How do we perform identity and desire before a camera? What unfolds before, during, and after a photograph? What is “real” in photography, and how are desires projected in a single image?

In this research, I return to photo studios in my hometown, Quetta (Pakistan)—spaces that fascinated me as a child with their hand painted backdrops and props. These are spaces of transformation—where performance, identity, and aspiration meet. Even though the studios have been reshaped by digital technology, portraits still continue to express a wide range of desires—from challenging ruling ideologies to declaring love or recovering from heartbreak. While studios confine, reproduce and challenge society within their walls, my work engages with the world beyond those boundaries. This research explores the intersection of these two approaches—studio and documentary photography with possibilities to understand the nature of photography.