When I am bitter or sad, this project doesn’t work. To step in front of strangers with a camera—hoping for a brief, trusting human exchange—requires something real from within. An openness, a warmth, an energy that cannot be faked. You either carry it, or you don’t.
In recent months, with everything happening in Iran and … Read the rest
As I joined the celebrations of England Women’s Euro 2025 victory on my lunch break this Tuesday, I was keenly aware of how diverse the supporters around me were. There is something genuinely admirable about this country, and about this football team in particular — of course, always relatively speaking.
Still, I don’t think I … Read the rest
Since I took this photo yesterday, I keep putting it on my largest screens and stare at these two women. Perhaps their holding hands is therapeutic to my soul. I look at this photo and can’t help but remember those nights of my childhood that I wanted my mother to hold my hand, so I … Read the rest
The day after I wrote about my other photo at the Photographers’ Gallery café (see the previous post), I visited the gallery again, and as luck would have it (and thanks to the brilliant spatial imagination of O’Donnell + Tuomey architects), I encountered these gentlemen from this unusual viewpoint. When I saw the photo … Read the rest
There is something voyeuristic about some street photos that I don’t admire. I’d like to think that I never go for a shot that captures someone in a vulnerable or indiscreet state. But our sneaky ways of taking some street photos don’t leave me with a terrific feeling either. Also, while I am personally very … Read the rest
I remember a day in my teens, walking on the streets of Tehran with a boy and a girl from my class. As the cliché goes, the other boy and I both liked the girl, or wanted to be the one who had her as the girlfriend, and we were not particularly happy about this … Read the rest
Just to record my first day on the street with a 28mm lens! Such a daunting challenge to get so much closer to people after shooting with a 50mm for a long time. And what a nightmare it was till I got the hang of zone focusing with my electronic focusing (and by default retracting) … Read the rest
