10th Place Award in the “Cell Phone Only” category. Photo by Lonav Bharali, India.

Behind the Photo with Lonav Bharali

10th Place Award in the “Cell Phone Only” category. Photo by Lonav Bharali, India.

This was taken when my grandmother came to see me in Bangalore, India. As soon as I woke up, I saw this frame in front of me and I knew it would make a beautiful photograph. She has this habit of waking up very early in the morning and reading the newspaper. I woke up to close the balcony door because there was too much light coming in. And then I saw this.

My grandmother passed away this year and this is one of the few photos that I have of hers. I really wished, she was there to see that this photo won me an award. 

View more of Lonav’s work on Instagram @lonav17

The Documentary Family Awards is an international competition in search of the insightful and meaningful ways that documentary photographers explore the interpretation of family.