My Best Pictures of 2022

Best of the Moments

All moments are perfect. We need to learn to be present to them, and be aware of whatever is unfolding in that moment. The good photographs require us to be actively present, and not just be passively recording. It is easy for the camera to come between the experience and the moment, but good photographs capture what we felt in the moment too… only then the images have a heart.

The selection – The last net of the day was cast, the horse erupted from the river, the rider was riding two horses, the festive meal  prepared on the fires from hell., the kids without internet hung out on the roots of a tree

Best of Street Photography

Street photography is tough. You are the only one who isn’t participating in the flow of life around you, and have chosen to be an observer instead. It makes you stand out, and makes other conscious. If done wrong, it can become an invasion of someones privacy, but done right it can be a shared moment.

The selection – A market on water where social connections are more important than commerce (Srinagar), a street where colours and lines intersect with people and shapes (Stockholm), the flower seller who is the a master salesman (Srinagar), the golden temple catching the rising sun (Amritsar), the overworked boat beyond repair (Mumbai), the kids find the work of the street artist important  (Barcelona), the surreal sunset (Spain), the flowerpot outside a cafe (Himachal)

Best of Portraits

Our faces are what others see us as. They are the expression of our inner lives. Some of it we control, most we are not able to control. Our faces are our history and legacy, showcasing our entire lineage and our futures. We may all have a game-face as we live our lives, but there are moments when our real self breaks through. In those moments we all connect with each other.

The selection – The artists opens up after I pay him for his time for posing for my photograph (Barcelona), curious boys in a village (Kashmir), the priest at the feet of a deity (Chennai), that timeless moment as the shop-keeper enjoys his hookah (Srinagar), the shearing the sheep which is more tender than is looks (Kashmir), the moment of affection between a Nihang warrier and his horse (Anantpur sahib), smoke between performances by a street performer (Barcelona), Not a Mad-max remake but a real celebration of culture (Punjab)

Best of Landscapes

Landscape and mindscape tend to converge. We are defined and shaped by the spaces we inhabit, New geographies tend to reshape the mind in new ways. So travels expand us and remind us of our own real nature, which is unbound and free.

The selection – sense of detachment with the world below as the flight takes off from Mumbai, the paradise which attracts envy and conflict because of its beauty (Dal Lake, Srinagar), the contemplative mood of a sunset (Himachal), unspoilt nature our only inheritance (Kashmir), the freshness and hopefulness of a sunrise (Himachal), the lines converge onto the light that will battle the incoming darkness.