Five photographers express their idea of love in pictures

In a heartwarming feature for Bazaar India, five photographers share their most cherished snapshots that define this most precious of feelings...love.

Pranoy Sarkar, New Delhi

“I believe love remains constant even as the years pass by... It is our definition of love that evolves with time. It begins as attraction, and once comfort sets in, your partner starts feeling like home to you. This journey of knowing and understanding someone is filled with its own set of complexities—which I find mysterious and beautiful. This is what makes the journey of love adventurous.

I have always been intrigued by the idea of being in love. It is fascinating to witness how the emotion evolves, and capturing that passage of time is one of the most compelling factors behind it.

These photographs are a part of my ongoing personal project titled ‘Love’. As part of this series, I have captured my partner Devanshi over the past few years. To me, this project is a personal diary that documents the dynamism of love. During the initial stages, it is fascinating to discover one another, and as you delve deeper, you become their extension, in many ways. While photographing my partner, I also experimented with impressionist forms of photography; Devanshi and I were deeply inspired by organic forms, and the body. In this case, it was the hat that she really loved.

I wanted to capture the complex nature of this object, with her in motion, to represent the passage of time. While the hat happens to be a metaphor for the tangible, this series of four photographs represents the only thing that remains: the feeling of love and intimacy. This is why I believe love is one of the greatest feelings in the world... It is the only thing that remains in the end.”

Naveli Choyal, New Delhi

“Love can heal us, as a race... It is an inherent part of our existence, and this photograph represents self-love and the act of surrendering to the universe. I captured this picture on a sunny day at Auroville, Tamil Nadu. I love decorating my hair with flowers, every day. While I was at the beach, the gajra (flower garland worn as hair accessory) fell on the sand, and by the time I picked it up, the waves had begun washing it away. In that moment, I felt like there was a message being sent to me—to let go, and to never be afraid of losing myself.”

Porus Vimadalal, Mumbai

“On a serene afternoon at a resort in Binsar (Uttarakhand), I photographed my husband, Prayag Menon, during a vacation. Prayag and I were both lying on the bed—admiring the view from across our room. We began discussing life, and how happy we felt. In those precious moments, being with him felt authentic, vulnerable, and safe...

These are the attributes that I resonate with when I think about love. And I am so lucky that my husband embodies these qualities. For me, love is a safe space we share with someone. And Prayag and I have risen above societal conditioning and have grown together. We have learnt to support each other through all our experiences. Being with him has made me realise how love is an all-encompassing and wholesome emotion—it has taught us unconditional acceptance, support, and comfort.”

Prashant Godbole, New Delhi

“These images are from the day my parents and I went to our farm in Aurangabad (Maharashtra) in 2020. It was Valentine’s Day and my father had plucked a few flowers and offered them to my mother. He did not even know it was Valentine’s Day, and it didn’t matter to him what day it was—he just wanted to make her feel special. They have been married for more than 65 years, and he enjoys spoiling her. My father celebrates my mother every day with small acts of love, and through these, I understand the meaning of unconditional love... One that comes with no expectations and has so many facets—affection, warmth, patience, acceptance, and above all, learning to respect each other.”

Pretika Menon, Goa 

“Love is the most powerful form of energy... It has changed me, and has helped me navigate the world more gently. For years, I have been documenting my friends and people I meet on trips, and this is a couple I shot on my 35mm Pentax. It’s no secret that a kiss is the most affectionate display of love, and I think the best kisses in life are the ones that make us forget the adversities around us. Unfortunately, we live in a country where something as pure as love is tucked away and kept hidden.

We are afraid to show affection to our loved ones in public. I think that is tragic, because much of our fear has to do with the shame surrounding intimacy and love. I hope this photograph makes people realise that we need to break free from the shackles of stereotypes, and build a healthy, loving community.”