India, March 29 -- A foreign photographer is facing backlash online after images from her Jaipur photoshootshowed a real elephant painted bright pink.

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, na...