from a distance. It was patently obvious to me that I would not get any co-operation in taking shots. As I raised my lens they stared at me for a few seconds then covered their faces completely. The dark blue colouring on the lips is natural.

Dale Neill conducts photography workshops at UWA Extension in Perth, Western Australia. Find out more about his workshops at http://www.extension.uwa.edu.au/tutor/39