
FirstLook: Golden Hour in Karachi, Pakistan
- Arts
- Photography
Reading time:1min
Photograph by Khaula Jamil
For a long time now, I have felt there is a richer, more complete narrative about Karachi—my hometown—than what is often produced in news media. I’ve seen it labeled one of the world’s least-livable cities, one of the most violent. Perhaps. But that’s not Karachi’s full story.
For this photo series, I walked the narrow alleys of Lyari, the most-populated locality of Karachi, with two German filmmakers who were interested in capturing authentic Karachi narratives. It was nearing sunset, and as I looked up, I saw stunning rays of light spilling into the street. It was the “Golden Hour,” or “Magic Hour,” as we photographers call it—that time right after sunrise and right before sunset that offers the softest, warmest, most-dramatic lighting, perfect for photography. Many people were walking home from work, and I remember thinking I had never seen the Golden Hour quite this distinctively in any part of Karachi before. It was magical indeed, and the scene shown here reflects words that come to my mind in describing my city’s people: resilient, passionate, courageous and determined.
—Khaula Jamil
@khaula28
www.khaulajamil.com
You may also be interested in...
All the Lands Were Sea
History
Arts
In late 1967, photographer Tor Eigoland traveled for more than: a month, mostly by canoe, among the countless villages of southern Iraq's vast marshes. Now, 45 years later, writer Anthony Sattin calls his photographs a "rare and ethnographic record of a lost world. They bring us back to a time and place where people lived in harmony with their environment and respected the balance the natural world needs to thrive.'FirstLook: The Beauty of the Streets
Arts
This photo series began unexpectedly when I found that photographing people behind windows and maintaining a distance made me, and the people I photographed, feel more comfortable. I purposefully frame myself in the reflection of the window to see into the space I’m photographing. I feel every window tells a different story.FirstLook: Ramadan Picnic
Arts
On a warm June evening, people gathered at a park in Bethesda, Maryland, for a community potluck dinner welcoming the start of Ramadan.