Foreign photographer faces backlash for painting elephant pink in Jaipur for photoshoot: ‘Should’ve just used AI’
A foreign photographer is facing backlash online after images from her Jaipur photoshootshowed a real elephant painted bright pink. The post has sparked a debate over animal welfare and artic ethics. (Instagram/@julia.buruleva)Julia Buruleva, who documented the process behind the shoot, shared the video on Instagram, which featured a model and a vividly painted elephant set against Rajasthani architecture. Explaining the concept, Buruleva said that the idea came after spending several weeks in Jaipur. She described elephants as a prominent cultural symbol of Rajasthan and said that she wanted to incorporate one into her work. “I decided on one solid bright pink elephant, the most popular colour in Rajasthan,” she wrote.The photographer also detailed the effort behind the shoot, including scouting locations, navigating permits, and visiting multiple elephant facilities to find one that would cooperate. “Preparation was intense. I visited several elephant farms to find people willing to cooperate. At the farm with the most reasonable manager, I went four times – to show I was serious. Finding the location? Nightmare. Heritage sites, bureaucracy, permits. I took tuk-tuk before dawn, scouting for perfect morning light, streets empty, and a place not led as protected heritage,” she wrote, adding that the shoot finally took place at an abandoned temple of Lord Ganesha.Buruleva also clarified that the paint used was organic and locally sourced, claiming it was safe and similar to what is used during festivals.(Also Read:
