In the Delhi region of India, I make wet plate collodion photographs – tintypes – of the local community in the backyard of my studio, also my house. This is an organic photographic process where the photograph is made on the spot using a large format camera, chemistry, and darkroom. Embracing all its imperfections, caused by the dynamic weather of North India and volatile chemistry, the process results in a one-of-one unique image on a sheet of metal. This ongoing body of work is about place, community, and the mystical nature of relationships. This a collaborative process where I invite people to sit for portraits and they have complete autonomy on how they want to pose for the photograph. The slow conscious process of taking a photograph builds a sense of connection between the photographer, camera, and the subject. There is an elemental essence in the photograph owing to the stillness/movement of the subject (with an average exposure of 15 secs), which transfers its energy by constant exposure through the camera onto the image plane. The act of giving and receiving through sight – darshan – is at play in the process of making the photograph. I like to think of these as aura pictures.

All photographs are made in 2024 and 5” x 7” in size.