Tracing a path of curiosity and nothing more, Tayla Mullen and best friend Tash Fraser saunter through the Indian subcontinent. Where India's city streets clamour in chaos, Nepal's mountain range stands deafeningly still. It's a visual conversation underscored by warm faces and untethered livestock. Sounds photogenic, huh?
Photos: Tayla Mullen.
If you were tossing up travel between the two countries, Tayla's photography makes the decision all the more difficult, and simultaneously a well-founded bid for visiting both. You'd be silly not to. Wide-eyed behind her Fujifilm X100VI, Tayla takes it all in, delivering a Photo Diary a cut above any Lonely Planet feature. You saw it here first.
My time in India and Nepal spent with my best friend Tash Fraser was less about seeing places, and more about the way I was drawn to the raw, unfiltered moments that unfolded in front of us.
Walking through the streets of India, I was surrounded by a constant rhythm. Loud noises, strong smells, motorbikes weaving through traffic in narrow lanes, children playing in spaces that felt both chaotic and alive. The way people moved through their day, adapting, connecting, surviving… it spoke loudly. What drew me into clicking my shutter most were faces. The stories from the people I met, held in their eyes, in the lines of their hands, and in the way they carried themselves.
In Nepal, everything felt slower, more grounded. There was a softness in the light and a sense of calm that contrasted with the intensity of India. I found myself drawn to quieter moments… people in reflection, prayer, or simply being. These images became less about movement and more about presence. A highlight from Nepal was trekking to Mardi Himal, as pictured above the clouds. The trek was challenging as we gained altitude and the air thinned, but I would do it again to witness the moon and stars fade away into the light. I’d imagine that if heaven took form, there would be no difference to what we experienced on those mountains.
This body of work is about recognising pieces of ourselves in strangers, across cultures and languages. I had my trusty Fujifilm X100VI with me at all times and a Minolta 35mm. All captures are from the Fujifilm, and I cannot express how stoked I was with the turnout.
View more Hung Supply Photo Diaries, here.
