Beat
Economics, society, daily life
One Shot
“This image is special for me because of its simplicity.”
Profile
It was thrilling to look through the viewfinder of my father’s camera as a child. I always wanted to go around with it snapping photos, but I only got to do that when there was no film inside.
I started my career as an assistant to advertising photographers. I positioned light, carried equipment, developed prints (it was film back then). In between I peeped to see their camera settings. Every step taught me something. I have no formal training in photography.
My first assignment was for a tabloid newspaper in India to document the dismal conditions of government hospitals in New Delhi.
I had just left my job in advertising for the love of photojournalism and, being on trial with an Indian newspaper, I had to prove myself to secure a permanent position. The first few hours yielded nothing, so I kept shooting the poor state of the hospital with its dirt, crowded corridors and waiting patients.
The breakthrough happened as I was leaving the hospital, when I found myself in a room where surgical gloves had been left to dry on a rope and on hospital benches.
This left a big mark on me because it taught me to keep on looking for the photos that best tell the story.
My work motto has always been: never be content, look for more.
My pictures are for everyone. I believe that my photographs should capture the right moment and have enough emotion so that they speak to anyone who sees them.
Those I respect the most are my critics. They encourage me to work better.