Before the Crossing

Through this series, I wanted to place people within the vastness of the landscape, allowing the river, the sky, and the silence to share the story as much as the human figures.

When I made these photographs, I wasn't interested in the journey itself. What drew me was the quiet moment before it began—the unnoticed pause when the boat still belongs to the shore, and the river waits in silence.

In rural Bangladesh, crossing the water is part of everyday life. Yet I found myself captivated by the stillness that comes before the first paddle breaks the surface. One person waits, another approaches, and for a brief moment everything feels suspended between departure and staying.

Through this series, I wanted to place people within the vastness of the landscape, allowing the river, the sky, and the silence to share the story as much as the human figures. Rather than documenting an event, I sought to express a feeling—one of anticipation, solitude, and the quiet connection between people and the places they inhabit.

To me, every meaningful journey begins long before movement. It begins in a moment of stillness, where silence carries the weight of possibility, and the shore has not yet let go.