InayatShah

Just a humble backyard documentary photographer.

Inayat Ali Shah Born 13th January 1958

I am an Avionics Engineer by profession and a photographer by addiction. I reside in Islamabad, the Capital City of Pakistan.

I have had a camera in my hand since I was 7, the camera being a box brownie. I don’t ever recall ever being able to take a single photograph with it. It wasn’t till a few years later when I had a Yashica-Mat 124G Twin Lens Reflex that I mastered the skill of being able to take a photograph.

Taking photographs as opposed to being a photographer has always been a part and it has been a slow evolution for me to go from family snaps to the street-documentary work that I do now.

I believe every photographer must find their own niche. Not only a love for the end product but an understanding and fascination with the subject matter and these two converge for me in people.

While there are many documentary photojournalists out there that cover the spectacles of life, the wars, the carnivals, the revolutions, the concerts, the performers and the pretty people. But somebody has to capture and portray everyday life, everyday people and everyday stories in a visually appealing manner, keeping the context true and without exaggerating or warping reality.

Above all, life for a photographer cannot be a matter of indifference”

― Robert Frank