Capturing an ordinary day in Hyderabad

There is a very charming side to the streets of Hyderabad that not many people get to see, that is what my book is going to be about. It is mostly about an ordinary life on an ordinary day and what you would see on the streets of the city

Lakshmi Prabhala fell in love with photography when her parents gifted her a point and shoot camera in 2005. Thus started Lakshmi’s tryst with the lens and its outcome has been ‘HYDANDSEEK’, a book that features Hyderabad’s street life. The photographer will host an exhibition at the Hyderabad Literary Festival (HLF) which will be held from the January 23-26. But what’s so unique about Lakshmi’s pictures? Her clicks showcase something which tourist brochures or coffee table books don’t.

“When I started photography I had gone around exploring the city and this lead to my blog hydandseek.wordpress.org. There was no intention to come out with a book when I started. I had been clicking in the city with my friend Sadhana.” Early last year Lakshmi and Sadhana thought of making a book together as there was none on the street life in Hyderabad.

“There is a very charming side to the streets of Hyderabad that not many people get to see, that is what my book is going to be about. My book is mostly an ordinary life on an ordinary day and what you would see on the streets of Hyderabad. We have not focussed on the city’s architecture or history.”

Henri Cartier Bresson, a French photographer, who is known as the father of street photography, is one of Lakshmi’s biggest inspirations. “Henri Cartier Bresson is the one who coined the term decisive moment. For every picture, there comes a crucial moment when the frame is perfect. To be aware and alert of such a moment is what a street photographer including me, wait for and try to practice,” she said.

By:Johnson D’Souza