Despite showcasing only a human visage, portraits have an enigmatic allure that captivates and mesmerises people. How else would you explain the ageless painting of Mona Lisa or the iconic photograph of the green-eyed Afghan girl who continue to confound people with their mysterious smile and haunting eyes, respectively?
A picture is worth a thousand words, and the same can be said for portraits, which bring forth a million untold and unheard stories of individuals through their faces, which otherwise are forgotten in the passage of time.
A photographer from Gujarat is on a pursuit of capturing the ‘Faces of India,’ and every single one of his photographs will leave you transfixed. Choosing Instagram as his medium, Junagarh resident Faiyaz Ahmed fell in love with portrait photography after observing people around him and realising that these were stories that the world should know.
“My portrait photography journey started when I began to observe people around me, especially during the Bhavanath (Shivratri) festival near Mount Girnar. Many villagers around Junagadh town visit Girnar for pilgrimage, and I was captivated by their faces—they had an extremely distinct quality. This was the beginning of my photographic pursuits and with every passing day, I fell in love with humanity. I find the portrait genre quite challenging, which makes it even more invigorating for me to pursue it,” said Faiyaz to The Better India.
Check out these unforgettable faces from India captured by Faiyaz, who has forever immortalised the simplicity and commonness of his subjects through his frames and rendered them extraordinary:
(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)
You can check out more of Faiyaz’s works on his Instagram handle here.
Note: All the pictures have been used with Faiyaz Ahmed’s permission.
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