6 Indian city photographers to follow on Instagram

Gauri VijPublished on Jun 29, 2022

Six photographers on Instagram who show us new ways of seeing

These six photographers across cities in India are worth a follow on Instagram.

Following urban documentarians online is sometimes the best way to experience a city

The soul of a city lies in its architectural wonders, its streets, its citizens and in its many unexplored details. When it launched as a photo and video platform in 2010, Instagram was embraced by photomakers the world over for its ability to share their art with a previously untapped audience.

Now, more than decade later, we follow certain accounts for the way they tap into the urban zeitgeist, documenting various sights and sounds (and, in one case, even the smells) of the urban sprawl. It’s a way of sharing stories like none other. While several photographers do an excellent job at this, we’ve shortened the list to six and hope to feature many more in the future.

Indu Antony @induantonyBengaluruA transdisciplinary artist, Indu Antony’s choice of subjects, media and materials is wide ranging. Her photobook Why Can’t Bras Have Buttons is an intensely personal memory box of objects collected through the years that grew out of the isolation of the initial COVID-19 pandemic years. Trained as a doctor, Antony’s eye is a fiercely feminist one. Involved with running a women’s leisure centre called Namma Katte in Bengaluru, she is a masterful storyteller, whether it’s through her images of the city, those of drag kings, self-portraits or through the public art project Cecilia'Ed (@ceciliaed_always), which is reclaiming public spaces. — **Indu Antony @induantony**
**Bengaluru**
A transdisciplinary artist, Indu Antony’s choice of subjects, media and materials is wide ranging. Her photobook *Why Can’t Bras Have Buttons* is an intensely personal memory box of objects collected through the years that grew out of the isolation of the initial COVID-19 pandemic years. Trained as a doctor, Antony’s eye is a fiercely feminist one. Involved with running a women’s leisure centre called Namma Katte in Bengaluru, she is a masterful storyteller, whether it’s through her images of the city, those of drag kings, self-portraits or through the public art project Cecilia'Ed (@ceciliaed_always), which is reclaiming public spaces.

Hashim Badani, @hashimbadaniMumbaiAn established photographer with a varied repertoire, Hashim Badani is rooted in the city of Mumbai. Badani lovingly and vividly documents Mumbai’s stories, both past and present. His series on the writer Saadat Hasan Manto is a tribute to his city neighbourhood–Byculla and its surroundings. It’s a stunningly imagined way to show Mumbai that once was Bombay. The Manto series has architecture, city stories and scenes from the writer’s life presented in small fictional installments. Just as Manto was rooted in Bombay and demonstrated that through his fiction, Badani is doing the same with his creative take. A small quibble though–we want more! — **Hashim Badani, @hashimbadani**
**Mumbai**
An established photographer with a varied repertoire, Hashim Badani is rooted in the city of Mumbai. Badani lovingly and vividly documents Mumbai’s stories, both past and present. His series on the writer Saadat Hasan Manto is a tribute to his city neighbourhood–Byculla and its surroundings. It’s a stunningly imagined way to show Mumbai that once was Bombay. The Manto series has architecture, city stories and scenes from the writer’s life presented in small fictional installments. Just as Manto was rooted in Bombay and demonstrated that through his fiction, Badani is doing the same with his creative take. A small quibble though–we want more!

Vinita Barretto @vinita_barrettoGoaTo set the record straight, Goa is a state not a city. But it’s a small state. And for the purpose of this feature, photographer Vinita Barretto’s work is a perfect fit. Barretto’s portraits of her home state are tightly composed close-ups of frames that are otherwise rarely documented about Goa. She captures the light and shadow of a state that is almost always photographed in vivid technicolour, by seeking beauty in the most mundane of elements– a fallen flower petal, a cat springing in action or even two seemingly abandoned, dirty plastic chairs. It’s an intimacy of a photographic kind. Her work on another account: @vinitabarrettophotography comprises a series of portraits of babies, brides, parents-to-be and family moments. — **Vinita Barretto @vinita_barretto**
**Goa**
To set the record straight, Goa is a state not a city. But it’s a small state. And for the purpose of this feature, photographer Vinita Barretto’s work is a perfect fit. Barretto’s portraits of her home state are tightly composed close-ups of frames that are otherwise rarely documented about Goa. She captures the light and shadow of a state that is almost always photographed in vivid technicolour, by seeking beauty in the most mundane of elements– a fallen flower petal, a cat springing in action or even two seemingly abandoned, dirty plastic chairs. It’s an intimacy of a photographic kind. Her work on another account: @vinitabarrettophotography comprises a series of portraits of babies, brides, parents-to-be and family moments.

