Portraits Of People In The Streets Of India And Pakistan

Anuj Tiwari Last updated on: 11/10/2015, Permalink

First time I went to India was in 2001. It was not love from the first sight but this journey was indeed a life changing experience. Scared at the beginning, unaccustomed to the culture and inexperienced I started to sink deeper and deeper into the ways of the travelers. That journey turned me into a backpacker and that’s the way I have spend many years after that initiation.

Along the way came photography. My travels slowly started changing. I stopped following the beaten track and started to look for people and places to photograph. One day on a flea market in Lahore, Pakistan I have bought an old and used Minolta lens. It costed me equivalent of 10 dollars but it changed the way I photographed. It was a 50, f 1.4. It is still my favorite lens and I use it to this day.

After arriving to a new place I take the time to go through the narrow streets looking for inspiration. Then, once I’m comfortable enough with the surroundings I keep coming back while waiting for the good light and good opportunity to take a picture. I find these focused moments very relaxing and a bit meditation like. I always ask before taking a picture of a person. I try to spend time and get to know the people that I’m photographing. Sometimes its 30 seconds, sometimes is a couple of days. Just enough to catch a fraction of their soul.

Pictures were taken in India and Pakistan, 2007-2015.