There is a peculiar thrill to documenting everyday life of everyday people. And the thrill multiplies when photographers and visual storytellers from all over the world take to the streets of their respective cities to observe and capture life as it comes for 24 hours straight.

In April, thousands of photographers from over 105 countries took one photo every hour of the day in what was called the 24 Hour Project 2018. The hashtag #24hourproject2018 flooded social media platforms with photos that documented humanity and the human condition around the world.

Starting midnight, people, peppered across the globe, got an opportunity to observe their own city and the world beyond over the course of a day.

With every photo different from the other, it was a celebration of diversity of sorts. To observe how many different things could happen in one single hour and how each moment captured defined and described over 850 cities was eye opening.

The street photography challenge, founded in 2012, is both physically

and emotionally challenging. It demands that you keep your senses alert and look for stories in every minute of every hour of the day. It is also rewarding to share your love for photography with thousands of people across the globe in real time.

This year, I, along with a couple of fellow photographers, wandered in the streets of Kathmandu and Patan, witnessing daily lives of the people as they unfolded.

This project made me realise that a city is so much more than just buildings and infrastructure. A city is defined by the people that inhabit it. At the end of the twenty four hours, there was a sense of achievement but hardly any energy left to celebrate.

Photos & Text : Rabik Upadhyay