Kirthana Devdas @kidevdasChennaiThrough a partially closed window, the photomaker spots a car, which she says is pink in colour. “It’s purple,” says a follower of Kirthana Devdas’s image. It could be, Devdas concurs. While Devdas’s work is not strictly focused on the street or the city, it tells us whimsical stories. Part of the photo collective called 8.30 that was formed during the COVID-19 lockdowns, Devdas is both independent and collaborative in nature. At times, she evokes music in her images, asking followers what they are listening to or what tune they recall when viewing her photos. Interspersed through the trippy account are occasional glimpses of people, animals, foliage and life as Devdas sees it, whether it is in Kutch, Mumbai or Chennai. — **Kirthana Devdas @kidevdas**
**Chennai**
Through a partially closed window, the photomaker spots a car, which she says is pink in colour. “It’s purple,” says a follower of Kirthana Devdas’s image. It could be, Devdas concurs. While Devdas’s work is not strictly focused on the street or the city, it tells us whimsical stories. Part of the photo collective called 8.30 that was formed during the COVID-19 lockdowns, Devdas is both independent and collaborative in nature. At times, she evokes music in her images, asking followers what they are listening to or what tune they recall when viewing her photos. Interspersed through the trippy account are occasional glimpses of people, animals, foliage and life as Devdas sees it, whether it is in Kutch, Mumbai or Chennai.

Swarat Ghosh @swaratghoshKolkata/HyderabadPassionate about street photography, Swarat Ghosh’s work in Hyderabad and now Kolkata, tells a story about the neighbourhoods that he hopes will one day form a visual history of India. Whether it’s his most recent work on the Gaur Chandra Ghat in Serampore on the Hooghly river or on the streets of Hyderabad or while making photos of the more-than-a-century-old theatre group, Surabhi, Ghosh documents the unexpected isolated moment in the midst of urban chaos. “Light and composition are important, sure, but expression and emotion are what I gravitate towards,” said Ghosh to Better Photography (@betterphotography). We cannot help but agree. — **Swarat Ghosh @swaratghosh**
**Kolkata/Hyderabad**
Passionate about street photography, Swarat Ghosh’s work in Hyderabad and now Kolkata, tells a story about the neighbourhoods that he hopes will one day form a visual history of India. Whether it’s his most recent work on the Gaur Chandra Ghat in Serampore on the Hooghly river or on the streets of Hyderabad or while making photos of the more-than-a-century-old theatre group, Surabhi, Ghosh documents the unexpected isolated moment in the midst of urban chaos. “Light and composition are important, sure, but expression and emotion are what I gravitate towards,” said Ghosh to Better Photography (@betterphotography). We cannot help but agree.

Menty Jamir @menty__jamirNew Delhi/ Nagaland/ ShillongIf one post is of a happy woman swirling around a pole in the New Delhi metro, there are others that capture the tea stalls of Shillong and portraits from Nagaland. Menty Jamir’s work is happy, tranquil and thought-provoking. Jamir reveals parts of herself, and India, that are rarely acknowledged. Her work is immersive and rooted in nature, whether it’s photographs for indie fashion brands or her friends that she is documenting. Jamir’s work is like that heirloom textile that will endure through the years. Like many photomakers, Jamir, too, chases the light but with delicacy — **Menty Jamir @menty__jamir**
**New Delhi/ Nagaland/ Shillong**
If one post is of a happy woman swirling around a pole in the New Delhi metro, there are others that capture the tea stalls of Shillong and portraits from Nagaland. Menty Jamir’s work is happy, tranquil and thought-provoking. Jamir reveals parts of herself, and India, that are rarely acknowledged. Her work is immersive and rooted in nature, whether it’s photographs for indie fashion brands or her friends that she is documenting. Jamir’s work is like that heirloom textile that will endure through the years. Like many photomakers, Jamir, too, chases the light but with delicacy

Also Read: The rising popularity of skateboarding in India

Also Read: Freedom, war, and hope: Through the eyes of Afghan women

Also Read: 10 vibrant architecture and interior design powerhouses in India

Six photographers on Instagram who show us new ways of seeing

Following urban documentarians online is sometimes the best way to experience a city

Read Next

Subscribe for More