Door Charmer · Limited Edition Fine Photography

I had waited a long time to go to Benaras. When I finally did, it changed something in me. I wandered the alleys, sat by the Ganges for hours, made friends with dogs who kept me company without asking for conversation.

One afternoon at Ramnagar Fort, I had already explored, already taken it all in. It was only while leaving that I saw it, a cracked ochre wall, a red door half open, framed in deep crimson and teal. I hadn't noticed it walking in.

That stopped me.

There's something about only seeing a thing on the way out. Like it needed you to be ready first. I stood there a while before I raised my camera. The wall had lived through years of heat and monsoon and neglect and still held its colour. The door was open just enough to suggest something, not reveal it.

This shot reminded me that noticing is its own practice. You can't force it.

This photograph exists in an edition of 15. Not because editions are expected, but because some moments deserve to live in only a few rooms.