Personal visual essays, field notes, and photojournalism-inspired stories about the people, places, and small moments that ask us to look again. These are my photographs, and the thoughts and experiences that stay with me after I take them.
STREET LIFE · PERSONAL ESSAY
Finding Joy in the Rain
A moment of unguarded happiness on a rainy street made me think about the things we overlook—and the people we too easily reduce to a label.
A visual essay by Shruti Suresh
Children find a moment of joy in the falling rain. Photograph by Shruti Suresh.
I've always had a gift for observation— noticing the things most people walk right past. The overlooked, the unseen, the small details hiding in plain sight.
As I grew older, this little talent found its home in photography.
Yesterday, I went out with my parents as usual, my DSLR hanging around my neck, when the most beautiful moment unfolded before me—as if it had been placed there just for me to capture. A group of street children, dancing and laughing in the rain, right in the middle of the road. Just living. Just being. It melted my heart instantly.
It's moments like these that make me feel truly privileged to be a photographer.
And then a thought crept in—if these children, with nothing to their name, can find pure joy in the falling rain, what's stopping the rest of us? We are human beings too, just like them. What's stopping us from finding happiness in the smallest of things?
I looked at them again and realised something else. When we see children on the street, we can be quick to label them as “poor” and look away. But they are people—full, whole, feeling people—no different from you or me. I found myself imagining them in school uniforms, carrying bags, channelling that same unbridled energy into classrooms and books. My heart ached for a better world.
I posted the photograph that evening with a heart full of bittersweet emotions, carrying away the hope that one day I would do my best to make a difference in the lives of these incredible children, so full of potential.
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TRAVEL · CULTURE · VISUAL ESSAY
Shimla: Beyond the Scenery
The Himalayas first called me back for their beauty. Shimla made me look closer at the histories, cultures, and everyday lives held within the hills.
A personal visual essay by Shruti Suresh
Some places stay with you for a lifetime. Shimla was one of them.
My travels through the Himalayan north had, until then, been limited to a visit to Manali several years ago. Yet the vast, magnificent Himalayas had etched themselves into my heart, and their memory had been calling me back ever since.
For me, travelling is not simply about visiting famous landmarks or admiring beautiful scenery. It is also about absorbing a place’s culture, encountering different ways of life, and paying attention to the details that make it distinct.
Through this series, I hope to capture the essence of Shimla—not only its captivating natural beauty, but also its people, their habits, lifestyles, clothing, and the influences of different cultures that can be seen around the city.
What fascinated me most was the meeting of histories: colonial-era influences alongside layers of Indian history reaching far back into the past. The hills seemed to hold a remarkable variety of experiences, each offering a different way to understand the place.
I was also struck by the presence of different religious traditions. Hindu culture and Buddhist influences formed part of the wider cultural landscape, while places of worship included both churches and temples of different kinds. These contrasts and overlaps made Shimla feel like more than a picturesque hill town; they invited me to look at it as a place shaped by many stories.
With this series, I want to look beyond the postcard view—to notice the people, details, histories, and everyday rhythms that give Shimla its character.
A PHOTOGRAPHIC ALBUM
Pages from Shimla.
A visual diary of the people, textures, and lives I encountered in the hills. Open the book and turn the pages to explore.
Cover · Click the book to open
Tap the book or choose “Next” to turn a page.
MORE STORIES, IN TIME
A journal that grows with every journey.
Each story begins with photographs, notes, and the details I want to remember. This journal brings those pieces together—part observation, part personal reflection, and always an invitation to look a little closer.
