This Was Never About Photography
Borrowed Eyes, Stolen Curiosity
I still remember the reel that pulled me in, a vegetable market reel from Monda Market, Hyderabad, shot in a way that made it look like something out of a painting. (you can watch it here) I watched it again and again. I didn’t know anything about cameras or settings, I still don’t know much, but something about it made me feel things I couldn’t really put into words. So when I got a casual invite to join a photoshoot, I said yes without even thinking twice.
Honestly, it was never about learning photography for me. It was about exploring Hyderabad: the festivals, the streets, the people, the culture. New people, new culture, festivals. That has always been on my list, way before any camera was. Photography just became the way I got to do all of that. Learning about new culture and people has always been something I love, and photography just gave me a reason to go deeper into it.
Bonalu: The Rain Had Other Plans
The first time I actually went with photographers was Bonalu. The crowd was huge, colors everywhere, and then it started raining. I remember standing there watching the photographers adjust everything instantly: umbrellas in one hand, cameras covered with the other, still not missing a single shot.
That’s when it clicked for me: photography isn’t just about capturing the right frame, the right colors, the right timing. It’s also about adjusting to the environment around you. The rain, the crowd, the chaos, all of it. But what really stayed with me was the dedication.People standing there, soaked, completely focused, not bothered at all. I had never seen that kind of focus before.
The Loud Quiet
It wasn’t always festivals and crowds, though. Some days it was just a quiet walk, a path lined with trees, or a sky that looked different than it did yesterday. I started noticing things I would have walked straight past before.
Even the city looked different once I started paying attention. The same roads I’d seen a hundred times suddenly felt worth stopping for.
The Night the Moon Showed Up
It was Guru Purnima, 2024. I remember the day exactly. That’s when I started doing photography from my phone. Nothing fancy, no proper camera, just my phone and whatever I was feeling at that moment.
Plot Twist: It Was Never the Camera
Since then, I’ve realized it was never really about photography for me. It was about the people, the photographers, who showed me their view of things. Same crowd, same colors, same rain, but everyone saw something different through their camera. That difference shows a lot about how people think, what they notice, what matters to them.
I’m still learning photography. I’ll probably keep learning it for a long time. But it was never really about the camera or the technique for me. It was about the happiness I get from looking at the beauty in Indian culture, festivals, and heritage. That’s what keeps me going back.
And honestly, none of this stayed limited to photography. The more people I met, the more I started realizing this is just a way of looking at life. Every person sees the same moment differently, and the more people you meet, the more perspectives you get to borrow, even if just for a second. It changes how you look at your own life too, not just the frame in front of you.
That’s also why I started a new Instagram page, @enchanted_clicks14, not really to post “good photos,” but to capture my thoughts, and more than that, to connect with amazing people and the experiences they’re willing to share.
Some of those experiences have stayed with me far more than any photo could.
Pochampally: Threads That Beat Algorithms
One of those was Pochampally. Two lines won’t really do it justice, but here goes: this is the village known for its handwoven Ikat sarees, with a tie and dye weaving tradition that’s centuries old and now carries a Geographical Indication tag protecting its craft. What stayed with me wasn’t just the sarees, it was the weavers: the patience, the precision, the years of skill sitting quietly in their hands.
And that’s the part I keep coming back to. No AI, no matter how advanced, can replace what these people carry: the years of muscle memory, the imperfections that prove it was made by hand, the stories woven into every thread. That’s art.
That’s something only people can give the world.Still learning, still falling in love with it, one click at a time.
