Acclaimed Indian photographer Dayanita Singh has released a compelling new photo-novel titled "Let's See" through Steidl Publishers, offering an intimate look into her earliest years as a photographer. The book represents Singh's journey back to a formative period when she did not yet consider herself a professional photographer, described as "the probing remembrance of an eye I no longer have access to."

Singh recently undertook an extensive exploration of her personal archives, examining 40 years of photographic work, 80 percent of which has never been seen by the public. Through careful review of contact sheet scans, she rediscovered gentle and tender images from the 1980s and 1990s that she had long forgotten. These photographs capture deeply personal moments including hostel roommates, friends she lived with, family gatherings, weddings, and funerals. The collection also features portraits of herself and individuals who would later become significant figures in her life and work.

Among the notable subjects featured in these early photographs are her mother Nony Singh, renowned tabla player Zakir Hussain, and Mona Ahmed, whom Singh would later document in her emotionally powerful visual biography "Myself Mona Ahmed" published in 2001.

Singh's photographic journey began with her first camera, a Pentax ME Super equipped with a 50mm lens, which was given to her as a gift by German publisher Ernst Battenberg (1927-92). With this camera, she photographed "everything I could," working to make each roll of film last as long as possible. She created contact sheets of all her images but could afford individual prints only when needed for publications or book projects.

"I call this book Let's See," Singh explains, "because these images are about exactly that: how we see, what we don't see, what only the camera sees."

Born in New Delhi in 1961, Dayanita Singh pursued her education at the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad, India, and later at the International Center of Photography in New York. Her distinguished career has led to exhibitions at some of the world's most prestigious institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Tate Modern in London, the Art Institute of Chicago, Hayward Gallery in London, the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in New Delhi, and the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum. In 2013, she achieved the honor of representing Germany at the Venice Biennale.

Bookmaking has become a central element of Singh's artistic practice. Her extensive collaboration with Steidl Publishers has produced numerous acclaimed titles including "Privacy" (2004), "Chairs" (2005), "Go Away Closer" (2007), "Sent a Letter" (2007), "Dream Villa" (2010), "File Room" (2013), "Museum of Chance" (2014), "Museum Bhavan" (2017), and "Zakir Hussain Maquette" (2019). Her 2017 book "Museum Bhavan" received particular recognition, earning Book of the Year honors at the 2017 Paris Photo Aperture Foundation Photobook Awards and winning the 2018 ICP Infinity Award for Artist's Book.

Singh's exceptional contributions to photography have been recognized with the prestigious 2022 Hasselblad Award, one of the most significant honors in the field of photography.

"Let's See" features book design by Dayanita Singh in collaboration with Steidl Design. The 304-page volume contains 149 black and white images and measures 5.75 x 8.25 inches (15 x 19.8 cm). Published with an Otabind softcover binding, the book carries ISBN 978-3-96999-008-7 and is priced at $30.00 USD and €25.00. The publication is available through Steidl's official website and authorized distributors.