Photography project invites you to shoot Mumbai for a day

A photo taken by street photographer Suresh Naganathan during last year's 24HourProject

A street photographer is always devouring the city with their eyes. A global photo project on Instagram pushes them to do it for 24 hours straight. 24HourProject starts at midnight on May 25 and ends at midnight. If you participate, you post a picture every hour, with the hashtag, 24hourproject. The aim is to create a human portrait of the city.

Street photographer Suresh Naganathan, 38, a mid-level manager at a tech company, who took part last year, says, "It was one of the most exhilarating and challenging experiences of my life.

Suresh Naganathan

Once you reach 14-16 hours, you begin to slow down and just walking becomes a challenge. I was only able to complete it, thanks to the community of photographers who were doing it in India and around the world. We kept in touch through Instagram messages and kept pushing each other. The feeling of companionship was amazing."

A process this tough tends to bring out the best in you. "Shooting for so long in one stretch takes a toll physically and emotionally. You stop shooting with your mind and start relying on your instincts. That is where things get interesting visually."

The genre of photography also pushes you further. "Because you cannot control anything of your environment: it's all about shooting candidly. I am lucky if I get one or two decent shots on any given day. But that day, I felt connected with the world around me, and Mumbai rewarded me with a few good pictures."

When: May 25; starts at midnight
Where: Instagram @24hourproject

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