Earlier in December 2025 and January 2026, I spent several days in Rajasthan photographing camels hauling sand from riverbeds and pulling brick-laden carts at kilns for Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad (SPANA). I also documented bullocks and buffaloes used for farm work in Mayurbhanj and Balasore in Odisha. Based in the UK, SPANA works to improve the welfare of working animals worldwide. The assignment offered a close look at the relationships between owners and animals, and how central these animals are to rural livelihoods, forming part of my broader documentary work with non-profits focused on rural economies and labour.

SPANA has since rebranded as Working Animals International, a name that reflects its global focus. Founded in 1923, the organisation supports working animals across Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America through veterinary care, training for owners and policy advocacy. These animals remain essential to daily life, providing transport, income and access to services, yet their welfare is often overlooked. Projects like these often feed into long-term visual documentation for NGOs, supporting communication, reporting and advocacy efforts.

To mark the launch, the charity is hosting Impossible to Overlook at Fujifilm House of Photography in Covent Garden from 22 to 26 April, 2026. The exhibition highlights the role of working animals through projects by several talented photographers including Maheder Haileselassie, Charmaine Chitate, Abdellah Azizi and Badr and myself. Several of my images are part of the show, including the lead, reflecting an ongoing practice of documenting development work with an emphasis on empathy, dignity and informed consent.

I regularly work with international and Indian non-profits to document their work across India and create images that are both visually compelling and grounded in context. Take a look at my other work here.

I am very grateful to the National Geographic Society, which generously supported this work, and to my program officer, David Lee.

I have just returned from Hong Kong, where I attended the National Geographic Society’s Explorer Leadership Workshop. At the Spotlight event, I shared my NGS-supported project from Punjab with other Explorers from across the Asia Pacific region, NGS staff, and supporters.

In December, the National Geographic Society invited me to attend their Exploring Inclusive Methodologies Convening in London. I have had the opportunity to speak about what is now an important part of my practice: obtaining informed consent from everyone I photograph.

I am very pleased to be talking about my long-term photography project from Punjab, India, at Jesus College, University of Cambridge, on December 01, 2024.

More from the event page:

We’re delighted to receive acclaimed photographer Harsha Vadlamani who will be giving a 1-hour talk on his long-term project ‘Can One Farmer Feed 23 People?’.

In this latest project, Harsha documents the agrarian crisis in Punjab, India, exploring the many challenges facing communities 60 years since the Green Revolution was introduced.

Harsha’s work probes questions of food security and sovereignty in the face of depleting water resources, pollution, farm debt, suicide and health issues.

Come and listen to Harsha’s words, see his photos, and stay for a post-talk Q&A to discuss the many threads brought up in his work.

About Harsha Vadlamani

Harsha Vadlamani is an independent photojournalist, filmmaker and National Geographic Explorer whose work explores the many inequalities that influence migration, health and the environment, with a particular focus on rural and indigenous communities across India.

His work has appeared in National Geographic, The New York Times Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, GEO, Al Jazeera, Le Monde, Financial Times Magazine, Rest of World, CNN, BBC, Scientific American, Foreign Affairs, Nature and Wired, among other publications.

He is a National Geographic Society grantee and recipient of Amnesty International UK’s Media Award for Photojournalism, 2022.

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